Pure Water Access Rural Well Rehabilitation Program

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Pure Water Access Rural Well Rehabilitation Program is a nonprofit in West Virginia that helps low-income homeowners have safe water from their private wells. We test wells at certified labs, pay licensed contractors to repair, disinfect, deepen or replace failing wells, install filtration where a repair is not enough and test again after every job.

Many rural families depend on private wells that no one checks, and some have water that is unsafe to drink without knowing it. A major repair costs thousands of dollars, which a low-income household cannot pay.

With this grant we will help about 40 households in Year 1 in 2 counties. We work only on homes that owners live in, with written consent, and licensed contractors do all well work with permits where required. We do not give medical advice and we do not promise that every well can be saved. We promise honest testing, safe work and respect for every homeowner.

Our Year 1 budget is about $247,000, growing to about $323,000 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a Program Manager and a Water Quality Specialist) and 6 by Year 5.

We are asking the Mountain Water Access Foundation for $80,000 for the Water Quality Specialist and well repair and replacement. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Pure Water Access Rural Well Rehabilitation Program is a nonprofit organization in West Virginia. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. Every household should have water that is safe to drink, whether it comes from a city pipe or a private well.

What we do.
- Test private wells for bacteria, nitrates, metals and other contaminants through certified labs.
- Repair, disinfect, deepen or replace failing wells for low-income households, using licensed well contractors.
- Install point-of-use filtration systems where a repair is not enough.
- Teach homeowners how to maintain a well and test it every year.
- Help households apply for other water and housing programs.
- Follow up with a second test after every repair.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families and partners, safety first and a place for everyone who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We work only on private wells of homeowners who live in the home, with written consent. Licensed contractors do all well drilling and repair, and we pull permits where required. We do not give medical or legal advice. We do not promise that every well can be saved or that water will be safe forever. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of retired well drillers, a county health nurse and church volunteers began testing wells for neighbors who worried about their water. Many tests came back with problems and few families could afford to fix them. We kept simple records of wells tested, problems found and wells repaired. This proposal asks for support to move from free testing days to a steady program with paid, trained staff and the materials to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Many rural families depend on private wells that no one checks, and some have water that is unsafe to drink without knowing it.

Cost. A new well or a major repair can cost many thousands of dollars, and filtration systems cost hundreds more, which a low-income household cannot afford.

Access. Private wells are not regulated like city water, so no agency tests them, and families may not know to test or whom to call.

Safety and trust. Families want honest testing and licensed workers, and funders want to see that every well is tested again after work is done.

Missed benefits. Families with unsafe water risk illness, buy bottled water they cannot afford or give up on a home they own.

What we hear.
- A mother says her baby gets sick when she uses the tap and she cannot afford bottled water.
- A nurse says she sees stomach illnesses from wells that no one has tested.
- A driller says half of the wells he sees have never been checked.
- A grandfather says the water has smelled wrong for years.

We do not claim that a program can solve every challenge. We believe that honest testing, a licensed repair and a clean second test can make a family's water safe again.

Products & Services

Pure Water Access Rural Well Rehabilitation Program gives low-income households that depend on private wells a safe, welcoming place to have safe water at home.

How the program works.
1. Application. Households apply by phone or with help from a volunteer, and we verify ownership and income.
2. Testing. A water quality specialist collects a sample and sends it to a certified lab.
3. Results. We explain the results in plain language and write a plan with the homeowner.
4. Repair. Licensed contractors repair, disinfect, deepen or replace the well, with permits where required.
5. Filtration. Where needed, we install point-of-use filtration systems.
6. Retest. We test the water again after the work and give the homeowner the results.
7. Education. We teach well care and yearly testing and help families with other programs.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a staff member, settle in together, work on the day's activity in small groups and finish with a short talk about what went well. Staff praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one is left out.

Staff. Our water quality specialist is trained in sampling and well systems, passes a background check, completes our training and is paid for their time. Licensed contractors do all drilling and repair.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. Services are free to eligible households. We welcome every eligible homeowner and offer materials in English and Spanish.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Low-income homeowners in our rural counties who depend on a private well and have a water quality problem or worry about one. Eligibility is homeowner status, a private well and income guidelines our board sets, and no household is turned away without a referral.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our testing days we tested more wells than we could repair and kept a waiting list. County health staff told us that many more wells have problems than we can reach. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 40 participants at 2 counties. By Year 5, with more staff and sites, we plan to serve about 120.

Where participants come from.
- County health departments and nurses.
- Churches, schools and community groups.
- Well contractors and plumbers.
- Households who tell a neighbor.

Who else benefits. Children and older adults avoid waterborne illness. Families save on bottled water. Counties gain safer drinking water.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a family that could drink from its own tap. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. County health departments. Provide testing and information and have few funds for repair. We add repair.

