On Track Futures

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Executive Summary

On Track Futures is a nonprofit in Alabama that helps students stay in school and graduate. We work inside two partner high schools, where trained Student Success Coaches find students who are starting to fall behind and stand beside them every week until they are back on track. We focus on ninth and tenth graders, because the first two years of high school are when many students begin to slip.

The warning signs of a student who may leave school are usually clear long before it happens: missing too many days, failing a course and getting into repeated trouble. Schools see these signs, but counselors often have hundreds of students each and cannot give every struggling student the time they need. Our coaches can.

With this grant we will serve about 120 students in Year 1. Each of our three Student Success Coaches works with about 40 students, meeting with each one at least once a week, checking attendance and grades, and connecting the student to tutoring, credit recovery and help at home. A Family Engagement Specialist visits families and brings parents in as partners. A small Student Support Fund removes everyday barriers, such as a bus pass, an alarm clock or school clothes. In the summer, a three-week Summer Bridge program helps about 40 incoming ninth graders start high school strong.

Our Year 1 budget is about $310,000, growing to about $368,000 by Year 5 as we add a third school. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 5 paid staff in Year 1 and 6 by Year 3.

We are asking the Southern Futures Education Fund for $100,000 for two Student Success Coaches and for tutoring and credit recovery. The school district pays part of the cost through a service contract, and other grants and local sponsors pay the rest, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Angela Price, the Executive Director. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

On Track Futures is a nonprofit organization in Alabama. We are a 501(c)(3) public charity (or a program of one, through a fiscal sponsor), governed by a volunteer board of directors. We will provide our IRS determination letter, board list and most recent financial statements with this proposal.

Our mission. To make sure every student in our community has a caring adult, a clear plan and the support they need to graduate from high school.

What we believe. A student who is falling behind is not a lost cause. Most students who leave school were showing warning signs for months or years, and most of those signs can be turned around with steady attention from an adult who believes in them. Families want their children to graduate, and they are partners, not problems.

How we started. On Track Futures began as a volunteer tutoring and mentoring group at a local church, started by retired teachers and parents. Over three years, we worked with about 60 students, and school counselors began sending us the students they were most worried about. The principals at two high schools asked whether we could work inside their buildings every day. This proposal asks for support to do that for a full school year, with trained coaches, a family specialist and a summer program.

What we offer:
- Student Success Coaches. Each coach works with about 40 students, meets each one at least once a week and checks their attendance, grades and behavior every week.
- Tutoring and credit recovery. Trained tutors help students catch up in the classes they are failing, and coaches help students recover credits through the school's approved credit recovery courses.
- Family engagement. Home visits, phone calls and family nights that bring parents and guardians in as partners.
- A Student Support Fund. Small, fast help with the everyday barriers that keep a student home, such as transportation, an alarm clock, school clothes, hygiene items or a school fee.
- Summer Bridge. A three-week summer program for incoming ninth graders who are at risk, to help them start high school with a plan and an adult they know.
- Connections. Referrals to counseling, health care, food help and other services through the school and community partners.

How we are run. A seven-member volunteer board of directors oversees the organization and approves the budget each year. The board includes a retired high school principal, a school social worker, a pastor, a parent of a former student, a local business owner, a banker and a certified public accountant. The Executive Director leads fundraising and partnerships, coaches report to the Executive Director, and an outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Where things stand today. Both partner high schools have signed letters of support, and the school district has agreed in writing to a service contract for Year 1. Before we begin, we will sign a data-sharing agreement with the district that follows the federal student privacy law (FERPA) and district policy, so coaches can see attendance, grades and behavior records for students whose parents have given permission.

Problem & Opportunity

Why this program is needed.

Leaving high school without a diploma makes almost everything harder afterward: finding steady work, earning a living wage, continuing education and supporting a family. A student rarely decides to leave school in one day. It happens slowly, through missed days, failed classes and a growing feeling that school is not working for them.

The warning signs are well known. Schools and researchers often call them the ABCs:
1. Attendance. Missing 10% or more of school days, about 18 days in a school year, is called chronic absence. Students who miss this much fall behind quickly.
2. Behavior. Repeated suspensions or discipline problems pull a student out of class and away from school.
3. Course performance. Failing a core class, especially in ninth grade, means the student falls behind on the credits needed to graduate.

Why ninth grade matters. Ninth grade is a hard step. Students move to a bigger school with more classes, more freedom and less one-on-one attention. A student who finishes ninth grade on track, with enough credits and few failing grades, is much more likely to graduate than a student who does not.

