Title: Harlem United Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Project
Project Period: September 1, 2005 - August 31, 2008
Project Amount Funded (FY 2005): $278,184
Project Director: Soraya Elcock

The Harlem United Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Project targets community-based organizations serving Black and Latino communities in the New York City boroughs of Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, and Central Brooklyn. With a technical assistance team composed of project staff and partners from Hudson Planning Group and BTQ Financial, the project enters into long-term engagements with at least six organizations in years one and two, and three organizations in year three, for a total of 15 organizations.

The project intends to develop organizations in the most meaningful and sustainable manner with thorough assistance to be provided over a minimum of six months with each organization. Three phases guide project activities: outreach, assessment, and technical assistance plan development and execution. During the outreach phase, the TA/CD Team provides services to identified organizations, and contacts prospective participating organizations that have not yet requested assistance. In the assessment phase, the project conducts an organizational needs assessment to determine organizational capacity and specific needs. Further in-depth evaluations are then conducted with each organization to get an even clearer sense of the range of existing needs. These evaluations include a program assessment, management and staff performance assessment, fiscal systems assessment, and client survey. Based on the results of these assessments, a Technical Assistance Delivery Plan is developed in collaboration with senior management of the organization and board members, if applicable. Each plan is expected to include at least three of the following areas: evaluation and continuous quality improvement (CQI) program development; counseling and testing program development and capacity enhancement; healthcare linkage development; financial management systems development and integration; and organizational policies and procedures development. The financial management systems component will include a customized financial management tool kit to fit each CBO’s unique schedule of revenues and expenditures.

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