When will we hear back about our application?
We will email you with your application status on November 20th. For nonprofits selected to participate in the clinic, we will follow up with information on a meet & greet with the students, and you will hear about the students assigned to your project in January 2024.
Where can I find more information on the Nonprofit Clinic?
More information is available on the Johnson Institute’s website and in our annual reports. If you have additional questions about the Clinic that aren’t answered here, please reach out to the Johnson Institute at gspiaji@pitt.edu and our staff will assist you.
I’m part of an organization that would like to participate, but we aren’t registered as a nonprofit organization. Can we register for the nonprofit clinic?
No. We are only able to support registered 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 nonprofits, or organizations with fiscal sponsorship from a registered nonprofit.
Can we submit multiple projects?
Yes, we accept multiple submissions from the same organization for the Nonprofit Clinic. Please submit each project independently, as we will not consider applications that include multiple projects in the same application. We typically only accept one project per nonprofit per semester, but may accept multiple in some cases. If your organization only has the capacity to support one team of consultants, please indicate that in the applications. Submitting multiple applications does not improve the chances of your project being accepted, and each application will be judged on its merits during our intensive review process.
What other resources from the Johnson Institute and GSPIA are available to support nonprofits?
The Johnson Institute and GSPIA offer a wide array of resources to support local nonprofits, and are continuously looking for ways to bolster the work of Pittsburgh’s vibrant nonprofit sector. Within the Johnson Institute, we host roundtable discussions with nonprofit leaders to share university resources and learn what additional tools and conversations are most valuable to you. Within GSPIA, you can connect with Career Services to have your internships posted and emailed to GSPIA students, and there is funding available to students participating in unpaid internships as well! We also have several faculty members that teach about and research nonprofit operations. If you have a specific issue or idea, reach out to us at gspiaji@pitt.edu and we may be able to connect you.
Can NPC Consultants help us apply for a grant/get our 501(c)3 status/write an annual report?
Generally, we do not accept projects where student consultants will be finishing an existing document or other staff work. Consulting projects should be generative, and give the students an opportunity to think critically about problems affecting your nonprofit.
What background, skills, and education do the student consultants have?
NPC consultants are mostly second-year GSPIA Masters students, and each has a unique background and perspective they will bring to your consulting project. Students also get to self-select which project they will work on, so their interests should align with your project or mission. Typical courses the students have completed before taking the Nonprofit Clinic include Quantitative Methods, Financial Management, Management in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors, Administration of Public Affairs, Microeconomics, and many more according to the student’s interests and field of study. Most students have also completed at least one internship by the time they participate in the Clinic.
We recently had a project completed through the Nonprofit Clinic, can we apply again?
Yes! We encourage nonprofits that have had good experiences with the clinic to reapply in future terms. Having a prior project does not impact your chances of being accepted this year, and your application will be judged on its merits during our intensive review process. Please note that applications do need to be different from any project previously completed for your organization by our or any other consultant.
Can your students work alongside another consultant or student team?
No, we do not accept applications for projects that are already being worked on by another consultant or group of students. The Nonprofit Clinic structure requires our students to scope, execute, and report on the project on their own, and external groups working in parallel on the project complicates this too much to work with.