Home Front Family Relief Alliance

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Executive Summary

Home Front Family Relief Alliance is a nonprofit in Virginia that helps military families through a sudden financial emergency. A family might be an active duty service member's, a National Guard or Reserve member's, a veteran's or a surviving spouse's, including Gold Star families. A Family Case Manager listens, looks at the whole situation and helps the family find the fastest and best help. When the need is urgent and fits our rules, our emergency fund pays the landlord, the utility company, the repair shop or the airline directly, never cash to a family. A pantry gives food and household essentials the same day. There is no charge to families.

Military life is full of events that can turn a manageable month into a crisis: a move across the country with short notice, a spouse who cannot keep a job because of the moves, a deployment that cuts household income, a delayed paycheck or benefit, a car that fails, a death or serious injury, a hospital stay, a sudden trip to be with a family member, or a divorce. Many families are far from relatives and have no savings to fall back on. Some are afraid that asking for help will hurt a career, and some do not know that help exists. Others turn to payday and title lenders that can make things much worse.

With this grant we will serve about 220 military families in Year 1, opening in about Month 3, and about 320 in Year 2. About 100 of them will receive emergency financial help averaging about $1,000, paid directly to a landlord, utility company or vendor. Our goal is that at least 90% of families who ask for help hear from us within one business day, that at least 80% of families who receive emergency help are still in stable housing and have their utilities on three months later and that families tell us they felt respected. We do not promise that every request can be met.

Our Year 1 budget: about $543,000, growing to about $766,000 by Year 5. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 7 paid staff in Year 1 and 10 by Year 5. Government and installation partner contracts and local donors add steady support, so grants fall from about 78% of our income in Year 1 to about 60% in Year 5.

We are asking the Stars and Stripes Family Foundation for $90,000 for one Family Case Manager, an emergency assistance fund paid directly to landlords, utility companies and vendors, and emergency travel paid directly to carriers. Government contracts, other grants and donors cover the rest, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Danielle Reyes, the Executive Director, a former Army spouse and the daughter of a retired sergeant major. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Home Front Family Relief Alliance is a nonprofit organization in Virginia. We are a 501(c)(3) public charity (or a program of one, through a fiscal sponsor), governed by a volunteer board of directors. We will provide our IRS determination letter, board list and most recent financial statements with this proposal.

Our mission. To stand beside military families in an emergency, so a hard moment does not become a lasting crisis.

What we believe. Military families serve too. A family that is stable at home helps a service member do the job, and a family that is safe after service is a sign of a country that keeps its promises. Families are the experts on their own lives, and the best help comes from people who understand military life and treat every person with respect. We serve families of every rank, branch, race, faith, sexual orientation and gender identity, and we do not require that a family be in a particular situation before we listen.

How we started. Home Front Family Relief Alliance began when a group of military spouses, a chaplain and two churches started a small emergency fund and a food closet for families near a large installation. In two years, the group helped more than 150 families with rent, utilities, car repairs and groceries, from a spare room in a church. The installation's family support staff, the VA and the county asked whether we could grow into a full program. This proposal asks for support to do that.

What we offer:
- Case management. A Family Case Manager meets with each family, listens, looks at income and bills, and writes a plan with the family: what is urgent, what can wait, and who can help.
- Emergency financial help. Help with rent, utilities, car repairs needed for work, essential medical and child care costs and emergency travel, limited in amount and tied to a plan, and paid directly to the landlord, utility company, repair shop, provider or carrier, never as cash to a family.
- Food and household essentials. A pantry with food, diapers, hygiene supplies and household items, open by appointment and on set hours.
- Warm handoffs. We work with the military relief societies of each branch, the installation's family support and legal assistance offices, the VA, Military OneSource, the state veterans agency and community agencies, and we call ahead so a family does not have to tell its story again and again.
- Financial coaching referral. Referrals to free credit and budget counseling and to safer alternatives to payday and title loans.
- Support for special situations. Extra care for families in a move, after a death or serious injury, for survivors of domestic violence, for families with a child with special needs and for Gold Star families.
- Follow-up. Check-ins at 30 and 90 days, and an open door to come back.

