Pathways Partnership 2025
Pathways Partnership Overview
The Pathways Partnership is a free, virtual program that runs from October to May. We partner with nonprofits serving children, youth, and families in Washington, DC and Prince George’s County, MD through an intensive 8-month engagement designed to build strong organizational foundations. This comprehensive program is tailored for nonprofits with budgets between $50K – $250K and focuses on aligning leadership with organizational practices to strengthen capacity in two key areas: Board Development, Fundraising, Leadership & Management, and Program Evaluation. Together, we’ll create sustainable systems that amplify your impact and advance your mission in the communities you serve.
Cohort Orientation & Workshop:
The Pathways Partnership starts with a group orientation designed to prepare you for the Partnership and to learn more about Fair Chance, the other cohort partner organizations, and their Executive Directors and Board Representatives. During the Partnership, there is one workshop based on the cohort’s collective needs.
Leadership Development:
Executive Directors participate in cohort-based leadership development activities, including a leadership style assessment and a multi-session discussion group.
Organizational Assessment:
Leadership Development:
A Partnership work plan is co-created based on the assessment results. You and your Capacity Building Specialist work together to achieve goals and objectives in two of the Pathways Partnership capacity building areas. See Application FAQs to learn more about Partnership time commitments.
Celebration:
Post-Partnership:
During and throughout the year following completion of the program, you will complete surveys designed to measure the Partnership’s impact.
Organizational Assessment:
Pathways Partnership Success
“I was at an impasse as an executive director and founder…I knew our mission was needed but I just had all of these ingredients that I couldn’t quite figure out the recipe. Fair Chance was that affirmation to keep going and here are the tools to help you do that.”
— Latoya Lewis, Executive Director, EnventU
Eligibility
In order to participate in the Pathways Partnership, nonprofits must have:
- A current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
- A mission, or at least one program, that addresses specific needs of children, youth, and families who are in communities impacted racism, discrimination, and poverty in Washington, DC or Prince George’s County
- A need for stronger leadership, policies, practices, or tools in at least two Pathways capacity building areas
- At least one program that has been running for a year or longer and will continue running the year following the Partnership
- An Executive Director (paid or unpaid) who:
- Has held the position for at least one year by July 1, 2025 and intends to remain in the position for the duration of the Partnership
- Can commit 8 hours a week during the Partnership to capacity building work, including a weekly two-hour meeting with a Capacity Building Specialist held during Fair Chance business hours (9 am – 6 pm)
- A Board of Directors made up of at least five members.
- A Board Representative who:
- Has been on the Board for at least one year,
- Is familiar with how the Board currently does its work and the Board’s strengths and challenges
- As the time [3 hours/week for 4 months (Jan – April)] to do independent work and meet with your Capacity Building Specialist approximately every other week
- Has the authority to create tools, processes, and systems for the Board to use in doing its work.
Priority consideration is given to organizations:
- that are led by people of color (i.e., either the Executive Director or a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, including the Board Chair, self-identify as POC), and/or
- where at least 50% of the children, youth, and families served are Washington, DC or Prince George’s County residents who are in communities impacted racism, discrimination, and poverty
Organizations that do not meet these priority considerations are still eligible for the Pathways Partnership.
Pathways Partnership Capacity Building Areas
Based on research and Fair Chance’s years of experience, the following organizational competencies serve as the foundation upon which we build strong nonprofits. In our Pathways Partnership, Fair Chance works selectively across these areas based on the strengths and needs of each nonprofit.
BOARD DEVELOPMENT
A Board of Directors with the right mix of people and skill sets can be a tremendous benefit in furthering the organization’s mission. Whether a board is new, seasoned, or somewhere in between, Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:
- ensure members understand their roles and responsibilities
- foster a culture of philanthropy on the Board
- develop new member recruitment strategies
- strengthen facilitation and planning of Board meetings and retreats
FUNDRAISING
Every nonprofit could have a greater impact with more resources. Based on an organization’s fundraising needs and strengths, Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:
- diversify and solidify funding bases
- develop effective grant proposals and donor appeals
- create comprehensive fundraising plans
- build systems to identify, track, and monitor funding sources
- design strategies to communicate and work with the donor community
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
Leaders working in small community based nonprofits need to be both strategic and hands-on in ensuring their organizational culture and practices are effective across the organization in order to advance their mission, support stability, and foster sustainability and growth. Fair Chance typically works with leaders in this area to:
- align key organizational planning, budgeting, and financial management processes
- complete a jobs analysis of the Executive Director and other key roles
- implement key organizational risk processes
PROGRAM EVALUATION
Nonprofits provide vital services, but need to have clarity, good measurement tools, and evaluation systems in order to ensure that their services are producing intended results. Fair Chance typically works with leaders to:
- create an evaluation plan, including outcomes and indicators
- align mission/vision and outcomes
- develop a theory of change and/or logic models
- communicate evaluation results to key funders and other stakeholders
Ideal Partners
An ideal partner wants to be connected and contribute to a strong group of local nonprofit leaders united in making our communities more equitable.