The gaps we see in our partner schools:
1. Not enough adult time. School counselors carry very large caseloads and have many duties, so a struggling student may get only a few minutes of attention.
2. Problems at home go unseen. A student may be missing school because of a younger sibling to care for, no ride, a job, an illness in the family or a housing problem. These are hard to fix from the front office.
3. No way to catch up. A student who fails a course may not know how to recover the credit, or may need tutoring to pass the second time.
4. Families are not always connected. Many parents work long hours and hear from the school only when something is wrong.

How we will show the need. Before we submit this proposal, we will add the four-year graduation rate and the chronic absence rate for each partner school and for the district, from the Alabama State Department of Education's public report cards, and the number of ninth graders who failed at least one core course last year, from the district. We will compare them with the state average.

Who benefits first. Ninth and tenth grade students at our two partner high schools who show one or more warning signs, and incoming ninth graders identified by their middle schools as needing extra support.

Products & Services

What the grant will pay for and what we will do.

1. Find the students who need us. At the start of each semester, the school and our coaches review attendance, grades and behavior together. Students who show one or more warning signs are invited to join, along with students referred by a teacher, counselor or parent. Every student joins with a parent's or guardian's written permission. About 120 students are served in Year 1, 60 at each school.

2. Give every student a coach. Each Student Success Coach works with about 40 students and is based full-time inside the school. Coaches meet with each student at least once a week, one-on-one or in small groups, and check attendance and grades every week. Together, the student and coach write a simple success plan with two or three goals, such as passing algebra, missing fewer than two days a month or staying out of in-school suspension.

3. Act fast on attendance. When a student misses school, the coach calls or texts home that same day. After three absences in a month, the coach and the Family Engagement Specialist meet with the family to find out what is getting in the way and help fix it.

4. Help students catch up. Students who are failing a class get tutoring during study hall, lunch or after school from trained tutors, about two hours a week each. Students who have already failed a course get help signing up for and finishing the school's approved credit recovery course. Coaches check progress every week.

5. Work with families. The Family Engagement Specialist makes home visits, calls every family at least once a month with good news as well as concerns, and hosts four family nights a year with a meal, where parents learn how to read a report card, check grades online and plan for graduation.

6. Remove everyday barriers. The Student Support Fund pays for small needs that keep a student out of school, such as a bus pass, an alarm clock, school clothes, hygiene items, a school fee or help with an eyeglasses copay. Each request is approved by the Executive Director and paid directly to the store or provider.

7. Start ninth grade strong with Summer Bridge. Each summer, about 40 incoming ninth graders spend three weeks at the high school learning their way around, meeting teachers, catching up in reading and math and meeting the coach who will work with them in the fall.

8. Connect students to more help. Coaches refer students and families to counseling, health care, food help, housing help and other services through the school and our community partners.

How we will measure results. For every student we track attendance, course grades, credits earned, suspensions and whether they are promoted to the next grade on time. We compare each student's results to the semester before they joined. We follow every student until they graduate or leave the district.

Our Year 1 goals:
- About 120 students served during the school year and about 40 in Summer Bridge.
- At least 70% of students improve their attendance compared with the semester before they joined.
- At least 75% of students pass all of their core classes or recover the credits they need by the end of the year.
- At least 80% of students are promoted to the next grade on time.
- Fewer suspensions among students served than in the year before they joined.
Over five years, our goal is that at least 85% of the students we serve who stay in the district graduate within four years. These are goals, and we will report our real results to the Fund, including where we fall short.

Market Analysis

Who we serve and how many.

The students. Ninth and tenth graders at our two partner high schools who show one or more warning signs (chronic absence, failing a core course or repeated discipline problems), plus students referred by a teacher, counselor or parent. Students stay with their coach for at least a full school year, and many stay through graduation.

Incoming ninth graders. Each spring, our partner middle schools identify eighth graders who are struggling. About 40 of them are invited to Summer Bridge, and most continue with a coach in ninth grade.

Where we work. Two partner high schools in Year 1, both in the same school district in Alabama. In Year 3 we add a third high school and a fourth coach.

How many we will reach:
- Year 1: about 120 students during the school year and about 40 in Summer Bridge.
- Year 2: about 120 students during the year, plus continued support for Year 1 students who stay on track, and about 40 in Summer Bridge.
- Year 3: about 160 students across three schools, and about 60 in Summer Bridge.
- Years 4 and 5: about 160 students a year and about 60 in Summer Bridge.
Over five years we expect to serve about 720 students during the school year and about 260 in Summer Bridge, with some students counted in both.