Who we serve. Families of active duty, National Guard and Reserve service members and of veterans, and surviving spouses and children of those who died, in our service area. Some government funding has its own eligibility rules, which we confirm for each funding source. We ask for proof of a military connection, such as an ID card, orders or discharge papers, and we accept alternatives when a family does not have them. We do not charge families for any service.

What we do not do. We are not a crisis service, a shelter or a law firm. We do not give legal, tax or financial advice. We do not make loans. We do not report a family's request to a service member's command. We do not promise that any request will be met. We do not prepare or charge for VA benefit claims, which only accredited representatives may do. We do not provide mental health treatment, and we refer families to providers.

How we are run. A seven-member volunteer board of directors oversees the organization and approves the budget each year. The board includes two military spouses, a veteran, an installation family support representative, a banker, an attorney and a certified public accountant. The Executive Director manages the organization, the Program Director runs the program and an outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Where things stand today. We have letters of support from the installation's family support center, the VA, a food bank, two churches, a military relief society office and a veterans' organization. We have a letter of intent for a small office near the main gate on a bus line. Before we begin, we will have an attorney review our assistance rules, vendor agreements and privacy policies and confirm any requirements of Virginia.

Problem & Opportunity

Many military families live close to the edge. Pay can be modest, especially for junior enlisted families, and a spouse's job may be interrupted or lost with each move. Many families have young children and no relatives nearby. A military move can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars before reimbursement, and a deposit on a new home can arrive before the first paycheck. Surveys of military families regularly find that many have little or no emergency savings.

When something goes wrong, the margin is thin. A car repair can cost a week's pay, and without a car a spouse cannot work or get a child to care. A delayed pay or benefit, a hospital stay, a death in the family, an unexpected trip, a divorce or the loss of a spouse's job can put rent and utilities at risk within weeks. Veterans and their families face the same shocks after service, and surviving families can face them at the hardest time.

Families often do not ask for help. Some fear that asking will harm a service member's career, security clearance or reputation. Some do not know which office to call, or find that each has a different form and a different rule. Some are told they do not qualify. Some turn to payday, title and pawn lenders, and the interest can leave a family worse off than before. Military families are also frequent targets of scams.

The cost of a missed emergency can compound: a missed rent payment becomes an eviction notice, a shut-off becomes a family without heat, a car repair that is not made becomes a lost job. These costs fall on families and children, and ultimately on readiness, employers and the community.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Military relief societies and installation programs do very good work, but they have rules about who can be helped, how much and how quickly, and some families fall between them: Guard and Reserve families far from an installation, veterans' families, families of service members of a branch that has no office nearby, and families whose need does not match a program's rules. We do not know exactly how many such families live in our area, and we will use local numbers from the Defense Department, the VA, the county and the state in our final application and will not overstate them. We know that in our two years of volunteer work, families came every week and we turned many away.

Emergency help works best when it is fast, respectful and part of a plan. A one-time payment can stop a crisis, and a case manager can help the family reach the next step. We do not claim that emergency help solves a family's long-term struggles.

Products & Services

Home Front Family Relief Alliance will open a military family emergency assistance center with a Program Director, Family Case Managers, a Military Family Navigator and Outreach Specialist, a Volunteer and Partner Coordinator and an Executive Director, and will offer case management, emergency help paid directly to vendors, a pantry, warm handoffs and follow-up at no cost to families.

