# From Early Community Funding to Institutional and Global Support

## Utility-research report, version 2 (expanded and live-verified)

**Research date:** September 23, 2026 **Method:** Utility-research
skill, nonprofit capital-stack module. Six parallel verification and
expansion passes (public funding; technology and in-kind; foundations
and corporate; private capital; international; market, comparables, and
regulation). Roughly 500 live page fetches. Every consequential claim
carries a source URL and a verification date in the evidence ledger
(Deliverable 13) and in the six research appendices. **Launch context:**
U.S. nonprofits, New York City and New York State first. Mission focus:
basic needs, education, community development, technology access. One
prospective member is a DAO-structured basic-needs organization, so
legal-wrapper and crypto-rail questions are treated explicitly.
**Supersedes:** the September 23, 2026 version-1 report. Section “What
changed from version 1” lists every correction.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 1 — Executive decision and recommendation

**Decision statement.** We need to decide what to build, how it works,
whom it serves first, and the lowest-risk path to proving durable value,
for a product or managed service that moves early-stage nonprofits from
community support into diversified, renewable institutional resources
without mission drift, unmanageable compliance, cash-flow exposure, or
single-source dependence.

**Recommendation.** Build a **funding-readiness and capital-progression
system**, launched as a **cohort-based shared funding office** for five
to eight NYC nonprofits, then productized. Version 1 reached the same
conclusion. Version 2 confirms it with live evidence and sharpens four
points that change how it is built:

1.  **The core pain is cash-flow timing and revenue concentration, not
    opportunity discovery.** NYC government pays late in a way no
    national tool models: 90.7 percent of City human-services contracts
    registered late in FY24, first payment averaging 6.5 months after
    start, \$861 million in unpaid nonprofit invoices as of April 2025,
    and 76 percent of State nonprofit contracts processed late in 2025.
    The product must include cash-flow forecasting against known payment
    lags, bridge-loan readiness, and prompt-contracting interest
    recovery. These are features no comparable offers.
2.  **Application volume is the most controllable lever.**
    GrantStation’s 2026 survey shows one application yields a 64.5
    percent chance of at least one award; three to five yield 89.4
    percent; more than thirty yield 99.4 percent. Urban Institute finds
    75 percent of New York nonprofits receive government funding and
    69.5 percent of those grantees would run deficits without it. Yet
    68.3 percent of organizations do no collaborative grantseeking. A
    cohort that shares research and moves each member from one or two
    well-targeted applications to six or more is differentiated simply
    by existing.
3.  **The business model has a legal shape in New York.** Grants are
    “contributions” under Executive Law Article 7-A. A person engaged
    solely to draft applications to government and 501(c)(3) funders is
    exempt from fund-raising-counsel registration, but a funding office
    that advises on board, donor, or recurring-gift strategy must
    register as fund raising counsel (\$800 per year, contracts filed
    within ten days). Soliciting or holding funds makes it a
    professional fund raiser with a \$10,000 bond. Percentage-of-funds
    pricing violates AFP Standards 21, 23, and 24. A fee-for-service
    consultancy cannot itself be a 501(c)(3) under Revenue Ruling
    72-369. So: operate as an LLC or public-benefit corporation, or as a
    grant-subsidized program inside an existing 501(c)(3); register as
    fund raising counsel; price flat or by milestone; never take custody
    of gifts. Two open legal questions need counsel before launch: the
    statutory drafting exclusion names an “individual,” so whether it
    covers a firm is unsettled; and a charity that engages fund raising
    counsel loses the under-\$25,000 registration exemption, so the
    smallest members must be registered with the Charities Bureau before
    joining.
4.  **Individuals still give 64 percent of the \$617 billion in U.S.
    giving.** Donor retention is stuck at 18 percent and growth comes
    only from repeat donors. A grants-only product ignores most of the
    money. Recurring-donor and board-giving workflows belong in the
    core, not the periphery.

**Confidence:** High that the readiness-first, cohort-delivered model is
the right shape. Medium on willingness to pay, which the pilot exists to
test. See Deliverable 12 for assumptions and confidence labels.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 2 — Research charter and evidence map

### Decision questions and evidence status

| \# | Claim that must be true | Status after verification | Key evidence | Implication |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| 1 | The problem is real, material, and under-served | **Verified, strong** | NFF 2025: 52 percent have three months or less of cash; 36 percent ran deficits in 2024, a ten-year high; 84 percent of government-funded orgs expect cuts. NYC Comptroller April 2025; NYS Comptroller May 2026; Urban Institute October 2025 and March 2026 | Cash-flow, concentration, and readiness are the product core |
| 2 | Early community support creates proof and flexible capital | **Verified, directional** | Giving USA 2026: individuals 64 percent of giving. FEP Q1 2026: retention 18 percent, repeat donors retained at 88 percent | Board and recurring-giving workflows are mandatory |
| 3 | Institutional funding requires organizational readiness | **Verified, strong** | SAM.gov “up to 10 business days” and “weeks or months” if unverified; NYS SFS prequalification with ten documents, expiring annually; NYC PASSPort plus Discretionary PQL plus Capacity Building Training; DeCamp and W.T. Grant require audited financials | Readiness gate precedes matching (Deliverable 3) |
| 4 | Technology benefits reduce costs meaningfully | **Verified with correction** | Google Workspace \$0 with Gemini included; Claude and ChatGPT nonprofit seats at \$8 per user per month; Microsoft’s 10-seat Business Premium grant retired July 1, 2025; AWS tier for budgets under \$10 million is \$1,000, not \$5,000. Worked net-value examples show sub-\$2,000 credits rarely beat the labor they create | Treat as cost avoidance with lifecycle risk; prioritize grants that eliminate an existing line item |
| 5 | Large global foundations are broadly open | **Disproven, confirmed** | Gates, Ford, Hilton, Carnegie, OSF, Helmsley, Heckscher, Bloomberg, Ballmer all invitation-only or staff-identified. Hilton’s one exception is Conejo Valley, California only. FDO data: 28 percent of foundations accepted unsolicited proposals (2016) | Build field credibility and intermediary relationships; track published RFPs |
| 6 | PE and hedge-fund investment capital is a donation source | **Disproven, confirmed** | KKR, Apollo, Warburg Pincus, Blackstone give through foundations and employee-nominated programs. TPG Rise, Brookfield GTF, Two Sigma Impact are investment funds. Tiger Foundation and Robin Hood are the only hedge-fund-lineage funders with unsolicited entry for NYC poverty work | Research the vehicle and champion, never the firm |
| 7 | Participants have compatible incentives | **Working assumption, plausible** | Funders want prepared applicants (Robin Hood offers grant-readiness training; Brooklyn Org runs application clinics). Open Collective Foundation’s 2024 dissolution on a 5 percent fee warns that under-priced high-touch service fails | Pilot must test willingness to pay at three price points |
| 8 | Value exchange sustains delivery | **Open question** | No comparable runs an integrated funding operation for sub-\$500,000 organizations; Instrumentl costs \$3,600 to \$12,000 per year and targets staffed orgs | Cohort economics split a full-time function five to eight ways |
| 9 | Impact can be measured responsibly | **Verified, feasible** | Pilot measures in Deliverable 10 use ledgers, time logs, diagnostic scores; awards treated as lagging | Six-month follow-up required |
| 10 | Risks are manageable | **Verified with named constraints** | Article 7-A, AFP code, Rev. Rul. 72-369, SHIELD Act, §172-b audit tiers | Deliverable 12 |

### Classification of findings

**Verified facts.** All items in the evidence ledger marked High
confidence.

**Working assumptions.** Cohort members will supply documents within two
weeks. A sponsor or member will pay for preparation rather than only for
awards. Five to eight organizations is enough to split fixed costs. The
operator can register as fund raising counsel without difficulty.

**Open questions.** Which of nonprofit, sponsor, or anchor funder is the
first paying customer. Whether the DAO-structured member executes a
legal wrapper within the pilot window. Whether NYC’s 50 percent advance
law (Local Law 156 of 2025, effective July 1, 2026) survives the 180-day
deferral right the administration nearly invoked in June 2026.

