Center for Public & Nonprofit Management

The UCF Center for Public and Nonprofit Management supports the research needs and interests of faculty, students and the community. The center’s sponsored research focuses on policy and management, in addition to rich and varied faculty expertise. The center also leads public service projects and offers unique, holistic training and technical assistance projects to build nonprofit organizational capacity. Through research and community engagement, the center improves policy and governance in partnership with communities from Central Florida and worldwide.

Learn about our research efforts, collaborations, and innovations within the community and across the public sector by exploring our annual reports.

Nonprofit Capacity Building

Our capacity building seminars provide training and technical assistance in areas such as financial management, strategic planning, nonprofit governance and grant writing to over 100 nonprofit organizations in Orange County. Participants receive training through sessions facilitated by faculty and graduate students from the School of Public Administration. The series provides technical training as well as opportunities for local nonprofit organizations to connect with one another.

Financial Management Training for Nonprofits

CPNM provides an 8-week capacity building seminar to Orange County nonprofits solely focused on financial management topics. This program aims to enhance the financial management skills of participating organizations, help them better compete for awards, competently administer the financial awards entrusted to them, and be audit-ready upon completion of sponsored award requirements. This program also has a truncated workshop component in order to train as many agencies as possible. A recurring comment from participants is that this program provides exceptional practical guidance and actionable steps for them to immediately implement in their organization.

Nonprofit Professional Certificate

In partnership with UCF Continuing Education and the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, we provide the Nonprofit Professional Certificate, an online, asynchronous development program for nonprofit professionals. It can be used for self-initiated development or for the development of talent by an organization. This certificate is a pathway to earn the Nonprofit Professional Credential, the only nationally recognized credential in nonprofit management.

Cyber Security Leadership & Strategy Executive Seminars

In partnership with Florida International University, the UCF Center for Public and Nonprofit Management is hosting a series of Cybersecurity seminars in different cities throughout Central Florida. The seminars are geared toward senior public-sector leaders and officials.

This high-level training offers a comprehensive yet accessible approach to cybersecurity policy and strategy, emphasizing risk management, legislative compliance, and economic impacts. These learning sessions will be conducted across various cities throughout the year. If your city is interested in availing of this no-cost training to fulfill the 2022 Local Government Cybersecurity Act, Florida Statute Section 282.3185 requirements, please contact rasha@ucf.edu.

Conferences

Public Administration Research Conference

The Public Administration Research Conference, hosted in partnership with the School of Public Administration, is an annual showcase of the groundbreaking research happening across the public administration field by students, faculty and scholars from across the nation. PARC 2025 will be on Wednesday February 5^th.

Nonprofit Partners Conference

The annual Nonprofit Partners Conference brings together nonprofit professionals and public administration scholars to engage in capacity building workshops and networking. The conference is held every fall at UCF Downtown and is organized by the Nonprofit Advisory Board.

Participatory Action Research and Evaluation Conference

The Participatory Action Research and Evaluation Conference aims to share contemporary scholarship and best practices to create sustainable development goals through participatory research that empowers Latin American and Caribbean communities.

Community-Engaged Research

Collaborative for Homelessness Action, Research, and Transformation (CHART)

The Collaborative for Homelessness Action, Research, and Transformation (CHART) is an inter-institutional collaborative effort to support evidence-based research and practice addressing the complex issue of homelessness in the United States. Developed in the Spring of 2024, CHART is committed to address challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness and is dedicated to transforming knowledge into actionable solutions.

Disaster Recovery Outcomes of Renter Households

We are using community participatory action research to engage renters and landlords as community members in prioritizing goals and developing interventional strategies for disaster recovery linked to lived experiences.

The City of Orlando Community Investment Program

This initiative aims to use two culturally and linguistic appropriate interventions to increase awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault’s warning signs and myths. This content will be used for the development of a social media campaign targeting marginalized communities from Orange County.

Prostate Cancer Disparities Project

The goal of the Prostate Cancer Disparities Project is to create a reliable, user-friendly online resource for African American males who have been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer to access critical information to help their decision-making process. The study will collect insights from African American men who are prostate cancer survivors and advocates to develop an AI database.