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Nonprofit Adaptability Lab

In an environment of perpetual change and realignment within the nonprofit sector, nonprofit leaders and organizations must invest in adaptive and resilient strategies to ensure they can continue delivering on their mission.

About the Nonprofit Adaptability Lab

The CLU Center for Nonprofit Leadership in partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation are pleased to announce the application process for the 2027 cohort of the Nonprofit Adaptability Lab.

This six-month certificate program will seek to assist local nonprofits in identifying and executing on strategies that increase their adaptive capacity. Teams of nonprofit staff and board members will participate in a cohort learning model that includes group learning focused on:

(1) understanding financial health and underlying risks;

(2) deploying contingency, scenario and strategic planning;

(3) building diversified funding stability; and

(4) engaging in adaptive management techniques to guide your teams through change.

The core of the program will be a series of group learning modules. The program will conclude with each team having the opportunity to share its insights on a resiliency action plan. Participating teams will then have the opportunity to apply for capacity building grants with the Santa Barbara Foundation to fund follow-on and execution work emerging from the sessions. 

Download the 2026 Nonprofit Adaptability Lab flyer

Certification

Each organization will receive a Certificate of Completion, useful for resumes, references, and grant applications. All Certificate holders will be listed on the Center for Nonprofit Leadership’s website.

Who Should Attend?

Only Nonprofit Organizations serving Santa Barbara County are eligible for participation!

This program is specifically designed for organizations with the resources and commitment to pursue adaptive and transformative change in the face of the shifting drivers across the nonprofit landscape. 

Each participating organization is required to send a leadership team that includes the CEO/Executive Director and two to four staff and/or board members actively engaged in managing and steering the future direction of the organization. We ask that this team remain consistent through the life of the program and that each person make every effort to attend all sessions to ensure a continuity of learning.

Prior to the first session, each participating organization will be asked to complete an organization self-assessment – gauging their strengths and vulnerabilities across three domains: strategic, financial and organizational.

For this inaugural offering, the cohort size is being limited to no more that ten (10) teams.

How to Apply

• Space is limited, and participation is by application only
• Application deadline is Monday, xx, 2027
• Registration fee* due no later than July xx, 2027
• Questions?  Please email us at nonprofit@callutheran.edu

APPLY NOW
 

Cohort Information

Pricing & Cost

Program fees are $150 for a team of up to five (5) people. The fee covers access to digital program materials, and access to the resource portal for the Nonprofit Adaptability Lab.

Important Dates

Group cohort meetings will be half-day, in-person sessions at designated Santa barbara County location(s) to be determined based on the geographic mix of the seelected cohort. One-on-one organizational coaching sessions will be conducted via Zoom.

Module 1: Organizational Self-Assessment & Orientation
June xx, 2027
In-person Session:  9:00am - Noon 

Module 2: Financial Health & Sustainability
July xx, 2027
In-person Session:  9:00am - Noon 

Module 3: Contingency, Scenario and Strategic Planning
August xx, 2027
In-person Session:  9:00am - Noon 

Module 4: Funding Sustainability
September xx, 2027
In-person Session:  9:00am - Noon

Module 5: Managing Change / Adaptive Leadership
October xx, 2027
In-person Session:  9:00am - Noon

Module 6: Activating Your Organizational Plan / Peer Exchange
November xx, 2027
In-person Session:  9:00am – 1:00pm 

Participating teams will then have the opportunity to apply for capacity building grants with the Santa Barbara Foundation to fund follow-on and execution work emerging from the sessions. 

Thank You to Our Partner!

This program is offered with generous support from the Santa Barbara Foundation.