**Critical uncertainties.** The OMB proposed rewrite of 2 CFR 200 (May
29, 2026), paused by the continuing resolution through December 11,
2026, could change indirect-cost limits and termination rights. NYS
prompt-contracting reform passed the Legislature in June 2026 but prior
versions were vetoed in December 2024 and December 2025. The NTIA
Digital Equity Competitive Grant, terminated May 2025 and partially
revived by a July 15, 2026 ruling, targets a December 2026 reopening.

**Disproven claims.** Listed in “What changed from version 1” below and
in each appendix.

**Time-sensitive.** Every deadline in Deliverable 5 and Deliverable 11;
re-verify any record older than 90 days.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 3 — Funding-readiness diagnostic

The full 84-point scoring instrument, six domains, capital-layer gates,
warning signs, and output specification are in
**[D03-funding-readiness-diagnostic.md](deliverables/D03-funding-readiness-diagnostic.md)**.

Key design choices grounded in this research:

- **Legal and registration carries 25 percent weight** because SAM.gov,
  SFS prequalification, PASSPort, CHAR500, and audit tier are hard gates
  that funders and agencies enforce, not preferences.
- **Audit tier is a readiness item, not an afterthought.** New York
  Executive Law §172-b: gross revenue above \$1 million requires a CPA
  audit; \$250,000 to \$1 million requires a CPA review; at or under
  \$250,000 an unaudited report suffices. DeCamp and W.T. Grant both
  require audited or certified financials, so crossing \$250,000 changes
  what is reachable.
- **A DAO without a legal wrapper scores zero on the controlling item.**
  A Wyoming DUNA is not a recognized New York charity form and its
  501(c)(3) recognition is untested in public record. Acceptable paths
  are a fiscal sponsor such as Fund for the City of New York’s Partner
  Project Program, or incorporation as a New York not-for-profit
  corporation.
- **Multifactor authentication is a gate for Stage 2** because cloud
  credits and donor systems create SHIELD Act exposure.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 4 — Capital-stage progression model

| Stage | Layer | Gate (from diagnostic) | What is realistically reachable for a NYC org with a budget under \$500,000 | Typical first amounts observed | Payment and burden profile |
|----|----|----|----|----|----|
| 0 | Readiness and minimum fundable package | None; this is the work | Fiscal sponsor or 501(c)(3); CHAR410 and CHAR500; SAM.gov and UEI; SFS prequalification; PASSPort; policies; financials | No money; unlocks everything | Time: SAM up to 10 business days, longer if unverified; SFS review 5 to 10 business days |
| 1 | Seed, board, community | A1 done; receipts and recurring giving live | Board give-or-get; Zeffy or Givebutter at 0 percent; Endaoment EIN claim for crypto and stock; DAF Direct widget; peer-to-peer; Walmart Spark Good (\$250 to \$5,000); Costco warehouse; CitizensNYC (up to \$5,000) | \$250 to \$10,000 per source | Unrestricted; immediate; fees near zero on the right rails |
| 2 | Technology and in-kind | A1 done; MFA on | Google Workspace for Nonprofits at \$0 including Gemini; Ad Grants up to \$10,000 per month restricted; Slack Pro free under 250; Claude for Nonprofits Team or ChatGPT Business at \$8 per seat; GitHub Team free; Canva up to 50 seats (medium confidence); Adobe Express 50 seats; Notion 50 percent off; Microsoft up to 300 Business Basic seats free | Roughly \$6,000 to \$9,000 per year avoided for 10 seats, excluding Ad Grants and payment-processing savings | 40 to 60 hours year one, 20 to 30 thereafter; sub-\$2,000 credits rarely net positive |
| 3 | Local and regional institutional | Composite at least 55 percent; financials, beneficiary definition, outputs, case for support complete | Brooklyn Org Microgrants (up to \$10,000, budgets under \$100,000, due November 30, 2026); Brooklyn Org GOS (September 30, 2026); Staten Island Foundation (email LOI by November 2, 2026); Tiger Foundation rolling LOI (\$50,000 to \$300,000, needs proven outcomes); Pinkerton rolling LOI (youth, “established”); Nathan Cummings rolling LOI (\$50,000 to \$250,000, justice framing); Con Edison open portal; TD Charitable six cycles per year; Robin Hood expression of interest (pipeline entry, not application) | \$5,000 to \$50,000 first grants; Tiger averages about \$200,000 for proven programs | Mostly advance or scheduled; light to moderate reporting |
| 4 | City, state, federal | Composite at least 70 percent; reserves, cash-flow forecast, controls, restricted-fund tracking | NYC Council discretionary (FY2028 cycle expected early January 2027, about six weeks, reimbursement-based, needs Council Member relationship); DYCD and HRA RFPs via PASSPort HHS PQL (none listed as of today); NYSCA Capital (due January 12, 2027, capital only); NY BRICKS Round 2 (\$250,000 to \$15 million, opens November 2, due December 7, 2026, capital only); ConnectALL digital-equity rounds recur; federal mostly pass-through (CSBG via DYCD, CDBG via agencies, TEFAP and HPNAP via Food Bank For NYC, AmeriCorps via state commission); NTIA Digital Equity targeting December 2026 reopening | City discretionary awards commonly \$5,000 to \$50,000; state and federal larger but restricted | Reimbursement; 6.5-month average first City payment; 15 percent de minimis indirect; \$1 million single-audit threshold |
| 5 | National foundations, corporate, private capital | Composite at least 75 percent; outcome measure with two years of data | Citi Foundation Global Innovation Challenge (\$500,000, youth AI and digital skills, interest due October 6, 2026, noon ET, likely via collaborative); Bank of America Neighborhood Builders (\$200,000 unrestricted, next window June 2027); Morgan Stanley Children’s Mental Health Innovation Awards (revenue under \$5 million; Next Gen track \$25,000 to \$50,000); KKR Grants eligibility quiz (grants@kkr.com); Apollo Opportunity Foundation, Warburg Pincus Foundation, Goldman Sachs Gives, PwC Reimagine via employee champions; W.T. Grant YSIG (\$25,000, opens January 2027, budget at least \$250,000); DeCamp (\$25,000 to \$150,000, July 15, audit required); Ira W. DeCamp and JPMorgan Tech for Social Good pro bono | \$25,000 to \$200,000 | Advance or milestone; formal reporting; multiyear increasingly available (GEO 2025: 87 percent offer multiyear) |
| 6 | International | Composite at least 85 percent; audited financials; safeguarding; OFAC screening; two registered years | GlobalGiving Pathway (start now; 5 to 12 percent fee plus 3 percent); Draper Richards Kaplan (rolling, up to \$300,000 over three years, post-pilot impact data required); Echoing Green (\$100,000 over 18 months; 2027 dates unverified); Mulago Rainer Arnhold (\$200,000, referral-driven, selection early 2027); State Department bureau NOFOs via grants.gov; UN ECOSOC status (next deadline June 1, 2027, requires two registered years); CAF America for a first cross-border grant | Platform revenue variable; fellowships \$100,000 to \$200,000 | Heavy diligence; Schedule F above \$10,000 foreign spend; country regimes such as India FCRA 2026 bar re-granting |

**Progression rule.** Move up one stage only when the gate is met and
the prior stage has produced reusable evidence: donors, outcomes,
testimonials, and a clean reporting record. Do not skip Stage 1;
individual giving is where unrestricted money and retention live.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 5 — Verified opportunity and relationship landscape

The complete records with all schema fields are in the six appendices.
This section is the prioritized pipeline for a NYC basic-needs,
education, or digital-access organization with a budget under \$500,000,
verified September 23, 2026.