You are looking for coaching, thought-partnership, nonprofit management expertise, and support tailored to your needs and learning style, but have a shortage of financial resources to allocate towards this work
Your organization has the time, people power, and organizational resources to invest in capacity building
You want to be connected and contribute to a strong community of local nonprofit leaders united in making Washington, DC more equitable
Your organization is a small nonprofit that addresses the needs of children, youth, and families in communities impacted by discrimination, racism, and poverty in Washington, DC
Results
100% of Executive Directors have a greater sense of clarity about how they want to build their organization
100% of Executive Directors reported increased confidence in their ability to adapt successfully to challenges
“My greatest take away from the Pathways Partnership is the invaluable resource of connection. Starting from our Cohort’s Leadership discussion group to our group text messages for support and resources, the partnership has provided a treasure of knowledge, and created a firmer footing for myself, our board, and our organization. We are now getting down to the nitty gritty of the work involved to create a sustainable, even longer lasting, efficient nonprofit organization with the ability to make a greater impact over the next 30 years.”
— Kimberly Gaines, Executive Director, East of the River Boys and Girls Steelband, Pathways Graduate
“The entire Fundraising work was beyond helpful. Through the partnership, I learned the various types of fundraising for organizations and how to build a calendar that helps to backward map, chunk, and assign tasks amongst our newly developed Finance committee.”
— Shaundranetta Wood, Executive Director, Math Speaks, Pathways Graduate
“The Board Chair role is not for the faint of heart. It comes with tremendous responsibilities. After having completed the Pathways Partnership, I am most proud of going from the place of being someone who really had no concept of what it is to Chair a Board to leading with confidence from having acquired an informed knowledge base of the actual Board Chair duties and responsibilities, clarity of what constitutes board governance, understanding the distinction between Executive Director and Board duties and responsibilities, and functioning without encroaching on the Executive Director’s territory.” — Pathways Partner Board Representative
FAQs
How much does the Partnership cost?
The Pathways Partnership is free, but does require a significant investment of the Executive Director and a Board Member’s time and effort. Fair Chance’s Partnerships are free of charge in order to ensure that small nonprofits have more equitable access to quality capacity building support.
What is the time commitment required to participate in the Pathways Partnership?
The Executive Director is expected to devote eight hours per week to the assessment, the leadership discussion group, and Partnership work, spending at least two of those hours meeting with the Capacity Building Specialist.
The Board Representative devotes 2 hours to the assessment, and about 3 hours per week from Jan – April focusing on independent work and meeting with the Capacity Building Specialist approximately every other week to accomplish Board Development and/or Leadership & Management goals.
Likewise, the Capacity Building Specialist devotes 8 to 10 hours per week to working with a partner organization.
How does Fair Chance's assessment work?
The Pathways Partnership assessment provides an opportunity to reflect, explore, and learn more about nonprofit management practices; helps determine the focus of the Partnership work plan; and serves as the way we measure short-term changes in organizational capacity. At the start of the Partnership, the assessment is administered over four 2-hour sessions with the Executive Director, and one 2-hour session with the Board Representative. Your Capacity Building Specialist also reviews organizational documents shared by the Executive Director. At the end of the Partnership, the Executive Director and Board Representative complete their parts of the assessment again, independently, and your Capacity Building Specialist shares and discusses the analyzed results.
If my organization completed a Fair Chance Partnership in the past, can we apply for a Pathways Partnership?
No, Pathways Partnerships are only available to organizations that have not previously received capacity building support through Fair Chance’s Pathways, Praxis or Ready for Work programs. If you don’t know if your organization has completed one of these programs in the past, please review this list of our Alumni Partners.
If I don’t meet the priority considerations, can I still get a Partnership?
Yes, you can still be selected as a partner even if you don’t meet our priority considerations. Meeting a priority consideration does not guarantee a Partnership. Our priority considerations reflect our commitment to our mission and to advancing racial equity in DC and Prince George’s County nonprofit sectors. We consider a number of variables when selecting partners, including your capacity building needs; your programs; your availability to engage in Partnership work; and our staffing capacity and expertise.
How is the Pathways Partnership different from working with a Consultant?
Traditional engagements with consultants tend to be product driven. Fair Chance’s role is to share knowledge and resources, and provide thought-partnership and coaching. We work alongside you during a Partnership, rather than producing things for you (e.g., we help you develop a fundraising plan; we do not fundraise for you). The work is held and driven by the organization’s leadership. The success of any Partnership depends on how much your Executive Director and Board put into our work together. Learn more about what makes Fair Chance Partnership unique.