New Funding for Nonprofit Collaboration in San Diego

Nonprofit organizations in San Diego County have a new resource to help them explore opportunities for working together.

Alliance Healthcare Foundation is proud to support the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative San Diego | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window (NSI San Diego) alongside Prebys Foundation and other philanthropic partners, with Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties serving as fiscal sponsor. Through funding and access to specialized expertise, the initiative helps nonprofit organizations explore and implement sustained collaborations that can strengthen their work, expand their impact, and support long-term sustainability.

What Does Sustained Collaboration Look Like?

Sustained collaboration goes beyond occasional partnerships or joint projects. It involves formal arrangements that meaningfully change how organizations work together over time.

For nonprofit organizations, this might mean combining complementary expertise to expand services, sharing administrative functions or infrastructure, reaching new communities, or finding more effective ways to deliver on their missions. Some organizations also explore collaboration as a way to plan ahead, whether during a leadership transition, a shift in funding, or another moment of change.

These partnerships can take many forms, from shared services and strategic alliances to more integrated organizational structures, as illustrated below.

There is no single model or predetermined outcome. NSI San Diego provides resources and expertise to help organizations assess their options and determine whether a sustained collaboration makes sense for their missions and the communities they serve.

Collaboration in Action: Examples from Los Angeles

NSI San Diego builds on lessons from sustained collaboration initiatives across the country, including the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window (NSI) in Los Angeles, which has supported nonprofit collaborations since 2012.

Arts for Healing and Justice Network: Several Los Angeles arts organizations serving young people in juvenile detention and community settings were already meeting informally to share successes and challenges. In 2015, NSI funding helped them explore a more formal structure and bring in consultants to understand each member’s work, finances, and needs. That process helped formalize the Arts for Healing and Justice Network, which now brings together 13 independent member organizations. As a network, they can contract with large public agencies like the county probation department and pass funding through to smaller members that couldn’t access it alone. The network has since expanded programming to every juvenile detention facility in Los Angeles County. Watch the NSI case study. | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window

Hillsides/Bienvenidos Children’s Center: Hillsides, a Los Angeles provider of child welfare and behavioral health services, wanted to add foster family and adoption services and grow its presence in East Los Angeles. Bienvenidos Children’s Center was well established in both. When Bienvenidos’ CEO signaled plans to retire, the two organizations began exploring a formal affiliation. Funding from NSI supported a thorough due diligence process, from reviewing public contracts to aligning employee benefits, and then helped with implementation. Combining administrative functions saved about $1 million, which the organizations used to create greater equity across their combined workforce. Watch the NSI case study. | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window

Funding and Support Available

Exploring or implementing a sustained collaboration can involve complex decisions about organizational structure, finances, governance, and operations. NSI San Diego helps nonprofit partners access the specialized expertise and resources needed to navigate these processes.

The initiative offers two types of grants to support organizations at different stages of collaboration:

Exploratory Grants support organizations interested in assessing whether a sustained collaboration makes sense and what form it might take. Funding primarily covers consultants and technical assistance for activities such as organizational assessments, facilitated discussions, due diligence, and partnership planning.

Implementation Grants help organizations that have agreed to move forward with a formal collaboration cover one-time transition costs, such as integrating systems, aligning operations, or addressing legal and governance needs.

Funding is intended to support the exploration and implementation of sustained partnerships rather than ongoing operating expenses or existing budget deficits.

Interested in Exploring the Opportunity?

NSI San Diego accepts applications on a rolling basis, allowing organizations to explore collaboration opportunities when the timing is right for them.

Nonprofit organizations interested in learning more can visit the NSI San Diego website | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window for eligibility criteria, funding guidelines, application information, and resources to help them assess whether the opportunity may be a good fit.

Welcoming Erica Bouris, PhD, to Alliance Healthcare Foundation

We’re excited to welcome Erica Bouris, PhD, as Alliance Healthcare Foundation’s new Chief Impact Officer.

Erica brings more than 25 years of experience advancing economic mobility, health and well-being, and community resilience. Her career spans nonprofit leadership, research, policy, capacity building, and cross-sector partnerships, including roles with Jobs for the Future, the International Rescue Committee, and the Federal Reserve Bank.

As Chief Impact Officer, Erica will help guide AHF’s grantmaking, strategic partnerships, impact investing, and learning efforts to advance health and wellness equity across San Diego County.

We look forward to the experience, perspective, and collaborative approach she brings to this work.

Welcome to the team, Erica!

Celebrating Barbara Orozco-Valdivia’s Community Leadership

Congratulations to our Vice President of Community Engagement and Partnerships, Barbara Orozco-Valdivia, MPH, who received the Pounding the Pavement Award from Mid-City Community Advocacy Network | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window (Mid-City CAN) at their recent Impact Luncheon!

The award recognizes Barbara’s ongoing commitment to supporting communities across San Diego and her dedication to strengthening community-led efforts. We’re proud to see her leadership, passion, and tireless work recognized by our community partners.

Congratulations, Barbara, on this well-deserved honor!

Leadership Development Opportunities from Fieldstone Network

Our partners at Fieldstone Network | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window are accepting applications for their 2027 leadership development programs, offering nonprofit professionals opportunities to strengthen their skills, build relationships, and learn alongside peers.

Programs include the Executive Learning Group | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window for executive directors and CEOs, the Nonprofit Leaders Learning Group | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window for senior leaders and managers, and Leadership Coaching | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window for individualized professional development.

Interested nonprofit leaders can explore program details, schedules, costs, and application information on Fieldstone Network’s website | New Window | New Window | New Window | New Window.

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