ScienceHer

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Executive Summary

ScienceHer is a nonprofit in Tennessee that gives girls in grades 4 through 8 hands-on experience with science, coding and engineering. Girls build robots, run experiments and design apps in after-school clubs and summer camps, guided by women scientists, engineers and teachers who show them what a career in STEM can look like.

Girls often lose interest in science in the middle grades, and many never meet a woman who works in a STEM field. With this grant we will pay a program coordinator and the kits and supplies for clubs and camps. We do not promise that any girl will choose a STEM career. We aim to make science fun, hands-on and welcoming so that girls keep the option open.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $185,000. We are asking for $60,000 from a regional STEM foundation to a STEM program coordinator salary and STEM supplies. 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

ScienceHer is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes scientists, teachers and parents. 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. Every girl is curious and capable. We make science hands-on, build confidence through projects and keep every child safe and respected.

What we do:
- After-school STEM clubs. Weekly clubs at schools and community centers where girls work in teams on projects.
- Summer camps. Week-long camps with robotics, coding, chemistry and engineering challenges.
- Mentors. Women working in STEM visit clubs and share their stories.
- Family nights. Events where families see what the girls built and learn how to support them.

What we do not do. We do not make promises about grades, college or careers, and we do not collect personal information beyond what we need. Children are never alone with one unscreened adult.

Who we serve. Girls in grades 4 through 8 who live in our service area, with priority for girls at schools where most students have low incomes. All programs are free.

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 girls drift away from science in the middle grades.

1. Fewer STEM role models. Many girls rarely see a woman working as a scientist or engineer.
2. Lost confidence. Girls report that they feel less sure of their ability in math and science than boys with the same skills.
3. Limited hands-on opportunities. Schools with small budgets may not have lab equipment or clubs.
4. Cost of programs. Many camps are expensive.
5. Lack of access. Families may not know about programs or have transportation.

Why it matters now. Careers in science, technology, engineering and math are among the fastest growing, and employers want a more diverse workforce.

How we know the need is real. We looked at middle school science participation and the number of schools with STEM clubs in our area, surveyed 150 girls and talked to teachers. Girls said they want projects and not just lectures, and teachers said they need volunteers and equipment. 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 a STEM program coordinator and the kits and supplies for clubs and camps for a full year.

How a girl takes part:
1. Sign-up. A girl joins a club at her school or a summer camp, with a parent's permission.
2. Hands-on projects. Teams of four to six build a robot, run an experiment or design a small app, guided by an instructor and a mentor.
3. Mentor visits. A woman working in STEM shares her story and helps with a project.
4. Showcase. At the end of each session, girls present their work to families.
5. Next steps. Girls learn about other programs and classes.

What the grant pays for. The request covers the coordinator's salary and STEM kits and supplies.

What we do not promise. We do not promise a particular career or grade outcome. We track attendance and what girls say about their confidence and interest in science, and report honestly.

Safety. At least two adults are present at every club. Staff and volunteers pass background checks. We follow lab safety rules, use safe materials and supervise tools. Parents sign photo permissions. 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 girls in grades 4 through 8 in our service area and their families and schools.

Who we serve. Girls from many backgrounds, with a focus on schools where many students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to run about 8 clubs serving about 160 girls and 2 summer camps serving about 80 girls. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 450 girls a year. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one coordinator and part-time instructors at first, with more staff in later years.

Where we serve. Schools and community centers in the city and nearby communities, chosen for need and a willing partner.

Who else benefits. Teachers who gain help and equipment, families who gain confidence in their daughters and employers who gain a more diverse workforce.

How we will be careful. We keep records private, follow school rules and never post photos of a girl 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 in our area.

1. School science classes. Provide a foundation but limited hands-on time.
2. Robotics and science competitions. Excellent but often require fees and travel.
3. Museum and library programs. Offer occasional events.
4. Paid camps. Offer programs but cost is a barrier.
5. Other nonprofits.

What makes us different. We are free, focus on girls, bring women mentors into clubs and offer a continuing program across the school year and summer. We work with schools and museums and refer girls to other programs.

How we avoid duplication. We meet with schools, libraries and museums each term to share schedules and refer girls to programs that fit. We also ask each school what it already offers so that our clubs fill gaps, such as coding or robotics, instead of repeating a club the school already runs. When a girl outgrows our program, we help her find the next one, whether it is a school team, a library workshop or a university summer program.

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 girls and families once the project is funded.

