Describe your program, eligibility rules, priorities, and review. Makeform creates a structured application for business profiles, ownership, projects, budgets, finances, and attachments.
Route applications to Google Sheets, Slack, and Zapier.
Sample prompts for the builder
Choose a starting prompt, adapt it, or send it to the builder. Every example is editable.
Audience
Brick-and-mortar businesses in a defined district
Format
Eligibility-led application with location evidence
Prompt size
308 chars
Example application structure
Eligibility-led application with location evidence
Business identity and primary contact
Is the business inside the eligible district?
Grant amount requested
Line-item project budget
Proof of address and supporting documents
Suggested routing tags
Eligibility review
Financial review
Complete applications
Separate the request from total project cost so reviewers see what the grant covers and what other funding supports it.
Step 1
Screen
confirm location, size, and program eligibility
Step 2
Collect
gather business, project, budget, and document details
Step 3
Review
route complete applications into a consistent evaluation
Step 4
Follow up
request clarification and record the program decision
Consistent applications
A structured application collects review facts in predictable fields while leaving room for the business story.
Ask about location, size, operating history, industry, and program rules before the longer application. Show only relevant sections.
Capture total cost, requested amount, other funding, and line items separately for easier comparison.
Collect program-selected quotes, registrations, financial records, and plans through labeled uploads.
Adapt to the program
Keep a common business profile, then tailor project, finance, and evidence sections to your review.
Collect operating and project addresses, proof of location, and local impact.
Ask for quotes, purchases, installation, contributions, and milestones while separating eligible costs.
Structure the problem, hypothesis, activities, deliverables, learning goals, team, and timeline.
Use optional demographic questions, purpose text, and a prefer-not-to-answer choice where appropriate.
Application workflow
Generate fields from review needs, then test every conditional path before sharing.
Name eligible applicants, geography, expenses, award range, deadline, criteria, evidence, and recipients.
Use program wording, mark required fields, define options, and name documents applicants need.
Branch by project category and explain ineligible paths. Test boundary cases and follow-ups.
Send confirmations and staff alerts, then organize applications by status or review group.
Choose an intake method
An online form standardizes core facts and keeps each applicant's files with one record.
Field guide
Use these sections as a checklist, adjusted to your program rules and review.
Eligibility
Put objective thresholds first so applicants can identify fit and staff receive a consistent screening record.
Business profile
Distinguish the legal entity, public-facing business, owners, and authorized application contact.
Project narrative
Use focused prompts that connect a defined need to planned activities, people served, and observable results.
Budget and finances
Show how the grant request fits the total plan with distinct numeric and narrative fields.
Timeline and delivery
Pair each activity with an owner, expected completion point, and concrete deliverable.
Evidence and acknowledgment
Label uploads and formats precisely. End with the program's review, privacy, and acknowledgment language.
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Open toolFAQ
Practical answers for agencies, foundations, development organizations, and grant program teams designing their intake.
It is a structured intake for assessing a small business funding request. Sections commonly cover eligibility, business and ownership details, project, request amount, budget, financial context, timeline, outcomes, documents, and acknowledgment. The program sets its own requirements.
Collect eligibility, legal and trade names, entity type, address, owners, contact, industry, operating history, employee count, project need, activities, request amount, total cost, itemized uses, other funding, milestones, outcomes, and selected uploads. Ask only for information used in the program process.
Use separate fields for the request, total project cost, applicant contribution, and other funds. Add budget categories, descriptions, calculations, and amounts. When requesting revenue, expenses, or documents, state the period, format, and purpose.
Yes. Put location, size, operating period, industry, project-date, or prior-award thresholds before the full application. Conditional logic can reveal relevant questions or an ineligible-path message. Test every route and provide a contact or next step.
Yes. Add labeled uploads for evidence the program reviews, such as quotes, registrations, financial records, plans, or ownership documents. Separate required from optional files, list accepted formats, and avoid collecting unused material.
Use dropdowns and numbers for sortable facts, then align focused narratives with review criteria. Keep the request, total cost, other funding, schedule, and outcomes in separate fields so staff need not extract them from one essay.
Yes. Makeform is unlimited free for generating, editing, publishing, and collecting responses. The paid tier removes the Makeform badge. You can revise the generated structure, wording, conditions, and fields before sharing the application with businesses.
You can add an acknowledgment, typed name, or signature beneath program-supplied language. Explain what applicants confirm and whom they can contact. Your organization remains responsible for its program language and process.
Replace proposals with intake.