Who else benefits:
- Families. Parents and guardians get a single person to call, regular good news, and help with the problems that keep their child home.
- Partner schools. Teachers and counselors gain a partner who follows up with struggling students every week, and the school's attendance and graduation results can improve.
- The community. Every student who graduates is better prepared to work, continue their education and support a family, which strengthens local businesses and neighborhoods.

How we will size the need before we submit. We will add the number of ninth and tenth graders at each school, the number who missed 10% or more of days last year, the number who failed at least one core course and each school's four-year graduation rate. The district and the state report cards provide these numbers.

Competitive Landscape

Other help students have, and how we fit.

- School counselors and social workers. They are our closest partners. Counselors carry large caseloads and many duties, such as scheduling and testing. Our coaches handle the weekly follow-up, so counselors can focus on the students who need their skills most. We meet with counselors every two weeks.
- The school's own credit recovery program. Most high schools offer online credit recovery courses. These are useful, but many students struggle to finish them alone. Our coaches and tutors help students sign up, keep going and finish.
- Volunteer mentoring programs. Mentoring can help a lot, but volunteers usually meet with a student a few times a month and cannot see grades or attendance. Our coaches are full-time, trained staff inside the school, working from real data with parent permission.
- National dropout prevention programs. Some national programs place staff in schools, often at a higher cost and only in certain cities. We draw on the same proven ideas, such as early warning signs, a caring adult and family engagement. Before we begin, our staff will review the dropout prevention programs studied by the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse, and we will use what we learn to shape our coaching.
- After-school and youth programs. Churches and youth centers offer safe places to go after school. We refer students to them and invite them to our family nights.

The gap we fill. No other program in our district places a full-time coach inside the school to work every week with ninth and tenth graders who are starting to fall behind, while also working with their families and removing small barriers fast.

Our partners:
- Two partner high schools and their middle schools, which share data with parent permission, refer students and give our coaches office space.
- The school district, which pays part of our cost through a service contract.
- A local community college, whose education students serve as paid tutors.
- Three churches, which host family nights and donate school supplies and clothing.
- The county health department and a local counseling agency, which accept our referrals.
- A local bank and several businesses, which sponsor the Student Support Fund and Summer Bridge.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How students and families will find us and stay connected.

Reaching students:
- The early warning review. Each semester, the school and our coaches review attendance, grades and behavior together, and coaches personally invite students who show warning signs.
- Referrals. Teachers, counselors, coaches, school nurses and parents can refer a student with a one-page form or a phone call.
- Middle school hand-off. Each spring, our partner middle schools refer struggling eighth graders to Summer Bridge.
- Being seen every day. Coaches greet students at the door in the morning, eat lunch in the cafeteria and attend games, so students know them before they need them.

Reaching families:
- A welcome call and a home visit for every new student's family, by the coach or the Family Engagement Specialist.
- A monthly call home with at least one piece of good news.
- Four family nights a year with a meal and childcare, held at the school or a partner church.
- Flyers and permission forms in English and Spanish, with translation help for other languages through the district.
- Text messages in the family's preferred language for quick updates.

Keeping students engaged:
- Each student writes their own success plan with their coach, so the goals are theirs.
- Coaches celebrate progress: better attendance, a passed test, a recovered credit. Small rewards, such as a lunch with the coach, are part of the plan.
- When a student stops showing up, the coach goes looking: a call home that day, then a home visit.

Reaching supporters. We share results twice a year with the district, partner schools, churches and sponsors. Local businesses are invited to sponsor Summer Bridge or the Student Support Fund, and every sponsor receives a short report on what their gift did.

Outreach budget. Family engagement and outreach is about $5,000 a year in Year 1, growing about 4% a year. Flyers, family welcome folders and a simple website are paid for once from startup money ($1,000).

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (summer): Sign the data-sharing agreement and service contract with the district, hire and train coaches and the Family Engagement Specialist, recruit tutors, set up the student data system and run the first Summer Bridge for about 40 incoming ninth graders.
- Month 3 (start of school): Review warning signs with each school, invite students, collect parent permission forms and hold welcome home visits.
- Months 3 to 7 (fall semester): Weekly coaching, tutoring and credit recovery, monthly calls home and two family nights. Mid-semester check of attendance and grades.
- Month 8: Review fall results with each school and invite new students for the spring.
- Months 8 to 12 (spring semester): Weekly coaching, tutoring and credit recovery continue, two more family nights, and planning with middle schools for the next Summer Bridge.
- End of Year 1: Final review of attendance, grades, credits, promotion and suspensions, a year-end report to funders and the district, and planning for Year 2.

Space. Each coach works from a small student success room inside the partner school, provided at no cost under our agreement. Family nights are held at the school or a partner church. Our small administrative office is shared space at a partner church.

