Healing Arts Collaborative

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Executive Summary

Healing Arts Collaborative is a nonprofit in Colorado that offers art therapy groups led by licensed clinicians for children, teens and adults who are working through stress, grief, illness or life changes. Groups meet in schools, clinics and community centers, and fees are on a sliding scale so cost is never a barrier.

Many people find it hard to talk about what hurts, and many cannot reach or afford counseling. Making art gives people another way to express and work through feelings in a safe, structured setting. With this grant we will pay a licensed art therapist and the art materials for group sessions so that more people can take part. We do not claim that art therapy cures any condition, and we refer anyone who needs more help to a counselor or doctor.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $203,500. We are asking for $58,000 from a regional arts and health foundation to a licensed art therapist salary and art materials for group sessions. The rest of the budget comes from other grants, sponsors and donors that are listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate and none of it is a promise of any result for the people we serve.

Company Description

Healing Arts Collaborative is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code and governed by a volunteer board that meets monthly. The board approves the budget, reviews financial statements and oversees the executive director. If an organization is just starting and does not yet have its own determination letter, a fiscal sponsor can receive grants for it, as explained in the funding section.

What we believe. Creative expression can help people cope, connect and heal, and no one should be turned away because of cost. We protect privacy, respect each person's choices and keep every session safe.

What we do:
- Art therapy groups. Weekly groups of 6 to 10 people led by a licensed art therapist, with a clear beginning and end for each series.
- School and clinic partnerships. Groups held in schools, clinics and care centers with a trusted adult on site.
- Community workshops. Shorter open art sessions that introduce people to the program.
- Referrals. We connect people to counselors, doctors and crisis services when they need more than a group.

Who leads the work. A licensed art therapist provides the therapy. We do not allow unlicensed staff or volunteers to run therapy groups, and volunteers only help with supplies and set-up.

What we do not do. We do not diagnose or treat disease, and we do not promise any result. We do not give medical advice, and we do not replace individual counseling when a person needs it.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Many people need support for stress and emotional pain, and the options can be out of reach.

1. Cost and waiting lists. Counseling can be expensive and have long waits, especially for children and teens.
2. Difficulty putting feelings into words. Some people, especially children and people who have gone through trauma, find it hard to talk.
3. Stigma. Some people are reluctant to ask for help.
4. Few options in schools and clinics. Schools may have a counselor for hundreds of students.
5. Isolation. People coping with grief, illness or disability often feel alone.

Why it matters now. Rates of anxiety and depression among young people and adults have risen in many communities, and schools and clinics are looking for ways to support more people.

How we know the need is real. We counted waiting lists at local counseling providers, talked with school counselors and clinic social workers and asked past participants what helped. Partners told us they would refer more people if groups were available. The numbers we gathered are in the appendix, and we will update them every year.

We update these facts every year using public data, partner reports and what the people we serve tell us, and we change the program when the facts change. If a need turns out to be smaller than we thought, we will say so and put the money where it is needed most.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will run art therapy groups throughout the year, led by a licensed art therapist and supported by a part-time program coordinator.

How a person takes part:
1. Referral or sign-up. A school counselor, clinic or family sends a referral or a person signs up.
2. Screening and consent. The art therapist talks with the person, and a parent or guardian for a child, to make sure a group is a good fit, explains confidentiality and its limits and obtains consent.
3. The group series. Groups meet weekly for about 8 to 10 weeks, with a structured plan and a safe space.
4. Check-ins and referrals. The art therapist checks in with each person, shares concerns with a guardian or referring counselor as the consent allows and refers anyone who needs more help.
5. Closing and follow-up. The series ends with a showcase or a private sharing session, and we follow up a few months later.

What the grant pays for. The request covers the licensed art therapist's salary and the art materials for group sessions.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that any person will feel better, and we say that art therapy is one kind of support. We track simple measures, such as attendance and participants' own ratings, and report them honestly.

Safety. If anyone is in danger, we call 911. If someone is thinking of suicide or in crisis, staff stay with them, involve a trusted adult and direct them to 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. We follow the law on reporting suspected abuse.

We start small, check what works and grow only when we can do the work well. Every few months we review the numbers and the stories from the people we serve and change the plan where it is not working.

We write plain-language handouts for every step so people know what to expect, what it costs and who to call with questions, and we ask each person at the end whether the help was useful and what we could do better.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are children, teens and adults in our service area who want support for stress, grief, illness or life transitions, and the families and schools around them.

Who we serve. Our participants are referred by school counselors, clinics, hospice and grief programs, shelters and families. Most have limited incomes, and many have never tried counseling. We serve people of all backgrounds and ages in groups matched to age.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to run about 12 group series, serving about 100 people in groups and about 250 people in open workshops. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 180 people in groups each year. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one therapist at first and two therapists by the third year, and from room and staffing limits.

