This spring, the Fund for Columbia County, an Area Fund of BTCF, dedicated the majority of its annual grantmaking dollars in a new way—one that gives hope to many lifesaving nonprofits that anchor their communities: General Operating Support grants (GOS).  

GOS grants provide nonprofits with unrestricted flexible funding for their overall mission, rather than a specific program, trusting that nonprofits themselves are best positioned to decide where the money should go.  

In the last year, growing numbers of small nonprofits have experienced measurable fiscal harm with the loss of government funding. That loss, coupled with significant increases in community needs (food pantries, social services, education, etc.) creates a challenging moment. The community members who volunteer on the FCC advisory committee didn’t just notice the growing needs; they used it as their North Star. 

While BTCF has provided individual general operating grants over the years, FCC’s decision to entirely restructure its primary competitive funding cycle is a first. It is a milestone in the foundation’s embrace of trust-based philanthropy practices—and Columbia County nonprofits responded in record numbers. 

Leila Kaplan, BTCF’s Community Engagement Officer for the county said, “We received grant applications from groups and nonprofits we hadn’t heard from before. I think General Operating Support is exciting to organizations that may not have lots of different projects but still have a strong mission.” 

“A lot of these organizations are facing cuts or a trickle-down effect,” said Kaplan. “Hopefully these grants can help them weather the crisis and build resiliency. GOS is an investment in the potential of the organization itself; we want to support stability if that is their need.”  

Jeffrey Markham, an experienced GOS program officer from a neighboring community foundation, consulted with BTCF’s Area Fund committee members several times last year as BTCF sought to strengthen their overall equity and inclusion work. Markham sees a national trend toward establishing nonprofit leaders as experts in their fields.  
 
“This is trust-based grantmaking,” he said. “General operating funds are hands-off, relationship-focused grants. They aid in the decentralization of the funder and instead centralize the needs of the nonprofits. So often the money holds the power. But the leaders of a nonprofit know exactly where incoming funds are most useful, so those leaders should be the ones to make those decisions. This is a way to recognize that organizations are doing great work, and to help them keep doing it.”  

“GOS can be the scaffolding of organizations more than anything else. How do we strengthen your board, how are we supporting your succession planning and ongoing stability? This is the goal of GOS.” 

He said that FCC was “ready and primed to go [when he first met with the group]. They had been intentional about the development of the fund’s committee and bringing new voices into the process. Not every board or grantmaking body has that in place. It was easy to shepherd them along because they were asking all the right questions.”  
 
Kaplan confirmed the committee’s vision. “Everything mirrors the growth of the foundation. This fund was created and grown through incredible generosity and love and has always been responsive to the needs of the county. And, as we’ve grown, our grantmaking has evolved to continue addressing those needs. We have recruited an advisory committee that reflects the community, and they bring diversity of ages, geographies, and experience to help us do this work thoughtfully and equitably. FCC has been willing to go out in front and try things out.” 

The Fund for Columbia County distributed $300,000 of its annual grant dollars to GOS this year, and its remaining funds will support specific ongoing commitments in the county. “We still have the Immigrant Support Fund and Neighbor-to-Neighbor funding for emergency cash assistance, medical bills, rent relief,” said Kaplan. “And BTCF Guaranteed Income for Columbia County is making a huge difference for families; FCC is a large funder of that program [in which 42 families in Columbia County were guaranteed income for two years].” 
 
Half of all of the income FCC generates is through the Fund’s annual appeal, and Kaplan is hopeful that new families moving into the county will find ways to contribute to the local nonprofits and FCC. “I look forward to their help with the essential programs in their new communities,” she said.