Staffing. Three Student Success Coaches in Years 1 and 2, each based full-time at a school (two at the larger school and one at the smaller). A fourth coach joins in Year 3 when we add a third school. A full-time Family Engagement Specialist works with families at all schools.

Tutoring and credit recovery. We contract with a local community college for trained tutors, usually education students, at about $28,000 a year in Year 1. That pays for about 1,400 hours of tutoring at about $20 an hour.

Summer Bridge. Three weeks, four days a week, at one of the partner high schools, about $10,000 a year in Year 1 for teachers' time, materials, lunch and transportation.

Equipment. We buy about $10,000 of equipment once at the start: four laptops for the coaches and family specialist ($4,400), ten loaner laptops and hotspots so students can work on credit recovery at home ($3,200), and furniture for two student success rooms ($2,400). After Year 1, we set aside about $2,000 to $2,500 a year to replace and add equipment.

Student data and privacy. Coaches see school records only for students whose parent or guardian has signed a permission form, and only under a written data-sharing agreement with the district that follows FERPA (the federal student privacy law) and district policy. An attorney will review the agreement before we sign it. Records are kept in a secure, password-protected system, never on personal phones. We report results to funders only as totals, never with a student's name.

Student safety. Every staff member and tutor passes a background check and completes the district's required training before working with students. Coaches meet students in school spaces where other adults are nearby. Coaches are trained to recognize signs of abuse, neglect or a student in crisis, and they follow the school's reporting rules and refer students to the school counselor right away.

Student Support Fund controls. Requests are approved by the Executive Director and paid directly to the store, transit agency or provider, never as cash. Every payment is recorded, and the board reviews a list each quarter.

Records and reporting. Grant money is tracked separately so we can show each funder how their money was spent, and an outside accountant reviews our books every year. We report to the district each semester as required by our service contract.

Management & Organization

Who leads the organization.

Angela Price, Executive Director. Angela leads the organization, raises money, manages the district partnership and grants, supervises staff and reports to the board. She taught high school English for 14 years and served 6 years as a school counselor before founding On Track Futures. Planned salary: $58,000 a year.

Student Success Coaches. Each coach works with about 40 students inside a partner school. Coaches have a bachelor's degree in education, social work, psychology or a related field, or experience working with teenagers, and they complete our training before school starts. Three coaches in Years 1 and 2 and four from Year 3, at a planned salary of $42,000 each. The Southern Futures Education Fund grant would support two of these coaches.

Family Engagement Specialist. Visits families, makes monthly calls home, runs family nights and connects families to community help. Bilingual in English and Spanish if possible. Planned salary: $38,000 a year.

Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance.

Staff in each year: 5 paid staff in Years 1 and 2 (the Executive Director, three coaches and the Family Engagement Specialist), and 6 from Year 3 on.

Tutors. About 12 to 15 part-time tutors from the local community college, under a contract with the college.

The board. A seven-member volunteer board approves the budget, reviews results twice a year and helps raise money. Board members serve three-year terms. The board's certified public accountant chairs the finance committee.

People who help us. An outside accountant who reviews our books every year, an attorney who reviews our data-sharing agreement and contracts, an insurance agent who understands youth programs, and an advisory group of two school counselors, a parent and a former student, who meet each semester to tell us what is working.

Training and support for staff. Coaches meet as a team every week with the Executive Director to review students who are struggling, and they attend at least two trainings a year on topics such as attendance, trauma-informed practice and working with families.

Money management. Grant money is tracked separately for each funder. The Executive Director and a board member must both approve any payment over $2,500.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals for each year and how we will measure them.

- Year 1: Serve about 120 ninth and tenth graders at two high schools and about 40 students in Summer Bridge. Sign the data-sharing agreement and service contract, and hold four family nights. A balanced budget of about $310,000, with a small surplus of about $7,000. 5 paid staff.
- Year 2: Serve about 120 students, continue support for Year 1 students who need it, and run the second Summer Bridge. Grow the district contract and local sponsors. A balanced budget of about $314,000, with a small surplus of about $6,900. 5 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a third high school and a fourth coach, serving about 160 students and about 60 in Summer Bridge. A balanced budget of about $360,000, with a small surplus of about $6,600. 6 paid staff.
- Year 4: Serve about 160 students. Our first ninth graders reach their senior year, and we track how many graduate on time. A balanced budget of about $364,000, with a small surplus of about $6,200. 6 paid staff.
- Year 5: Serve about 160 students a year at three schools, report four-year graduation results for our first group of students and share what we have learned with other schools. A balanced budget of about $368,000, with a small surplus of about $5,500. 6 paid staff.