### 5A. Act now (open or rolling, verified pathway)

| Priority | Funder and program | Amount | Deadline or cycle | Why now | Confidence |
|----|----|----|----|----|----|
| 1 | Google for Nonprofits (Workspace, Ad Grants, Maps) | \$0 Workspace; \$10,000 per month ads; \$250 per month Maps | Rolling; Goodstack validation 3 to 5 days | Largest free base; gateway to other programs | High |
| 2 | Claude for Nonprofits Team or ChatGPT Business | \$8 per seat per month | Rolling | Cheapest verified AI seats; pick one | High |
| 3 | Zeffy or Givebutter; Endaoment EIN claim; DAF Direct widget | \$0 to nonprofit | Rolling | Zero-fee rails for fiat, crypto, stock, and DAF gifts | High |
| 4 | Brooklyn Org General Operating Support | Not stated; unrestricted | **September 30, 2026** | Only near-term GOS door for a Brooklyn org | High |
| 5 | Citi Foundation Global Innovation Challenge | \$500,000 restricted | **October 6, 2026, noon ET** | Only if youth AI and digital-skills fit exists; likely as a collaborative partner | Medium |
| 6 | Staten Island Foundation | Historically \$5,000 to \$150,000 | Email LOI by **November 2, 2026** for January board | Informal entry; SI-serving only | High |
| 7 | Brooklyn Org Microgrants | Up to \$10,000 | **November 30, 2026** | Budgets under \$100,000; rolling | High |
| 8 | Walmart Spark Good Local Community Grants | \$250 to \$5,000 | **November 30, 2026** (current cycle) | Open; tie to nearest facility | High |
| 9 | Costco warehouse charitable request | Not stated | One per fiscal year (September to August) | Open; Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island warehouses | High |
| 10 | CitizensNYC Community Leaders Grants | Up to \$5,000 | Cycle dates not stated; email grants@citizensnyc.org | Grassroots-friendly; unlocks Collaborative Impact Grants later | Medium |
| 11 | Tiger Foundation LOI | \$50,000 to \$300,000 | Rolling; 4 to 6 week review | Only with proven outcomes; ask about Seed and Expansion Fund | High |
| 12 | Pinkerton Foundation LOI | Not stated | Rolling; board May and December | Youth-serving, “established” programs | High |
| 13 | Nathan Cummings Venture grants | Up to \$100,000 | Rolling LOI; 12-week response | Only if justice and systems-change framing is genuine | High |
| 14 | Con Edison Strategic Partnerships | Not stated | Open portal | NYC and Westchester; resilience, clean-energy careers | Medium |
| 15 | TD Charitable Foundation regional grants | Not stated | Six cycles per year; FY27 dates pending | Financial security and housing | High on process |
| 16 | Robin Hood expression of interest | Not stated | Rolling | Pipeline entry only; Robin Hood sources grantees itself | High |
| 17 | KKR Grants eligibility quiz | Not stated | Rolling | Economic opportunity and security pillars | Medium |
| 18 | GlobalGiving Pathway interest survey | Platform | Bi-monthly cohorts | Start the 6 to 12 month onboarding now | High |
| 19 | Fund for the City of New York Cash Flow Loans | 0 percent interest, 2 percent fee | Rolling, 3 to 5 day approval | Only against a registered contract or award letter | High |
| 20 | SAM.gov, UEI, Grants.gov account | Free | Start now; up to 10 business days or longer | Required before NTIA Digital Equity reopens in December 2026 | High |

### 5B. Calendar (closed for cycle, verified to recur)

| Funder and program | Amount | Expected window | Requirement to watch |
|----|----|----|----|
| NYC Council discretionary funding, FY2028 | Commonly \$5,000 to \$50,000 | Early January to mid-February 2027 | PASSPort, Discretionary PQL, Capacity Building Training, Council Member relationship |
| W.T. Grant Youth Service Improvement Grants | \$25,000 | Opens January 2027 | Budget at least \$250,000; audited or certified financials |
| NYSCA Capital Projects | Capital | Due January 12, 2027 | SFS prequalification; capital only |
| NY BRICKS Round 2 | \$250,000 to \$15 million capital | Opens November 2, due December 7, 2026 | Capital only |
| Mother Cabrini Health Foundation LOI | Not stated | About March 2027 | Health-adjacent basic needs |
| New York Foundation core grants | \$55,000 per year for 3 to 5 years | 2027 cycle; 2026 deadline was March 2 | Organizing and advocacy only, no direct services |
| Brooklyn Org Spark Prize | \$100,000 unrestricted | Reopens about Spring 2027 | “Deep history in Brooklyn” disfavors new orgs |
| Spectrum Digital Education Grants | \$2,500 to \$50,000 | Likely Q1 2027 | NYC in footprint |
| Bank of America Neighborhood Builders | \$200,000 unrestricted | June 2027 | NYC market; established orgs |
| Ira W. DeCamp Foundation | \$25,000 to \$150,000 | July 15, 2027 | Audited financials |
| Echoing Green Fellowship | \$100,000 over 18 months | Fall 2026 or 2027, unverified | Founder-led, under five years |
| Mulago Rainer Arnhold Fellows | \$200,000 | Screening October 2026 to January 2027 | Warm referral |
| Claude Corps host program | \$10,000 implementation grant plus fellow | Later cohorts; Cohort 1 closed July 17, 2026 | Paid Claude subscription; hybrid workplace |
| Fast Forward accelerator | Cash and capacity | August to September 2027 for 2028 cohort | Tech nonprofit |
| NTIA Digital Equity Competitive Grant | Federal | Targeting December 2026 reopening | SAM.gov active |
| UN ECOSOC consultative status | Access, not money | June 1, 2027 | Two registered years |
| Morgan Stanley Children’s Mental Health Innovation Awards | \$25,000 to \$50,000 Next Gen | Annual | Revenue under \$5 million |

### 5C. Relationship-development targets (no unsolicited entry; cultivate through intermediaries)

Ford, Gates, Carnegie, Open Society, Helmsley, Heckscher, Bloomberg
Philanthropies, Ballmer Group, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Blue Meridian
(budget above \$1 million interest survey only), Wells Fargo (invitation
code), Verizon, Target, JPMorgan Chase Foundation cash grants, Cohen
Foundation, Dalio Philanthropies, Viking Global Foundation, Paul Singer
Foundation, Trinity Church Wall Street (\$100,000 to \$250,000,
eligibility quiz), Altman Foundation (health LOIs only currently),
Rockefeller, IKEA, Laudes, Co-Impact, Segal.

**How access actually works.** Foundations above roughly \$100 million
in assets source grantees through staff, co-funder referrals,
intermediaries, and convenings. Concrete entry points verified this
session: Brooklyn Org application clinics; Mother Cabrini cycle
webinars; NYCT-housed funder collaboratives (NYC Workforce Development
Fund); CitizensNYC grantee network; Robin Hood grant-readiness training;
Lawyers Alliance for New York workshops that come with New York
Foundation grants; employee champions at Apollo, Warburg Pincus, Goldman
Sachs, PwC, Bloomberg L.P. (Best of Bloomberg \$2,500 to \$5,000 after
volunteer hours), and New York Life (\$12.4 million in
workforce-directed grants in 2025). Donor-advised funds cannot be
applied to; publish the EIN, match the IRS name, and embed DAF Direct or
DAFwidget.

### 5D. Removed from active pipeline (disproven or unavailable)

Yield Giving Open Call (no 2026 cycle); Griffin Catalyst (makes no
grants); Klarman Family Foundation open fund (Massachusetts only);
Arabella Advisors (winding down); Roddenberry Fellowship (paused from
2026); Optimism Retro Funding (paused at least 12 months); Gitcoin GG25
(not open); Coinbase GiveCrypto (wound down December 2023); Comcast Lift
Zones (no NYC market); T-Mobile Hometown Grants (ended March 2026, towns
under 50,000); Hilton Good Neighbor (California only); Wellcome
(excludes U.S. leads, tightening October 29, 2026); Open Collective
Foundation (dissolved December 31, 2024); HHS Accelerator
(decommissioned July 31, 2024, replaced by PASSPort HHS PQL); Grants
Gateway (closed February 12, 2025, replaced by SFS).

### 5E. Unverified leads (page unreachable or facts unconfirmed; do not cite as fact)

Booth Ferris, Clark Foundation, Tisch Illumination Fund, Robin Hood
Power Fund, Brooklyn Org Invest in Youth, Stavros Niarchos Foundation
NYC, M&T Charitable Foundation, National Grid, Capital One, Amazon
community giving, Home Depot Community Impact Grants, NYCT
competitive-grant guidelines, HRA and DSS RFP list (404), OCFS funding
page, SBA Community Navigator status, Salesforce Power of Us “10 free
licenses” (vendor page says only “discounted”), Canva vendor page (403),
Benevity and Bright Funds fee terms, Silver Lake and Carlyle giving
pages, Goldman One Million Black Women 2026 round, JPMorgan Tech for
Social Good 2026 dates, Echoing Green 2027 dates, MacArthur 100&Change
next round.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 6 — Technology and in-kind resource matrix

Full program tables (about 55 programs across productivity,
collaboration, AI, accelerators, fiat rails, and crypto rails), two
worked net-value examples, and the fetch log are in
**[research/02-technology-inkind.md](research/02-technology-inkind.md)**.

