Rainbow Generations LGBTQ+ Senior Wellness Program

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Executive Summary

Rainbow Generations LGBTQ+ Senior Wellness Program is a nonprofit in California that helps LGBTQ+ older adults age with dignity and in community. We host weekly meals and social groups, match isolated elders with trained friendly visitors, provide a care navigator who helps with health care, benefits, housing and legal documents and train home care agencies and senior centers in respectful care.

LGBTQ+ older adults are more likely to live alone, to lack family support and to fear discrimination in care, and many go back into hiding when they need help. Most senior services are not set up with them in mind.

With this grant we will serve about 100 elders in Year 1 at 2 sites. We keep every person's identity and information private and never out anyone. We are not a medical provider and we call 911 in an emergency. We do not promise any outcome. We promise a welcoming, safe place and careful respect.

Our Year 1 budget is about $187,000, growing to about $244,000 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 4 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a Program Manager and two part-time navigators) and 7 by Year 5.

We are asking the Golden Years Equality Foundation for $55,000 for the Program Manager and community meals and events. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Rainbow Generations LGBTQ+ Senior Wellness Program is a nonprofit organization in California. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. Every LGBTQ+ older adult should be able to age with dignity, in community and in care that respects who they are.

What we do.
- Host weekly community meals and social groups for LGBTQ+ older adults in a welcoming space.
- Match isolated elders with trained friendly visitors, with a focus on those who live alone.
- Provide care navigation to help elders reach health care, benefits, housing and legal document clinics.
- Train home care agencies, nursing homes and senior centers in respectful, informed care.
- Provide rides to events and appointments.
- Offer wellness classes and events that reflect the community.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families and partners, safety first and a place for everyone who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We are not a medical provider and do not give medical or legal advice. We keep every person's identity and information private and never out anyone. Our staff call 911 in an emergency. We do not promise any outcome. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of LGBTQ+ elders, a social worker and a nurse began a monthly dinner at a community center. Attendance doubled within a year, and many said it was the only time they felt fully welcome. We kept simple records of who came and what they asked for. This proposal asks for support to move from monthly dinners to a steady program with paid, trained staff and the materials to match.

Problem & Opportunity

LGBTQ+ older adults are more likely to live alone, to lack children or family support and to fear discrimination in care, and many go back into hiding when they need help.

Cost. Many have lived on lower incomes because of past discrimination, and they cannot pay for care or companionship.

Access. Most senior services are not set up for LGBTQ+ elders, and staff may not understand their history or needs.

Safety and trust. Elders want to feel safe, and funders want programs that are confidential and well run.

Missed benefits. Elders who feel unwelcome may skip care and become isolated, with worse health.

What we hear.
- An elder says she went back into the closet when she moved into assisted living.
- A man says he has outlived most of his friends.
- A nurse says her LGBTQ+ patients often delay care because they fear judgment.
- A volunteer says the dinners are the best night of the month.

We do not claim that a program can solve every challenge. We believe that a welcoming community and trained providers can let LGBTQ+ elders age with dignity.

Products & Services

Rainbow Generations LGBTQ+ Senior Wellness Program gives LGBTQ+ older adults a safe, welcoming place to age in community and be seen.

How the program works.
1. Welcome. Elders learn about us through trusted community organizations and are invited to a meal.
2. Groups. Weekly meals and social groups meet in a welcoming space with rides provided.
3. Friendly visitors. Isolated elders are matched with trained visitors.
4. Navigation. A care navigator helps elders reach health care, benefits, housing and legal document clinics.
5. Provider training. We train home care agencies, nursing homes and senior centers in respectful care.
6. Wellness. Classes and events reflect the community and its history.
7. Privacy. We keep identities and information private and never share them without permission.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a staff member, settle in together, work on the day's activity in small groups and finish with a short talk about what went well. Staff praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one is left out.

Staff. Our staff and volunteers are trained, pass a background check, complete our training in confidentiality and respect and are paid or supported for their time. Many are LGBTQ+ elders and allies.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. Services are free. We welcome every LGBTQ+ older adult and their chosen family, and offer materials in large print and Spanish.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. LGBTQ+ older adults ages 55 and over and their chosen family who live in our service area. Eligibility is age and self-identification, and no one is asked to prove their identity.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our monthly dinners we served a full room and kept a waiting list. Senior centers and health providers told us that many more LGBTQ+ elders are looking for a safe place than they can serve. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 100 participants at 2 sites. By Year 5, with more staff and sites, we plan to serve about 300.

Where participants come from.
- LGBTQ+ community centers and groups.
- Senior centers and meal programs.
- Clinics, hospitals and home care agencies.
- Elders who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Elders gain community and care. Providers gain training and trust. Neighborhoods gain a stronger network of care.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is an elder who found a table where she belonged. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. Senior centers. Provide meals and activities and may not feel safe or familiar. We offer a welcoming option and train them.