How it works, step by step:
1. First contact. A service member, spouse, parent, veteran or surviving family member calls, texts, visits or uses our website. We return every message within one business day, and the same day when the request is urgent. Anyone in danger is connected right away to 911, and anyone in crisis to the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1, which also serves service members and families) or to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
2. Intake. A short, private conversation about what happened, what is urgent and who is in the household, with a check that the family has a military connection. We never ask about a service member's performance, and we do not contact the command.
3. A plan within two business days. The Family Case Manager and the family look at income, bills and the emergency, decide what is urgent and write a short plan, including what other help to seek first. We help the family apply to the relief society of their branch and other sources, and we do not duplicate help they are already receiving.
4. Emergency help. When the need fits our rules, the fund pays the vendor directly: past-due rent or a deposit to a landlord, a utility bill to the utility, a car repair to the shop, a medical or child care cost to the provider, or a ticket to the carrier. The case manager and the Program Director approve it, and we keep a record. Help is limited to an average of about $1,000 and normally to no more than $2,500 for one family in a year, with exceptions approved by the Executive Director.
5. Food and essentials. Families may use the pantry at the same time. We do not require proof of income for food.
6. Warm handoffs. Calls and introductions to the relief society, the installation's legal assistance office for legal questions (such as lease or lender questions under federal protections for service members), free credit and budget counseling, the VA, community health care and mental health providers, domestic violence services and other help.
7. Follow-up. Check-ins at 30 and 90 days to see whether the family is stable and needs anything else, and to ask what we could do better.

What the grant will pay for. Part of one Family Case Manager's salary, the emergency assistance fund paid directly to landlords, utility companies and vendors, and emergency travel paid directly to carriers. The rest of the budget comes from government and installation partner contracts, other grants and donors.

Respect and privacy. We treat every family as capable and in charge of its own decisions. Information is kept private and is never shared with a service member's command or employer.

Why this approach is strong. A family gets one place to call, a person who listens and an answer in days or hours, not weeks. We pay vendors directly, we do not duplicate other help, and we stay in touch after the crisis passes. We do not promise that every family will be helped, but we know that fast, respectful help can keep a family in its home.

Market Analysis

Who benefits: military families in our Virginia service area who face a sudden financial emergency, and the commands, employers, schools and neighbors who depend on them.

Our primary group is families of active duty, National Guard and Reserve service members, families of veterans, and surviving spouses and children, including Gold Star families. We expect to serve junior enlisted families, young families with children, Guard and Reserve families who live far from an installation, military spouses who are looking for work, retired and disabled veteran families on fixed incomes, and families in the middle of a move. We will make a special effort to reach families who are not near a base and are not known to installation programs.

We will not serve a family that needs emergency medical care, shelter or protection at the moment of the visit, and we will help them reach the right place by calling 911 or a crisis service. We refer families whose needs are outside our scope, such as those who need legal representation or long-term housing help, and we stay in touch while the referral is made.

Local data. We will use the most recent numbers from the Defense Department, the VA, the county and the state in our final application and will not overstate them. Our own experience shows demand: in two years of volunteer work, more than 150 families came for help from a spare room in a church, and about as many requests had to be turned away or sent elsewhere. We plan for about 220 families in Year 1 and about 320 in Year 2, growing to about 640 by Year 5 as we add case managers.

Our secondary groups are installation family support staff and chaplains, who gain a community partner for families they cannot reach; landlords and utility companies, who gain a reliable payer and a stable tenant; employers, who gain steadier employees; and schools, which gain steadier students.

We do not guarantee help to anyone, and when funds are limited we say so, give priority to the most urgent needs, such as housing and utilities, and keep a fair, written way of deciding. We do not accept payment in exchange for referrals.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices military families have in our area, and what makes us different.

- Military relief societies. Each branch has one, and they give grants and no-interest loans to eligible service members and families, usually through an installation office. They do good work, and we work with them, take referrals from them and refer families to them first when they qualify. Some families are not eligible, are far from an office or have needs outside their rules.
- Installation family support and chaplains. They offer counseling, financial education and referrals. We work closely with them and fill gaps for families who live off the installation, or whose need does not fit a program.
- The VA and state veterans agencies. They offer benefits and programs for veterans and families. We help families find them and refer to accredited representatives for claims.
- Community agencies, churches and food banks. They provide food, rent and utility help to everyone, often with limits. We work with them and refer to them. Few specialize in military families.
- Payday, title and pawn lenders. They are fast, and costly. We counsel against them and offer an alternative.
- Crowdfunding and social media. Some families raise money online, which can work and is uncertain. We help when we can.

What makes us different.
- Help built around military life, from people who have lived it.
- One place to call and an answer in days or hours.
- Help for families other programs may not reach, such as Guard and Reserve families and veterans' families.
- Direct payment to vendors, tied to a plan, and no duplication of other help.
- A pantry and a case manager under one roof.
- Honest results. We measure and share our results, whether they are good or not.