### Recommended starter stack for a 10-person NYC basic-needs nonprofit

| Layer | Pick | Nonprofit price | Note |
|----|----|----|----|
| Email, docs, storage, AI assistant | Google Workspace for Nonprofits | \$0 | Includes Gemini; up to 2,000 users; Goodstack validation |
| Search ads | Google Ad Grants | \$0, up to \$10,000 per month restricted | Count as avoided cost only if ads would be bought; about 3 hours per month compliance |
| Chat | Slack Pro (free under 250 members) or Google Chat | \$0 | TechSoup validation for Slack |
| Video | Google Meet, or Zoom at 50 percent via Goodstack | \$0 or 50 percent | Zoom left TechSoup May 2025 |
| Design | Canva for Nonprofits (medium confidence) or Adobe Express (50 seats, verified) | \$0 |  |
| Code | GitHub Team | \$0 |  |
| AI seats | Claude for Nonprofits Team or ChatGPT Business | \$8 per user per month | About \$1,440 per year saved against Claude list for 10 seats |
| Knowledge base and light CRM | Notion Business at 50 percent or Airtable Team at \$12 | \$10 to \$12 per seat | Skip Salesforce until an admin exists |
| Donations, fiat | Zeffy or Givebutter | \$0 | Stripe nonprofit rate as backup, requires 80 percent donation volume |
| Donations, crypto and stock | Endaoment EIN profile; Giveth project | \$0 | Endaoment pays out in fiat via Chariot; The Giving Block is a paid subscription |
| Employee giving | PayPal Giving Fund, Benevity Causes, Bright Funds | \$0 | Fee terms unverified |
| Identity | Google SSO; Okta for Good later | \$0 |  |
| Devices and network | Dell up to 10 percent via TechSoup; Cisco Meraki donation if physical site | Admin fee | Meraki licenses must be renewed or hardware stops |

**Indicative avoided software cost:** roughly \$6,000 to \$9,000 per
year for 10 seats, from list prices, excluding Ad Grants and
payment-processing savings. **Labor:** 40 to 60 hours in year one, 20 to
30 per year after.

**Rule from the worked examples.** Credits under about \$2,000 per year
rarely beat the labor they create unless the tool is one the
organization would run anyway. The Microsoft 365 grant nets negative for
a 12-seat org when Google Workspace is the alternative; the \$1,000 AWS
credit nets negative against a managed host. Prioritize grants that
eliminate an existing line item over credits that invite new
infrastructure.

**Changes since version 1.** Microsoft’s Business Premium and E1 grants
retired July 1, 2025, replaced by up to 300 free Business Basic seats
and up to 75 percent discounts; Azure remains \$2,000. AWS tier for
budgets under \$10 million is \$1,000. Meta fundraising routes through
PayPal Giving Fund at 1.99 percent plus \$0.49 with no recurring gifts
since October 31, 2023. TechSoup Core is free, Plus is \$200 per year,
revenue comes from per-product admin fees. Google validation is via
Goodstack, not TechSoup.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 7 — Comparable-product and market-gap analysis

| Comparable | Category | Serves | Price (verified September 23, 2026) | Gap it leaves |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| Instrumentl | Database, pipeline, AI drafting | Budgets typically at least \$500,000 | Discover \$299 per month annual; Pre-Award \$499; Full Lifecycle \$999; Enterprise custom | No readiness verification, cash-flow, board giving, or cohort layer; out of reach for sub-\$500,000 orgs |
| Candid Foundation Directory | 990-derived funder database | All sizes; libraries | Premium \$219 per month or \$1,199 per year; Ultimate \$1,699 per year (third-party capture; Candid shop returned 403). Free on-site at BPL Central and seven NYPL sites | Data, not workflow; no NYC payment intelligence |
| GrantStation, GrantWatch, Grantable, Grant Assistant, OpenGrants | Databases and AI writers | Staffed grantseekers | Not fully verified this session | Commoditizing; volume without fit |
| Fund for the City of New York Partner Project Program | Fiscal sponsor, back office, bridge lender | NYC public-interest projects | Fee percent not stated publicly; loans 0 to 2 percent | Money and back office, not fundraising readiness or pipeline |
| Nonprofit New York, Community Resource Exchange, Cause Effective, Support Center, Lawyers Alliance | Capacity builders | NYC nonprofits | Membership and consulting fees | Coaching and training slices; no ongoing funding operation |
| Robin Hood grantee support, Blue Ridge Labs | Funder-side capacity | Robin Hood grantees | Free to grantees | Requires already being a grantee |
| Open Collective Foundation | Fiscal sponsor (dissolved) | Collectives | Was 5 percent; dissolved December 31, 2024, more than 600 collectives displaced | Warning: 5 percent could not sustain high-touch shared service |
| Wyoming DUNA | DAO legal wrapper | DAOs with at least 100 members | Statute effective July 1, 2024 | No New York analogue; 501(c)(3) recognition untested |

**Market gap.** Databases serve staffed organizations and AI writers are
commoditizing. NYC capacity builders, fiscal sponsors, and bridge
lenders each solve one slice. Nobody runs an integrated, ongoing funding
operation for a small organization that combines: verified readiness
state; relationship intelligence from a cohort’s combined board network;
disciplined volume workflow; capital-progression finance against known
City and State payment lags including prompt-contracting interest
recovery; reporting-to-renewal loops for grants and donors; and cohort
economics that split a full-time function five to eight ways. That
integrated system, priced flat and carrying NYC-specific payment and
funder data, is the defensible position.

Full tables and 33 problem-evidence rows are in
**[research/06-market-comparables-regulation.md](research/06-market-comparables-regulation.md)**.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 8 — Business-model comparison matrix

Scores are 1 (weak) to 5 (strong), derived from the evidence above.
Rationale follows the table.

| Criterion | A. Opportunity database subscription | B. Done-for-you grant writing | C. Readiness and capital-progression platform | D. Cohort shared funding office |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| Mission impact | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Sustainability | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Incentive alignment | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Feasibility now | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Time to value | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Evidence strength | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Operating burden | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Scalability | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Reversibility | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Legal and ethical exposure | Low | Medium (contingent-fee pressure; Article 7-A exempt only if drafting solely for government and 501(c)(3) funders) | Medium (SHIELD Act; fund-raising-counsel registration) | Medium (fund-raising-counsel registration; cohort conflicts; data controls) |
| Capital burden | Medium | Low | High | Low to medium |
| Learning value | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| **Total (scored rows)** | **34** | **34** | **34** | **40** |

**Model definitions.**

- **A. Database.** Customer and payer: nonprofit. Mechanism: information
  access. Competes with Candid and Instrumentl on their terms; stale
  within 90 days; GrantStation data shows the constraint is application
  volume and fit, not discovery. Failure: churn and low-fit
  applications.
- **B. Grant writing.** Customer and payer: nonprofit. Mechanism: labor
  substitution. Immediate revenue but linear cost; pressure toward
  percentage pricing that AFP prohibits; rewards submissions over fit.
  Exempt from fund-raising-counsel registration only if strictly
  drafting for government and 501(c)(3) funders. Failure: cannot scale
  past founder hours.
- **C. Platform.** Customer: nonprofit or sponsor. Mechanism: readiness
  state, verified pipeline, workflow, renewal intelligence. Highest
  scalability but requires disciplined verification, onboarding, and a
  data set that does not yet exist. Building it before the cohort exists
  risks a product nobody has validated. Failure: verification debt and
  stale records.
- **D. Cohort shared funding office.** Customer: nonprofit, sponsor, or
  anchor funder. Mechanism: shared research, verification, templates,
  technology enrollment, weekly go/no-go panel, and combined
  relationship network, delivered by humans using early tooling.
  Generates the data and workflow that C needs. 68.3 percent of
  organizations do no collaborative grantseeking, so the model is
  differentiated by existing. Failure: under-pricing (Open Collective
  Foundation), cohort conflicts, or members not supplying documents.

