Create Account Create Account
1-Apply
Sign in + Add Business
Services Contact
Start 1-Application

Secure checkout with guided next steps.

$30-$75 per grant Secure & encrypted
Refund policy Expert-reviewed View terms
Community Quarterback for Small Business Grant Expired
Grantaura Eligibility Checker

Eligibility for Community Quarterback for Small Business Grant

Up to $50K for nonprofit ecosystem coordinators in 14 Truist markets. Not for direct services or for-profit businesses.

Amount $50,000
Deadline Closed on: March 20, 2026
Location Alabama & more
Category Grants For Non-Profit Organizations
Questions 5 total
Required 5 required
View full grant on Grantaura Updated March 10, 2026 on Grantaura.

Most applicants who fail this grant do not fail the eligibility check. They fail the identity check. The Community Quarterback Grant asks a question most funders never ask directly: are you a convener, or are you a service provider? That distinction matters more than your 501(c)(3) status, more than your budget size, more than your years of operation. I have seen organizations with impeccable credentials get rejected because they described their training programs instead of their coordination networks. This page walks through the five gates that determine whether you should invest time in this application. Not whether you are eligible on paper. Whether you can win.

The Five Gates You Must Pass

Gate one is organizational status. You need 501(c)(3) designation or a fiscal sponsor who has it. Straightforward. Gate two is geography. You must be physically located in one of fourteen states. Not just serving clients there. Located there. And if you are in Ohio, only Cincinnati counts. Gate three is the convener identity. This is where most applications die. Do you bring stakeholders together, or do you serve them directly? Gate four is other supporters. Truist will not fund you alone. You need to show diverse revenue streams. Gate five is track record. Not potential. Evidence that you have already functioned as a community quarterback.

Why the Convener Identity Trips Up Strong Organizations

I have reviewed applications from nonprofits that have operated for decades, served thousands of businesses, and generated real impact. They got rejected. Why? They described their workshops. Their loan programs. Their counseling sessions. All direct services. The Coalition wants to fund the infrastructure that makes those services accessible. The directory that connects businesses to lenders. The convening that brings providers together. The coordination that fills gaps between programs. If your application reads like a program description, you are describing the wrong thing. Use our eligibility tool above to check your fit, then submit an assessment if you are unsure whether your framing will land with reviewers who have seen thousands of these applications. Still uncertain after the tool? That is exactly when a live one-on-one video or phone call with a grant expert pays off. Not to re-explain what you just read. To evaluate whether your specific work history qualifies as ecosystem coordination in the eyes of reviewers who weight that criterion at 35 percent of your total score. Book that call before you write a single word of narrative.

Answered 0 of -- -- remaining

Start Eligibility Check

Answer each question based on your situation. We'll match your responses to the official criteria in real time.

Apply Now Talk to a Grantaura Expert
Grantaura Grant Details

Community Quarterback for Small Business Grant

Review requirements, deadlines, and application steps on Grantaura before you apply.

Visit Grant Page

Eligibility Requirements (Source-Based)

  1. Is your organization a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or do you have a fiscal sponsor that is? Required
    Confidence: H
    Source
  2. Is your organization located in one of these areas? Required
    Confidence: H
    Source
  3. Does your organization primarily coordinate between small business support organizations rather than deliver direct services? Required
    Confidence: H
    Source Source
  4. Can your organization identify other funding sources and partners to sustain this work? Required
    Confidence: H
    Source
  5. Does your organization have a demonstrable track record or strong commitment to serving small businesses in under-resourced communities? Required
    Confidence: H
    Source