Puente de la Costa Sur
Organization
For over 20 years, Puente de la Costa Sur (Puente) has been serving the San Mateo County South Coast community (Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar, and San Gregorio) by promoting and advocating for equitable access to education, health, and economic security. Puente assists 1,700 underserved individuals (40% who are farm workers and 70% Hispanic) across 900 households. Puente’s comprehensive services include educational programs for children through adults; community mental health & wellness programs; forums for community engagement and public policy advocacy; and community development assistance such as tax preparation, health coverage enrollment, and public benefits navigation.
Issue
How does Puente ensure that its new wholly-owned subsidiary Puente Housing Solutions is self-funded sustainably while Puente’s other existing programs and services continue to receive the resources required for their sustainability as strategic priorities in serving its community’s needs?
Situation
The Puente leadership team is beginning to develop its 2025 annual financial plan and update the organization’s strategic plan since the current one goes through next year. While Puente’s strategic priorities remain the same (Economic Security; Expansion of Educational Opportunities, and Organizational Development), the leadership team wants to have more transparent and direct links of its revenues and expenses to the programs and services under each strategic priority. Puente recently received large grants including $2M from MacKenzie Scott allowing it to create Puente Housing Solutions (a wholly-owned subsidiary) and fund the purchase of an apartment complex for 28 farm workers. The building requires renovations to ensure the health and safety of the tenants, which Puente has sufficient cash to fund. Given that this building is Puente’s first property to manage and operate, the leadership team wants to make sure that future related expenditures do not compromise the efficacy of existing programs and services.
Project Overview
Puente requests a comprehensive, three-year financial plan that details revenues and expenses at the strategic priority level, as well as at the program/service level under each strategic priority. The plan would include the business model for its new housing initiative and highlight the funds required to operate each program, service, or initiative self sustainably. Puente also seeks any recommendations on how to expand and/or improve its fundraising strategy including the identification of new revenue, grant, and sponsorship streams.
Other
This is a Full Team project:
- Scope: High-priority organizational challenge involving strategy or management
- Team Size: 4-6 consultants, including 1-2 project leaders
- Project Duration: 6 months
- Estimated time Contribution: Team member: 3-4 hrs/week, Project leader: 5-6 hrs/week
Read more about the Full Team Project Consultant role and the Project Leader role.