About
the capacity lab

In 2018, Chautauqua County foundations convened around the topic of nonprofit capacity building. Six foundations formed a collective impact group, and, with additional funding from the Gebbie and Lenna Foundations, leveraged their resources to secure a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to conduct exploratory work in that space.

The group utilized the funding from the Wilson Foundation to initiate and analyze a capacity indicator self-assessment for 36 nonprofits throughout the county, which provided insight along seven key competency areas. Based on the aggregate report and feedback from nonprofits, several immediate next steps were identified to help provide access to resources, tools, and best practices across the competency areas, which included new resource pages on Chautauqua Grants and a county-wide monthly e-newsletter.

In 2020, the collaborative efforts first started across local funders through the capacity initiative were a key factor in their ability to quickly mobilize resources to form the Chautauqua County Crisis Response Fund: COVID-19, in response to the pandemic. Over $1 million was raised and granted directly back out to organizations between the months of April to September, 2020, to help address basic human needs, food security and childcare, nonprofit reopening supplies and materials, and nonprofit stabilization.

In December, 2021, The Capacity Lab hired its first full-time employee devoted specifically to capacity building. As Project Director, Noah Goodling works within the county to bring to life the unified vision of the group and helps to strategize new approaches to support the nonprofit sector. He is passionate about helping local nonprofits build their operations with confidence and a strong sense of community.