PARC Resources Services

We offer a range of grant writing services, including providing technical assistance for grant writers, submitting grants on behalf of organizations, or completing a grant application in full. Most of our clients hire us to complete the full application, including developing the budget, filling out all forms, writing the narrative, and submitting the application on behalf of our client. Any level of service uses our standard not-to-exceed pricing strategy.

Athena’s Gem Theatre – The historic Athena’s Gem Theatre located in Athena, Oregon was constructed in 1901, but had fallen into disrepair and been closed for decades. In 2005, the community began efforts to restore the beloved structure on Athena’s Main Street to provide a combined performing arts space and museum for the community. This project has been more than a decade in the making, having made significant strides in updating the facade of the building and undergoing some seismic improvements.

With assistance from PARC Resources, the group has received nearly $700,000 ($686,450) in grant funding to complete the exterior and most of the interior restoration work. Currently, 90% of the targeted fundraising amount has been raised, and the project is on track to be complete by the end of 2018.

“The story of the Athena Gem Theatre restoration has been a long one.  Our group, Athena’s Gem, Inc., first contracted with the Weston PARC office in 2007 as we were assembling our “feasibility study.”  The relationship with the PARC team has continued since that time as we struggled to put legs under the project.  There have been many twists and turns in the story of saving this 114-year-old facility.  PARC has worked with the Gem every step of the way to this point and written every major foundation grant application.  It is now apparent that the campaign will be a success and that the story of our effort will have a happy ending.” – Rob McIntyre, Athena’s Gem, Inc.

Planning and development – Our approach to planning is to be inclusive with the community and organization to help local project proponents take “ownership” of the project. We do not want to develop a plan that sits on a shelf gathering dust, but one that useful to the community. To that end, our planning projects generally include stakeholder meetings, community interviews or surveys, and feedback from the board or council, employees, and volunteers to ensure that we have a comprehensive look at the needs of an organization from every level.

Planning documents include:

New Hope for Eastern Oregon Animals – This organization in Baker City, Oregon completed a 5-Year strategic plan with PARC Resources in 2013.

The process for the organization included reaching out to the community through meetings and several interviews with key community members. The Board also completed a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis and goal-setting sessions to guide the future of the organization.

The final plan incorporated the SWOT Analysis and Board Goals with financial projections and funding opportunities, which form the base of the strategy. New Hope is approximately halfway through the plan, successfully meeting many of the goals and overcoming challenges identified in the plan.

“PARC skillfully led us through the steps in developing our first Strategic Plan and Capital Campaign Plan. In each case they took a strong interest in the needs of our organization and providing a product that reflected that knowledge and their experience.” – Richard Haines, New Hope for Eastern Oregon Animals

Our capacity building services are designed to be highly customizable and responsive to your needs. Services can include planning documents such as feasibility studies or fundraising plans, and can also include training options such as board training or skill development. However capacity building also includes key tools to help you build your organization and prepare for its next steps.

Many of the following services can be a component of a planning document, but can also be standalone capacity building activities:

We offer training to organizations on a variety of topics including capital campaign development, grant writing, fundraising strategies, grant compliance, board training, and other similar topics. We have worked with regional organizations such as the League of Oregon Cities, Special Districts Association of Oregon, and Nonprofit Association of Oregon to deliver workshops to a wide audience.

We also offer workshops delivered directly to your organization and customized to fit your specific needs. Workshops can be done in two, four, or six hour sessions, depending on your needs and budget, or you can contact us and find out if there will be a workshop coming soon in your area and where you can get registered.