Bridge Language Center

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Executive Summary

Bridge Language Center is a nonprofit in North Carolina that teaches English to adults who are learning it as a new language. Trained instructors teach classes at several levels in the evening and on weekends at community sites, and attendants care for children in the next room so that parents can attend.

Speaking English opens doors to better jobs, to safer workplaces and to helping children with school. Waiting lists for classes are long and many parents cannot attend without child care. With this grant we will pay instructors and learning materials for a full year. We teach English only and do not give immigration advice or promise any job or test result.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $222,500. We are asking for $55,000 from a regional community foundation to English instructor salaries and learning materials. 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

Bridge Language Center is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes people who learned English as adults. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. Adults learn best when they are respected for what they already know. Classes use real situations such as work, health care and school, and every student is welcome.

What we do:
- English classes. Classes for beginners to advanced learners, meeting twice a week, taught by trained instructors.
- Child care. Screened attendants care for children while parents attend class.
- Family literacy. Short sessions where parents learn to read with their children.
- Next steps. Counseling on training, community college and job-readiness classes.

What we do not do. We do not give immigration or legal advice and refer students to accredited organizations. We do not promise jobs, citizenship or test scores.

Who we serve. Adults aged 18 and older who live in our service area and want to learn English, with priority for parents of young children and for people with low incomes. Classes are open to everyone regardless of immigration status.

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 adults who want to learn English cannot find a class that fits their lives.

1. Waiting lists. Free classes in our area often have long waits.
2. Child care. Parents cannot attend class without a safe place for their children.
3. Work schedules. Many adults work evenings and weekends.
4. Transportation. Getting to class on time without a car is hard.
5. Isolation and barriers. Without English, adults may find it hard to see a doctor, talk to a teacher or advance at work.

Why it matters now. Employers in many industries need workers who can communicate on the job, and families do better when parents can communicate with schools and health care providers.

How we know the need is real. We reviewed waiting list counts at local adult education programs, surveyed 120 adults who want to learn English and asked employers and school staff about needs. Most learners said child care and evening classes were the main barriers. The numbers are in the appendix.

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 pay English instructors and learning materials for a full year.

How a student takes part:
1. Sign-up and placement. A student comes to an open enrollment night and takes a short placement conversation to find the right level.
2. Classes. Students attend two evenings a week in groups of about 15. Child care is available for children.
3. Skills for life. Lessons focus on speaking, reading, writing and listening with topics such as work, health and school.
4. Progress checks. Instructors give short checks every 12 weeks to guide lessons.
5. Next steps. Students receive help planning for job training or community college.

What the grant pays for. The request covers English instructors' salaries and learning materials.

What we do not promise. We do not promise a certain level of English by a certain date, a job or a test result. We track attendance and progress and report honestly.

Safety and rights. Child care attendants pass background checks and children are never alone with one adult. We keep students' information private, never ask about immigration status and refer immigration questions to accredited organizations. We call 911 in an emergency.

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 adults in our service area who are learning English and the children and employers who benefit when they succeed.

Who we serve. Adults from many countries and language groups, many of them parents, many working more than one job and most with low incomes.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to enroll about 200 adult learners in classes and to care for about 120 children during class time. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 450 learners a year. We chose these numbers from the capacity of two instructors at first and three by the third year and from room and child care limits.

Where we serve. The city and nearby neighborhoods, with classes at libraries, churches and community centers near bus lines.

Who else benefits. Children whose parents can help with homework, employers who gain better communication and neighbors who build stronger community.

How we will be careful. We collect only the information we need, keep it private and treat every student with respect.

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 in our area.

1. Community college adult education. Offers classes but may have waits and daytime schedules.
2. Public library programs. Offer conversation groups but not structured classes.
3. Faith communities. Offer volunteer-led classes of varying levels.
4. Online apps. Help with vocabulary but not with speaking and community.
5. Other nonprofits.

What makes us different. We offer evening classes with child care, trained instructors and a focus on real-life English. We work with the community college and refer students to it for advanced classes.

How we avoid duplication. We meet with the community college, the library and other programs each term to share schedules and agree on referrals.

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 adult learners once the project is funded.

Community partners. Churches, libraries, schools, clinics, employers and community groups will share our schedule and refer learners.

Employer partnerships. We will visit employers with English learners on staff and offer classes at convenient times.

