The Playbook: Nonprofit Funding, Grants, & Financial Sustainability

The Playbook is a 4-session experiential learning program designed for early-stage entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders who are actively building, growing, or preparing to scale their ventures.

Each session pairs a specific business domain (funding, marketing, finance, or systems) with the emotional intelligence and mental performance research that determines whether people actually apply what they learn. 

Sessions are led by Kurt Faustin and feature expert panelists with lived and professional expertise in the session topic.

The first session of the series will focus on the nonprofit ecosystem. It will demystify the funding landscape and give participants a concrete roadmap to pursue it. Kurt Faustin will dive into what funders actually read, how you should position your mission in funders' language, how to create a 12-month funding calendar, and much more.

Panel Discussion – Grants, Foundations & Building Community

• Mickey Brunache – Nonprofit and community leadership 
• Joseph Bennett – Founder of Yardtime Inc.; staying rooted in the mission while growing an organization 
• Jessica Castro – VP of Programs and Operations at the Trefler Foundation; bringing the foundation perspective and speaking to what funders look for when investing in organizations 

Fireside Chat

Fireside chat with City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, focused on what the City and State can offer nonprofits and community organizations, including resources, funding opportunities, partnerships, and ways nonprofit leaders can better navigate government, along with Phyllis Corkum, Manager of Programs & Development for the Summer Fund at Philanthropy Massachusetts. She brings decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, grantmaking, and capacity building, with a career spanning local, state, and national organizations.