2. Water utilities. Serve connected homes and may not extend lines to rural wells. We serve those on wells.

3. Government loan and grant programs. Provide funds with complex applications. We help households apply.

4. Private well contractors. Skilled and costly. We pay licensed contractors for eligible households.

5. Bottled water. A short-term fix and costly. We provide lasting solutions.

What makes us different.
- Free testing and repair for eligible households.
- Licensed contractors and permitted work.
- A retest after every repair.
- Filtration where a repair is not enough.
- Education on yearly testing.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve people who can already pay or who live close to them. The people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with county health departments, well contractors and other water programs to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- County health departments. We will give staff a short referral form and a named contact.
- Churches and schools. We will hold testing days and share flyers.
- Well contractors and plumbers. We will ask them to refer homeowners.
- Local radio and newspapers. We will share clear information about testing.
- Word of mouth. Households tell neighbors.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching staff and sponsors.
- Recruit technicians and volunteers through health departments, well contractors and colleges.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety, privacy and respectful practice.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for those with the greatest need and for people new to the program. We keep a waiting list when the program is full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, wells tested, wells repaired and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the staff, buy equipment and materials, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Open applications and hold the first testing days.
- Months 4 to 10: Test wells, complete repairs and retest throughout the year.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey households and partners, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. We work at homeowners' properties and store equipment in a donated garage.

Safety and privacy.
- Licensed contractors do all drilling and repair and we pull permits where required.
- Samples are collected with clean technique and results are shared only with the homeowner.
- Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Staff work in pairs or in view of others whenever participants are minors or in a vulnerable situation.
- We keep an emergency plan at every site, and participants complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a participant's permission or as the law requires and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $10,000 of equipment once at the start: water sampling kits and field testing equipment ($6,000), tablets and a laptop for field records ($2,000), tools, hoses and a pressure test kit ($2,000). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Program Manager, paid $44,000 a year, schedules testing and repairs. The Water Quality Specialist, paid $46,000, collects samples and explains results. We add a specialist in Year 3.

Management & Organization

Wayne Hatfield, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a retired well driller who saw how many families lived with water they could not trust. I will complete the training we require of our technicians so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Staff. The Program Manager schedules testing and repairs, and the Water Quality Specialist collects samples and explains results. Each passes a background check. These positions are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a retired well driller, a nurse, a homeowner served, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a pastor. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A county sanitarian, a licensed well contractor and a public health nurse give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $52,000 a year; program Manager, paid $44,000 a year; water Quality Specialist, paid $46,000 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 40 participants at 2 counties.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 60 participants at 2 counties.
- Year 3: About 80 participants at 3 counties.
- Year 4: About 100 participants at 3 counties.
- Year 5: About 120 participants at 4 counties.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 46 percent of our budget, down from about 62 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $80,000 from the Mountain Water Access Foundation for the Water Quality Specialist and well repair and replacement, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Water Quality Specialist salary, $46,000.
- Other: Well repair and replacement paid to licensed contractors, $34,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 52% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $247,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $10,000 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $153,000; state Drinking Water Funding $60,000; health Department and Corporate Partners $24,000; individual Donors $10,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $52,000; program Manager $44,000; water Quality Specialist $46,000; well Repair and Replacement (Licensed Contractors) about $60,000; water Testing and Lab Fees about $8,000; filtration Systems about $10,000; permits about $3,000; training about $3,000; administration and Insurance about $9,000; about $4,000 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $20,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $6,000 for water sampling kits and field testing equipment; $2,000 for tablets and a laptop for field records; $2,000 for tools, hoses and a pressure test kit; $2,500 for attorney review of the homeowner consent, contractor agreement and privacy policy; $1,800 for flyers, banners and a simple website; $2,200 for sampling and safety training and background checks; $3,500 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($20,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $58,800, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $79,000. We start with $6,000 from our founding board and $75,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a drilling company, $81,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $247,000 in Year 1 to about $323,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $153,000, $139,500, $174,000, $161,500 and $149,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: state Drinking Water Funding from $60,000 to $100,000; health Department and Corporate Partners from $24,000 to $48,000; individual Donors from $10,000 to $26,000. Our surplus is planned at about $10,000 in Year 1, about $11,000 in Year 2, about $13,600 in Year 3, about $14,900 in Year 4 and about $15,800 in Year 5. We grow from 2 counties to 4 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $73,100, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $9,880 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per household. In Year 1, our total costs are about $5,925 per household served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more household served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $2,560 per household.

After the grant. State drinking water funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free drinking water option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner and donor support each year.

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: one neighborhood, a handful of households and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
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: $153,000 in Year 1, growing to $149,000 in Year 5.
- State Drinking Water Funding: $60,000 in Year 1, growing to $100,000 in Year 5.
- Health Department and Corporate Partners: $24,000 in Year 1, growing to $48,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $10,000 in Year 1, growing to $26,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $52,000; program Manager $44,000; water Quality Specialist $46,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: well Repair and Replacement (Licensed Contractors) $60,000; water Testing and Lab Fees $8,000; filtration Systems $10,000; permits $3,000; training $3,000; administration and Insurance $9,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $10,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $3,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $20,000, paid once from $81,000 in startup money.
- Participants served: about 40 in Year 1, growing to about 120 in Year 5. Sites: 2 in Year 1, growing to 4 by Year 5. Testing and repairs run year-round, with drilling scheduled in suitable weather.
- About 4% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs