Sensory Friendly Seattle

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Executive Summary

Sensory Friendly Seattle is a nonprofit in Washington that helps museums, libraries, theaters, sports venues and other community spaces welcome autistic people and others who are overwhelmed by noise, lights and crowds. A sensory inclusion specialist trains staff, helps venues create quieter hours and quiet rooms and lends sensory kits so that families can take part in community life.

Many families stay home because a trip to the library or a show can end in distress. With this grant we will pay a sensory inclusion specialist and sensory kits for partner venues. We work alongside autistic people and families. We do not provide therapy or medical advice and we do not promise that any outing will go smoothly. We aim to make places more welcoming.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $178,000. We are asking for $48,000 from an inclusive communities fund to a sensory inclusion specialist salary and sensory kits. The rest of the budget comes from other grants, sponsors and donors that are listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate and none of it is a promise of any result for the people we serve.

Company Description

Sensory Friendly Seattle is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes autistic adults and parents. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. People with sensory needs belong in the community, and the best guidance comes from autistic people. We respect every person's way of experiencing the world and do not try to change who they are.

What we do:
- Staff training. Short, practical workshops for venue staff on sensory needs and respectful communication.
- Sensory-friendly hours. We help venues hold regular quieter hours with softer lights and sound and fewer crowds.
- Quiet rooms and kits. We help venues set up a calm space and lend headphones, fidgets and visual schedules.
- Visit guides. Photos and simple descriptions of each venue so families know what to expect.

What we do not do. We do not provide therapy, diagnose conditions or give medical advice. We do not require anyone to disclose a diagnosis in order to use a kit or take part.

Who we serve. Autistic people, people with sensory processing differences, people with dementia and anyone who finds crowds and noise overwhelming, along with their families and the venues that want to welcome them.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Many people are shut out of ordinary community places.

1. Overwhelming environments. Bright lights, loud noises and crowds can cause distress and sometimes pain.
2. Staff who do not know what to do. Staff may misunderstand behavior and treat it as misbehavior.
3. Unpredictability. Families cannot tell in advance what a visit will be like.
4. Few quiet options. Many venues do not have quiet hours or a calm room.
5. Isolation. Families skip outings and miss out on community life.

Why it matters now. More people understand autism and sensory differences, and many venues want to be more welcoming but do not know how.

How we know the need is real. We reviewed autism prevalence in our region, surveyed 100 families, interviewed autistic adults and asked venues what they need. Families said they want advance information and a quiet place, and venues said they want training and equipment. The numbers are in the appendix.

We update these facts every year using public data, partner reports and what the people we serve tell us, and we change the program when the facts change. If a need turns out to be smaller than we thought, we will say so and put the money where it is needed most.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay a sensory inclusion specialist and sensory kits for partner venues for a full year.

How a venue takes part:
1. Partnership. A venue signs a simple agreement and names a staff contact.
2. Assessment. The specialist and an autistic advisor walk through the venue and identify sensory challenges.
3. Training. The specialist trains staff in a short workshop.
4. Set-up. We help the venue set up a quiet room, adjust lights and sound for sensory-friendly hours and receive a set of sensory kits.
5. Visit guide. We create a photo guide families can use before a visit.
6. Follow-up. We check in with the venue and families and adjust.

What the grant pays for. The request covers the specialist's salary and sensory kits.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that every visit will go smoothly or that a venue will keep its programs. We track venues trained and feedback and report honestly.

Safety and respect. Kits are cleaned between uses. We respect privacy and never ask for a diagnosis. We do not post pictures of people without written permission. We call 911 in an emergency.

We start small, check what works and grow only when we can do the work well. Every few months we review the numbers and the stories from the people we serve and change the plan where it is not working.

We write plain-language handouts for every step so people know what to expect, what it costs and who to call with questions, and we ask each person at the end whether the help was useful and what we could do better.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are autistic people, people with sensory needs and people with dementia in our service area, their families and the venues that welcome them.

Who we serve. Children, teens and adults and their families from many backgrounds, and venues of many kinds.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to train about 20 venues, to help hold about 60 sensory-friendly sessions and to reach about 2,500 visitors. By Year 5 we plan to work with about 60 venues and reach about 10,000 visitors a year. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one specialist at first and two by the fourth year.

