How do you continue a promising initiative once the seed funding is gone? Many leaders struggle to marshal the range of resources critical for their long-term success. Sustainability planning is a complex and challenging process. The Finance Project’s Sustainability Training Institute provides participants with the knowledge, tools, and skills they need to develop and support effective sustainability plans for promising initiatives. Each training design is developed in close consultation with clients to ensure it meets local needs and priorities.

The Finance Project’s Sustainability Planning Workbook is the foundation for our training services. The Workbook helps users clarify their vision, identify key issues in sustaining their work, and develop strategies to achieve their long-term goals. The Finance Project developed the Workbook based on a decade of field experience helping a wide range of organizational and initiative leaders develop effective financing and sustainability plans.

Facilitators Training
Based on our experience supporting sustainability planning at the local level, we have found the process yields far greater outcomes if it is supported by a trained facilitator.  The Finance Project provides in-depth training sessions that prepare participants to undertake and/or facilitate a sustainability planning process. 

Trainings are highly interactive in nature and provide participants the opportunity to develop a mock sustainability plan.  The Finance Project staff develop customized case studies to utilize during trainings based on the unique interests of each client.  Staff also facilitate discussions about how to adapt the Workbook process for a range of grantees.

Training for Local Grantees
The Finance Project also provides training to community programs and grantees interested in receiving guidance in the tools and methods described in the Workbook in order to complete an intensive planning effort.  This training is geared toward helping teams of participants design and complete planning work in connection with a larger sustainability planning process.  Ideally, each team would be supported by a facilitator during the training.  The training includes time for review of tools and methods, team time, as well as structured peer learning opportunities. The Finance Project conducts two days of training that could be delivered concurrently or approximately three to four months apart based on local needs and priorities.

Training of Trainers
An important extension of The Finance Project’s Sustainability Training Institute is a new training geared toward preparing local trainers to deliver training on sustainability planning for local grantees and/or programs.   Whereas our facilitator trainings prepare participants to directly facilitate local planning efforts and help planning teams make the complex and difficult decisions sustainability planning entails; our training of trainers prepares participants to conduct trainings for larger groups on the key concepts and tools our staff have developed.

The training of trainers is offered in conjunction with a licensing agreement which grants participants full use of our training curriculum.  The training curriculum provides a comprehensive set of training materials, including training agendas, presentations, activities, trainer instructions, customized worksheets for participants, and evaluation forms.             

What Makes Our Trainers Unique?
The Finance Project has provided training and technical assistance services to a wide range of clients, from community-based organizations, to city-wide collaboratives, to state-level initiatives and agencies.  The Sustainability Training Institute is staffed by highly qualified trainers, all of whom have successfully facilitated numerous sustainability planning processes with a wide range of clients.  The on-the-ground experience of our trainers provides unmatched capabilities and expertise in the field of financing and sustainability.

Outcomes from our Trainers
Participants in the Sustainability Training Institute consistently report that our:

• Trainings are well-organized and easy to follow;
• Tools and materials are relevant and useful;
• Staff are experienced and knowledgeable;
• Trainings are interesting and engaging; and
• Trainings prepare them to facilitate the development of a practical and realistic sustainability plan.

For additional information about The Finance Project’s training services or to schedule training, please contact Barbara Langford, Director of the Sustainability Training Institute, at 202.587.1004. The Finance Project also offers an array of consulting and technical assistance services to help initiative leaders develop effective sustainability plans.

Sustainability Training Institute brochure

Sustainability Workbook brochure