2. LGBTQ+ community centers. Strong for younger people and have limited senior programs. We focus on elders.

3. Home care agencies. Provide care and may lack training in LGBTQ+ elder needs. We train them.

4. Faith groups. Caring and varied in welcome. We offer a program open to all.

5. Online groups. Helpful and not in-person.

What makes us different.
- A welcoming space designed for LGBTQ+ elders.
- Trained friendly visitors.
- Care navigation and legal document clinics.
- Training for providers.
- Rides to meals and appointments.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve people who can already pay or who live close to them. The people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with LGBTQ+ community centers, senior centers and home care providers to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- LGBTQ+ community centers and groups. We will share information and a named contact.
- Senior centers and meal programs. We will give staff a short referral form.
- Clinics and home care agencies. We will share flyers and training offers.
- Local LGBTQ+ media and social media. We will share information.
- Word of mouth. Elders tell friends.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching staff and sponsors.
- Recruit volunteers and staff through LGBTQ+ community groups, social work programs and senior services.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety, privacy and respectful practice.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for those with the greatest need and for people new to the program. We keep a waiting list when the program is full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, elders served, providers trained and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the staff, buy equipment and materials, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Open the weekly meal and begin matching friendly visitors.
- Months 4 to 10: Hold weekly meals, match visitors, provide navigation and train providers.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey elders and partners, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Meals and groups are held at a community center that is accessible and welcoming, provided at low or no cost.

Safety and privacy.
- Staff and volunteers never share anyone's identity or information without permission, and follow a written confidentiality policy.
- Visitors follow a check-in plan, and first visits are made with a staff member.
- Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Staff work in pairs or in view of others whenever participants are minors or in a vulnerable situation.
- We keep an emergency plan at every site, and participants complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a participant's permission or as the law requires and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $6,500 of equipment once at the start: kitchen and dining equipment for community meals ($3,000), laptops and tablets for navigation ($2,000), event supplies and sound ($1,500). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Program Manager, paid $44,000 a year, manages meals, visitors and partners. Two part-time care navigators, each paid $22,000 a year, work with elders. We add navigators as we add sites.

Management & Organization

Dr. Helen Park, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a social worker who watched elders go back into hiding when they needed care. I will complete the training we require of our visitors so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Staff. The Program Manager manages meals, visitors and partners, and part-time care navigators work with elders. Each passes a background check. These positions are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes an LGBTQ+ elder, a social worker, a nurse, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a community organizer. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A geriatric nurse, a senior center director and a legal document clinic attorney give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $52,000 a year; program Manager, paid $44,000 a year; care Navigator (part-time), paid $22,000 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 100 participants at 2 sites.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 150 participants at 2 sites.
- Year 3: About 200 participants at 3 sites.
- Year 4: About 250 participants at 3 sites.
- Year 5: About 300 participants at 4 sites.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 49 percent of our budget, down from about 68 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $55,000 from the Golden Years Equality Foundation for the Program Manager and community meals and events, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Program Manager salary, $44,000.
- Supplies: Community meals and events, $11,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 43% 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 $7,700 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $127,000; area Agency on Aging Funding $30,000; corporate and Foundation Partners $22,000; individual Donors $8,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $52,000; program Manager $44,000; care Navigator (part-time) $22,000; community Meals and Events about $10,000; provider Cultural Competency Training about $6,000; transportation about $6,000; friendly Visitor Program about $4,000; legal Document Clinics about $4,000; administration and Insurance about $8,000; about $2,900 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $15,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,000 for kitchen and dining equipment for community meals; $2,000 for laptops and tablets for navigation; $1,500 for event supplies and sound; $2,500 for attorney review of the consent form, confidentiality policy and volunteer policy; $1,500 for large-print flyers and a simple website; $2,000 for visitor training and background checks; $2,500 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($15,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $44,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $59,500. We start with $6,000 from our founding board and $56,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a local business, $62,000 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 $244,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $127,000, $113,500, $123,000, $110,000 and $120,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: area Agency on Aging Funding from $30,000 to $54,000; corporate and Foundation Partners from $22,000 to $46,000; individual Donors from $8,000 to $24,000. Our surplus is planned at about $7,700 in Year 1, about $8,200 in Year 2, about $9,600 in Year 3, about $10,300 in Year 4 and about $11,900 in Year 5. We grow from 2 sites to 4 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $57,000, 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.

Cost per elder. In Year 1, our total costs are about $1,793 per elder served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more elder served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $774 per elder.

After the grant. Area agency on aging funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free LGBTQ+ senior services option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner 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 neighborhood, a handful of elders and a small team, 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 partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- 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: $127,000 in Year 1, growing to $120,000 in Year 5.
- Area Agency on Aging Funding: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $54,000 in Year 5.
- Corporate and Foundation Partners: $22,000 in Year 1, growing to $46,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $8,000 in Year 1, growing to $24,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $52,000; program Manager $44,000; care Navigator (part-time) $22,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: community Meals and Events $10,000; provider Cultural Competency Training $6,000; transportation $6,000; friendly Visitor Program $4,000; legal Document Clinics $4,000; administration and Insurance $8,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $6,500 at the start, then $1,500 to $2,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $15,000, paid once from $62,000 in startup money.
- Participants served: about 100 in Year 1, growing to about 300 in Year 5. Sites: 2 in Year 1, growing to 4 by Year 5. Meals meet weekly all year, with visitors matched on a rolling basis.
- 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