What we do not claim. We are new. Our track record is small, built on volunteers, and the relief societies and installation programs have decades of experience. We plan to learn from them, share results openly and ask for advice from our partners.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach the families, partners and supporters we need once the project is funded.

Families. Most families will find us through a trusted person. We will work with the installation's family support center, chaplains, unit family readiness groups, Guard and Reserve family programs, the VA, school liaisons, churches, food banks, pediatric clinics, legal assistance offices, veterans' organizations and military spouse groups. We will attend resource fairs, spouse events, Stand Down events and welcome events for new families. We will keep a toll-free number, a text line, a simple website and a printed card that fits in a wallet. Families who have used our help, with their written permission, will be our best messengers.

Relief societies and partners. We will meet with each relief society office and family support center to agree on how we refer to each other and avoid duplicating help. We will not pay or reward anyone for referrals.

Landlords and vendors. We will recruit landlords, utility companies, repair shops and carriers that agree to accept direct payment, to be fair on price and to respect families' privacy. We will not use vendors that charge unusual fees or pressure families.

Government and installation partners. We will work with the county, the state, the VA and the installation to find contracts and grants that can pay for help. These sources are competitive and slow, so the plan counts on them only as shown in the funding section.

Funders. We will report results as totals, never with a family's name, to funders and government partners twice a year and in a short annual report. We will invite funders to visit with notice, while respecting privacy.

Donors and community. We will invite individuals, businesses, banks, churches, civic clubs and veterans' organizations to sponsor a family's rent, fill the pantry or hold a drive. Gifts are tracked separately and acknowledged with thanks.

How we talk about military families. We use plain, respectful words and describe families as strong, not as a problem. We do not use stories or photographs without clear, written, informed permission.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 to 2: Attorney review of assistance rules, vendor agreements, volunteer and privacy policies, sign the lease, hire the Program Director, two Family Case Managers, the Military Family Navigator, the Volunteer and Partner Coordinator, choose a secure data system and set up the office and pantry.
- Month 3: Staff training in trauma-informed practice, military culture, crisis response, domestic violence safety, confidentiality, fair treatment and the data system. Sign agreements with relief societies, landlords and vendors. Open to families.
- Months 4 to 8: First intakes, first plans and first emergency payments. Pantry opens. Volunteers are screened and trained.
- Months 9 to 12: Follow-up check-ins begin. Review of response times, results and costs, a year-end report to funders and planning for Year 2.

Space. A small leased office on a bus line near the installation's main gate, with a reception area, a private interview room, a pantry room and workspace for staff. Rent and utilities are about $28,000 a year in Year 1. Paint, flooring and a private interview room are a one-time cost of $3,500, with a deposit and first month of rent of $4,500.

Equipment. We buy about $11,000 of equipment once at the start: laptops, secure tablets and phones ($6,500), office and meeting room furniture ($3,500), and locking cabinets for confidential records and pantry shelving ($1,000). After Year 1, we set aside about $2,000 to $3,000 a year to replace and add equipment. An opening stock of pantry food, hygiene supplies and household essentials is a one-time cost of $6,000.

Staffing. In Year 1: an Executive Director, a Family Services Program Director, two Family Case Managers, a Military Family Navigator and Outreach Specialist, a Volunteer and Partner Coordinator and a part-time Program Coordinator and Data Specialist. A third Case Manager joins in Year 3, a second Navigator in Year 4 and a fourth Case Manager in Year 5. Each Case Manager carries about 50 to 60 active families at a time.

Emergency assistance rules and controls. Help is tied to a written plan, limited in amount (an average of about $1,000 and normally no more than $2,500 for one family in a year) and paid directly to the landlord, utility company, repair shop, provider or carrier, never as cash to a family. The family must have an emergency that we can document, such as a past-due notice, an estimate or an itinerary. The vendor must provide an invoice and a W-9. We check whether a relief society, the VA or another program can pay first, and we do not pay for something another program already paid. Each payment is approved by the Program Director or a designee, and amounts above the limit by the Executive Director, and each is recorded. The board reviews a list of all payments each quarter. The emergency assistance fund is about $100,000 a year in Year 1, or about 100 families, and grows about 12% a year, to about 157 families in Year 5. Emergency travel is paid directly to carriers and is about $12,000 a year in Year 1.