Where we serve. Schools, clinics and community centers within a short drive in our region, chosen for need and for a safe space with a trusted adult on site.

Who else benefits. Families who see a loved one coping better, schools that gain a support for students, and clinics that gain a place to refer patients.

How we will be careful. Records are kept private, groups are kept to a safe size and no person is pressured to share. We do not use participants' artwork or stories in public without written permission.

We choose how many people to serve from the number of staff, hours and rooms we really have, not from the size of the need. If we reach fewer people than planned, we will report it and explain why.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices people have in our area.

1. Private counselors and therapists. Valuable but often costly and with waiting lists.
2. School counselors and clinic social workers. Helpful but limited by caseloads.
3. Community mental health centers. Offer services but may not offer arts-based groups.
4. Other arts organizations. Offer classes but not therapy led by licensed clinicians.
5. Support groups at faith communities and hospitals, which are supportive but may not be creative or clinician-led.

What makes us different. Our groups are led by licensed art therapists, offered at partner sites where people already are and priced on a sliding scale. We combine the safety of a clinical setting with the openness of the arts.

How we avoid duplication. We have met with the local counseling centers and arts groups to agree on referrals. We share what we learn and refer people to individual therapy when it is the right choice. We never ask a person to stop other care to join our groups.

We keep a written list of every other organization that does similar work in our area and review it each year. If another group can serve a person better, we refer the person and say so plainly. Funders can expect us to tell the truth about overlap, to share what we learn and to work as part of a larger network of help.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach the people we serve once the project is funded.

School and clinic partners. Counselors and social workers will receive a one-page guide, a simple referral form and a direct number for the art therapist. They are our main source of referrals.

Community outreach. We will hold open art workshops at libraries and community centers, where people can try art making without commitment and learn about groups.

Families and word of mouth. Parents and participants who have seen benefits are our best advocates. With permission, we will share anonymous quotes and results.

Digital outreach. A website and social media will explain what art therapy is, list the schedule and share how to join. We will not post identifiable photos or stories without written permission.

Access. We will provide sliding-scale fees with no one turned away, materials in English and Spanish where needed, evening and weekend options and transportation help through bus passes.

Measuring outreach. We will track where each referral came from and how many people attend, and adjust our outreach where it is not working.

Marketing budget. Outreach and printing are part of the program budget, with only simple, low-cost materials.

Most people hear about services from someone they already trust, so we spend more time with partners and neighbors than on advertising. We write our materials in plain language, test them with a few people from the community and fix anything that confuses them.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out, in plain terms.

Timeline for Year 1. Months 1 and 2: hire the art therapist, finalize partner agreements, set up the supply cart and train volunteers. Months 3 to 12: run group series on a rolling schedule and monthly open workshops.

Space. Groups meet in schools, clinics and community centers with a private room, and we carry supplies in a mobile art cart.

Partners. School districts, clinics, grief and hospice programs and community centers. Each has a written agreement describing responsibilities, safety, privacy and communication.

Safety and privacy rules. A licensed art therapist leads every therapy group. Two adults are present at every group with children, and no adult is alone with a child. Staff and volunteers pass background checks and are trained on mandated reporting, confidentiality and first aid. We keep records locked and share information only with consent or as the law requires. We call 911 in emergencies, and direct anyone in crisis to 988.

Materials and safety. We use non-toxic materials, check for allergies, keep sharp tools supervised and clean up after every session.

Tracking and reporting. We track attendance, completion and participants' ratings in a secure system and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Staff receive training in trauma-informed practice, cultural humility and mandated reporting, and the art therapist receives clinical supervision.

We write down every step of the project in a short manual so that any trained staff member can carry it out the same way. We hold a short team meeting every week to review problems, safety concerns and numbers, and we ask the people we serve for feedback at least twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director leads the organization and manages the budget and partnerships. The licensed art therapist leads the groups and supervises the work, and the program coordinator schedules sessions, manages supplies and tracks data.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5.
- Executive Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $60,000 a year each.
- Licensed Art Therapist: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $62,000 a year each.
- Program Coordinator (part-time): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $22,000 a year each.

Governance and money controls. A volunteer board of directors oversees the budget and the executive director. Two people review every payment, the board reviews financial statements every month, an outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return and audit-ready records, and every grant is tracked in its own budget line. We screen staff and volunteers who work with the people we serve, train everyone on privacy and safety and keep written policies on conflicts of interest and complaints.