Word of mouth. Students tell friends and family. With permission, we share their stories.

Digital outreach. A website and social media in English and several languages will share the class schedule and a simple sign-up form. We will not post identifiable photos without written permission.

Access. Materials will be in plain language and in the main languages of our community. Classes meet on bus lines, in the evening and on weekends, with child care.

Measuring outreach. We will track how each student heard about us and adjust our outreach where it is not working.

Marketing budget. Outreach and printing are part of the program budget.

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 instructors and attendants, buy materials and sign site agreements. Months 3 to 12: run three terms of classes, with open enrollment nights before each term.

Space. Classes meet in libraries, churches and community centers that offer free or low-cost rooms and a separate room for child care.

Partners. The community college, libraries, employers and clinics. Each has a written agreement.

Safety and privacy rules. Two adults are present in every child care room. Attendants pass background checks and are trained in child safety and first aid. Children are signed in and out by a parent. Student information is private. We never ask about immigration status. We call 911 in an emergency.

Money controls. Transit passes are bought from transit providers and given to students, and no cash is given.

Records and reporting. We track enrollment, attendance and progress and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Instructors receive training in adult second-language teaching and cultural humility.

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. English instructors teach the classes, and child care attendants care for children during class.

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 $58,000 a year each.
- English Instructor: 2, 2, 3, 3, 3 (Years 1 to 5), about $44,000 a year each.
- Child Care Attendant (part-time): 2, 2, 2, 3, 3 (Years 1 to 5), about $18,000 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. We seek instructors with training in adult education or English as a second language, and welcome staff who speak students' languages. An advisory group of students, an employer, a librarian and a teacher meets quarterly.

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): hire instructors and attendants, sign site agreements, buy materials and plan the first open enrollment nights
- Year 1: enroll about 200 adult learners and care for about 120 children during class. The budget is $222,500.
- Year 2: add a third instructor and family literacy sessions. The budget is $224,000.
- Year 3: add workplace classes with employer partners. The budget is $271,000.
- Year 4: add an advanced class and job readiness workshops. The budget is $291,000.
- Year 5: serve about 450 learners a year and publish a plain results report. The budget is $293,000.

How we will measure results: learners enrolled, attendance, learners who advance a level, learners who report using English at work or school and parent and employer satisfaction. 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: $55,000 from a regional community foundation for English instructor salaries and learning materials, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: English instructor salaries, $45,000.
- Supplies: Curriculum, books and learning materials, $10,000 (other funds add $2,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 30% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $222,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $8,200 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $184,500; individual donations $24,000; employer and community sponsors $14,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $58,000; english instructor $88,000; child care attendant (part-time) $36,000; curriculum, books and learning materials about $10,000; child care supplies and activities about $4,000; transit passes paid to transit providers about $5,000; administration and insurance about $12,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $14,500 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,600 for laptops, a projector and a mobile classroom cart, $2,900 for classroom furniture, whiteboards and child care play equipment, $2,400 for placement test and curriculum licenses, $1,500 for background checks and child safety training, $2,200 for policy review and legal setup, and $1,900 for banners, flyers in several languages and a simple website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($14,500), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $53,300, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $68,000. We start with $14,000 of our own savings and $55,500 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $69,500 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $222,500 in Year 1 to about $293,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $184,500, $178,000, $217,000, $229,000, $223,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $8,200, $7,900, $9,100, $9,000 and $9,000 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 $63,600, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $8,900 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and employer and community sponsors grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Employers may sponsor workplace classes and the community college may share space or materials.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- Students may miss class because of work. We offer flexible times and make-up lessons.
- A child care incident could occur. We follow strict safety rules and train staff.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and sponsors each year and keep savings.
- A site may close. We keep backup sites.
- Instructors may leave. We cross-train and keep substitutes.

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.
- Your site agreements and class schedule.
- Instructor qualifications and background check policy.
- Your child safety policy and privacy policy.
- Letters of support from students and employers.
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: $184,500 in Year 1, growing to $223,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $24,000 in Year 1, growing to $40,000 in Year 5.
- Employer and Community Sponsors: $14,000 in Year 1, growing to $30,000 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: curriculum, books and learning materials $10,000, child care supplies and activities $4,000, transit passes paid to transit providers $5,000, and administration and insurance $12,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year as the program grows.
- Grant and partner payments arrive after we bill, so about $8,900 (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