Pantry. Open by appointment and set hours. Food is handled by trained staff and volunteers under safe food rules, and we follow food bank partner rules.

Fairness. We follow federal, state and local anti-discrimination laws and make reasonable accommodations for disability. We do not choose among families based on a protected characteristic, rank or branch.

Domestic violence and safety. If a family member is a survivor of domestic violence, we take extra steps to protect location and information, and we connect the person to a domestic violence advocate, the installation's family advocacy program or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If anyone is in immediate danger, staff call 911. Anyone who is in crisis or thinking of harming themselves is connected right away to the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1) or text 838255, and staff stay with the person until help is on the way.

Privacy. Families' information is kept in a locked cabinet and a secure, password-protected system, and shared only with the family's written permission, except where the law or our funders require it. We never share a family's information with a service member's command or employer. We report results to funders only as totals.

Legal and financial limits. We do not give legal, tax or financial advice. We refer families to the installation's legal assistance office, legal aid and free credit counseling. We do not make loans.

VA benefits claims. Only people accredited by the VA may prepare, present and prosecute claims for VA benefits, and they may not charge fees for initial claims. We do not prepare or charge for VA claims. We refer families to accredited Veterans Service Officers.

Insurance and records. We carry general liability, property, professional and non-owned auto liability insurance, and workers' compensation once we hire. Insurance is about $8,000 a year in Year 1. Grant money is tracked separately so we can show each funder how their money was spent, and an outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Management & Organization

The people who will carry out the project.

Danielle Reyes, Executive Director. A former Army spouse and the daughter of a retired sergeant major, with more than twelve years of experience in nonprofit family services, including a family readiness role. She leads fundraising, partnerships, finance and hiring, reports to the board and is the main contact for funders. (Replace this paragraph with your own director's background.)

Family Services Program Director (full time, hired in Months 1 to 2). Runs the program day to day, supervises the case managers, approves emergency payments and manages relationships with relief societies and vendors. We will seek a person with experience in social services and military culture.

Family Case Managers (two in Years 1 and 2, three in Years 3 and 4, four in Year 5). Meet with each family, write the plan and help with every step, including warm handoffs and follow-up. We will seek social workers or case managers with experience in crisis work, and we will hire military spouses and veterans where we can.

Military Family Navigator and Outreach Specialist (one in Years 1 to 3, two from Year 4). Builds relationships with units, installation offices, schools and churches, answers calls and helps families find the right help.

Volunteer and Partner Coordinator. Recruits, screens and trains volunteers, runs the pantry and manages relationships with landlords, vendors and donors.

Program Coordinator and Data Specialist (part-time). Keeps the records, manages the data system, tracks results and prepares reports.

Board of directors. Seven volunteers who meet every quarter: two military spouses, a veteran, an installation family support representative, a banker, an attorney and a certified public accountant. The board approves the budget and policies, reviews payments and results each quarter and does not receive pay.

Family advisory group. Military spouses, veterans and families who have used the program meet quarterly and tell us what is working and what is not. Their advice shapes the rules and the way we reach families.

Outside professionals. An attorney reviews our assistance rules, vendor agreements and privacy policies. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Staff screening and training. Every staff member and volunteer passes a criminal background check, and staff are trained before they work with families. Volunteers do not have access to families' records.