**Recommendation.** Launch D to validate and fund C. Offer B selectively
inside D at flat fees. Do not build A as the core.

**Smallest evidence gap that could reverse this.** If the pilot shows
that organizations will not act on a readiness sequence before applying,
or will not pay for preparation, then the viable narrower offer is
readiness-only service sold to fiscal sponsors and funders rather than
to nonprofits.

**Stress tests.**

| Shock | Effect on D | Mitigation |
|----|----|----|
| Demand shortfall: fewer than five organizations recruit | Fixed cost not split | Recruit through fiscal sponsors and funders who already hold under-resourced grantees; defer start |
| Cost increase: verification labor exceeds plan | Margin erodes | Cap records per member at twelve; 90-day freshness rule retires stale records automatically |
| Partner loss: anchor sponsor withdraws | Revenue gap | Never depend on one sponsor for more than 40 percent of cohort revenue |
| Adverse incentive: members push for volume | Low-fit applications | Go/no-go panel; measure qualified conversion, not submissions; cap three concurrent applications |
| Compliance failure: operator solicits or holds funds | Professional fund raiser status, \$10,000 bond, misdemeanor risk | Contractual prohibition; register as fund raising counsel; nonprofits make every ask and receive every gift |
| Measurement error: self-reported time logs inflate savings | False positive | Comparison group; twice-weekly logs; six-month award follow-up |

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 9 — Recommended operating model and value exchanges

### Entity and posture

- **Form:** LLC or public-benefit corporation selling to nonprofits, or
  a grant-subsidized program housed inside an existing 501(c)(3) fiscal
  sponsor. Do not seek stand-alone 501(c)(3) status for a
  fee-for-service consultancy (Revenue Ruling 72-369).
- **Registration:** register as New York fund raising counsel (CHAR014,
  \$800 per year) because the service advises on board and donor
  strategy; file each member contract with the Attorney General within
  ten days (CHAR016); keep books three years after each contract ends.
- **Never:** solicit donors directly, receive or hold contributions, or
  charge any fee based on funds raised.
- **Data:** written SHIELD Act security program from day one; member is
  data controller; no beneficiary personal data in the platform.

### Value exchanges

| Participant | Gives | Receives |
|----|----|----|
| Nonprofit member | Flat cohort fee or sponsored seat; four hours per week of leader time; documents within two weeks; data on outcomes | Readiness diagnosis and gap sequence; fundable package; verified pipeline of no more than twelve records; relationship map; go/no-go panel; technology enrollment; cash-flow model against NYC payment lags; reporting and renewal system |
| Sponsor or anchor funder | Cohort sponsorship; introductions; program-officer time | Better-prepared applicants; lower diligence friction; cohort outcomes data; visible capacity-building credit |
| Technology partner | Nonprofit pricing; onboarding support | Responsible adoption; documented use cases; Goodstack and TechSoup validation done correctly |
| Fiscal sponsor | Referrals; back-office data | Members who become fundable faster; fewer failed projects |
| Venture | Labor, verification, tooling, compliance | Cohort fees; sponsorship; later subscription revenue; the data set that makes the platform defensible |

### Pricing logic (assumptions to test in the pilot)

Three price points to present in the week-12 willingness-to-pay
question, all flat and none contingent on awards:

| Tier | Form | Indicative range to test | Basis |
|----|----|----|----|
| Sponsored seat | Funder or fiscal sponsor pays | Cost of one full-time-equivalent divided by cohort size | Equivalent to one Instrumentl Pre-Award seat per member |
| Member fee | Nonprofit pays monthly | Between Candid Premium (\$1,199 per year) and Instrumentl Discover (\$3,588 per year) | Members already price these |
| Milestone add-ons | Per deliverable | Flat fee per application drafted or per registration completed | Compliant with AFP Standard 24 |

Record actual pilot costs so year-two unit economics are grounded rather
than assumed.

### Essential capabilities

Research and verification; readiness assessment; financial modeling of
reimbursement lags and reserves; grant and proposal writing;
relationship management; technology enrollment; compliance calendar
(CHAR500, §172-b tier, SAM renewal, SFS expirations, PASSPort
disclosures); data protection; facilitation.

### Loops

- **Acquisition:** fiscal sponsors, funders, Nonprofit New York, borough
  networks, faith networks, application clinics.
- **Delivery:** weekly cohort session; biweekly individual session;
  weekly go/no-go panel; shared template library.
- **Retention:** renewal planning at week 11; six-month award follow-up;
  alumni network for peer introductions.
- **Renewal:** reporting-to-renewal workflow for each grant;
  recurring-donor conversion for each campaign; concentration tracker
  triggering next-layer work.

### Governance

Cohort agreement covering confidentiality between members, opportunity
allocation when two members target one funder, data retention of 24
months, and withdrawal rights. Advisory panel of one funder, one fiscal
sponsor, and one member alumnus after the first cohort.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 10 — Twelve-week pilot protocol

The full protocol, including hypothesis, cohort profile, comparison
group, week-by-week intervention, leading and outcome measures, consent
and ethics, thresholds, and budget outline, is in
**[D10-twelve-week-pilot-protocol.md](deliverables/D10-twelve-week-pilot-protocol.md)**.

Summary: five to eight NYC nonprofits with budgets between roughly
\$50,000 and \$1.5 million; a matched comparison group receiving only a
database seat; success if at least five of eight complete 80 percent of
their fundable package, activate two new resource channels, and save
four hours per week, with at least four stating willingness to pay at
the middle price point. Grant awards are lagging evidence with a
six-month follow-up. Stop if organizations cannot supply core documents
by week four or the pipeline is more than 40 percent stale or ineligible
at week six.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 11 — Execution roadmap

### First 30 days (by October 23, 2026)

| Action | Owner | Dependency | Decision gate |
|----|----|----|----|
| Choose entity form and confirm fund-raising-counsel registration path with counsel | Founder | None | Go if registration is straightforward |
| Finalize diagnostic and opportunity-record schemas (Deliverables 3 and schemas file) | Founder | None |  |
| Draft cohort participation agreement with confidentiality, allocation, data, and no-custody clauses | Founder plus counsel | Entity decision |  |
| Recruit five to eight organizations through fiscal sponsors and funders | Founder | Agreement draft | Go if at least five sign by day 30 |
| Recruit three to five comparison organizations | Founder | Database seats budgeted |  |
| Build the starter verified catalog from Deliverable 5 sections A and B; set 90-day freshness flags | Researcher | None |  |
| Submit time-critical items for any recruited Brooklyn or Staten Island member: Brooklyn Org GOS (September 30), Staten Island Foundation LOI (November 2), Brooklyn Org Microgrants and Walmart (November 30) | Member with support | Member recruited |  |
| Assess Citi Foundation challenge fit (October 6) for any youth digital-skills member | Researcher | Member recruited |  |
| Start SAM.gov and UEI for every member lacking it | Member | None |  |
| Set alerts: NYC Council FY2028 cycle (early January 2027), NTIA Digital Equity (December 2026), OMB 2 CFR 200 action (after December 11, 2026), Echoing Green 2027 dates | Researcher | None |  |

### By 90 days (by December 22, 2026)

- Complete the twelve-week pilot; run week-12 survey and
  willingness-to-pay question.
- Measure readiness change, channels activated, unrestricted and in-kind
  value, net technology savings, pipeline quality, time saved,
  concentration.
- Document human tasks versus automatable tasks from time logs.
- Refine gates and go/no-go criteria from what actually blocked members.
- Secure one cohort sponsor or anchor partner conversation using pilot
  data.
- Re-verify every record in Deliverable 5 (90-day rule).
- Decide: second cohort, iterate, or narrow to readiness-only.

