Healing Ground Grief Center

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Executive Summary

Healing Ground Grief Center is a nonprofit in New Mexico that supports children, teens and adults after the death of a family member or friend. A licensed grief counselor leads support groups and individual sessions, trained volunteers help in groups and a weekend camp gives grieving children a place to be with others who understand.

Grief is a normal response to loss, but many people have no one to talk with and many families cannot pay for counseling. With this grant we will pay a licensed counselor and the costs of a children's grief camp. All services are free. We do not claim that grief can be fixed or that any program ends sadness, and we refer people who need more help to a doctor or therapist. If anyone is thinking of suicide, call or text 988.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $187,000. We are asking for $50,000 from a state community foundation to a licensed grief counselor salary and a children's grief camp. 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

Healing Ground Grief Center is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes people who have experienced loss. 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. Grief is a natural response to loss, not an illness. People heal in their own way and time, and no one should grieve alone.

What we do:
- Support groups. Weekly groups for children, teens and adults, grouped by age and type of loss.
- Individual counseling. Short-term sessions with a licensed counselor.
- Children's grief camp. A weekend camp with activities, memory-making and time with peers.
- Community education. Training for schools, faith groups and workplaces on how to support someone who is grieving.

Licensing and scope. Counseling is provided only by licensed clinicians working within their license. Trained volunteers co-facilitate groups but do not provide therapy. We do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions and we refer people who need more help.

Who we serve. Children, teens and adults who have lost someone, regardless of the cause of death or ability to pay.

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 grieving people have little support.

1. Few free services. Counseling is expensive and waiting lists are long.
2. Children are overlooked. Adults often assume children will bounce back, and schools may not know how to help.
3. Isolation. Friends may not know what to say, and people can feel alone.
4. Complicated losses. Deaths from illness, accidents, overdose or violence can bring added pain and stigma.
5. Work and school pressures. Grieving people may struggle at work or in class.

Why it matters now. Unaddressed grief can lead to anxiety, depression and problems in school and at work, and families are looking for local support after a loss.

How we know the need is real. We counted bereavement referrals from hospice programs and schools, reviewed local counseling waiting times and talked with 40 grieving families. Families said they wanted a place to be with others who understood and that camp was especially important for children. 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 licensed grief counselor and the costs of a children's grief camp for a full year.

How a person takes part:
1. Contact. A family calls, is referred by a school, hospice or clinic or comes to a community event.
2. Welcome. The program coordinator talks with the person, explains what to expect and schedules an intake with the counselor.
3. Groups and counseling. People join a group and can meet with the counselor for a short series of sessions.
4. Camp. Children and teens take part in a weekend grief camp with trained volunteers and the counselor.
5. Follow-up. We check in and help people find other support if needed.

What the grant pays for. The request covers the counselor's salary and children's grief camp costs.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that any person will feel better by a certain time. We track attendance and what participants tell us, and report honestly.

Safety. We screen volunteers and keep two adults present with children. If someone is thinking of suicide, staff stay with them and call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. We call 911 for emergencies and follow the law on reporting suspected abuse.

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 children, teens and adults in our service area who are grieving the death of someone close.

Who we serve. People of all ages and backgrounds, with many referred by hospice programs, schools, hospitals and funeral homes. Many have limited incomes.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to serve about 180 people in support groups, to provide individual counseling for about 60 people and to host two camps for about 50 children. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 400 people a year. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one counselor at first and two by the fourth year.

Where we serve. The city and surrounding counties, with groups in schools and community centers and virtual groups for rural families.

Who else benefits. Schools that gain a partner, employers whose staff are supported and families who see their children cope better.

How we will be careful. We protect privacy, collect only what we need and never share a person's story 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. Hospice bereavement programs. Serve hospice families and sometimes the wider community but with limits.
2. Private counselors. Provide care but cost and waits are barriers.
3. Faith communities. Offer comfort but not always structured groups.
4. School counselors. Provide help but have large caseloads.
5. Online groups and national programs.

What makes us different. We are free, offer groups for all ages, a children's camp and licensed counseling in one place. We work with hospice programs and schools and refer people to them when they are a better fit.

How we avoid duplication. We meet with hospice programs and schools to coordinate referrals and avoid overlapping groups.

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 grieving families once the project is funded.

Referral partners. Hospice programs, hospitals, funeral homes, schools, clinics and faith communities will refer people, and we give each partner a short guide and a direct number.

