Application Preview

INTRODUCTION

The NY Small Business Funders Collective (SBFC) is in its third year of pooled grantmaking. We aim to be as targeted as possible with our grants. We do this in hopes of increasing our impact and decreasing time and resources spent by potential applicants for whom the Partnership Grant is not a good fit.

For a comprehensive guide to eligibility requirements for the Fund’s one-year Partnership Grant and additional considerations, please visit www.nysmallbusinessfunders.org and review the Grant Guidelines, Scoring Rubric, and other information. After reviewing the information, if you believe your project is a good fit for this planning grant, please click on the “apply” link which will take you to the online application portal, beginning with an Eligibility Survey.

REVIEW PROCESS

After application submission, each proposal will go through an initial qualification screening and vetting by program management staff. After this initial screening, applications will be reviewed by Grant Review Committee members, a group that is comprised of founding members of the Collective as well as external reviewers representing different viewpoints from within the small business, philanthropic, and procurement sectors. 

Applications will be scored using a numerical scoring rubric. Each priority area will be scored on a 0-5 point scale. Award finalists (lead and partner) will be asked to participate in an interview before final decisioning, in late November. Announcements will be made in Q1 2025. Award disbursements are anticipated to be in 1-2 installments, with interim and final reporting required.

Thank you for your interest in the NY Small Business Funders Collective and its Request For Proposals. If additional assistance is needed after reviewing the application packet, please email: inquiries@nysmallbusinessfunders.org. In addition to the information session on September 19 (register here), the Collective will also publish FAQ on the website to share and reflect questions submitted from applicants. 

ELIGIBILITY

The Eligibility Tool is used to determine whether your proposed program is: 1) eligible, 2) likely to be competitive, or 3) a better candidate for future rounds of funding.

Is the LEAD applicant a 501c3 based in one of the five boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island)?

YES/NO 

Is the proposed project a collaboration of at least two organizations?

YES/NO 

Is the proposed project structured as a partnership to explore innovative solutions in procurement, working directly in community with local small business owners?

YES/NO 

Is the proposed project aimed at assisting businesses with at least one of the following areas of success enhancement in procurement?

• Please indicate primary intervention (Note, work in more than one area is allowed but we also see value in a focused approach for more measurable results):

1. CAPITAL ACCESS: Extending, designing, and/or growing mechanisms for delivering inclusive capital for businesses, particularly working capital.

2. BONDING & INSURANCE: Providing referrals to ensure small businesses more effectively access the required bonding and insurance needed to bid for contracts (may include advancing to Tier 1 or Prime status).

3. READINESS & CERTIFICATION: Offering personalized analysis and training to small businesses interested in securing contracts. Also includes buyer/seller mentoring and relationship-building.

4. CAPACITY-BUILDING: Assisting small businesses in taking their enterprises to scale to successfully bid for public and private contracts. Similarly, educating and providing support to buyers about moving past the “lowest cost provider” and optimizing their spend with diverse suppliers, using BSOs as a conduit.

5. OUTREACH/NETWORKING: Building communication channels that reach to the community level so under-invested small business owners connect with contract opportunities. Also includes efforts to overcome “insider” language and structures in procurement.

6. DATA COLLECTION & BENCH-MARKING: Design, amplify, and share emerging tools such as Artificial Intelligence for buyers to measure progress towards supplier-diversity goals.

7. OTHER (blank - applicant fills in)

APPLICATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Lead Organization name 

• Is the Lead Organization a 501c3? Yes/No

• If yes, please provide EIN 

• If you have a Fiscal Sponsor, please provide:

• fiscal sponsor name 

• EIN

• Lead Organization website

• Project contact name (first, last)

• Project contact title

• Project contact email

• Project contact phone

• Project Partner Organization

• Partner contact name (first, last)

• Partner contact title

• Partner contact email

• Partner contact phone

• Partner organization is

• 501c3, fiscally sponsored, not formally structured, other

Note: if you have more than one partner, please share details in your narrative.

GRANT/PROGRAM DETAILS

Tell us about your mission and work. (250 words)

How do your organizations assist small business owners? (250 words)

Within the five boroughs, what will be the geographic focus of the proposed work? (50 words)

Please indicate below the primary intervention(s) you will use in your approach (see list below).

• CAPITAL ACCESS: Extending, designing, and/or growing mechanisms for delivering inclusive capital for businesses, particularly working capital.

• BONDING & INSURANCE: Providing referrals to ensure small businesses more effectively access the required bonding and insurance needed to bid for contracts (may include advancing to Tier 1 or Prime status).

• READINESS & CERTIFICATION: Offering personalized analysis and training to small businesses interested in securing contracts. Also includes buyer/seller mentoring and relationship-building.

• CAPACITY-BUILDING: Assisting small businesses in taking their enterprises to scale to successfully bid for public and private contracts. Similarly, educating and providing support to buyers about moving past the “lowest cost provider” and optimizing their spend with diverse suppliers, using BSOs as a conduit.

• OUTREACH/NETWORKING: Building communication channels that reach to the community level so under-invested small business owners connect with contract opportunities. Also includes efforts to overcome “insider” language and structures in procurement.

• DATA COLLECTION & BENCH-MARKING: Design, amplify, and share emerging tools such as Artificial Intelligence for buyers to measure progress towards supplier-diversity goals.

• OTHER (text box)

Share specifics about the proposed supplier diversity project, including pain points within procurement (particular to small businesses) that you hope to address. (500 words)

PARTNERSHIP DETAILS

Please share how the partnership centers support for Black, Latinx, AAPI, Indigenous, women, or other historically excluded small business owners in your work. (250 words)

Select the size of the small businesses you will focus on supporting with this supplier diversity project:

• Annual receipts up to $250,000 (microbusiness)

• Annual receipts up to $1 million

• Annual receipts $1 million - $5 million

What industry (or industries) does your proposal focus upon? (20 words, list)

How does your project spur creative alliances between buyers, sellers, and nonprofits, paving the way for more historically-excluded business owners to secure contracts with purchasers and anchor institutions in NYC? (250 words) 

How do your efforts complement existing initiatives in the supplier diversity space or represent a new approach? (100 words)

Are members of your partnership able to participate in a learning cohort? (Time commitment: 2x annually with digital networking): Yes/No

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

What is the budget size of each organization involved? (one sentence)

How long have the organizations involved been in existence? (one sentence)

How will grant funds be used? Please complete the brief line item project budget in the template below indicating use of grant funds up to $250,000. Each partner’s allocation should be included. If needed, you may use the text box below to share any financial narrative.