Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Grant Guidelines: Harvard Business School Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) Program

SPNM is a flagship executive education leadership program offered each year by the Social Enterprise Initiative designed for CEOs and executive directors of nonprofit organizations. Taught by a team of faculty members from HBS and other graduate schools within Harvard University, the program features management cases and materials drawn from a wide variety of social enterprises. Post-program evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive, and follow-up discussions indicate that participants are actively applying concepts and skills from the programs. Participants have the opportunity to connect with a wide 140 nonprofit leaders from a broad range of sectors and geographies.

During the week-long SPNM program, participants explore strategic concepts in mission focus, market sensitivity, organizational structure, and performance management and control. The program gives nonprofit leaders the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day pressures of the workplace to examine their missions and rethink their approaches to carrying them out. At the same time, they make tangible progress on specific challenges that they consider crucial to the missions of their organizations and address specific issues confronting their organizations.

Participants develop a strategic outlook to improve the effectiveness of their organizations by understanding core management concepts; applying these concepts strategically; and learning how to implement change within the organization.

Eligibility

To be eligible for consideration, you must meet the following criteria:

• All candidates should have at least one year of experience working in their current role.
• Have a minimum of several full-time employees.
• Have an annual operating budget of at least $500,000 (preferably over $1 million).
• Have been fully operational (with full-time staff) for at least one year and be out of the start-up phase.
• Candidates should be nonprofit CEOs, Presidents or Executive Directors, and should be responsible for shaping the direction, mission, policies and major programs of their organizations.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation does not support organizations that, in their constitution, by-laws or practice, discriminate against a person or group on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief.

HBS will not consider applications from management support organizations or consulting firms. In a limited number of cases, representatives from industry/trade associations may be considered for admission.

Please note that this program is not intended for individuals who are not in CEO, President or Executive Director roles.

Review Criteria

The advisory committee of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence reviews each application and selects finalists for submission to HBS for their selection. Applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:

• Satisfies eligibility criteria stated in the above guidelines.
• Provides services to the area that Berkshire Taconic serves.
• Is ready to learn and supply his/her learning directly to his/her nonprofit organization.
• Significance of the role of the nonprofit in the Berkshire Taconic community.

If you have any questions about the Harvard Business School Pragram, email grants@berkshiretaconic.org.