Community events. Memorial events and open houses introduce our program and offer a gentle place to start.

Word of mouth. Families who have been helped tell others. With permission, we share anonymous stories.

Digital outreach. A gentle website and social media will share the schedule and how to join. We will not post a person's story or photo without written permission.

Access. Materials will be in English and Spanish, groups will meet in the evening and some will be virtual for rural families.

Measuring outreach. We will track how each person 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 the counselor, sign partner agreements, train volunteers and book the camp site. Months 3 to 12: run groups, offer counseling and hold the camps.

Space. Groups and counseling meet in a quiet, comfortable room at partner sites. Camp is held at a camp or retreat center.

Partners. Hospice programs, schools, clinics and a camp site. Each has a written agreement.

Safety, privacy and clinical rules. A licensed counselor provides counseling and supervises volunteers. Volunteers pass background checks and training. Two adults are present with children at all times. Records are locked and shared only with consent or as the law requires. Staff are trained to recognize risk of suicide and know how to reach 988. We call 911 in emergencies.

Camp safety. We use a licensed site, a first aid certified staff member, written allergy and medication plans and a clear ratio of adults to children.

Records and reporting. We track attendance and participant feedback and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Staff and volunteers receive training in grief support and child 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 partners. The licensed grief counselor leads counseling and groups and supervises volunteers, and the program coordinator manages scheduling and camp logistics.

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.
- Licensed Grief Counselor: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $60,000 a year each.
- Program Coordinator (part-time): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $22,000 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. The counselor holds the license required in New Mexico and we welcome volunteers who have experienced loss. An advisory group of a pediatrician, a chaplain, a school counselor and a parent 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 counselor, sign partner agreements, train volunteers and book the camp site
- Year 1: serve about 180 people in groups, 60 in counseling and 50 children at camp. The budget is $187,000.
- Year 2: add a teen group and a bilingual group. The budget is $188,500.
- Year 3: add virtual groups for rural families. The budget is $190,500.
- Year 4: hire a second counselor. The budget is $254,500.
- Year 5: serve about 400 people a year and publish a plain results report. The budget is $256,500.

How we will measure results: people attending groups, people in counseling, children at camp, participants' own ratings of support and coping, referrals received and families who say they would recommend the program. 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: $50,000 from a state community foundation for a licensed grief counselor salary and a children's grief camp, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Licensed Grief Counselor salary, $40,000.
- Other: Children's grief camp costs, $10,000 (other funds add $3,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 32% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $187,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,900 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $155,000; individual donations $20,000; community and memorial gifts $12,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $58,000; licensed grief counselor $60,000; program coordinator (part-time) $22,000; children's grief camp costs (site, food and activities) about $14,000; counseling supplies and materials about $6,000; clinical supervision and liability insurance about $7,000; administration and insurance about $12,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $14,300 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $2,800 for furniture, soft seating and supplies for two counseling rooms, $2,700 for laptops and a locked file system for confidential records, $2,400 for memory-making supplies and camp materials, $1,800 for background checks and volunteer training, $2,600 for clinical protocol review and legal setup, and $2,000 for brochures, a sign and a gentle website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($14,300), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $44,800, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $59,500. We start with $12,000 of our own savings and $49,000 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $61,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $187,000 in Year 1 to about $256,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $155,000, $149,500, $144,500, $201,500, $196,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $6,900, $6,300, $6,200, $7,900 and $7,600 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 $56,000, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,480 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and memorial gifts grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Hospice programs, schools and funeral homes may help fund services over time.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A participant may be in crisis. Staff are trained, stay with the person and call 911 or direct them to 988.
- A counselor may leave. We cross-train and keep a list of qualified substitutes.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and gifts each year and keep savings.
- Camp may face bad weather or an illness. We have a written plan and a backup site.
- A privacy mistake could occur. We lock records and train everyone.

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.
- The counselor's license and professional liability insurance.
- Written agreements with hospice programs and schools.
- Camp safety plan and volunteer screening policy.
- Letters of support from families and partners.
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: $155,000 in Year 1, growing to $196,500 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $36,000 in Year 5.
- Community and Memorial Gifts: $12,000 in Year 1, growing to $24,000 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: children's grief camp costs (site, food and activities) $14,000, counseling supplies and materials $6,000, clinical supervision and liability insurance $7,000, 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 $7,480 (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