Strong Missions Need Stable Funding

Every nonprofit has stories. Successes, setbacks, unfinished efforts, and moments of real connection. Sharing those stories helps people understand the work on a deeper level and see how they can be part of sustaining it. When organizations invest in honest storytelling and choose the right partners to help tell those stories, fundraising becomes relational rather than transactional. Naming challenges, showing progress, and inviting people to get involved, even when solutions are still unfolding, builds long-term trust and support.

Capacity building grants are one of the few funding categories that allow nonprofits to invest in the systems that actually support the work. This piece highlights three upcoming 2026 grants in New York and New England that can fund technology like equipment, webinar tools, and a real CRM when framed clearly and strategically. It is a practical look at how capacity funding can be used to strengthen operations without diluting mission or focus.

At this point in the year, experienced leaders are not asking how to raise more money. They are asking how to reduce exposure, smooth volatility, and align fundraising behavior with organizational reality. The organizations that feel steady by summer are rarely the ones with the strongest December. They are the ones that use January to make a small set of disciplined, structural decisions while there is still room to maneuver.

September marks a turning point for grassroots nonprofits. The summer slowdown is behind us, and the push toward year-end giving is right ahead. This makes fall the perfect season to spark fresh momentum with your supporters. You do not need a major campaign to make progress right now. What matters is creating small, intentional opportunities that bring people closer to your mission and give them a reason to give.

For frontline nonprofits and grassroots collectives, fall is a strategic season to secure environmental funding. Many funders align their grant cycles with year-end budgeting and planning, making September through November 2025 an essential window for justice-oriented organizations to pitch bold ideas and lock in resources for the year ahead.

Harvey & Smith Impact is accepting letters of interest for our Fall 2025 Development & Strategy Fellowship. This is a part-time, paid opportunity for three individuals who want to learn how small, justice-focused nonprofits stay organized and raise the money they need to do their work.

Most people are not afraid to ask for help. They are afraid of hearing no. In fundraising, that fear is often disguised as relationship-building, timing, or due diligence. But beneath the surface, the hesitation is psychological. It is shaped by avoidance, perfectionism, and discomfort with rejection.

When war dominates the headlines, many nonprofit leaders hesitate to fundraise. But for organizations challenging systemic violence, asking for support is not a distraction. It is part of the work. This post offers clear guidance for how to keep fundraising with integrity, even in a time of grief, urgency, and political uncertainty.