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Executive Summary
Neighbors in Health is a nonprofit that helps people in the south side of our city and the nearby towns stay healthy, get the care they need and understand their health. We provide community health workers, free blood pressure screenings and help finding a doctor and insurance, with community health workers who are trusted neighbors, not strangers in white coats.
Where you live and what you earn affect your health as much as the care you receive. Many people in our community go without checkups, skip medicines because of cost, or do not know how to use the health system. Community health workers are trained members of the community who bridge that gap. They listen, teach, connect people to care and follow up, so small problems are caught before they become big ones.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 150 people over the year. Our Year 1 budget is about $132,000, growing to about $293,000 by Year 5 as we grow from one community health worker to five. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside in savings.
We are asking the Lakeshore Community Trust for $60,000, as part of the $117,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $15,000 in Year 1 comes from program fees and donations, which we plan to grow to about $48,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for community health worker time, screening and program supplies, and the record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many people we serve, how many are screened, how many are connected to a regular health provider, how many sign up for health insurance or benefits, and whether people feel better able to manage their health. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Neighbors in Health is a nonprofit organization in Louisiana. A 501(c)(3) public charity.
Our mission. To help our neighbors get and stay healthy by connecting them to care and to each other.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2022 when two nurses and a pastor started offering free blood pressure checks after church. Since then we have connected about 80 people to regular care, with 14 volunteers helping each month.
What we do:
- Visit and meet with people at home, at community sites and by phone to learn about their health and needs.
- Offer basic health screenings (such as blood pressure) and health education at community events, with a clinical partner's guidance.
- Help people find a regular doctor or clinic, make and keep appointments and understand their care.
- Help people enroll in health insurance and benefits such as Medicaid, using trained and authorized staff.
- Connect people to food, housing, transportation and other help that affects health.
Where we work. At a partner clinic on Tuesdays, at churches and community events on weekends, and in people's homes by appointment.
Our partners. A community health center that takes referrals and reviews our protocols, the county health department, a hospital's social work office and three churches.
Our approach. People know their own communities best. Our health workers come from the neighborhoods they serve, speak the language of the people they help and build trust over time. We do not diagnose or treat medical conditions.
How we are run. A volunteer Board of Directors (a small group of community members who oversee the organization) meets regularly, approves the budget, reviews the finances and oversees the Executive Director.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this program is needed.
Many people in the south side of our city and the nearby towns have health problems that could be prevented or managed with early care, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. But many have no regular doctor, little health insurance or have been treated badly in the past. They often seek care only in the emergency room, when problems are much more serious and costly.
Facts about our community. Many adults in our county have high blood pressure, and many do not know it or are not getting regular care.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Access. Clinics may be far away or have long waits, and many people have no way to get there.
2. Insurance. Many people qualify for coverage but do not know it or find the application confusing.
3. Understanding. Health information can be hard to understand, and people often leave visits with questions.
4. Trust. Past bad experiences keep some people away from care.
5. Follow-up. People with chronic conditions need regular support, not just a visit now and then.
What we have seen ourselves. Many people told us they only go to the emergency room, because they do not have a regular doctor and clinic appointments are weeks away.
Who we serve first. People with limited income, people who have no regular doctor, older adults and people living with conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, in adults over 40 without a regular doctor, and people with high blood pressure or diabetes, in the south and east neighborhoods.
Products & Services
How the program works. 1. Community health workers. Trained workers visit, call and meet people where they are. They listen first, then help with a simple plan. 2. Screenings and education. At events and visits, we offer basic screenings such as blood pressure, and health education in plain language. People with high readings are connected to care. We do not diagnose. 3. Connection to care. We help people find a doctor or clinic, make appointments, arrange rides and prepare questions. 4. Insurance and benefits. Trained staff help people apply for health insurance and other benefits. 5. Follow-up. Health workers check in regularly, so people stay on track. About $16,000 in Year 1 pays for screening and program supplies. How we will measure results. We count people served, screenings done, connections to a regular provider and insurance enrollments. We ask people at the start and later whether they know where to go for care and feel able to manage their health. Our goals for Year 1: serve 150 people; screen 120; connect 80 to a regular provider; help 40 enroll in insurance or benefits; and have 75% say they feel more able to manage their health.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve people in the south side of our city and the nearby towns, especially adults over 40 without a regular doctor, and people with high blood pressure or diabetes, in the south and east neighborhoods.
How we know people need this. At our first screening event, 60 people came and 35 had high readings, and many had no regular doctor.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 150 people over the year. The share of adults without health insurance or a regular doctor, and local rates of conditions like high blood pressure, are common ways to size the need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find them. As we grow from one community health worker to five, we expect to serve more people each year.
How people reach us. Our partner clinic, the hospital emergency room, WIC, churches and community events.
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- Community health centers and clinics provide medical care. We help people get to them and use them well. The local health center takes our referrals and reviews our protocols.
- Hospitals offer care and many do community outreach. We work with their community benefit and social work teams.
- Health departments offer screenings and programs. We partner with them and reach people they do not.
- Insurance navigators and assisters help with enrollment. We refer to them or train our own staff.
- Other nonprofits provide food, housing and transportation. We connect people to them.
What makes us different: health workers who live in the neighborhoods they serve, home visits and screenings at barbershops and churches
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, WIC offices, schools and churches.
- Presence at community events, health fairs, churches and barbershops, where people are already comfortable.
- Word of mouth from the people we have helped.