Staff pay in this plan includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation. Salaries are Executive Director $62,000, Program Director $54,000, Family Case Manager $46,000, Military Family Navigator $42,000, Volunteer and Partner Coordinator $38,000 and part-time Program Coordinator $26,000. 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: Open the center by about Month 3, serve about 220 families, give emergency help to about 100 of them, answer at least 90% of requests within one business day and keep at least 80% of families who receive help stable at 90 days. A balanced budget of about $543,000, with a small surplus of about $12,800. 7 paid staff.
- Year 2: Serve about 320 families and give emergency help to about 112. Apply for government and installation partner contracts. Begin 12-month follow-up. A balanced budget of about $561,500, with a small surplus of about $12,700. 7 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a third Family Case Manager and serve about 420 families, with emergency help to about 125. Contracts cover more of our budget. A balanced budget of about $629,000, with a small surplus of about $13,500. 8 paid staff.
- Year 4: Add a second Navigator and serve about 520 families, with emergency help to about 140. A balanced budget of about $694,500, with a small surplus of about $14,600. 9 paid staff.
- Year 5: Add a fourth Family Case Manager and serve about 640 families, with emergency help to about 157, with government and installation contracts covering about 25% of our budget. A balanced budget of about $766,000, with a small surplus of about $15,200. 10 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Families served, by branch, component (active duty, Guard, Reserve, veteran or survivor) and rank group.
- Time from first contact to a plan, and to a payment.
- Emergency payments, by type, and average amount.
- Share of families stable in housing, with utilities on, at 30 and 90 days.
- Referrals made and completed, including to relief societies and the VA.
- Pantry visits and pounds of food given.
- Cost per family served and per family helped.
- Family satisfaction and whether families felt respected, collected anonymously.

How we review results. The Program Director and case managers review caseloads and response times every week, and the whole team reviews outcomes monthly. Each semester, staff, the family advisory group and our partners review results together and we change what is not working. Twice a year the board reviews results and we share them with funders and government partners as totals. Every number in this plan is a goal, and we will report what really happens, including when we fall short.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $90,000 from the Stars and Stripes Family Foundation for one Family Case Manager, an emergency assistance fund paid directly to landlords, utility companies and vendors, and emergency travel paid directly to carriers, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Family Case Manager salary, $46,000 (other funds add $46,000).
- Other: Emergency assistance fund (paid directly to landlords, utility companies and vendors, never as cash), $38,000 (other funds add $62,000).
- Other: Emergency travel (paid directly to carriers), $6,000 (other funds add $6,000).

Other money in the program. Government and installation partner contracts, other grants and local donors pay the other $114,000 of those lines, plus the Executive Director's salary ($62,000), the Program Director ($54,000), the Military Family Navigator ($42,000), the Volunteer and Partner Coordinator ($38,000), the part-time Program Coordinator ($26,000), the food and household essentials pantry ($20,000), office rent and utilities ($28,000), technology and data system ($10,000), outreach and community events ($10,000), insurance ($8,000), staff training ($6,000), evaluation and reporting ($6,000) and administration and accounting ($14,000).

Year 1 budget: about $543,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $12,800 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $423,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), government and installation partner contracts $70,000 and donations and local sponsors $50,000. Year 1 costs: Executive Director $62,000; Family Services Program Director $54,000; two Family Case Managers $92,000; Military Family Navigator and Outreach Specialist $42,000; Volunteer and Partner Coordinator $38,000; Program Coordinator and Data Specialist $26,000; emergency assistance fund about $100,000; food and household essentials pantry about $20,000; emergency travel about $12,000; office rent and utilities about $28,000; technology and data system about $10,000; outreach and community events about $10,000; insurance about $8,000; staff training about $6,000; evaluation and reporting about $6,000; administration and accounting about $14,000; and about $4,200 a year for the wear on equipment.

How we planned the emergency fund. The fund is about $100,000 in Year 1, which pays about $1,000 on average for about 100 families. It grows about 12% a year, to about $157,400 in Year 5, or about 157 families. We pay each amount directly to a vendor and only after checking whether another program can pay first. Demand is hard to predict, so the plan uses the first-year numbers and we adjust the average payment before we adjust the number of families.

