Strategic Partnership Programs

Strategic advising, design, and implementation for bespoke funder initiatives.

NEO’s Strategic Partnership Programs provide a one-stop shop focused on tailored strategic advising and flexible program design and implementation to creatively address the needs of partner funders, donors, and field stakeholders.

Our Approach

Centering trust-based values and approaches, our Strategic Partnership Programs offer collaborative environments to develop, pilot, and continually iterate on initiatives around philanthropic practice, methods, and structures, with particular expertise building participatory decision-making models.

Based on our experiences in the field of philanthropy housing wide-ranging programs, projects, and funds, we can engage in a range of structures regarding program design, strategy, and implementation depending on our partners’ preference to achieve their goals. We recognize that each institution and partner we work with is different. Thus, our approach is one of personalized engagement where we meet each partner and their team where they are. We know the challenges and limitations that different stakeholders may face – due to their size, the groups they are trying to reach or need for expertise in different types of funding strategies or philanthropic initiatives – and we create solutions specific to this sector.

Examples of how we partner with funders, donors, and field stakeholders:

Strategic grantmaking to support smaller grants to organizations farther from a funder’s direct strategy; to alleviate burdensome grant processes for smaller or community-based organizations working closer to the focus population.

Program design to convene external perspectives in a way not suited for a funder’s governance (including advisory committees and participatory processes) and are able to make use of a participatory process to center perspectives from, or close-in to, the focus population in feedback and decision-making.

Organizational development and advising including strategic planning, philanthropic advising, executive coaching, fundraising, etc.

Issue and field development and coordination by investigating or developing potential networks or coalitions for collaborative funding or field efforts, organizing retreats and convenings, and conducting research on both emerging and persistent issues and field landscapes. We aim to bridge the gap that often exists between funders and organizations doing a range of social justice work.

Our Team

Our partners are able to leverage the expertise and depth of experience of NEO’s leadership and staff, as well as gain access to and benefit from our networks of philanthropic and grantee communities. We have significant experience in participatory models and trust-based philanthropy, as well as in advising different types of funders (community, private, corporate, national, and international) across various issue areas.