Peaceful Journey Hospice Access

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Executive Summary

Peaceful Journey Hospice Access is a nonprofit in Tennessee that helps families, especially in communities that have been left out, understand hospice and plan ahead for serious illness. A community navigator answers questions and connects families to licensed hospice providers, and a facilitator leads workshops where people can think about the care they would want.

Many people never learn what hospice is, or they learn too late. Families in communities of color, rural areas and low-income neighborhoods are less likely to receive hospice care. With this grant we will pay a community navigator and the educational materials for workshops. We are not a hospice provider, we do not give medical or legal advice and we never pressure anyone. Every person chooses what care they want.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $176,500. We are asking for $52,000 from a community health fund to a community navigator salary and educational 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

Peaceful Journey Hospice Access is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes caregivers, clergy and health professionals. 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 person has the right to decide how they want to live through the end of life. We respect each family's culture, faith and choices and we never push a decision.

What we do:
- Navigation. A navigator listens, answers questions about hospice and helps families reach licensed hospice providers.
- Advance care planning workshops. A facilitator helps people think about their wishes and complete forms with a licensed professional.
- Community education. Talks for faith communities, senior centers and community groups.
- Volunteer support. Screened volunteers provide companionship and help for families, not medical care.

What we do not do. We are not a hospice or health care provider, do not give medical advice, do not sell insurance and do not give legal advice. Legal forms are completed with an attorney or a licensed professional.

Who we serve. Families facing serious illness and older adults who want to plan ahead, with priority for communities with low rates of hospice use.

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 families do not learn about hospice in time.

1. Low awareness. Many people do not know what hospice offers or that it can be received at home.
2. Mistrust and myths. Some people think hospice means giving up or are wary of health systems.
3. Unequal access. Families in underserved communities use hospice less than others.
4. Few planning conversations. Many families never talk about wishes until a crisis.
5. Confusing paperwork. Advance directive forms and rules are hard to understand.

Why it matters now. Hospice can offer comfort, support and help at home for the person and the family, and early information leads to better choices.

How we know the need is real. We reviewed hospice use by neighborhood and found low use in several communities, talked with 40 families and met with clergy and clinics. Families said they wished they had known sooner and clinics said they needed a trusted community partner. 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 community navigator and the educational materials for workshops for a full year.

How a family takes part:
1. Contact. A family calls, is referred by a clinic or faith leader or attends a community talk.
2. Listening and information. The navigator listens, explains hospice in plain language and answers questions.
3. Connection. If the family wants, the navigator helps them contact a licensed hospice provider and the person's doctor.
4. Planning. The family can attend an advance care planning workshop where a facilitator explains the process and a licensed professional completes forms.
5. Follow-up. We check in and offer support from trained volunteers.

What the grant pays for. The request covers the navigator's salary and educational materials.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that a person will qualify for hospice or that any provider will have space. We explain choices honestly.

Safety and respect. Volunteers pass background checks and do not give medical care. We keep every conversation confidential, follow the law on reporting abuse and call 911 for emergencies. We offer 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, to anyone who is in distress.

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 families facing serious illness and older adults in our service area, especially in communities with low rates of hospice use.

Who we serve. Black, Latino and rural families, people with low incomes and faith communities that have asked for help.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to work with about 150 families through navigation, hold about 30 community talks reaching about 900 people and run about 12 planning workshops for about 150 people. By Year 5 we plan to work with about 300 families a year. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one navigator and a part-time facilitator at first and two navigators later.

Where we serve. The city and surrounding rural counties, with talks held at churches, senior centers and clinics.

Who else benefits. Clinics that gain a partner, hospice providers who can reach families earlier and caregivers who feel more supported.

How we will be careful. We protect privacy, collect only what we need and never share a person's health information without consent.

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 providers. Offer care but may not have community education programs.
2. Hospital palliative care teams. Serve patients in the hospital.
3. Faith communities. Offer support but not planning workshops.
4. Senior centers and aging agencies. Offer some education.
5. National websites and hotlines.

What makes us different. We bring trusted community messengers to families who are less likely to receive hospice information, and we are independent so families can choose any licensed provider. We work with hospice providers and clinics.