What we measure for every student:
- Attendance each week, and the share of days missed each semester.
- Grades in core classes, and credits earned and recovered.
- Suspensions and other discipline.
- Promotion to the next grade on time.
- Graduation within four years, for every student we serve who stays in the district.
- Family contacts, home visits and family night attendance.
- Student Support Fund requests and how the money was used.

How we review results. Coaches review every student's attendance and grades every week. Each semester, staff, the school and our advisory group review all results together, and we change what is not working. Twice a year, the board reviews results and we share them with our funders and the district. Every number in this plan is a goal, and we will report what really happens.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $100,000 from the Southern Futures Education Fund for two Student Success Coaches and for tutoring and credit recovery, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Two Student Success Coaches, $84,000 ($42,000 each).
- Contractual: Tutoring and credit recovery support from the community college, $16,000 (other funds add $12,000).

Other money in the program. The school district contract, other grants and local sponsors pay the third coach's salary ($42,000), the other $12,000 of tutoring, plus the Executive Director's salary ($58,000), the Family Engagement Specialist ($38,000), the Student Support Fund ($12,000), Summer Bridge ($10,000), family engagement and outreach ($5,000), the data system and evaluation ($8,000) and administration and insurance ($16,000).

Year 1 budget: about $310,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,000 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $250,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), the school district contract $40,000 and donations and local sponsors $20,000. Year 1 costs: Executive Director $58,000; three Student Success Coaches $126,000; Family Engagement Specialist $38,000; tutoring and credit recovery about $28,000; Student Support Fund about $12,000; Summer Bridge about $10,000; family engagement and outreach about $5,000; data system and evaluation about $8,000; administration and insurance about $16,000; and about $3,800 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $17,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $10,000 of equipment (staff laptops, student loaner laptops and hotspots, and furniture for two student success rooms), $2,000 for a first stock of school supplies, alarm clocks and hygiene items, $2,500 for an attorney's review of the data-sharing agreement and accounting setup, $1,000 for flyers, family welcome folders and a website, and $1,500 for the first background checks and insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($17,000), the cash we need to cover the wait for grant and contract payments (about $3,400) and a cash cushion of about $75,300, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. That comes to $96,000. We start with $25,000 of our own savings and $80,000 in startup support from a local family foundation and our board, $105,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $310,000 in Year 1 to about $368,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $250,000, $245,000, $270,000, $262,000 and $254,000 in Years 1 to 5. The school district contract grows from $40,000 to $72,000 as the district takes on more of the cost, and donations and local sponsors grow from $20,000 to $42,000. We add a fourth coach in Year 3 when we add a third school. Grants fall from about 81% of our income in Year 1 to about 69% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $91,600, at the end of Year 1. Grant payments and the district contract are often paid after we bill, so we plan for about $12,400 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Our goal is for the school district to pay a growing share of the program each year as it sees results, alongside local businesses, churches and individual donors. We will share results with the district every semester and ask it to consider our program in its own budget planning each spring.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- The data-sharing agreement takes longer than planned. We start the agreement early, and coaches can begin with parent-shared report cards while it is finished.
- Students do not want to join. Coaches build trust by being present every day, and students set their own goals.
- A coach leaves. Coaches share notes in our secure system, so another coach can step in, and we keep a list of trained applicants.
- Families are hard to reach. We try calls, texts, home visits and church partners, in the family's language.
- A grant or the district contract ends. We keep savings and grow local sponsors and donors every 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 coach at one school working with about 30 ninth graders, plus volunteer tutors, 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 each partner high school and middle school.
- The signed service contract and data-sharing agreement with the school district (or a letter from the district saying they are in progress).
- The tutoring agreement with the community college.
- Letters of support from partner churches, the health department and the counseling agency.
- Your student success plan form, parent permission form and student privacy policy.
- Your Student Support Fund rules and request form.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and job descriptions for the coaches and Family Engagement Specialist.
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: $250,000 in Year 1, then $245,000, $270,000, $262,000 and $254,000.
- School District Contract: $40,000 in Year 1, growing to $72,000.
- Donations and Local Sponsors: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $42,000.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): Executive Director $58,000, Student Success Coach $42,000 (three in Years 1 and 2, four from Year 3), Family Engagement Specialist $38,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Tutoring and Credit Recovery $28,000, Student Support Fund $12,000, Summer Bridge Program $10,000, Family Engagement and Outreach $5,000, Data System and Evaluation $8,000, Administration and Insurance $16,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $10,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $2,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $17,000, paid once from $105,000 in startup money.
- 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