Grandfamilies Together

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Executive Summary

Grandfamilies Together is a nonprofit in Kansas that supports grandparents and other relatives who are raising children when the parents cannot. Many of these caregivers step in suddenly, with little money, no crib or car seat and no idea where to turn. We offer a Kinship Navigator who helps them find benefits and services, monthly support groups with child care, quarterly respite events and emergency essentials such as beds, car seats and school supplies, paid directly to stores and vendors.

Raising a grandchild or a niece or nephew is a loving act and a heavy one. Caregivers may be on a fixed income, in poor health or unsure about their legal rights. Children may have lost a parent to illness, deployment, incarceration or addiction and need extra care. Caregivers often feel alone.

With this grant we will serve about 120 caregiver households in Year 1, caring for about 200 children, through two monthly support groups in two towns. About 80 households will receive emergency essentials averaging about $250 each, paid to stores. A volunteer attorney will hold a monthly legal clinic. We are not a child welfare agency, we do not give legal advice and we do not decide who qualifies for any benefit.

Our Year 1 budget is about $182,000, growing to about $239,000 by Year 5. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 paid staff in Year 1 and 4 by Year 3, supported by volunteers.

We are asking the Willow Creek Family Fund for $64,000 for our Kinship Navigator and for emergency essentials. County and state funds, faith communities and donors also give, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

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

Company Description

Grandfamilies Together is a small, independent nonprofit in Kansas, organized as a 501(c)(3) public charity. We serve grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings and family friends who are raising children, in our county and the counties around it.

Our mission. To help relatives who step up to raise children have the support, information and respite they need.

What we believe. Children do best with people who love them, and those people deserve help. We listen first, treat every caregiver with respect and never judge the circumstances that brought a child to their home. We protect privacy, explain what we can and cannot do and never promise results we do not control.

What we offer:
- Kinship navigation. A Kinship Navigator helps caregivers learn about benefits, school enrollment, health coverage and child care help, and helps with the paperwork.
- Support groups. Monthly meetings with a meal, child care and a facilitator, so caregivers can share ideas and rest.
- Emergency essentials. Beds, car seats, clothing, school supplies and similar items, paid directly to stores and vendors.
- Respite and activities. Quarterly respite days and family activities, with trained and screened child care staff.
- Legal clinic. A volunteer attorney offers free information sessions on custody and guardianship options, with referrals for those who need an attorney.

Who we serve. Relatives raising children outside the foster care system, and relatives who are licensed or are in the process, with a focus on grandparents on fixed incomes.

What we do not do. We do not give legal advice ourselves, decide eligibility for any benefit, investigate families, report on caregivers beyond what the law requires or give cash.

How we are run. A volunteer board of seven, including two grandparents who are raising grandchildren, governs the organization. I am the Executive Director. The Kinship Navigator works with families, and a part-time support group coordinator runs the groups.

Where things stand today. We have letters of support from a county human services office, two school districts and four churches, a volunteer attorney who has agreed to run the clinic, a meeting room donated by a church, quotes for equipment and a permission and privacy form under review by an attorney. (Replace this with where you really are.)

Problem & Opportunity

Many children in the United States live with relatives instead of their parents, and in our area many of them live with grandparents. A family can be formed overnight, with a child arriving at the door with a bag of clothes.

Kinship caregivers often have no legal authority to enroll a child in school or consent to medical care. They may not be eligible for the same support as licensed foster parents. Many are older and on fixed incomes, and may be raising a child with trauma or special needs. They may not know about benefits that exist, such as health coverage, child-only help or school lunch programs, or how to apply.

Caregivers often feel isolated. Friends their age are retired, and other parents at school are younger. They may be afraid to ask for help for fear of losing the child. Respite is rare.

For a small nonprofit, the hard parts are reaching caregivers who are not yet connected to services, paying for essentials in a way that is fair and safe, providing child care so caregivers can attend groups and keeping everything private.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Kinship care is common and growing as a way for children to stay with family, and we will use the most recent local numbers on children in kinship care and grandparent households in our final plan. We do not know exactly how many caregivers will come, so our plan uses a first-year goal and will report what really happens.

Products & Services

Grandfamilies Together will give relatives who are raising children a person to call, a group to join and help with the essentials.

How it works, step by step:
1. First contact. A caregiver calls, texts or is referred by a school, church or agency. The Kinship Navigator returns the call within two working days.
2. Listen and plan. The Navigator listens to the family's story, asks what is most urgent and builds a simple plan with the caregiver.
3. Benefits and services. The Navigator explains programs the family may qualify for, such as health coverage, child care help and school supports, and helps with applications. Agencies decide eligibility, not us.
4. Emergency essentials. When a child arrives with no bed, car seat or clothes, we pay the store or vendor directly, up to a set limit per household, and give the caregiver the item.
5. Support groups. Caregivers join a monthly meeting with a meal and child care, led by a trained facilitator.
6. Respite. Caregivers can sign up for a quarterly respite day while children enjoy a supervised activity.
7. Legal information. A monthly clinic gives general information about custody and guardianship, and refers caregivers to an attorney for advice.
8. Follow up. The Navigator checks in every few months and records what changed, with the caregiver's permission.

