Building Representative Boards & Board Organizational Preparedness Programs
Through these programs, we aim to engage and train a diverse group of individuals that represent historically excluded and untapped communities and equip them to make an impact by helping to bring this valuable lived experience into the nonprofit board room.
*The board matching event is exclusive to individuals that have completed the Building Representative Board program, and organizations that have committed to and completed the IDEAL training as part of the Board Organizational Preparedness program, demonstrating readiness to foster an inclusive board culture.
About the Programs
Building Representative Boards
Thanks to our generous funders, individuals participate in Building Representative Boards at no cost. They come together at each session as a cohort, acquiring a strong foundation in the principles of effective board governance while building community with peers.
Meet the participants!
Cohort 1 | Cohort 2 | Cohort 3 | Cohort 4
Board Organizational Preparedness
At the same time, Board Organizational Preparedness provides organizational training that is rooted in IDEAL (inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and liberation) principles to nonprofits that can demonstrate their readiness to engage a wider representation of candidates in board service and work to diminish cultures and practices that have historically done harm.
Board Match Event
At the conclusion of Building Representative Boards (BRB) and Board Organizational Preparedness (BOP), CEN hosts an online Board Match Event where participants and organizations from each program connect and explore possible board and committee service to further their collective impact.
Interested in Participating?
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Individuals and Community Leaders
Now recruiting for our next Building Representative Boards cohort, kicking off in February 2026
Building Representative Boards will begin on February 3, 2026
Priority Application Deadline: December 15, 2025
Final Application Deadline: January 9, 2026Are you interested in bringing your expertise and lived experience into the nonprofit board room? This program is available at no cost to those interested in pursuing nonprofit board service at this time.
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Nonprofit Boards
Information for our next Board Organizational Preparedness group is coming soon
Is your organization interested in deepening your impact by building a board that is working toward justice and more representative of the community(s) you serve? Applications are now open for board training and matching.