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Athens-Clarke County celebrates graduation of nonprofit capacity-building program funded with ARPA dollars
Summary
Participants in the 12-month Cultivating Nonprofit Capacity in Athens program completed training funded by ARPA, organizers said; local nonprofits described gains including a new brick-and-mortar site and strengthened fundraising and board practices.
A staff member said Athens-Clarke County gathered to mark the graduation of participants in the Cultivating Nonprofit Capacity in Athens program, a 12-month effort approved to use ARPA funds to strengthen small local agencies.
The program, the staff member said, was intended “to improve the knowledge, the capacity, the networking, the connections between and among some of the smaller agencies in town,” and organizers credited it with helping participants scale operations and plan for sustainability.
Founder and executive director of Juvenile Offender Advocate said her organization pairs at‑risk youth with mentors who follow them through court processes. “My organization is Juvenile Offender Advocate, and I am the founder executive director,” she said, describing the mentoring model and her group’s role in the program.
Founder and executive director of Encourage Her Academy said her program, which mentors girls ages 6 through 17, used lessons from the training to secure a permanent site after previously renting space. “We was able to get a brick and mortar. Previously, we was renting spaces. Now we have our own space and it shows stability. It shows sustainability. Now the girls have a home,” she said.
Speakers at the event described common challenges among small nonprofits, including staffing and volunteer shortages and limited fundraising capacity, and said the program focused on sharing strategies and reducing stigma about seeking help. “By sharing ideas and being honest about what those challenges are…that was the first step of not being ashamed to say, yeah, we've been doing this for a long time, but we need some help,” the staff member said.
Organizers and participants credited the 12‑month curriculum with practical outcomes — such as improved board practices, new fundraising approaches and stronger community connections — but did not announce additional funding or formal follow‑up requirements at the event.
Event remarks and participant comments focused on capacity building and program outcomes; no motions or formal government actions were recorded during the remarks.
