‍Investing in the Infrastructure Behind Community Care

Community-based organizations are often the most trusted front door to care for King County residents — the ones people already know, and already trust. But the systems that fund and contract with these organizations rarely fund the internal infrastructure it takes to do that work well. That's the gap HealthierHere's Capacity Building Program was built to close.

The program provided funding, training, and hands-on coaching to strengthen partner organizations' fiscal, operational, and technical readiness. This work helped prepare the participating community-based organizations for contracting opportunities with the HealthierHere Community Hub, Managed Care Organization (MCO) contracts, and others across the health and social care system.

Three things set the program apart:

• Customized Training — Modules tailored to each cohort's readiness assessment gaps, with expert-led and asynchronous options.

• Peer Learning + Coaching — A cohort model with shared learning sessions, monthly 1:1 check-ins, and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.

• Funded Capacity Building — Deliverables-based contracts, so organizations are compensated while they build the internal infrastructure they need.

That last piece is the foundation: organizations are paid while they build capacity, reducing the financial barriers that too often keep smaller, community-rooted organizations out of professional development. It's HealthierHere'scommitment to equity in action.

The Impact Report: What a Year of Investment Looks Like

Since spring 2025, HealthierHere has run three capacity building cohorts, each shaped by a Readiness Assessment that identifies an organization's specific gaps — from financial policies to data security. The results and learning from that work are now in our first Capacity Building Program Impact Report.

By the numbers:

• $730K+ invested across all three cohorts

• 11 partner organizations strengthened

• 100% of partners were accountable in closing their identified gap areas

• 58 total partner goals completed100% of participants said the training met their needs

The work translated into real, tangible infrastructure. Across the program, partner organizations:

• Developed and adopted formal fiscal policies, including cash flow contingency plans, conflict-of-interest, and allowability of costs

• Bolstered privacy, security, and data management policies, including standardized protocols for client data access, retention, and destruction  

• Strengthened risk and audit readiness, completing risk registers and preparing documentation for organizational & federal audits

• Standardized internal controls, checklists, employee handbooks, staff training plans, and onboarding materials

• Implemented new financial and data security systems, including general ledgers, payroll, and software installations on work devices

• Clarified job descriptions and roles, with clearly refined duties

• Established external consultant relationships

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"The fiscal and operational capacity building cohort was transformative... The cohort helped us transition from a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization to a more sustainable, professionally structured nonprofit, while maintaining the community-centered values that have always been at the heart of our work.” – Cohort I participant

For funders and government partners, the takeaway is straightforward: deliverables-based capacity building investments yield returns that reimbursement contracts alone cannot. When organizations are funded to strengthen their internal systems, they become more sustainable partners, more accountable stewards of funding, and more effective connectors between communities and the care they need.

→ Read the full Capacity Building Program Impact Report

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Celebrating Our Graduates

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On July 30, HealthierHere gathered at El Centro de la Raza's Centilia Cultural Center in Seattle to celebrate the graduates of the Capacity Building Program at our first-ever Graduation & Recognition Ceremony.

The event brought together leaders from community, government, philanthropy, and health sectors to reflect on the program's impact, hear directly from participating organizations, and celebrate this milestone together. Keynote speakers Hyeok Kim, Chief Operating Officer of King County, and Washington State Representative Chipalo Street delivered moving remarks recognizing the importance of investing in community-based organizations.

Congratulations to all of our Capacity Building Program graduates: A Supportive Community for All, AZISWA, Falis, Mother Africa, Villa Comunitaria, Arms Around You, Congolese Integration Network, Ethiopian Community in Seattle, Indian American Community Services, and Serve Ethiopians Washington. Your leadership, dedication, and commitment to your communities continue to create meaningful impact — and we're honored to celebrate this achievement alongside you.

→ View photos from the celebration

Get Involved

To learn more about HealthierHere’s Capacity Building Program, reach out to Olivia Butkowski, Community Collaboration Advisor, at obutkowski@healthierhere.org.

Interested in partnering with HealthierHere? Connect with us.

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