### By 365 days (by September 23, 2027)

- Serve at least two more cohorts across at least two mission areas.
- Ship a lightweight product: readiness state, verified pipeline with
  freshness flags, compliance calendar, cash-flow model with City and
  State lag data, relationship map.
- Add renewal, reporting, and prompt-contracting interest-recovery
  modules.
- Partnerships: Goodstack and TechSoup for enrollment; Fund for the City
  of New York and FJC for fiscal sponsorship and bridge loans; one
  community foundation; Nonprofit New York.
- Six-month award follow-ups for cohorts one and two.
- Test national expansion in one additional city with documented
  payment-lag data.
- Prepare the international pathway only after the compliance checklist
  (OFAC screening, equivalency determination or expenditure
  responsibility, Schedule F tracking, safeguarding) is built into the
  system.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 12 — Risks, mitigations, assumptions, and confidence labels

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Confidence in mitigation |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| Stale or false opportunities | High without controls | High | Source, verification date, status enum, 90-day freshness rule; records hidden until re-verified | High |
| Application-volume incentive | Medium | High | Go/no-go panel; qualified-conversion metric; three-application cap | High |
| Members cannot supply documents | Medium | High; stalls readiness-first | Two-week document deadline; stop threshold at week four; fiscal-sponsor channel supplies back-office-ready members | Medium |
| Cash-flow crisis from reimbursement contracts | High for any City contract | High | Model 6.5-month first-payment lag and 90-day-plus delays before applying; reserve gate; Fund for the City of New York bridge loans only against registered awards | High |
| Local Law 156 advance payments deferred | Medium | Medium | Do not model advances until paid; treat as upside | High |
| Vendor lock-in from credits | Medium | Low to medium | Net-value worksheet models post-credit year; prefer grants that replace existing line items | High |
| Fund-raising-counsel or professional-fund-raiser violation | Low with design | High; misdemeanor | Register as counsel; contractual no-custody and no-solicitation; file contracts within ten days | High |
| Percentage-fee pressure from members | Medium | Medium; ethical and funder objections | Flat and milestone pricing only; AFP Standards 21, 23, 24 and GPA Standards 17 to 20 in agreement; 2 CFR 200.459 and 200.460 make grant-writing fees recoverable only through members’ indirect rates | High |
| Drafting exclusion may not extend from an “individual” to a firm | Medium | Medium; registration required regardless | Register as fund raising counsel from the start rather than relying on the exclusion | High |
| Engaging fund raising counsel removes a member’s under-\$25,000 registration exemption | High for smallest members | Medium; unregistered solicitation | Make Charities Bureau registration (CHAR410) a precondition of membership; diagnostic item A3 | High |
| Venture seeks 501(c)(3) status and is denied | Low if avoided | Medium | Operate as LLC or PBC or inside a sponsor | High |
| SHIELD Act breach | Low | High | Written security program; MFA; minimal data; vendor agreements | Medium |
| Cohort conflicts over one funder | Medium | Medium | Allocation rule in agreement; disclose to funder when two members apply | Medium |
| DAO member lacks legal wrapper | High for that member | Blocks all institutional layers | Observer status until fiscal sponsorship or incorporation executed; Endaoment and Giveth remain available for community giving | High |
| Federal rules shift (2 CFR 200 rewrite) | Medium | Medium | Re-check after December 11, 2026; treat federal as pass-through for small orgs anyway | Medium |
| Overpromising awards | Medium | High reputational | Sell preparation, intelligence, and execution; awards are lagging evidence | High |
| Under-pricing (Open Collective Foundation precedent) | Medium | Fatal over time | Cost every pilot hour; do not launch cohort two below cost | Medium |
| Mission drift in members | Medium | Medium | Score against board-approved priorities; go/no-go question four | Medium |

### Confidence labels on the recommendation

| Element | Confidence | Basis |
|----|----|----|
| Problem is real and NYC-acute | High | Two Comptrollers, NFF, Urban Institute, CUF, all 2025 to 2026 |
| Readiness-first sequencing | High | Registration and audit requirements verified on agency and funder pages |
| Cohort delivery beats database or writing | Medium | GrantStation volume data and collaboration gap support it; no direct trial yet |
| Willingness to pay at target tiers | Low to medium | Untested; Open Collective Foundation is a cautionary case |
| Legal shape (LLC or PBC, fund-raising counsel, flat fees) | High | Statute text and AFP code verified; obtain counsel before launch |
| Technology avoided-cost estimate | Medium | List prices verified; usage assumptions are estimates |
| International layer timing (year two or later) | High | Funder thresholds verified |

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 13 — Evidence ledger

All entries verified September 23, 2026 unless noted. Confidence: H high
(primary page fetched, explicit text), M medium (page fetched with
missing fields, or reputable secondary), L low (not reachable today).
The six appendices hold the complete records; this ledger covers the
claims that drive the recommendation.

### Problem and market

| \# | Claim | Source | Source date | Conf |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| L1 | 52 percent of nonprofits have three months or less of cash; 18 percent one month or less; 36 percent ran a 2024 deficit; 84 percent with government funding expect cuts | https://nff.org/state-of-the-nonprofit-sector-survey/2025-state-of-the-survey-nonprofit-sector-survey/ | 2025 (PDF October 2025) | H |
| L2 | NYC: 32 percent paid more than 90 days late; 19 percent on time; first payment averages 6.5 months; 45 percent took on debt | https://nff.org/insights/survey-nyc-nonprofits-are-enduring-under-strain-of-funding-pullbacks-and-severe-government-payment-delays/ | 2025-09-17 | H |
| L3 | 90.7 percent of NYC human-services contracts registered late FY24; about 4,000 invoices worth \$861 million pending; HPD averaged 765 days to first payment | https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/comptroller-lander-spotlights-nonprofit-payment-delays-in-follow-up-report-launches-audits-of-3-agencies-with-worst-delays | 2025-04-29 | H |
| L4 | NYS: 76 percent of nonprofit contracts processed late in 2025; \$379,544 prompt-contracting interest paid; 2,810 eligible contracts received none | https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/state-agencies/contracts/2025/pdf/prompt-contracting-report-2025.pdf | May 2026 | H |
| L5 | One third of nonprofits had a government funding disruption in H1 2025; 21 percent lost funding | https://www.urban.org/research/publication/how-government-funding-disruptions-affected-nonprofits-early-2025 | 2025-10-07 | H |
| L6 | 60 to 80 percent of government grantees could not cover expenses without grants | https://www.urban.org/research/publication/what-financial-risk-nonprofits-losing-government-grants | 2026-03-23 | H |
| L7 | Total U.S. giving \$617.20 billion in 2025; individuals 64 percent; foundations 19 percent; corporations 7 percent | https://givingusa.org/giving-usa-charitable-giving-rose-to-617-20-billion-in-2025-surpassing-the-600-billion-mark-for-the-first-time/ | June 2026 | H |
| L8 | Donor retention 18.0 percent; donors giving seven or more times retained at 88.1 percent; donor count down 0.8 percent | https://afpglobal.org/news/fundraising-effectiveness-project-reports-easing-donor-losses-q1-2026-new-data-shows-growth | 2026 | H |
| L9 | One application yields 64.5 percent chance of an award, rising toward 99.4 percent with more; 68.3 percent do no collaborative grantseeking; foundation award rate 69.4 percent, federal 49.6 percent | https://grantstation.com/sites/default/files/imageLibrary/SoG/2026/2026%20State%20of%20Grantseeking%20Report.pdf | 2026 | H |
| L10 | 21 surveyed NYC nonprofits average 29 percent federal revenue; AmeriCorps dismantling hit more than 1,200 NYC workers | https://nycfuture.org/research/nycs-safety-net-on-the-brink | December 2025 | H |
| L11 | Instrumentl pricing: \$299, \$499, \$999 per month annual | https://www.instrumentl.com/pricing | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L12 | Candid Premium \$219 per month or \$1,199 per year; Ultimate \$1,699 per year | https://grantsights.com/blog/candid-foundation-directory-pricing (Candid shop returned 403) | 2026-06-18 | M |
| L13 | Open Collective Foundation dissolved December 31, 2024 after 5 percent host fee | https://opencollective.com/foundation/updates/announcement-we-are-dissolving-open-collective-foundation-at-the-end-of-this-year | 2024 | H |
| L14 | 28 percent of U.S. foundations accepted unsolicited proposals; 58 percent among those with \$100 million or more | Candid/Foundation Center “Serving the Public Good (by Invitation Only)”, Fluxx mirror | 2016 data | H |
| L15 | 6 in 10 grantmakers adopted trust-based practices | https://www.trustbasedphilanthropy.org | 2024-12-02 | H |

