Open Door Medical Loan Closet

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Executive Summary

Open Door Medical Loan Closet is a nonprofit in Rhode Island that lends medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs, commodes, crutches and hospital beds, free of charge to people who need it for a few weeks or months. We collect donated equipment, clean and repair it, check for recalls and lend it to people recovering from surgery, injury or illness. Volunteers who are therapists show people how to use the equipment safely.

Medical equipment is expensive, and insurance may not cover short-term needs or may take weeks to approve. A person leaving the hospital after a broken hip may need a walker or a wheelchair tomorrow. A family caring for a parent may need a hospital bed for just a few months. Equipment that someone no longer needs often sits in a garage when someone else could use it.

With this grant we will lend about 900 items to about 700 people in Year 1, delivering many with our van. We will keep a careful record of every item, clean and sanitize it between borrowers and retire equipment that is unsafe. We do not sell equipment, give medical advice or provide oxygen. We do not promise that any item will fit every need.

Our Year 1 budget is about $184,000, growing to about $194,000 by Year 5. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 paid staff, supported by volunteers.

We are asking the Narragansett Health Fund for $54,000 for our Program Manager and for replacement wheelchairs, walkers and shower chairs. Hospitals, clinics, agencies, equipment drives and donors also give, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

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

Company Description

Open Door Medical Loan Closet is a small, independent nonprofit in Rhode Island, organized as a 501(c)(3) public charity. We serve people of all ages across our county and the counties around it, through a warehouse and a delivery van.

Our mission. To make sure no one goes without the equipment they need to heal and stay safe at home.

What we believe. Good equipment saves money and prevents falls. We lend with no questions about income, treat every borrower with respect and keep every item clean, safe and in good repair. We work with doctors and therapists, not in place of them.

What we offer:
- Equipment loans. Wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, shower chairs, commodes, transfer benches and hospital beds, lent for up to three months and renewable.
- Delivery and pickup. Delivery to homes and pickup when the equipment is no longer needed.
- Safety instruction. A short lesson on how to use the equipment, from a volunteer therapist or trained staff.
- Equipment drives. Collection events where people donate equipment they no longer need.

Who we serve. People recovering from surgery, injury or illness, older adults and people with disabilities, and their families.

What we do not do. We do not sell equipment, lend oxygen equipment or items that require a prescription fitting we cannot provide, give medical advice, accept recalled or unsafe items or send equipment home without safety instruction.

How we are run. A volunteer board of seven governs the organization. I am the Executive Director. The Program Manager runs the warehouse, lending and partners. A part-time equipment technician cleans and repairs items. About 30 volunteers help.

Where things stand today. We have letters of support from two hospitals, a rehabilitation center, a home health agency and a senior center, a warehouse lease offer, commitments of donated equipment from several families and a medical supply store, a quote for a used van with a ramp and a loan agreement, cleaning protocol and liability policy under review by an attorney. (Replace this with where you really are.)

Problem & Opportunity

When someone is hurt or recovering from surgery, they often need a piece of equipment right away. Insurance may not cover it, may take a long time to approve or may cover only some items. Buying a walker or a shower chair can cost more than a family expects, and renting equipment may be impossible for a short need. Some families go without equipment and risk falls.

At the same time, equipment that is no longer needed ends up in closets and garages. Hospitals and rehabilitation centers cannot lend it, and families do not know where to take it.

Used equipment must be handled safely. It needs to be cleaned, checked for damage and matched to the person's needs. Without a program, people may use unsafe or poorly fitted equipment.

For a small nonprofit, the hard parts are the cost of a warehouse and van, cleaning and repairing equipment safely, tracking items and keeping up with demand.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Medical loan closets are a long-standing, practical way to help people recover at home. We will use the most recent local numbers on discharges, older adults and equipment needs in our final plan. We do not know exactly how many items will be requested, so our plan uses a first-year goal and will report what really happens.

Products & Services

Open Door Medical Loan Closet will lend good, clean equipment quickly and keep it in circulation.

How it works, step by step:
1. Request. A person, family member, therapist or agency calls or submits a request describing the need.
2. Match. The Program Manager finds the right item, asks about the person's height, weight and home and confirms that the equipment is appropriate.
3. Prepare. The item is cleaned, sanitized, inspected and tagged, and any recall is checked.
4. Deliver or pick up. We deliver in our van or the person picks up, and a trained volunteer shows how to use the equipment safely.
5. Loan agreement. The borrower signs a simple agreement that explains the loan period, care and return.
6. Check in. We call after a week to see how the equipment is working and adjust if needed.
7. Return. When the loan ends, we pick up or the borrower returns the item. We clean and inspect it before lending again.
8. Replace and retire. Worn items are repaired or retired, and we buy replacements to fill gaps.

