Grant guides — CBNA tips & playbook
Practical, step-by-step guidance for community builders looking to secure funding, structure partnerships, and scale local development initiatives across the USA.
This guide focuses on accessible approaches, clear deliverables, and reproducible templates tailored for CBNA-aligned projects.
1 — Define outcomes
Translate community needs into measurable outcomes and budget lines. Funders want clarity: outputs, timeline, and impact metrics.
2 — Build the narrative
Craft concise problem statements and project narratives for applications — three strong paragraphs plus evidence works well.
3 — Partners & budget
Align partner roles with deliverables; create modular budgets that can be scaled. Include a sustainability plan and risk mitigation notes.
Success stories
Used modular budgeting and local partnerships to secure a pilot grant that scaled to city-wide programming in 18 months.
A small neighborhood coalition leveraged a one-page pitch to win community facilitator funding and training resources.
Combined local match with in-kind donations and clarified outcome metrics to improve grant competitiveness.
FAQ — quick answers
Toolkit & next steps
Use this quick checklist to structure your next application: objectives, timeline, budget lines, partners, evaluation plan, and sustainability.
- One-page executive summary
- Modular budget (line items and alternates)
- Letters of support or MOUs
- Outcome measurement plan
Schedule a 30-minute consultation to tailor a submission package and checklist for your community.
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