Are you thinking about starting a nonprofit organization? Want to know more about Community Partners’ Incubator Services and our application process? You’ve come to the right place.

Follow the steps below to have a smooth, successful experience applying to Community Partners.

STEP 1: Determine if Community Partners’ is the Right Fit

Community Partners grants sponsorship after careful consideration of a project’s goals, methods, and the project leadership’s understanding of community needs. We review the project leadership’s ability to attract contributions to fund it. We look for a fit between the project leadership’s experience and capability, the project concept, and Community Partners’ mission.

Community Partners does NOT sponsor projects of a religious nature, commercial or profit-making ventures, one-time only events, and film or video projects unless they are integral to a larger direct-service program.

Ask Yourself:

• Will your project provide tangible benefits to your community?
• Is your idea and project plan embraced by a group of committed supporters?
• Do you have the sincere drive and enthusiasm to make your charitable ideas work?
• Can you quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate the need for the services you intend to deliver?
• Can you identify a few strong funding prospects to help you move ahead?
• Can you articulate your goals and clearly express your initial thoughts about how you want to achieve them?

If you can say yes to these questions, please proceed through the steps to see how we can help support your work.

STEP 2: Attend a Planning Workshop

Are you not ready to submit an application yet? Want general information about program planning in the nonprofit sector? Want to know about things to consider as you're getting started?

Attend our free monthly two-part Planning Workshop, which provides an overview of Community Partners’ wide range of services in support of community change activities. What are the key issues to consider in starting a nonprofit organization? What is program planning anyway? What is the application process to Community Partners? These questions and many others will be covered in depth.

STEP 3: Submit a Proposal to Become a Community Partner

Prospective projects are asked to submit a Proposal for Project Sponsorship, which are due the first of each month.

Proposal for Project Sponsorship Materials

Save yourself some typing – download our:

• Proposal for Project Sponsorship (MS Word Document, 1 MB)
• Budget Worksheet (MS Excel Document, 1 MB)
• Sample Project Budget (MS Excel Document, 1 MB)

Contact Information: Please include the following information with your proposal.

• Project Name
• Primary Contact Name
• Address (city, state, zip)
• Phone Number
• Alternate Phone Number
• Fax Number
• Email
• Website
• How did you hear about Community Partners?

Project Information

1) Describe your project. Please include the following:

• The mission for the proposed project
• Specific measurable objectives for your project that you hope to achieve for your community at large
• The strategies or methods you will use to reach your objectives
• A proposed timeline with a progression of dates detailing how you will begin your project

• In what geographic and demographic community will you implement your project?
• Describe the needs of the target population that you serve? What other organizations address the same or similar needs?

3) If successful, what benefits will your project have in the community within 2 years?

4) Briefly describe the work you have done to research, design, pilot test or demonstrate the project.

5) Describe key relationships you currently have with helpful allies in your community and elsewhere. Please include the following:

• How will these relationships help you achieve your project's goals?
• Describe ways you interact with these people, groups and the organizations with which they are affiliated.
• What other organizations or groups do you need to know/work with in order to make your project a success?

6) How does your work-related, volunteer or other experience help prepare you to develop and implement the proposed project?

7) List the names, addresses, phone numbers, and community affiliations of the project's advisory group and/or the people you propose to approach to become members of the advisory board. Please include a brief summary of their present and/or future contributions to your project. ** Please clearly identify which advisors have committed to serving on the board, and those you plan to approach.

8) Outline your specific expectations regarding the benefit(s) a relationship with Community Partners will provide your project.

Attachments

Please include the following attachments with your proposal:

9) A start-up budget outlining the projected costs and sources of revenue for the proposed project in the next 12 months. Our Guide to Project Budgeting can help. Also consult the Sample Project Budget termplate we’ve provided.

10) Resumes of all key people involved in the project.

11) Three letters of reference from individuals familiar with your past and present work, your character, and your commitment to improving the quality of life of your community.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open a PDF. Click the icon to download the free plugin.

Submit only typewritten, double-spaced, unbound proposals including attachments to:

New Projects
Community Partners
1000 Alameda Street, Suite 240
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Call 213.346.3200 or email info@communitypartners.org if you have questions.

STEP 4: Proposal is Reviewed by Community Partners

Briefly, the Project Review process includes the following steps:

• Our Program staff reviews a completed Proposal for Project Sponsorship. After an initial review, staff may discuss the proposal with the Project Leader to clarify aspects of the proposed project. Staff then writes a summary of the proposed project which is attached to the proposal and forwarded to the Project Review Committee, a committee comprised of staff and board members of Community Partners.
• The Project Review Committee meets on the fourth Thursday of each month to formally review the projects. Project Leaders will be asked to attend this meeting to present a brief presentation of their project and answer questions from committee members.
• The Project Review Committee makes a recommendation regarding sponsorship of the proposed project to the full Community Partners’ Board of Directors at its monthly meeting which is generally the second week of each month.
• In short, if all information is in order, the project review process takes a minimum of six weeks.
• Projects are notified of their acceptance as a project of Community Partners within 48 hours of the board meeting. Accepted projects will be required to attend an Orientation Meeting which further clarifies our working relationship with projects and provides specifics regarding our policies and procedures.

If you have specific questions, contact info@communitypartners.org or 213.346.3200. Have other quick questions or suggestions? Consult our Frequently Asked Questions or fill out our Contact Form and be sure to let us know if you want to receive information about Community Partners in the future!

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