About government contracts. The Defense Department, the VA, the state, the county and local governments fund programs that support military families, veterans and emergency help. These funds are competitive, are awarded for set periods and have strict rules about eligibility, documentation and reporting. We plan to apply once we have a track record. The amounts in this plan are our planning estimates, not promises, and agencies can change their budgets, rules and awards. We plan for grants and donors to cover the gap if they do.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $38,300 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $11,000 for equipment, $3,500 for leasehold improvements, $4,500 for deposits, $6,000 for opening supplies and inventory, $800 for licenses and permits, $6,000 for legal and professional help, $3,000 for signage, brochures and a website, $3,500 for background checks, training and first insurance.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($38,300), the cash we need to cover the wait for the first payments (about $17,600) and a cash cushion of about $132,000, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. That comes to $188,000. We start with $25,000 of our own savings and $175,000 in startup support from a military family foundation, a bank's community gift and our board, $200,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $543,000 in Year 1 to about $766,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $423,000, $404,500, $428,000, $442,500, $461,000 in Years 1 to 5. Government and installation partner contracts grow from $70,000 to $195,000, and donations and local sponsors grow from $50,000 to $110,000. We add a third Case Manager in Year 3, a second Navigator in Year 4 and a fourth Case Manager in Year 5. Grants fall from about 78% of our income in Year 1 to about 60% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $171,400, at the end of Year 1. Government and grant payments often arrive after we bill or after we submit documents, so we plan for about $32,580 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Our plan is to grow government and installation contracts as partners see results, to invite businesses, banks, churches, civic clubs and veterans' groups to sponsor families and to grow individual donors. Because a family that stays housed does not need costly emergency help later, success lowers costs for the community and strengthens our case for public funding.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- Demand is higher than the fund. We give priority to housing and utilities, keep a fair written method, refer to other programs and adjust the average payment.
- A vendor or a family misuses help. Payments go directly to vendors with invoices, and the board reviews every payment each quarter.
- A family is in crisis or danger. We use a written safety plan, train every staff member and connect to 911, the Veterans Crisis Line and domestic violence services.
- A privacy breach, or fear that a request will reach a command. We keep records secure, never contact a command and tell every family this in writing.
- Government contracts are delayed or not awarded. We plan with a cash cushion, stage hiring so costs follow funding and apply to other funders.
- A grant ends. We keep savings, grow contracts and donors and keep our cost per family low.

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 part-time case manager, a small fund and a church partner, helping 40 to 60 families in the first year, 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.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and job descriptions for the Program Director, Case Managers, Navigator and Volunteer and Partner Coordinator.
- Letters of support from the installation's family support center, the VA, a relief society office, a food bank and churches.
- Your emergency assistance policy, vendor agreement and payment controls.
- Your rules for checking a military connection and for coordinating with relief societies.
- Your confidentiality policy, safety plan and crisis plan, including the policy that we do not contact a command.
- Your pantry food safety plan.
- Your plan for measuring results, including 30-day and 90-day follow-up.
- Results from your volunteer program, shown as totals.
- Proof of liability insurance, or a quote.
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: $423,000 in Year 1, then $404,500, $428,000, $442,500, $461,000.
- Government and Installation Partner Contracts: $70,000 in Year 1, growing to $195,000.
- Donations and Local Sponsors: $50,000 in Year 1, growing to $110,000.
- Families: about 220 in Year 1 (the center opens about Month 3), 320 in Year 2, 420, 520 and 640 in Years 3 to 5, with about 100 receiving emergency financial help in Year 1 and about 157 in Year 5 at an average of about $1,000 each.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): Executive Director $62,000, Program Director $54,000, Family Case Manager $46,000 (two in Years 1 and 2, three in Years 3 and 4, four in Year 5), Military Family Navigator and Outreach Specialist $42,000 (one in Years 1 to 3, two from Year 4), Volunteer and Partner Coordinator $38,000, Program Coordinator and Data Specialist (part-time) $26,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Emergency Assistance Fund (Paid Directly to Landlords, Utilities and Vendors) $100,000, Food and Household Essentials Pantry $20,000, Emergency Travel (Paid Directly to Carriers) $12,000, Office Rent and Utilities $28,000, Technology and Data System $10,000, Outreach and Community Events $10,000, Insurance $8,000, Staff Training $6,000, Evaluation and Reporting $6,000, Administration and Accounting $14,000. The other costs grow between 4% and 12% a year.
- Equipment: $11,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $3,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $38,300, paid once from $200,000 in startup money.
- About 6% 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