How we avoid duplication. We meet with hospice providers, hospitals and the aging agency to coordinate education and 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 families once the project is funded.

Faith communities. Pastors and faith leaders will host talks and share information with congregations.

Clinics and hospitals. We will give providers a short guide and a direct line to the navigator.

Community events. Health fairs, senior center events and neighborhood meetings.

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

Digital outreach. A simple website and social media will explain hospice in plain language and list talks and workshops. We will not post personal information.

Access. Materials will be in English and Spanish and large print, talks will be held in trusted places and at times that suit families and we will provide interpreters.

Measuring outreach. We will track how each family 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 navigator and facilitator, sign partner agreements and train volunteers. Months 3 to 12: hold talks and workshops, answer calls and make referrals.

Space. Talks and workshops are held at churches, senior centers and clinics. The navigator works from a small office and by phone.

Partners. Hospice providers, clinics, faith communities and an aging agency. Each has a written agreement.

Safety, privacy and professional rules. Navigators do not give medical advice and refer questions to a person's doctor. Forms are completed with a licensed professional. Volunteers pass background checks and training. Conversations are confidential. We call 911 for emergencies and offer 988 to anyone in distress.

Records and reporting. We track families served, talks held and referrals made in a secure system and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Staff and volunteers receive training in end-of-life communication, cultural humility and confidentiality.

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 community navigator works with families, and the advance care planning facilitator leads workshops.

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.
- Community Navigator: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $44,000 a year each.
- Advance Care Planning Facilitator (part-time): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $28,000 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 health care or community work and welcome people who have cared for a loved one. An advisory group of clergy, a nurse, a social worker and a caregiver 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 navigator and facilitator, sign partner agreements, train volunteers and schedule the first talks
- Year 1: work with about 150 families, hold about 30 talks and run about 12 workshops. The budget is $176,500.
- Year 2: add partnerships with clinics and faith communities. The budget is $178,500.
- Year 3: add rural outreach and a second facilitator. The budget is $180,000.
- Year 4: hire a second navigator. The budget is $227,500.
- Year 5: work with about 300 families a year and publish a plain results report. The budget is $229,500.

How we will measure results: families served, talks held, workshop participants, referrals to licensed hospice providers, plans completed with a professional and family 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: $52,000 from a community health fund for a community navigator salary and educational materials, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Community Navigator salary, $44,000.
- Supplies: Educational materials and printing, $8,000 (other funds add $2,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 36% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $176,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,400 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $142,500; individual donations $22,000; faith community and business sponsors $12,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $58,000; community navigator $44,000; advance care planning facilitator (part-time) $28,000; educational materials and printing about $8,000; volunteer training and screening about $6,000; outreach and community events about $8,000; interpreter services about $5,000; administration and insurance about $12,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $13,600 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,000 for laptops, a projector and a locked cabinet for confidential files, $2,500 for education display materials and meeting furniture, $2,200 for facilitator training and certification, $1,500 for background checks and volunteer training, $2,400 for policy review and legal setup, and $2,000 for brochures in english and spanish, large print and a simple website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($13,600), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $42,300, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $56,000. We start with $12,000 of our own savings and $45,500 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $57,500 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $176,500 in Year 1 to about $229,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $142,500, $137,500, $132,000, $172,500, $167,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $6,400, $6,400, $5,900, $7,300 and $7,100 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 $52,400, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,060 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and faith community and business sponsors grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Hospice providers and health systems may help fund education over time.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A family may be in crisis. Staff stay with them, call 911 or direct them to 988.
- Trust may take time to build. We work through faith leaders and clinics families already trust.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and sponsors each year and keep savings.
- A privacy mistake could occur. We lock records and train staff.
- Demand may exceed capacity. We keep clear criteria and add trained volunteers.

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 partner agreements with hospice providers and clinics.
- Your volunteer screening policy and confidentiality policy.
- Workshop materials and a sample referral form.
- Letters of support from faith leaders and clinics.
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: $142,500 in Year 1, growing to $167,500 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $22,000 in Year 1, growing to $38,000 in Year 5.
- Faith Community and Business Sponsors: $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: educational materials and printing $8,000, volunteer training and screening $6,000, outreach and community events $8,000, interpreter services $5,000, 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 $7,060 (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