Why this approach is strong. Fast, free loans prevent falls and delays in recovery. Clean, inspected equipment and instruction keep borrowers safe.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: people recovering from surgery, injury or illness, older adults and people with disabilities, and their families, in our county and the counties around it.

Our primary group is people leaving a hospital or rehabilitation center who need equipment right away. Our secondary group is families caring for a loved one at home and people who are waiting for insurance to approve equipment. We will use the most recent local numbers on discharges, older adults and equipment needs in our final plan.

How we sized our plan. We plan to lend about 900 items to about 700 people in Year 1. We grow to about 1,000 items and 800 people in Year 2, 1,100 items in Year 3, 1,200 items in Year 4 and about 1,300 items in Year 5. Our Year 1 budget is about $184,000 and our Year 5 budget is about $194,000.

Demand data. Letters of support from two hospitals, a rehabilitation center, a home health agency and a senior center, and calls from families asking where to find equipment, show a clear need. We do not count on any one source.

We do not serve everyone. We refer people who need custom-fitted equipment, oxygen or a prescription to a medical supply provider, and we refer people who qualify for insurance coverage to their plan first when time allows.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for people who need equipment, and what makes us different.

- Medical supply stores. They sell and rent equipment and handle insurance. We lend for free and for short needs.
- Hospital and rehabilitation center loan closets. Some exist. We coordinate with them and serve those they do not reach.
- Insurance coverage. It helps some people but can take time and may not cover short-term needs. We fill the gap.
- Online marketplaces. They offer used equipment for sale. We offer free loans, cleaning and instruction.
- Neighbors and community groups that share equipment informally. They help many people. We add cleaning, safety checks and a reliable place to call.
- Doing without. Many people do, and some fall. We aim to prevent that.

What makes us different.
- Free loans with no income test.
- Equipment that is cleaned, inspected and checked for recalls.
- Delivery, pickup and safety instruction.
- A program run with therapists and hospitals.

What we do not claim. We are new. Larger loan closets have more equipment and a longer record. We plan to earn trust one borrower at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach the people we serve.

Hospitals, rehabilitation centers and home health agencies. We will meet discharge planners, case managers and therapists, give them a one-page guide and a request form and offer same-week delivery.

Doctors and therapists. We will make sure outpatient clinics know that they can refer patients for a loan.

Senior centers and churches. We will speak at meetings and set up a table at health fairs, and ask members to donate equipment.

Equipment donors. We will hold equipment drives with churches, clubs and businesses, publish a list of what we accept and arrange pickup of large items.

Online and by phone. A simple website with a request form, a phone line and a list of available items.

Cost to the borrower. Free. We invite voluntary donations and never require them.

Staying connected. We will follow up with every borrower after the loan ends, invite them to donate or volunteer and thank referral partners with a short report each quarter.

Making it easy for partners. We will give each hospital and clinic a one-page list of what is in stock, a direct phone number for urgent requests and a promise to confirm each request within one business day, so that a discharge planner can count on us.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (summer): Sign the warehouse lease and partner agreements, buy the van, racking and cleaning station, recruit and train volunteers and set up the lending database.
- Month 3 (late summer): Open for requests and hold the first equipment drive.
- Months 4 to 11: Lend, deliver and pick up equipment, hold drives each quarter and add partners as capacity allows.
- Month 12: Survey borrowers and partners, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. A rented warehouse of about 2,000 square feet with a cleaning station and racks. Storage and warehouse rent is $14,400 a year in Year 1.

Equipment. We buy about $20,000 of equipment once at the start: a used cargo van with a lift ramp ($14,000), heavy-duty racking for beds and wheelchairs ($3,000), a cleaning and sanitizing station ($2,000) and a computer and a lending database ($1,000). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1, I serve as Executive Director. The Program Manager, paid $42,000 a year, runs lending and partners. A part-time equipment technician, paid $28,000 a year, cleans and repairs equipment.

Safety and quality. Every item is cleaned with approved products, inspected, tagged and logged, and checked against recall lists. We do not lend items that cannot be made safe. Volunteers who deliver and instruct pass background checks, and volunteer therapists work within their licenses. Borrowers sign a loan agreement and a short safety acknowledgment. A written plan names 911 for emergencies.

Quality and learning. We ask borrowers how the equipment worked, track items that need repair and review every incident with the board.

Costs. Repair parts and cleaning supplies are about $8,000 in Year 1, delivery van fuel and maintenance about $5,000, replacement equipment purchases about $12,000 and administration and insurance about $9,000.

Management & Organization

The people who will carry out the project.

Maureen Costa, Executive Director. Twelve years of nonprofit and health care work, including six years coordinating discharge services at a hospital. She oversees the program, partnerships, fundraising and finances. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Program Manager (from Year 1). Runs lending, scheduling, partners and the lending database.