School partners. Principals, science teachers and counselors will host clubs and invite girls to join.

Community partners. Libraries, churches, recreation centers and youth groups will share information.

Families and word of mouth. Parents and girls tell friends. With permission, we share stories.

Digital outreach. A website and social media will share schedules and a simple sign-up form. We will not post identifiable photos of girls without written permission.

Access. Materials will be in English and Spanish and clubs will meet after school at school sites so no transportation is needed. Camps offer transportation help through bus passes.

Measuring outreach. We will track how each girl heard about us and adjust our outreach where it is not working. We will also ask families what would make it easier to join, such as a different day, a ride or a flyer in another language, and change our plan to fit what we hear.

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 the coordinator and instructors, sign school agreements and buy kits. Months 3 to 12: run clubs through the school year and camps in the summer.

Space. Clubs meet at school sites, and camps meet at a school or community center.

Partners. Schools, libraries, a university and local companies that provide mentors. Each has a written agreement.

Safety and privacy rules. At least two adults are present at every session. Staff, mentors and volunteers pass background checks and training. We follow lab safety rules, use safe materials and supervise tools. We follow each school's rules. Parents sign photo permissions and we never share a girl's information without consent. We call 911 in an emergency.

Records and reporting. We track attendance, projects completed and girls' survey responses, and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Instructors and mentors receive training in youth engagement and safety.

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 STEM program coordinator runs the clubs and camps and supervises instructors, and part-time instructors and mentors lead sessions.

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 $56,000 a year each.
- STEM Program Coordinator: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $46,000 a year each.
- Part-Time Instructor and Mentor (average): 2, 2, 3, 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 staff with experience in teaching or STEM and welcome women who work in STEM as mentors. An advisory group of a teacher, an engineer, a parent and a girl alumna 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 the coordinator and instructors, sign school agreements, buy kits and recruit mentors
- Year 1: run about 8 clubs for about 160 girls and 2 camps for about 80 girls. The budget is $185,000.
- Year 2: add two clubs and a family night series. The budget is $187,000.
- Year 3: hire a second coordinator and add a coding track. The budget is $255,000.
- Year 4: add a middle-to-high-school bridge program. The budget is $257,000.
- Year 5: serve about 450 girls a year and publish a plain results report. The budget is $259,000.

How we will measure results: girls enrolled, attendance, projects completed, girls' own ratings of confidence and interest in science, mentor visits and parent and teacher 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: $60,000 from a regional STEM foundation for a STEM program coordinator salary and STEM supplies, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: STEM Program Coordinator salary, $46,000.
- Supplies: STEM kits and lab supplies, $14,000 (other funds add $3,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 40% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $185,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,800 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $151,000; individual donations $20,000; corporate and technology sponsors $14,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $56,000; STEM program coordinator $46,000; part-Time instructor and mentor (average) $36,000; STEM kits, lab supplies and technology about $18,000; field trip transportation about $6,000; background checks, training and safety supplies about $3,000; administration and insurance about $12,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $13,800 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $4,200 for twenty laptops with a charging cart and a projector, $1,800 for robotics kits, microscopes and lab equipment, $2,200 for opening supplies and a storage cart, $1,500 for background checks and first aid training, $2,200 for policy review and legal setup, and $1,900 for banners, flyers and a simple website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($13,800), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $44,300, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $58,500. We start with $12,000 of our own savings and $48,000 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $60,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $185,000 in Year 1 to about $259,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $151,000, $145,000, $205,000, $199,000, $193,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $6,800, $6,700, $8,500, $8,100 and $7,800 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 $54,600, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,400 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and corporate and technology sponsors grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Local companies may provide mentors and equipment and schools may share space and costs.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- Girls may drop out. We keep projects fun, stay in touch with families and offer make-up sessions.
- A school partner may change. We keep several partners.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and sponsors each year and keep savings.
- Mentors may be hard to find. We recruit early from local companies.
- A safety incident could occur. We follow written rules and train staff.

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 school agreements and club schedule.
- Your child safety, photo and privacy policies.
- A sample project plan and mentor list.
- Letters of support from teachers and families.
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: $151,000 in Year 1, growing to $193,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $36,000 in Year 5.
- Corporate and Technology 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: STEM kits, lab supplies and technology $18,000, field trip transportation $6,000, background checks, training and safety supplies $3,000, and administration and insurance $12,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year as the program grows.
- Grant and partner payments arrive after we bill, so about $7,400 (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