Nonprofit Center of Excellence
Aspen Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Center of Excellence (NCE) is a regional resource that supports nonprofit organizations throughout the Aspen to Parachute region, enabling them to recognize and actualize their full potential in delivering positive, sustainable community impact. We’ve partnered with Human Service Innovations to create a series of professional learning and development opportunities to strengthen the competencies and capacity of local nonprofit leaders and their teams.
The Nonprofit Center of Excellence provides year-round professional development and capacity-building workshops, offering valuable tools and techniques that optimize mission delivery and impact.
| NCE Academy
The Nonprofit Center of Excellence Academy (NCEA) is a week-long intensive capacity building program designed to strengthen the people, process, infrastructure and financial management and leadership of nonprofit organizations in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys.
2026 Academy
January 12-16, 2026
The Hoffmann Hotel, Basalt, Colorado
Fee: ACF is offering the Academy at no cost to participants
To Apply: Applications are due by 5 PM Friday, November 21, 2025.
Curriculum
The curriculum for the NCEA is informed by community stakeholders and prior year
NCEA participant feedback and will focus on the following content areas:
- Values-Based Leadership
- Governance & Executive Leadership
- People, Process, Infrastructure, and Financial Resource Management
- Nonprofit Finance Best Practices
- Human Resource Management
- Data Driven Program Design & Evaluation
- Marketing, Communications & Effective Storytelling
- Fund Development
- Partnership & Collaboration
Eligibility
The NCEA is open to applicants who meet all the following criteria:
- A Colorado-registered 501(c)3 Nonprofit organization located in and/or serving the Aspen to Parachute region.
- The willingness of the Executive leader and up to one additional staff leader to participate throughout the duration of the Academy.
- The willingness and ability of the Board leader to participate in day one of the Academy.
| Deep Dives and Roundtables
Level Up Capacity Building Series
A series of virtual workshops to provide ongoing focused development, building on the content covered in the Academy.
Leadership Roundtables
A structured, supported and confidential opportunity to strengthen the nonprofit executive and board leadership ecosystem through networking, learning, and mutual support. Nonprofit leaders will gather monthly in cohorts of up to 6 people from a cross-section of organizations (e.g., health, education, arts/culture, youth development, environment).
Valerie Carlin
Chief Impact Officer
| Questions?
Contact Valerie Carlin, Chief Impact Officer, to learn more about NCE and NCEA.