Why this approach is strong. A single trusted person who knows the system saves caregivers hours. Peer support and respite keep caregivers healthy so children can stay safe at home.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: grandparents and other relatives raising children, and the children in their care, in our county and the counties around it.

Our primary group is caregivers who have taken in a child without a court order or foster care license, many on fixed incomes. Our secondary group is caregivers with licenses or court orders who need support, and schools and agencies that work with them. We will use the most recent local numbers on children living with relatives and grandparent households in our final plan.

How we sized our plan. We plan to serve about 120 caregiver households in Year 1, caring for about 200 children, with about 80 households receiving emergency essentials. We grow to about 150 households in Year 2, 220 in Year 3 with a second navigator, 260 in Year 4 and about 300 households in Year 5. Our Year 1 budget is about $182,000 and our Year 5 budget is about $239,000.

Demand data. Letters of support from a county human services office, two school districts and four churches, and calls from school counselors who know caregivers in need, show clear demand. We do not count on any single referral source.

We do not serve everyone. We refer caregivers who need legal help beyond information to legal aid, and families in crisis to the county child welfare line or emergency services.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for caregivers, and what makes us different.

- County child welfare and foster care agencies. They serve children in the system, but many relatives are outside it. We serve caregivers whether or not they are in the system.
- General family resource centers. They offer broad services. We specialize in kinship caregiving.
- National grandparent groups and online forums. They offer ideas and community. We offer local meetings and hands-on help.
- Churches and community groups. They give support to many families. We add navigation and essentials.
- Handling it alone. Many caregivers do. We offer a person to call and a group to join.

What makes us different.
- A Kinship Navigator who knows the local benefits and helps with the paperwork.
- Support groups with child care and a meal.
- Emergency essentials paid to stores, never cash.
- A board that includes grandparents who are raising grandchildren.

What we do not claim. We are new. Larger agencies have more staff and funding. We plan to earn trust one caregiver at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach the people we serve.

Schools and counselors. We will visit school counselors and family liaisons, who often know which children live with grandparents, and give them cards and a one-page guide to hand to caregivers.

Churches and community groups. We will speak at church groups and senior centers, set up a table at community events and ask volunteers to spread the word.

Agencies and clinics. We will meet county human services staff, pediatric clinics and the area agency on aging and ask them to refer caregivers.

Caregivers themselves. Support group members invite friends, and our board members who are caregivers speak at events.

Online and by phone. A simple website and a phone and text number make it easy to reach us. All materials are in plain language, in large print and in English and Spanish.

Word of mouth and events. Once a year we will hold a family picnic where caregivers, children, volunteers and partners can meet, and where new caregivers can see that they are not alone.

Cost to the family. Free. We never charge caregivers for navigation, groups or essentials.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (summer): Sign agreements with the church meeting room and partner agencies, buy equipment and storage, recruit and train the facilitator and child care staff and set up referral forms.
- Month 3 (late summer): Open the phone line, hold the first support group in the first town and begin navigation.
- Months 4 to 6 (fall): Start the second support group, hold the first respite day and begin the legal clinic. Set up the emergency essentials process.
- Months 7 to 10 (winter and spring): Run groups each month, hold a respite day each quarter and follow up with caregivers.
- Months 11 and 12 (late spring): Survey caregivers, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Support groups meet in church meeting rooms donated by partner churches. Our small office is shared space in a community building.

Equipment. We buy about $7,600 of equipment once at the start: two laptops and a tablet with secure storage ($3,200), a portable sound system and meeting kit ($1,400), locking storage and shelving for essentials ($1,500) and child-friendly furniture and activity supplies ($1,500). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1, I serve as Executive Director. The Kinship Navigator, paid $44,000 a year, works with caregivers and manages essentials. A part-time support group coordinator, paid $24,000 a year, runs groups and respite. A second Navigator joins in Year 3.

Safety and privacy. Child care staff and volunteers pass background checks, are never alone with a child and follow a written plan for emergencies that includes calling 911. We keep files secure, share information only with a caregiver's written permission and explain the limits of confidentiality, such as suspected abuse or neglect of a child, which must be reported under state law.

Essentials. We pay stores and vendors directly, up to $250 on average per household, and never give cash. Staff do not accept gifts from families or vendors.

Costs. Emergency essentials are about $20,000 in Year 1, respite care and family activities about $10,000, the legal clinic partner about $6,000, child care during support groups about $5,000 and administration and insurance about $10,000.

Management & Organization

The people who will carry out the project.