Where we serve. The city and nearby communities, starting with libraries, museums and theaters.

Who else benefits. Venue staff who feel more confident, other visitors who enjoy quieter hours and communities that become more inclusive.

How we will be careful. We never ask for a diagnosis, we keep family information private and we involve autistic people in every decision.

We choose how many people to serve from the number of staff, hours and rooms we really have, not from the size of the need. If we reach fewer people than planned, we will report it and explain why.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices in our area.

1. Venues' own efforts. Some offer quiet hours but have little guidance.
2. National autism organizations. Offer resources but not local, hands-on help.
3. Disability service agencies. Offer services but not venue training.
4. Parent groups. Share tips but not formal training.
5. Consultants, who can be costly for small venues.

What makes us different. We offer local, hands-on help, led with autistic people, and we lend kits so small venues can start right away. We work with national groups and refer venues to their resources.

How we avoid duplication. We meet with local disability agencies and venue associations each term to share plans and avoid duplicating training.

We keep a written list of every other organization that does similar work in our area and review it each year. If another group can serve a person better, we refer the person and say so plainly. Funders can expect us to tell the truth about overlap, to share what we learn and to work as part of a larger network of help.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach venues and families once the project is funded.

Venue outreach. We will visit libraries, museums, theaters, sports venues and recreation centers, and offer a free first consultation.

Family networks. Parent groups, schools and clinics will share the visit guides and event dates.

Autistic leaders. Autistic advisors will speak with venues and families about what makes a space welcoming.

Word of mouth. Families who have a good visit tell others. With permission, we share stories.

Digital outreach. An accessible website and social media will share visit guides and sensory-friendly dates. We will not post identifiable photos without written permission.

Access. Materials will be in plain language, with pictures and in English and Spanish.

Measuring outreach. We will track how each venue and family heard about us and adjust our outreach where it is not working. We will also ask families which places they would most like to visit and share that list with venues.

Marketing budget. Outreach and printing are part of the program budget.

Most people hear about services from someone they already trust, so we spend more time with partners and neighbors than on advertising. We write our materials in plain language, test them with a few people from the community and fix anything that confuses them.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out, in plain terms.

Timeline for Year 1. Months 1 and 2: hire the specialist, recruit autistic advisors, build the training and buy the first sensory kits. Months 3 to 12: train venues, hold sensory-friendly sessions and create visit guides.

Space. We work from a small office and train at the venues.

Partners. Libraries, museums, theaters and recreation centers, and autistic self-advocacy groups. Each has a written agreement.

Safety, privacy and respect rules. Kits are cleaned and checked. We never ask for a diagnosis and keep information private. Autistic advisors are paid for their time. We call 911 in an emergency.

Money controls. Advisors are paid by contract and two people review every payment.

Records and reporting. We track venues trained, sessions held and visitors and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Staff receive training from autistic advisors and use their feedback to improve every workshop.

We write down every step of the project in a short manual so that any trained staff member can carry it out the same way. We hold a short team meeting every week to review problems, safety concerns and numbers, and we ask the people we serve for feedback at least twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director leads the organization and manages the budget and partners. The sensory inclusion specialist trains venues and sets up spaces, and the program assistant schedules sessions and manages the kit library.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5.
- Executive Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $56,000 a year each.
- Sensory Inclusion Specialist: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $52,000 a year each.
- Program Assistant (part-time): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $22,000 a year each.

Governance and money controls. A volunteer board of directors oversees the budget and the executive director. Two people review every payment, the board reviews financial statements every month, an outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return and audit-ready records, and every grant is tracked in its own budget line. We screen staff and volunteers who work with the people we serve, train everyone on privacy and safety and keep written policies on conflicts of interest and complaints.

Staff and advisors. We seek staff with experience in disability inclusion and we are led by autistic advisors who are paid for their expertise. An advisory group of autistic adults, parents, a librarian and an occupational therapist meets quarterly.