Equipment technician (part-time, from Year 1). Cleans, repairs and inspects equipment.

Volunteers. About 30 volunteers, including retired therapists, nurses and mechanics, who clean equipment, deliver it and teach safe use, and who are trained and supervised by the Program Manager.

Board and advisors. Seven volunteer board members, including a physical therapist, a hospital case manager and a family caregiver, who meet every quarter. An attorney reviews our loan agreement and liability policy.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: Executive Director $54,000, Program Manager $42,000 and part-time equipment technician $28,000. 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: Lend about 900 items to about 700 people and hold four equipment drives. A balanced budget of about $184,000, with a small surplus of about $7,600. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 2: Lend about 1,000 items to about 800 people and add a second delivery day. A balanced budget of about $186,000, with a small surplus of about $6,900. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 3: Lend about 1,100 items and add a satellite pickup site in a nearby town. A balanced budget of about $188,500, with a small surplus of about $6,600. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 4: Lend about 1,200 items and add a volunteer therapist program for fittings. A balanced budget of about $191,500, with a small surplus of about $6,400. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 5: Lend about 1,300 items and share our cleaning and recall checklist with other loan closets. A balanced budget of about $194,000, with a small surplus of about $5,900. About 3 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Items lent and people helped.
- Time from request to delivery.
- Items repaired, retired and replaced.
- Borrowers who say the equipment helped them stay safe.
- Equipment drives held and items received.
- Referral partner and borrower feedback.

How we review results. The Program Manager reviews numbers every month. Twice a year, staff and the board review all results and share them with funders and partners. If a request takes too long or equipment fails, we find the cause and fix our process. 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: $54,000 from the Narragansett Health Fund for a Program Manager and replacement equipment for the loan closet, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Program Manager salary, $42,000.
- Equipment: Replacement wheelchairs, walkers and shower chairs, $12,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 45% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $184,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,600 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $120,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), hospital, clinic and agency partner support $30,000, equipment drives and individual donations $34,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $54,000; program manager $42,000; equipment technician $28,000; repair parts and cleaning supplies about $8,000; storage and warehouse rent about $14,400; delivery van fuel and maintenance about $5,000; replacement equipment purchases about $12,000; administration and insurance about $9,000; about $5,800 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $28,400 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $14,000 for used cargo van with a lift ramp; $3,000 for heavy-duty racking for beds and wheelchairs; $2,000 for cleaning and sanitizing station; $1,000 for computer and a lending database; $2,000 for opening stock of parts, wheels and brakes; $1,200 for warehouse deposit and first month; $2,400 for attorney review of the loan agreement and liability policy; $1,300 for banners, flyers and a simple website; $1,500 for background checks and first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($28,400), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $43,100, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. The cash used before it balances and the cushion come to about $43,100. In all, that comes to $71,500. We start with $16,000 of our own savings and $58,000 in startup support from a local health foundation and our board, $74,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $184,000 in Year 1 to about $194,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $120,000, $110,000, $100,500, $91,500 and $82,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: hospital, clinic and agency partner support from $30,000 to $54,000 and equipment drives and individual donations from $34,000 to $58,000. We add delivery days, a satellite site and more equipment as the program grows. Grants fall from about 65% of our income in Year 1 to about 42% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $60,100, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $5,520 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Hospitals, clinics, agencies, equipment drives and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Borrowers share their stories, and sponsors can underwrite a category of equipment by name.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury linked to equipment. We clean, inspect and tag every item, give instruction and carry insurance.
- Not enough equipment of one kind. We hold drives and buy replacements.
- A recall. We check lists regularly and remove affected items.
- A van breaks down. We keep a service plan and a back-up arrangement.
- 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 storage room, one volunteer driver and a few common items, 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 hospitals, agencies and clinics.
- Your warehouse lease or letter of intent.
- Your loan agreement and liability policy.
- Your cleaning and inspection protocol and recall check process.
- Your volunteer agreement and background check policy.
- Quotes for the van and equipment.
- 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: $120,000 in Year 1, then $110,000, $100,500, $91,500 and $82,000.
- Hospital, Clinic and Agency Partner Support: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $54,000.
- Equipment Drives and Individual Donations: $34,000 in Year 1, growing to $58,000.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive director $54,000, program manager $42,000, equipment technician (part-time) $28,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: repair parts and cleaning supplies $8,000, storage and warehouse rent $14,400, delivery van fuel and maintenance $5,000, replacement equipment purchases $12,000, administration and insurance $9,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $20,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $3,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $28,400, paid once from $74,000 in startup money.
- Items lent: about 900 in Year 1, growing to about 1,300 in Year 5. Replacement equipment purchases are about $12,000 in Year 1.
- About 3% 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