Report Title:	Intermediary Profile Report
Report Date:

Organization:	National Training and Information Center	Program ID Number: I-9
Date Profile Created:	December 1, 2005	Date Profile Last Updated: December 1, 2005

Program Summary:
Created as a resource center for grassroots community organizations, the mission of the National Training and Information Center (NTIC) is to build grassroots leadership and strengthen neighborhoods through issue-based community organizing. Training and technical assistance are provided to a wide range of groups - generally low income and either engaged in or willing to move towards community organizing. Neighborhood and faith based organizations, rural groups on family farm issues, urban inner city neighborhood organizations, youth and senior citizens groups, disabled rights organizations, women's leadership development groups, tenants rights groups, and Native American organizations all receive NTIC help.

NTIC services include: (1) training and technical assistance to develop leadership, organizational capacity and issue strategies; (2) supporting new and emerging grassroots efforts; (3) a website and publications ranging from a bi-monthly report on local and national organizing efforts to research reports; (4) conducting research used to develop local issues, and equip leaders to be more effective in how they address policymakers and the media on these issues; and (5) convening leaders in a national neighborhoods conference, where they learn from one another and move their local issues to the national level.

Community organizations across the United States work with NTIC, some periodically and others on a regular basis. NTIC also convenes leadership teams on specific issues like public education - the groups develop overall strategies and national issue campaigns. Most groups take part in at least one of the national campaigns. Many also get a great deal of help with fundraising to expand - they receive strategic planning help, board training, training for organizers who are new staff or are new to the field, and coaching throughout the year after the training.

The Mott Foundation is a key funder of NTIC's work as one of Mott's Intermediary Support Organizations, officially identified to provide capacity building assistance to new and emerging grassroots organizations in the Midwest. NTIC also receives funding to regrant to community organizations from the PMI Foundation to advance affordable housing.

The Mott Foundation conducted an external evaluation of NTIC several years ago. Whenever NTIC provides technical assistance and grant support to a group, it works with the group to create a capacity-building plan, and throughout the work the plan is checked for progress. Story-telling is frequently used as an evaluation method, with stories from the organizations, staff, and community leaders describing how investments of resources have impacted the recipient. An annual training on the story-telling method is provided.