Subject
title
Instrumentl Nonprofit Grant Seeking Resource City of Rockville Agreement
end
Department
Housing and Community Development
Recommendation
The Department of Housing and Community Development recommends that the Mayor and Council approve the City of Rockville’s Agreement with Instrumentl, an online platform that helps nonprofits identify, track, and manage grant opportunities.
Discussion
As DHCD works to expand Rockville residents’ access to vital community services through strong nonprofit partnerships, staff have been monitoring conditions across the nonprofit sector. Many organizations report rising service demand alongside uncertain funding streams and increased operating costs, creating mounting pressure on their ability to sustain programs for residents. This proposed partnership Agreement is one way the City of Rockville can respond by connecting local nonprofit partners with grant-seeking tools at no cost to the city and at a reduced cost to participating organizations. Under the Agreement, Instrumentl would provide a unique discount code to its online platform and access to its tools for organizations working with the city, including Community Services and Enrichment Program grantees and participants in the city’s Nonprofit Symposium, reinforcing the value of coordination and collaboration with us.
Instrumentl is an online platform that supports nonprofits with tools to identify funding opportunities, manage grant calendars, track applications, and coordinate fundraising strategies. Through its Instrumentl Community Partner Program, the company offers discounted subscriptions and no cost educational programming, including webinars on fundraising and organizational sustainability. Under the proposed agreement, Instrumentl would offer informational webinars to DHCD partners as well as reduced-rate access and technical assistance, with participation fully optional for city partners. In addition, City-referred organizations will have access to pro bono grant-writing workshops and free grant-writing resources provided by Instrumentl. This relationship allows the City to expand support for nonprofit partners without financial cost or operational risk while advancing the city’s collective impact goals and helping community-based organizations navigate current fiscal challenges.
Following review of Instrumentl’s Community Partner Program, it was determined that these referrals would constitute a city sponsorship of an external tool. The sponsorship would not be exclusive, though, as DHCD’s Collective Impact Manager will continue to promote additional resources such as Nonprofit Montgomery and the Maryland Nonprofit Navigator. Instead, the partnership will continue to add to resources that the city can offer our nonprofit partners while complementing DHCD’s broader collective impact strategy to strengthen collaboration, resource sharing, and an overall growth in our collective capacity to serve residents and meet community needs.
At a time when other funding sources are uncertain and rising community needs and operating costs are straining the nonprofit sector’s ability to serve residents, this no cost partnership will allow the City of Rockville to share reduced cost access with local partners, particularly Community Services and Enrichment Program grantees, strengthening their ability to secure outside funding. By expanding nonprofit capacity and access to resources, this will help proactively support DHCD partners that serve Rockville residents and advance city priorities.
Next Steps
With Mayor and Council’s support, DHCD will coordinate with the City Attorney’s Office to execute the Agreement with Instrumentl.
Following execution of the agreement, DHCD staff will coordinate with Instrumentl to offer informational sessions for organizations, including the free grant-seeking webinars. In addition, DHCD will communicate the availability of the resource through announcements at the city’s Nonprofit Symposium and Community Partner Cafés, as well as inclusion in grantee orientations and technical sessions for current and prospective partners. Together, these strategies will broaden awareness of this additional resource as part of the network of support available to nonprofit organizations serving Rockville residents.