### Regulation and business model

| \# | Claim | Source | Source date | Conf |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| L16 | “Contribution” includes grants from government agencies | https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EXC/171-A | Current statute | H |
| L17 | Fund raising counsel definition; exclusion for individuals engaged solely to draft applications to government or 501(c)(3) funders | Same | Current | H |
| L18 | Professional fund raiser definition; \$10,000 bond; \$800 annual registration; books kept three years; willful violation a misdemeanor | https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EXC/173 | Current | H |
| L19 | Written contract filed with AG within ten days; closing statements within 90 days | https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EXC/173-A | Current | H |
| L20 | AFP Standards 21, 23, 24 prohibit percentage-based and contingent compensation | https://afpglobal.org/ethics/code-ethical-standards | Current | H |
| L21 | Fee-for-service consulting to unrelated 501(c)(3)s is not itself exempt (Rev. Rul. 72-369) | https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/201701002.pdf | 2017 | H |
| L22 | NY audit tiers: above \$1 million audit; \$250,000 to \$1 million review; at or under \$250,000 unaudited | https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EXC/172-B | Current | H |
| L23 | SHIELD Act reasonable safeguards for any business holding NY residents’ private information; up to \$5,000 per violation | https://www.proskauer.com/alert/the-new-shield-act-changes-breach-notification-rules-and-data-security-standards-for-new-yorkers-personal-information | Current | M |
| L24 | Wyoming DUNA: at least 100 members; may apply for exemption like any unincorporated association; effective July 1, 2024 | https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/duna-for-daos/ | 2024 | M |

### Public funding

| \# | Claim | Source | Source date | Conf |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| L25 | SAM.gov required; “allow up to 10 business days”; “weeks or months” if unverified; annual renewal | https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration | Undated page | H |
| L26 | NYS prequalification in SFS; Grants Gateway closed February 12, 2025; ten documents; approval required by each deadline | https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/node/306 | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L27 | NYC Council FY2027 discretionary application posted January 5, due February 18, 2026; requires PASSPort, Discretionary PQL, Capacity Building Training | https://www.nyc.gov/site/mocs/opportunities/discretionary-award-process.page | 2026 | H |
| L28 | HHS Accelerator decommissioned July 31, 2024; HHS PQL in PASSPort required for DYCD and HRA RFPs | NYC MOCS and DYCD pages (see appendix 01) | 2024 to 2026 | H |
| L29 | 2 CFR 200: 15 percent de minimis; \$1,000,000 single-audit threshold for awards on or after October 1, 2024 | 2 CFR 200 (see appendix 01) | 2024 | H |
| L30 | OMB proposed 2 CFR 200 rewrite May 29, 2026, paused by continuing resolution through December 11, 2026 | See appendix 01 | 2026 | M |
| L31 | NTIA Digital Equity Competitive Grant terminated May 2025, partially revived by July 15, 2026 ruling, targeting December 2026 reopening | See appendix 01 | 2026 | M |
| L32 | Local Law 156 of 2025 (50 percent advance) effective July 1, 2026 with 180-day OMB deferral right | See appendix 01 | 2026 | M |
| L33 | NY BRICKS Round 2 opens November 2, due December 7, 2026, \$250,000 to \$15 million capital; NYSCA Capital due January 12, 2027 | See appendix 01 | 2026 | H |

### Foundations, corporate, private capital

| \# | Claim | Source | Source date | Conf |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| L34 | Robin Hood: NYC 501(c)(3) poverty focus; expression of interest; sources grantees “rather than via unsolicited proposals” | https://robinhood.org/our-work/become-grantee/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L35 | Gates: majority of grants to organizations identified by staff | https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/how-we-work/grant-opportunities | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L36 | Ford: no unsolicited proposals by mail, email, or phone | https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L37 | Hilton: no unsolicited proposals; Good Neighbor is Conejo Valley, California only | https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/grants/frequently-asked-questions/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L38 | Brooklyn Org Microgrants up to \$10,000 for budgets under \$100,000, due November 30, 2026; GOS deadline September 30, 2026 | https://brooklyn.org/how-to-apply-for-bko-funding/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L39 | Tiger Foundation \$50,000 to \$300,000, average about \$200,000, rolling LOI, 4 to 6 weeks | https://tigerfoundation.org/how-to-apply | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L40 | Pinkerton rolling LOI; board May and December; “established” programs | https://www.thepinkertonfoundation.org/grant-guidelines | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L41 | DeCamp \$25,000 to \$150,000; July 15 deadline; audited financials | https://www.jpmorgan.com/private-bank/foundations/decamp | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L42 | Nathan Cummings \$50,000 to \$250,000; rolling LOI; 12-week response | https://nathancummings.org/faq/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L43 | W.T. Grant YSIG \$25,000; opens January 2027; budget \$250,000 to \$5 million | https://wtgrantfoundation.org/funding/youth-service-improvement-grants | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L44 | Walmart Spark Good \$250 to \$5,000; cycle August 1 to November 30 | https://walmart.org/how-we-give/local-community-grants | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L45 | Staten Island Foundation email LOI; application due November 2, 2026 for January board | https://thestatenislandfoundation.org/application-process/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L46 | New York Foundation \$55,000 per year for 3 to 5 years; organizing only; 2026 deadline March 2 | https://www.nyf.org/apply | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L47 | Fidelity Charitable: granting is donor-initiated; no RFPs; DAF Direct free widget | Fidelity Charitable and dafdirect.org (see appendix 03) | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L48 | KKR Grants: grants@kkr.com and CyberGrants eligibility quiz; Economic Opportunity and Economic Security pillars | https://www.kkr.com/careers/citizenship | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L49 | Blackstone Charitable Foundation Gives Back Challenge employee-pitched; report PDF moved under /blackstone-secure/ | Blackstone 2024 Sustainability Report (corrected path in appendix 04) | June 2025 | H |
| L50 | Citi Foundation Global Innovation Challenge: \$500,000; interest due October 6, 2026, noon ET | https://www.citigroup.com/global/foundation/apply-for-funding | 2026-09-23 | M |
| L51 | Fund for the City of New York cash-flow loans 0 percent interest, 2 percent fee, 3 to 5 day approval | https://www.fcny.org/nonprofit-loan-financing/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L52 | Yield Giving Open Call closed 2023, awarded March 2024; no 2026 cycle | See appendix 04 | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L53 | Giving USA 2026 and BofA/IU 2025: fewer but larger affluent donors; DAF grants up about 25 percent at largest sponsors | See appendix 04 | 2025 to 2026 | M |

### Technology and in-kind

| \# | Claim | Source | Source date | Conf |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| L54 | Google Workspace for Nonprofits \$0 up to 2,000 users, Gemini included; Ad Grants up to \$10,000 per month; Maps \$250 per month; Goodstack validation | https://www.google.com/nonprofits/about/program-overview/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L55 | Microsoft Business Premium and E1 grants discontinued July 1, 2025; up to 300 Business Basic seats free; up to 75 percent discounts; Azure \$2,000 per year | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/nonprofit/microsoft-for-nonprofits/nonprofit-offerings-products | 2025-12-17 update | H |
| L56 | AWS up to \$5,000 promotional credit; TechSoup tiers: under \$10 million budget \$1,000 | https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/nonprofits/nonprofit-credit-program/ and TechSoup blog | 2026-09-23; tiers 2023-06-07 | H |
| L57 | Claude for Nonprofits Team \$8 per user per month; Claude Corps \$10,000 host grant, Cohort 1 closed July 17, 2026 | https://claude.com/solutions/nonprofits ; https://www.anthropic.com/claude-corps/host | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L58 | ChatGPT Business \$8 per user per month annual for nonprofits; Enterprise up to 75 percent off | https://goodstack.org/software-discounts/openai | 2026-09-23 | M |
| L59 | GitHub Team free or 25 percent off Enterprise for 501(c)(3) | https://docs.github.com/en/nonprofit/quickstart | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L60 | Twilio.org \$100 credit, never expires, discounts not stated | https://www.twilio.org/en-us/support-and-resources/impact-access-program | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L61 | TechSoup Core free; Plus \$200 per year | https://page.techsoup.org/membership-2025 | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L62 | Endaoment no charge to nonprofits; fiat payout via Chariot; donor fees 0.5 percent inbound, 1 percent outbound | https://docs.endaoment.org/donors/resources/fee-schedule | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L63 | Optimism Retro Funding paused at least 12 months | https://optimism.io/blog/season-9-from-experiment-to-organization | 2026 | H |
| L64 | Meta donations via PayPal Giving Fund at 1.99 percent plus \$0.49, no recurring | See appendix 02 | Since 2023-10-31 | M |