Dolores Hayes, Executive Director. Fifteen years of nonprofit work, including nine years supporting older adults and families at an area agency on aging. She oversees the program, partnerships, fundraising and finances. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Kinship Navigator (from Year 1). Works with caregivers, builds plans, helps with benefits and manages essentials. A second joins in Year 3.

Support group coordinator (part-time, from Year 1). Runs groups and respite days and manages child care staff.

Volunteers and facilitators. Trained group facilitators and a volunteer attorney who runs the monthly clinic.

Board and advisors. Seven volunteer board members, including two grandparents who are raising grandchildren, a school counselor and a social worker, who meet every quarter. An attorney reviews our permission and privacy forms.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: Executive Director $55,000, Kinship Navigator $44,000 and part-time support group coordinator $24,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

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

- Year 1: Serve about 120 caregiver households caring for about 200 children, run two monthly support groups and give emergency essentials to about 80 households. A balanced budget of about $182,000, with a small surplus of about $6,500. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 2: Serve about 150 households and open a third support group. A balanced budget of about $184,500, with a small surplus of about $6,200. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a second Kinship Navigator and serve about 220 households. A balanced budget of about $233,000, with a small surplus of about $7,800. About 4 paid staff.
- Year 4: Serve about 260 households and add a caregiver mentoring program. A balanced budget of about $236,000, with a small surplus of about $7,500. About 4 paid staff.
- Year 5: Serve about 300 households and share our model with other counties. A balanced budget of about $239,000, with a small surplus of about $7,300. About 4 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Households served and children in their care.
- Caregivers who joined a support group and attended three or more meetings.
- Essentials provided and the average cost.
- Caregivers who say they know where to get help.
- Caregivers who enrolled children in school or health coverage with our help.
- Respite days held and families who attended.

How we review results. The Kinship Navigator reviews numbers every month. Twice a year, staff and the board review all results and share them with funders and partners. If a group or a town has low attendance, we change the time, place or child care. 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: $64,000 from the Willow Creek Family Fund for a Kinship Navigator and emergency essentials for caregivers, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Kinship Navigator salary, $44,000.
- Other: Emergency essentials paid directly to stores and vendors, $20,000 (other funds add $5,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 49% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $182,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,500 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $130,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), county and state family support funds $30,000, faith communities and individual donations $22,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $55,000; kinship navigator $44,000; support group coordinator $24,000; emergency essentials (paid to stores and vendors) about $20,000; respite care and family activities about $10,000; legal clinic partner about $6,000; child care during support groups about $5,000; administration and insurance about $10,000; about $2,500 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $15,700 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,200 for two laptops and a tablet with secure storage; $1,400 for portable sound system and a meeting room setup kit; $1,500 for locking storage and shelving for essentials; $1,500 for child-friendly furniture and activity supplies for group nights; $3,500 for opening stock of beds, car seats and school supplies; $2,200 for attorney review of the legal clinic agreement and privacy policy; $1,200 for banners, flyers and a simple website; $1,200 for background checks and first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($15,700), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $43,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. The cash used before it balances and the cushion come to about $43,500. In all, that comes to $59,500. We start with $11,000 of our own savings and $51,000 in startup support from a local family foundation and our board, $62,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $182,000 in Year 1 to about $239,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $130,000, $124,500, $165,000, $160,000 and $155,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: county and state family support funds from $30,000 to $46,000 and faith communities and individual donations from $22,000 to $38,000. We add a third support group in Year 2 and a second Kinship Navigator in Year 3. Grants fall from about 71% of our income in Year 1 to about 65% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $55,100, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,280 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. County and state family support funds, faith communities, businesses and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Caregivers become volunteers and mentors for new caregivers, and sponsors can underwrite a support group by name.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- Caregivers do not come forward. We work through schools, churches and clinics and invite caregivers who are board members to speak.
- A family in crisis. We have a written plan to connect families to emergency services and child protection when the law requires.
- Funds for essentials run low. We set a limit per household and a monthly budget.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy and train staff and volunteers.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow county and donor support each 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 support group in one town, a part-time navigator and volunteer child care, 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 school, church and agency.
- Your agreement with the volunteer attorney.
- Your permission and privacy forms in English and Spanish.
- Your background check and child care safety policy.
- Your essentials policy with the limit per household.
- Quotes for equipment and storage.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
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: $130,000 in Year 1, then $124,500, $165,000, $160,000 and $155,000.
- County and State Family Support Funds: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $46,000.
- Faith Communities and Individual Donations: $22,000 in Year 1, growing to $38,000.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive director $55,000, kinship navigator $44,000, support group coordinator (part-time) $24,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: emergency essentials (paid to stores and vendors) $20,000, respite care and family activities $10,000, legal clinic partner $6,000, child care during support groups $5,000, administration and insurance $10,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $7,600 at the start, then $1,000 to $2,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $15,700, paid once from $62,000 in startup money.
- Households served: about 120 in Year 1, growing to about 300 in Year 5. Emergency essentials average about $250 per household and are paid to stores and vendors.
- 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