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Executive Summary
Eastside Neighbors Alliance is a nonprofit that works with residents of the east side of our city to strengthen their neighborhood from the inside: more local businesses, better properties, stronger leadership and more opportunity. We provide help for small businesses, vacant lot and property improvements and training for resident leaders, guided by what residents tell us they want.
Some neighborhoods have been left behind for decades. Stores close, buildings sit empty, jobs leave and people who can move out do so. But residents of these neighborhoods know what they need, and they often have the ideas and energy to make change. What they lack is money, technical help and a way to organize. Our program works alongside residents to turn their priorities into real projects.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 200 residents, 15 businesses and 10 projects. Our Year 1 budget is about $143,000, growing to about $281,000 by Year 5 as we grow from one community development program staff member to four. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside in savings.
We are asking the Union Grove Fund for $50,000, as part of the $125,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $18,000 in Year 1 comes from donations, which we plan to grow to about $56,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for program staff, small business and property projects and the record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many residents take part, how many small businesses we help start or grow, how many properties are improved or cleaned up, how many jobs are created or kept, and what residents tell us about how the neighborhood is changing. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Eastside Neighbors Alliance is a nonprofit organization in Ohio. A 501(c)(3) public charity
Our mission. To help residents lead the revitalization of our neighborhood, one project at a time.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2021 when neighbors organized to clean up a vacant lot, and then helped a corner store owner repair his storefront. Since then we have completed 12 projects with about 150 residents involved.
What we do:
- Meet with residents to decide together what the neighborhood needs most.
- Help small business owners get technical help, small grants and connections to lenders.
- Organize clean-ups, vacant lot improvements and property repairs, with residents leading.
- Train resident leaders and help them speak up in city planning and decisions.
- Connect residents to jobs, housing help and other services.
Where we work. The east side neighborhood, with monthly meetings at the church hall and an office at the community center.
Our partners. The east side neighborhood association, the city planning office, a community bank and two churches.
Our approach. Residents decide, and we help. We do not come in with a plan. We listen, share what we know and help residents carry out projects they choose.
How we are run. A volunteer Board of Directors (a small group of community members who oversee the organization) meets regularly, approves the budget, reviews the finances and oversees the Executive Director.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this program is needed.
In the east side of our city, some neighborhoods have lost businesses, jobs and investment over many years. Vacant lots and buildings drag down property values and safety. Small business owners struggle to find money and advice, and residents rarely have a say in the plans that shape their neighborhood.
Facts about our community. According to the U.S. Many residents in our neighborhood live below the poverty line, and a significant number of properties sit vacant.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Investment. Banks and developers often skip neighborhoods with low incomes.
2. Small businesses. Local owners often lack records, credit or access to money to grow.
3. Properties. Vacant and run-down properties attract problems and discourage investment.
4. Voice. Residents are often left out of planning decisions.
5. Coordination. Many agencies work in the neighborhood, but few work together or with residents.
What we have seen ourselves. Residents told us the vacant lots are the first thing they want fixed, and several small business owners said they had never been asked what they needed.
Who we serve first. Residents and small businesses in neighborhoods with limited income and a history of disinvestment, in residents and small businesses along the main street on the east side.
Products & Services
How the program works.
1. Listening first. We hold neighborhood meetings and surveys to find out what residents want, and we write a short action plan together.
2. Small business help. We offer advice, small grants for things like signs, equipment and repairs and introductions to lenders and the small business support network.
3. Property improvement. We help residents clean up and improve vacant lots and properties, working with owners and the city. Small business and property program costs are about $24,000 in Year 1.
4. Resident leadership. We train residents in organizing, public speaking and how city decisions get made, so they can lead.
5. Jobs and services. We connect residents to training, job openings and other services.
How we will measure results. We track the number of residents involved, projects completed, businesses helped, properties improved, and jobs created or kept. We repeat a short resident survey every year to see how people feel about their neighborhood. Our goals for Year 1: involve 200 residents; help 15 small businesses; improve 10 properties or vacant lots; and train 15 resident leaders.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We work in the east side of our city, especially residents and small businesses along the main street on the east side.
How we know people need this. More than 150 residents came to our first three meetings, and 20 business owners asked for help.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 200 residents, 15 businesses and 10 projects. Vacancy rates, poverty and unemployment rates and the number of local small businesses are common ways to size the need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find them. As we grow from one community development staff member to four, we expect to reach more residents and projects each year.
How residents reach us. The neighborhood association, local churches, door knocking and our flyers.
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- City community development and planning offices set plans and manage funds. We work with them and help residents take part. We meet quarterly with the city's community development office.
- Community development corporations build housing and commercial projects. We partner with them and focus on resident leadership and small projects.
- Chambers of commerce and small business centers help businesses. We refer owners to them and add neighborhood-level support.
- Banks and community lenders offer loans. We help owners prepare for them.
- Neighborhood associations and churches are the heart of community life. We partner with them.
What makes us different: residents decide the priorities, small grants that are easy to use and strong ties with the neighborhood association
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from neighborhood associations, churches, schools, city offices and other nonprofits.
