Prosperity Market, a for-profit, gained access to non-profit-specific grants by securing a fiscal sponsor. This partner non-profit lends its 501c3 status for grant applications, unlocking a crucial funding stream without the company having to become a non-profit itself.
To improve her own grant writing, a Prosperity Market founder volunteered as a grant reviewer. She discovered that the most successful applications weren't beautifully written but were clear, concise, and directly stated the action, impact, and cost, unlike more 'flowery' proposals.
Unable to initially afford their mobile trailer, Prosperity Market was forced to run pop-up markets across LA. This multi-year "delay" became a blessing, allowing them to build community, test neighborhoods, and prove their concept before making a large capital investment.
Despite navigating funding, logistics, and major partnerships, the founder of Prosperity Market identifies her biggest daily challenge as herself. Entrepreneurship forces a confrontation with personal limitations and requires constant self-management to maintain momentum and morale.
When struggling to find Black farmers (less than 1% in CA), Prosperity Market expanded its definition to include urban growers and community gardeners. This shift in perspective revealed an abundant, overlooked supply chain, solving their core vendor sourcing problem.
Prosperity Market's first big grant wasn't a direct check but a $25,000 match for a crowdfunding campaign. This structure forced them to learn fundraising discipline and provided essential training, creating a more successful and engaged funding round than a simple donation would have.
During a 30-minute call, investor Arlen Hamilton's simple question, "what about COVID?", prompted Prosperity Market to rethink their physical-first launch. This single conversation led them to build an entire online marketplace, which became a foundational part of their business.
The Prosperity Market founders don't see "no" as rejection. One rephrases the ask, assuming she wasn't understood, while the other immediately searches for an alternate route. This mindset turns obstacles into detours, not dead ends.