Burnout within nonprofit organization staff is a growing concern within the sector, as seen in the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s new research, State of Nonprofits 2024: What Funders Need to Know. The research shows that 95 percent of nonprofit leaders expressed some level of concern about burnout, and even though most foundation leaders (surveyed for a separate but related report) say they are concerned about burnout of the organization’s they fund, only half engage in any practices to support grantee staff well-being.
Funders often express a desire to do more to support their grantees and their well-being, but it can be difficult to know how this looks in practice.
I recently worked with Imago Dei Fund — a Boston-based family foundation — on their first Grantee Perception Report, and I was struck by the praise and positive perceptions from grantees about their Keep the Spark Alive grants program, which offers direct funds to support grantees’ staff well-being. To use their own words, grantees describe their experience with the Keep the Spark Alive grant program as “an unparalleled initiative” and “so rare” across other funders.
To find out more about the Imago Dei Fund’s approach to grantee well-being, I asked Jennifer Oakley, a program partner at Imago Dei, and Emily Nielsen Jones, co-founder and trustee of the foundation, a few questions about what inspired the program, the results they’ve seen, and how they prioritize grantee well-being. They generously shared their insights and Imago Dei’s approach.
Kara Doyle: Can you share a little background on the Keep the Spark Alive grant program?
Jennifer Oakley: Our Keep the Spark Alive grant program is one way we are committed to the holistic well-being of our grantee partners as they do the important work of advancing social change. Each year, we offer current grantee partners with budgets under $4 million the opportunity to apply for up to $2,500 in funding for restorative activities. Our aim is to be as flexible and non-burdensome as possible, with a rolling application period from January to October, quick approvals, and minimal reporting requirements. Grantees can use these funds for activities like team retreats, spiritual direction, stress management workshops, trauma reduction, mental health counseling, and more. We’ve had grantee partners use their Keep the Spark Alive grant funds for everything from purchasing soul care literature for a monthly team book club to hiring a facilitator to lead a group retreat or self-care presentations.
KD: When did the Imago Dei Fund start the program, and why did you start it?
Emily Nielsen Jones: We started the program around 2015, after a conversation during one of our board meetings about burnout and the challenges nonprofit leaders face. We wanted to do something to prevent this exhaustion and help leaders in organizations “keep the spark alive” as they work hard to restore human dignity and agency and to repair the many fractures and divides of our world.
Initially, we tested the waters with a few grantee partners, and the positive feedback was immediate. This early success encouraged us to expand the program as a way to honor and support the deep spiritual well from which the inspiration to do the work or the “spark” arises… hence the name “Keep the Spark Alive.” We find immense joy in investing not just in the impactful programs of our grantee partners but also in the individuals steering these initiatives and their teams.
As a foundation, our approach has always been to listen to and learn from our grantee partners and the sector. One thing we continue to hear is the undeniable importance of supporting the mental and spiritual health and well-being of nonprofit leaders. We’ve heard from our partners that these funds not only help sustain their personal resilience but also enhance the overall effectiveness and impact of their organizations.
KD: Why offer a well-being grant as opposed to offering more unrestricted support?
JO: At one point, we considered rolling the Keep the Spark Alive grant into the unrestricted, multi-year funding we already offer our grantee partners. Ultimately, our grantee partners let us know they preferred a separate, dedicated grant for well-being in their organization. This ensures that activities that help prevent burnout don’t fall to the bottom of organizational priorities. As one grantee said, “[without Keep the Spark Alive,] we would have either felt guilty using funds for staff wellness or it would have taken us long to offer staff really meaningful team bonding and wellness retreats.”
KD: What kind of impact have you seen as a result of the grant? How have grantees responded?
JO: The response to the grants has been overwhelmingly positive. With relatively little funding available across the sector for well-being, our grantee partners have shared their appreciation of funds that allow them to prioritize this for their teams, as well as for the ease of accessing the funding.
Our CEP survey results also indicated strong support for continuing the Keep the Spark Alive program with several grantee partners specifically mentioning the value of well-being support to their organization. One grantee partner anonymously shared that Imago Dei was “the first funder to ask about the mental wellness of our teams, they not only asked but supported… this has strengthened our team’s resilience.”
Every year, our grantee partners evaluate organizational and staff needs and define what “keeping that spark alive” means to them. They determine what it looks like to establish a lasting culture of well-being for their organization and KSA grants are available to support that commitment. From their follow up reports, we hear directly about the kinds of activities that led to restoration in their organization and the impact it has on their team. We hear feedback sharing a wide range of impact, from making possible a much-needed opportunity for rest and rejuvenation to increasing team cohesion.
KD: Has the Keep the Spark Alive program or strategy changed at all since it began?
ENJ: Since we started the Keep the Spark Alive program, organizational well-being has only grown as a concern across the nonprofit sector. Studies continue to indicate that the rate of burnout in the social sector is on the rise with little or no support currently available for addressing these concerns. While we have adjusted minor details over time in response to our grantee partners’ feedback, our core strategy of promoting well-being and preventing burnout has remained consistent. We have always prioritized an easy, flexible, and responsive process. Our larger aim is to raise awareness of the importance of staff and team well-being so that it becomes an integral part of organizational culture.
KD: Finally, grantee well-being is clearly a priority for the Fund. Can you share other ways that show up in your work with grantees?
JO: Our focus on grantee well-being begins with our relational approach, grounded in our desire to build strong mutual relationships. We recognize that the state of the world and the nature of our partner’s work can be unpredictable. To alleviate some of the pressures they face, we strive to reduce unnecessary workload and administrative burden in our grantmaking process.
To this end, we offer multi-year and unrestricted grants, allowing our partners the freedom to plan, innovate, and address their unique challenges. Annual work plans and progress reports are not tied to the yearly installments they receive during the three-year grant cycle, and this builds trust. This also allows our grantee partners to share openly about their successes, challenges, and learning and helps us foster strong, equitable relationships, emphasizing trust, support, and collaboration.
We value the opportunity to provide grantee partners with the flexibility to respond to emergent opportunities and challenges for their organization. In addition to Keep the Spark Alive grants and multi-year, unrestricted funding, we also offer “Flex Fund” grants to eligible grantee partners to meet unplanned challenges or opportunities that arise.
There are so many ways that funders can support grantee staff well-being and combat burnout, including discussing burnout and well-being during check-ins, providing knowledge or third-party resources to assist with staff well-being, or providing grants specifically to support grantees’ staff well-being, to name just a few.
No singular approach will be right for every funder or grantee, and no one initiative will completely alleviate the concern of burnout within nonprofit organizations, but funders’ willingness to invest in grantee staff well-being can have an immeasurable impact on grantees — and in turn ensure that funders are achieving the impact they hope to for those they seek to serve.
Kara Doyle is an analyst on the Assessment and Advisory Services team at CEP. Jennifer Oakley is a program partner at the Imago Dei Fund and Emily Nielsen Jones is co-founder and trustee of the Imago Dei Fund.