Staff and advisors. The art therapist holds the license required in Colorado and the executive director has experience running community programs. A small advisory group of a school counselor, a clinician, a parent and an artist meets quarterly. We post a clear complaint process for participants and families.

Feedback and complaints. Anyone we serve can give feedback or a complaint by phone, in writing or in person, and can ask to speak with the board chair. We reply within five working days, keep a log of every complaint and report the themes to the board each quarter. No one loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years and how we will measure results. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts (2 to 3 months before the grant starts): finalize partner agreements, hire the licensed art therapist, set up the mobile art cart and a secure records system and train volunteers
- Year 1: run about 12 group series for about 100 people and open workshops for about 250. The budget is $203,500.
- Year 2: add a second school partner and a family group. The budget is $206,000.
- Year 3: hire a second licensed art therapist and add a teen track. The budget is $272,500.
- Year 4: grow clinic partnerships and offer a grief-focused series. The budget is $275,500.
- Year 5: reach about 180 people in groups a year and publish a plain results report. The budget is $278,000.

How we will measure results: people attending, series completed, participants' own ratings of how they feel, referrals received and made, partner satisfaction and participants who say they would recommend the program. We report results to funders in the same plain numbers we use here, and we say honestly when a goal was missed and what we changed.

We report to funders every quarter and send a short plain-language summary to our board each month. At the end of each year we review all of the goals, publish a short results report and update the plan for the next year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $58,000 from a regional arts and health foundation for a licensed art therapist salary and art materials for group sessions, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Licensed Art Therapist salary, $50,000.
- Supplies: Art materials for group sessions, $8,000 (other funds add $2,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 35% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $203,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,300 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $165,500; individual donations $22,000; program fees and partner contracts $16,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $60,000; licensed art therapist $62,000; program coordinator (part-time) $22,000; art supplies and materials about $14,000; clinical supervision and liability insurance about $9,000; partner site fees and space about $12,000; outreach and printing about $6,000; administration and accounting about $10,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $16,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,600 for mobile art cart, easels, storage and tables for group sites, $2,400 for laptops, a projector and a locking file cabinet for confidential records, $2,800 for opening art supply stock, $3,200 for clinical protocol review, consent forms and legal setup, $1,800 for background checks and first-aid and safety training, and $2,200 for banners, brochures and a simple website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($16,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $48,800, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $65,000. We start with $12,000 of our own savings and $54,500 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $66,500 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $203,500 in Year 1 to about $278,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $165,500, $157,000, $212,500, $204,500, $196,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $7,300, $7,100, $8,800, $8,800 and $8,200 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $60,900, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $8,140 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors, program fees and partner contracts grow each year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Schools and clinics may contribute space and, over time, partner payments, and participants help spread the word.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A participant may be in crisis. Staff are trained, stay with the person and call 911 or direct to 988.
- A therapist may leave. We cross-train and keep a list of qualified substitutes.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and fees each year and keep savings.
- Referrals may be slower than expected. We add partners and hold open workshops.
- A privacy mistake could occur. We limit what we collect, lock records and train everyone.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller with one site or one staff member and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- The art therapist's license and professional liability insurance.
- Written agreements with schools, clinics and community centers.
- Your consent forms, confidentiality policy and crisis plan.
- Letters of support from counselors and clinics.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $165,500 in Year 1, growing to $196,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $22,000 in Year 1, growing to $42,000 in Year 5.
- Program Fees and Partner Contracts: $16,000 in Year 1, growing to $40,000 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: art supplies and materials $14,000, clinical supervision and liability insurance $9,000, partner site fees and space $12,000, outreach and printing $6,000, and administration and accounting $10,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year as the program grows.
- Grant and partner payments arrive after we bill, so about $8,140 (4% of Year 1 income) is owed to us at the end of Year 1.
- The program does not pay income tax. Any surplus stays in the program.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real numbers.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- Grant: money given for a specific purpose that does not have to be paid back, as long as it is spent as promised.
- Request: the part of the budget we are asking this funder to pay for.
- Surplus: money left over after a year's costs. A small surplus is healthy because it builds savings for slow months.
- Startup costs: one-time costs, such as equipment, paid once before the program runs at full speed.
- Working capital: cash kept in the bank to pay bills while waiting for grant payments.
- In-kind: goods or services given instead of money, such as donated space.
- Fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for a new group and passes the money to its program, usually for a fee.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

How to read the numbers. Every income and cost figure is a plan, not a result. Income rises as sponsors and donors join, costs rise a little each year, and each year's budget is planned to balance with a small surplus. Startup costs are shown separately because they are paid once. If a real number turns out different, we will update the plan and tell our funders why.

Startup Costs