- Door-to-door visits and phone calls in the neighborhoods we serve.
Funding. Many nonprofit hospitals are required to study community health needs every few years, and many fund community partners to address them. In a growing number of states, community health worker services can also be paid through Medicaid. Learn what your state allows before you plan on it.
Volunteers. Nursing students, retired nurses, church health ministries and community members.
Raising money beyond grants. Program fees and donations are planned at about $15,000 in Year 1, growing to about $48,000 by Year 5, through a yearly giving campaign, business and community partners, a community event and online giving. Raising more of our own money means we depend less on any one grant or contract.
Operations Plan
How the program runs.
How a person moves through the program:
1. A meeting, home visit or call, and a friendly conversation about health and needs.
2. A simple plan with a few goals, like finding a doctor or checking blood pressure.
3. Screening or education, and help with an appointment, insurance or transportation.
4. Regular follow-up by phone or visit.
5. Closing out when the person's goals are met or they are connected to ongoing care.
A first visit. The health worker introduces themselves, listens to what the person is worried about, takes a blood pressure reading and agrees on one next step, like an appointment.
Scope and safety. Health workers follow written protocols, with a clinical partner reviewing them. They do not diagnose, treat or give medical advice beyond education. They know when to say 'call your doctor' or 'call 911,' and they are trained to respond to emergencies. Many states have standards or certification for community health workers, so we check ours.
Privacy. Health information is kept private and locked, and we follow HIPAA where it applies. We share it only with signed permission or when the law requires it, and funders get totals, never names.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $7,000 in equipment (tablets or laptops, blood pressure monitors, a printer and a screening kit), then about $2,000 to $3,000 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. One community health worker in Year 1, then two in Year 2, three in Year 3, four in Year 4 and five in Year 5. Health workers receive training, supervision and support, because the work can be emotionally hard.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $15,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
Linda Hassan, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and contracts, builds partnerships, oversees the finances and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $60,000 a year.
Community health workers. Meet with people, offer screenings and education, connect people to care and keep records. One position in Year 1, growing to five by Year 5, at a planned salary of $38,000 each. Qualifications we look for: lives in or comes from the neighborhood, completed community health worker training or willing to, and speaks the main languages of the community.
Volunteers. Volunteers, including nurses and medical students, help with screenings and events under supervision. They are screened and trained before working with participants.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Andre Fisher, who brings nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant and contract money is tracked separately so we can show each funder exactly how their money was spent. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Milestones Narrative
Our goals and how we will measure them.
Year 1:
- Sign an agreement with a clinical partner to review our protocols and take referrals.
- Hire and train our first community health worker.
- Serve about 150 people over the year.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for screenings, connections to care and insurance enrollment.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $132,000.
Year 2: two community health workers; budget of about $172,000.
Year 3: three community health workers; budget of about $213,000.
Year 4: four community health workers; budget of about $253,000.
Year 5: five community health workers; budget of about $293,000.
Over the five years: grow to five community health workers, add chronic disease support groups and home visits, and explore payment through health systems and Medicaid. Screening and program supplies grow about 5% a year.
How we will check our results. For each person we record services, screenings and connections to care, with permission. We ask how confident people feel in managing their health at the start and later. Staff and the Board review results and share them with funders.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $60,000 from the Lakeshore Community Trust for our first community health worker's salary, screening and program supplies and the costs of reporting results, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $132,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $117,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Program fees and donations: $15,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $60,000. - Community health workers: $38,000. - Screening and program supplies (blood pressure cuffs, health education materials, supplies): $16,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $15,000. - That is about $129,000 in costs. The remaining $3,000 or so goes into savings. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $7,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget. The next five years. Our budget grows from about $132,000 in Year 1 to about $293,000 in Year 5 as we grow to five community health workers. Grants and contracts are planned at $117,000 in Year 1, $150,000 in Year 2, $183,000 in Year 3, $214,000 in Year 4 and $245,000 in Year 5. Program fees and donations grow from $15,000 to $48,000, so grants become a smaller part of our budget over time. Savings. We start with about $20,000 of our own plus $65,000 in startup support, and we add to savings each year. Important for hospital, public and Medicaid funds. These can be paid after the work is done, come with strict data and privacy rules, and sometimes depend on results. We plan for the wait and keep careful records. Help we receive that is not cash. Donated space, volunteer clinicians' time, donated supplies and clinical partner oversight are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. Free use of a church fellowship hall (about $4,800 a year in rent value), about 700 volunteer hours from nurses and students, and donated supplies If we are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status. One way is a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that agrees to receive grants for you and pass them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Many funders accept this. Another way is to start smaller: partner with a clinic or hospital, begin with one trained community health worker and a few events, and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants and contracts easier to win.
Appendix Notes
Documents to attach with this proposal:
- Your IRS 501(c)(3) letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current budget.
- A list of your Board members and what they do.
- Letters of support from clinics, hospitals, health departments or other partners.
- Your protocols (reviewed by your clinical partner), safety rules and privacy policy.
- Your community health worker training plan or certification.
- Your participant numbers from the past year, if you have them.
- 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):
- Staff pay: Executive Director $60,000; each community health worker $38,000, growing from 1 to 5.
- Screening and program supplies about $16,000 in Year 1, rising about 5% a year
- Office costs about $15,000 in Year 1, rising about 4% a year.
- Grants and contracts set so each year's budget balances with a small amount saved.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real budget.