Collective Impact Initiative Backbone Support Funding Request

Streamline Your Collective Impact Funding Applications with Paperform

Collective impact initiatives require strong backbone support organizations to coordinate multiple partners toward shared systems change goals. Whether you're a nonprofit coordinating cross-sector collaboration, a community foundation supporting collective action, or an intermediary organization facilitating systems transformation, this funding request template helps you clearly articulate your backbone support needs and demonstrate your collaborative capacity.

Built for Collaborative Systems Change

This template is designed specifically for backbone support organizations managing collective impact initiatives. It captures the essential elements funders want to see: your collaborative structure and governance, shared measurement systems, coordination of mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication plans, and clear systems change goals. The form guides applicants through articulating their theory of change, demonstrating stakeholder engagement, and outlining resource allocation—all critical components for securing backbone support funding.

Professional, Compliant, and Automated

Paperform makes it easy for foundation program officers, grants managers, and nonprofit development directors to create professional funding applications that reflect your organization's brand. With conditional logic, you can tailor questions based on funding amount requested or initiative stage. Integrate submissions directly with your grants management system, CRM, or project management tools to streamline review workflows.

For organizations managing multiple funding cycles or working with partner funders, Stepper can automate your post-submission workflow—routing applications to reviewers, sending status updates to applicants, and coordinating due diligence processes across your team.

Designed for Funders and Backbone Organizations

This template serves both sides of the funding relationship. Funders gain a structured way to evaluate backbone support capacity, while applicant organizations can clearly communicate their collaborative approach and systems change strategy. The form balances rigor with accessibility, ensuring you gather the detailed information needed for decision-making without overwhelming applicants.

Trusted by community foundations, family foundations, corporate giving programs, and intermediary organizations nationwide, Paperform provides the flexibility to customize this template to your specific funding priorities while maintaining a professional, user-friendly experience for all applicants.