### International

| \# | Claim | Source | Source date | Conf |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| L65 | GlobalGiving Pathway: interest survey, workbook, due diligence, bi-monthly cohorts; fee 5 to 12 percent plus 3 percent; membership does not ensure donors | https://support.globalgiving.org/hc/en-us/articles/39772852954132 | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L66 | USAID operations ceased July 1, 2025; about 83 percent of awards cancelled; functions moved to State | See appendix 05 | 2025 | H |
| L67 | Draper Richards Kaplan rolling; up to \$300,000 over three years; post-pilot impact data required | https://www.drkfoundation.org/apply/overview/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L68 | Echoing Green \$100,000 over 18 months; 2026 closed; 2027 dates unverified | https://echoinggreen.org/fellowship/apply/ | Page modified October 2025 | M |
| L69 | Mulago Rainer Arnhold \$200,000; selection early 2027 | https://www.mulagofoundation.org/our-fellowships | 2026-09-23 | M |
| L70 | ECOSOC consultative status requires two registered years; next deadline June 1, 2027 | https://ecosoc.un.org/en/ngo/news/2026/apply-ecosoc-consultative-status-deadline-1-june-2026 | 2026-02-25 | H |
| L71 | Elevate Prize budget “ideally \$2 million to \$10 million”; Audacious at least \$2 million; Skoll disadvantages under \$2.5 million | https://elevateprize.org/the-elevate-prize/ ; https://skoll.org/about/faq/ | 2026-09-23 | H |
| L72 | Schedule F Part I above \$10,000 aggregate foreign; Part II above \$5,000 to any single foreign organization | https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i990sf.pdf | Current | H |
| L73 | Treasury voluntary anti-terrorist financing guidelines: screen grantees, directors, key employees | https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/archive-documents/0929-finalrevised.pdf | 2006 rev. | H |
| L74 | India FCRA 2026 rules: no re-granting of foreign contribution | https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2026/07/india-fcra-tighten-control-civil-society-undermine-freedom-of-association/ | 2026-07 | M |
| L75 | Roddenberry Fellowship paused from 2026 | https://roddenberryfoundation.org/ | 2026-09-23 | H |

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Deliverable 14 — Immediate decisions and next actions

### Decide now

1.  **Entity form and registration.** LLC or public-benefit corporation,
    or program inside a fiscal sponsor. Confirm fund-raising-counsel
    registration with New York counsel before the first paid engagement.
    Confidence in the recommendation: High.
2.  **First customer.** Recommend a sponsor-funded first cohort so
    member willingness to pay is measured without blocking recruitment.
    Confidence: Medium.
3.  **First cohort composition.** Basic needs and technology access
    together, because the NYC payment-lag evidence is strongest for
    human services and the Citi, Spectrum, and NTIA digital-equity
    pathways are live. Confidence: Medium.
4.  **DAO member status.** Observer until a fiscal-sponsorship agreement
    or incorporation is executed; community-giving rails (Endaoment,
    Giveth, Zeffy) are available immediately. Confidence: High.

### Decide later (after the pilot)

- Price tiers, once willingness-to-pay data exists.
- Whether to build the platform or narrow to readiness-only for
  sponsors.
- Second-city expansion target.

### Do not decide yet

- International pathway design; wait for audited financials and two
  registered years across members.
- Percentage or contingent pricing; the answer is no and does not need
  revisiting.

### Next actions this week

1.  Book counsel on entity form and Article 7-A.
2.  Send recruitment notes to two fiscal sponsors and one community
    foundation program officer.
3.  If any prospective Brooklyn member exists, help them submit Brooklyn
    Org GOS by September 30.
4.  Screen any youth digital-skills member for the Citi challenge before
    October 6.
5.  Start SAM.gov registration for every prospective member.
6.  Load Deliverable 5 sections A and B into the opportunity-record
    schema with verified dates.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## What changed from version 1

| Version 1 statement | Version 2 finding |
|----|----|
| SAM activation “at least ten business days” | Page says “up to 10 business days” and “weeks or months” if information cannot be verified |
| Microsoft: product grants including Business Premium | Business Premium and E1 grants discontinued July 1, 2025; up to 300 Business Basic seats free; Azure \$2,000 confirmed |
| AWS “up to \$5,000” | Tier for budgets under \$10 million is \$1,000 |
| Hilton Good Neighbor Program as an exception | California Conejo Valley only; not available to NYC |
| Robin Hood accepts expressions of interest | True, but Robin Hood states it sources grantees rather than via unsolicited proposals; the form is pipeline entry |
| Candid tiers Essential, Professional, Enterprise | Now Premium, Ultimate, Enterprise; free on-site access at BPL Central and seven NYPL sites |
| Blackstone employee-led grant selection | Employee-pitched Gives Back Challenge plus portfolio-company nomination edition; cited PDF URL dead, corrected path in appendix 04 |
| KKR citizenship page only | Page exposes grants@kkr.com and a CyberGrants eligibility quiz |
| Federal grants as a Stage 4 pathway | For small orgs, federal is mostly pass-through via City, State, Food Bank For NYC, and the state AmeriCorps commission; NTIA Digital Equity is the direct exception, reopening December 2026 |
| No treatment of NY fund-raising law | Article 7-A governs the business model; exemption exists only for drafting solely to government and 501(c)(3) funders |
| Pilot success threshold qualitative | Quantified thresholds with comparison group and six-month follow-up |
| Technology as “cost avoidance” | Worked examples show sub-\$2,000 credits net negative for small teams; starter stack quantified at \$6,000 to \$9,000 per year avoided |
| Individual giving implicit | Made explicit: 64 percent of giving, 18 percent retention, repeat donors at 88 percent |

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Research limitation

This is a strategic system and a verified starter landscape as of
September 23, 2026, not an exhaustive database. Web-search budgets were
exhausted in three of six passes, so the unverified-leads lists in
Deliverable 5E and each appendix name what still needs a browser check.
Programs, eligibility, deadlines, and access routes change; the
operating answer remains a continuously verified opportunity ledger tied
to specific nonprofit profiles, with a 90-day freshness rule.

## Appendices

- [research/01-public-funding.md](research/01-public-funding.md) —
  federal, NYS, NYC verification, about 30 records, readiness by tier,
  cash-flow evidence
- [research/02-technology-inkind.md](research/02-technology-inkind.md) —
  about 55 programs, net-value worked examples, starter stack, retired
  programs
- [research/03-foundations-corporate.md](research/03-foundations-corporate.md)
  — about 55 records in three groups, access mechanics, sector evidence
- [research/04-private-capital.md](research/04-private-capital.md) —
  about 55 records in four groups, bridge finance, HNW access
- [research/05-international.md](research/05-international.md) — records
  in five groups, compliance checklist, readiness gate
- [research/06-market-comparables-regulation.md](research/06-market-comparables-regulation.md)
  — 70 problem-evidence rows, 71 comparables with pricing, 59 regulatory
  rows citing statute and IRS text, market gap, eight open legal
  questions
- [deliverables/D03-funding-readiness-diagnostic.md](deliverables/D03-funding-readiness-diagnostic.md)
- [deliverables/D10-twelve-week-pilot-protocol.md](deliverables/D10-twelve-week-pilot-protocol.md)
- [deliverables/schemas-and-templates.md](deliverables/schemas-and-templates.md)
  — opportunity and relationship record schemas, go/no-go checklist,
  case-for-support blocks, application calendar, net-value worksheet,
  concentration tracker