- Door knocking, flyers, social media and community events.
- Neighborhood meetings in familiar places.
- Word of mouth from residents who have been involved.
Funding sources. Cities and counties receive federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds that often support neighborhood programs, and banks, community development lenders and foundations also invest. These funds come with rules and reporting, and we learn them early.
Volunteers. Neighbors, church groups, local businesses and college students.
Raising money beyond grants. Donations are planned at about $18,000 in Year 1, growing to about $56,000 by Year 5, through a yearly giving campaign, business and community partners, a community event and online giving. Raising more of our own money means we depend less on any one grant or contract.
Operations Plan
How the program runs.
How a project runs:
1. Residents decide on a priority at a neighborhood meeting.
2. We form a small team of residents and plan the project together.
3. We line up resources: money, permission, volunteers and technical help.
4. We carry out the project with residents.
5. We celebrate, measure the result and decide what is next.
A neighborhood meeting. Residents share what they like and what worries them, vote on top priorities with sticky notes and sign up for working groups.
Rules to follow. Work on properties requires the owner's written permission, proper permits and insurance, and licensed contractors where the law requires them. Small grants follow written rules and are paid directly to vendors where possible.
Privacy. Resident and business information is kept private. We share it only with permission or when the law requires it, and funders get totals, never names.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $8,000 in equipment (laptops, a printer, a projector and basic project tools), then about $2,000 to $3,000 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. One community development program staff member in Year 1, then two in Year 2, two in Year 3, three in Year 4 and four in Year 5. Staff spend most of their time in the neighborhood, not in the office.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $14,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
Jamal Davis, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and contracts, builds partnerships, oversees the finances and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $60,000 a year.
Community development program staff. Organize meetings, support small businesses, manage projects and work with city offices. One position in Year 1, growing to four by Year 5, at a planned salary of $42,000 each. Qualifications we look for: lives or has worked in the neighborhood, strong listening and organizing skills and experience with small projects.
Volunteers. Volunteers help with clean-ups, outreach and events, and neighborhood leaders help lead projects.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Carlos Brooks, who brings nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant and contract money is tracked separately so we can show each funder exactly how their money was spent. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Milestones Narrative
Our goals and how we will measure them.
Year 1:
- Hold our first neighborhood meetings and write an action plan with residents.
- Hire our first community development staff member and recruit resident leaders.
- Reach about 200 residents, 15 businesses and 10 projects.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for businesses helped, properties improved and resident leaders trained.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $143,000.
Year 2: two community development program staff; budget of about $188,000.
Year 3: two community development program staff; budget of about $190,000.
Year 4: three community development program staff; budget of about $235,000.
Year 5: four community development program staff; budget of about $281,000.
Over the five years: grow to four community development program staff, add neighborhoods and projects, and develop a resident leadership program. Business and property program costs grow about 6% a year.
How we will check our results. We record residents involved, projects done, businesses helped and properties improved. Once a year we ask residents how they feel about the neighborhood. Staff and the Board review results and share them with funders.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $50,000 from the Union Grove Fund for our first community development staff member's salary, small business and property projects and the costs of reporting results, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $143,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $125,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Donations: $18,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $60,000. - Community development program staff: $42,000. - Small business and property program costs (small grants, clean-up, materials, technical help): $24,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $14,000. - That is about $140,000 in costs. The remaining $3,000 or so goes into savings. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $8,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget. The next five years. Our budget grows from about $143,000 in Year 1 to about $281,000 in Year 5 as we grow to four community development program staff. Grants and contracts are planned at $125,000 in Year 1, $162,000 in Year 2, $155,000 in Year 3, $190,000 in Year 4 and $225,000 in Year 5. Donations grow from $18,000 to $56,000, so grants become a smaller part of our budget over time. Savings. We start with about $20,000 of our own plus $75,000 in startup support, and we add to savings each year. Important for government funds. Federal and city community development funds are often paid after you spend the money and come with rules about who can be served, what can be funded and how to report. We plan for the wait and keep careful records. Help we receive that is not cash. Donated space, volunteer hours, donated materials and professional services are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. Free meeting space at a church (about $4,000 a year in rent value), about 1,500 volunteer hours a year and donated paint and supplies If we are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status. One way is a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that agrees to receive grants for you and pass them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Many funders accept this. Another way is to start smaller: partner with a neighborhood association or church, start with one clean-up or small business project, and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants and contracts easier to win.
Appendix Notes
Documents to attach with this proposal:
- Your IRS 501(c)(3) letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current budget.
- A list of your Board members and what they do.
- Letters of support from residents, neighborhood associations, city offices and partners.
- Your neighborhood action plan or survey results.
- Your policies on small grants, property work and conflicts of interest.
- Your numbers from the past year, if you have them (projects, businesses helped, residents involved).
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff. If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.
The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Staff pay: Executive Director $60,000; each community development program staff member $42,000, growing from 1 to 4.
- Small business and property program costs about $24,000 in Year 1, rising about 6% a year
- Office costs about $14,000 in Year 1, rising about 4% a year.
- Grants and contracts set so each year's budget balances with a small amount saved.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real budget.