Ballmer Group backs NFF's three-year push to strengthen Los Angeles nonprofits

Ballmer Group is funding a three-year Nonprofit Finance Fund initiative that will give Los Angeles nonprofits consulting and flexible dollars to improve financial durability, wildfire recovery and food access work. The program starts in late 2026 and is aimed at helping local organizations plan, adapt and execute faster in a shifting funding environment.

Why it matters: - Los Angeles nonprofits are facing pressure from funding changes, wildfire recovery needs and ongoing demand for food access services. - The Ballmer Group funding package is designed to give organizations both planning support and cash they can use to act on those plans. - The initiative is meant to improve long-term stability for nonprofits that communities rely on for essential services.

What happened: - Nonprofit Finance Fund is launching a three-year consulting initiative for Los Angeles nonprofits with support from Ballmer Group. - The effort will provide capacity-building grants and pass-through dollars to participating organizations. - The program will serve three cohorts of Los Angeles organizations with different operating challenges. - Work is set to begin in late 2026.

The details: - The initiative will help food-access nonprofits navigate food insecurity amid funding and policy shifts affecting government-supported programs such as CalFresh. - The program will support nonprofits responding to the Los Angeles wildfire crisis as they manage emergency growth and long-term recovery planning. - The initiative will also support networks of nonprofit leaders as they build financial durability. - NFF’s work will include financial leadership clinics, tailored consulting engagements, facilitated peer convenings, cohort analyses, and post-program assessments and learning reports. - NFF said the initiative is designed to leave participants with stronger financial plans, better advocacy capacity around resource needs and greater operational resilience. - Mariesa Kubasek, NFF’s director of consulting, said the combination of systems-level thinking and flexible funding should speed outcomes. - Christine Tran, Ballmer Group’s portfolio manager for Los Angeles, said the investment supports social-sector stability that benefits everyone.

Between the lines: - The model pairs strategy with immediate dollars, which can be more useful than consulting alone for nonprofits that need to implement changes quickly. - The focus on food access, wildfire recovery and leadership durability points to a broader bet on the infrastructure of the nonprofit sector, not just individual programs. - The initiative also reflects a shift toward funding that helps organizations adapt to uncertainty rather than only covering direct service costs.

What's next: - NFF will roll out the program in late 2026. - Participating nonprofits will move through consulting, peer sessions and follow-up assessments over the three-year period. - The program is expected to produce learning reports that capture outcomes and lessons from the cohorts. - More information is available in the NFF announcement and at Ballmer Group.