Feedback and complaints. Anyone we serve can give feedback or a complaint by phone, in writing or in person, and can ask to speak with the board chair. We reply within five working days, keep a log of every complaint and report the themes to the board each quarter. No one loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years and how we will measure results. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts (2 to 3 months before the grant starts): hire the specialist, recruit and pay autistic advisors, build the training and buy the first sensory kits
- Year 1: train about 20 venues, hold about 60 sensory-friendly sessions and reach about 2,500 visitors. The budget is $178,000.
- Year 2: add a quiet room program and a second kit library. The budget is $179,500.
- Year 3: add venue types such as sports and transit. The budget is $181,500.
- Year 4: hire a second specialist. The budget is $237,500.
- Year 5: work with about 60 venues and reach about 10,000 visitors a year. The budget is $239,500.

How we will measure results: venues trained, sensory-friendly sessions held, visitors reached, kits loaned, families' own ratings of how welcome they felt and venue satisfaction. We report results to funders in the same plain numbers we use here, and we say honestly when a goal was missed and what we changed.

We report to funders every quarter and send a short plain-language summary to our board each month. At the end of each year we review all of the goals, publish a short results report and update the plan for the next year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $48,000 from an inclusive communities fund for a sensory inclusion specialist salary and sensory kits, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Sensory Inclusion Specialist salary, $40,000.
- Supplies: Sensory kits and equipment, $8,000 (other funds add $2,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 33% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $178,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,800 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $144,000; individual donations $20,000; venue partner fees and sponsors $14,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $56,000; sensory inclusion specialist $52,000; program assistant (part-time) $22,000; sensory equipment: noise-Reducing headphones, fidgets and quiet room kits about $12,000; venue staff training materials and workshops about $8,000; events and outreach about $8,000; administration and insurance about $12,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $14,800 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,800 for sensory kits, headphones and portable quiet room set-ups for partner venues, $2,200 for laptops, a projector and training display materials, $2,400 for opening supply of fidgets, visual schedules and social stories, $2,400 for training curriculum review with autistic advisors, $2,200 for policy review and legal setup, and $1,800 for banners, flyers and an accessible website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($14,800), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $42,500, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $57,500. We start with $12,000 of our own savings and $47,000 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $59,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $178,000 in Year 1 to about $239,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $144,000, $137,500, $131,500, $179,500, $173,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $6,800, $6,200, $6,000, $7,700 and $7,300 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $53,900, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,120 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and venue partner fees and sponsors grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Venues may pay for training and kits over time.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A venue may drop its program. We keep in touch and offer refreshers.
- A visit may go poorly. We use feedback to improve and are honest with families.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and fees each year and keep savings.
- Kits may be lost or damaged. We track them and budget for replacement.
- A privacy mistake could occur. We limit what we collect and train staff.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller with one site or one staff member and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- Your venue agreements and training outline.
- A sample visit guide and kit list.
- Agreements with autistic advisors.
- Letters of support from families and venues.
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: $144,000 in Year 1, growing to $173,500 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $36,000 in Year 5.
- Venue Partner Fees and Sponsors: $14,000 in Year 1, growing to $30,000 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: sensory equipment: noise-Reducing headphones, fidgets and quiet room kits $12,000, venue staff training materials and workshops $8,000, events and outreach $8,000, and administration and insurance $12,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year as the program grows.
- Grant and partner payments arrive after we bill, so about $7,120 (4% of Year 1 income) is owed to us at the end of Year 1.
- The program does not pay income tax. Any surplus stays in the program.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real numbers.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- Grant: money given for a specific purpose that does not have to be paid back, as long as it is spent as promised.
- Request: the part of the budget we are asking this funder to pay for.
- Surplus: money left over after a year's costs. A small surplus is healthy because it builds savings for slow months.
- Startup costs: one-time costs, such as equipment, paid once before the program runs at full speed.
- Working capital: cash kept in the bank to pay bills while waiting for grant payments.
- In-kind: goods or services given instead of money, such as donated space.
- Fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for a new group and passes the money to its program, usually for a fee.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

How to read the numbers. Every income and cost figure is a plan, not a result. Income rises as sponsors and donors join, costs rise a little each year, and each year's budget is planned to balance with a small surplus. Startup costs are shown separately because they are paid once. If a real number turns out different, we will update the plan and tell our funders why.

Startup Costs