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Executive Summary
Rise Together Business Academy is a nonprofit that helps single mothers start and grow small businesses through a 12-week training program with childcare, mentoring and startup mini-grants. Many mothers raising children on their own have strong business ideas but no time, childcare or startup money to pursue them. Our program removes those barriers so a mother can learn, plan and launch while her children are cared for.
With this grant we will run three 12-week business training cohorts of about 15 mothers each, with childcare support, volunteer business mentors, a written business plan for every graduate and startup mini-grants for the strongest launch plans.
Our Year 1 budget is about $182,000, growing to about $247,000 by Year 5 as the program grows. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. The organization has 2 paid staff in Year 1 and 3 by Year 3, supported by volunteer mentors.
We are asking the Brightpath Women's Fund for $75,000 for the program manager, childcare support for participants and startup mini-grants. We are also raising donations and business sponsorships, so the grant is only part of our funding.
I am Keisha Monroe, the Executive Director. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.
Company Description
Rise Together Business Academy is a nonprofit organization in Tennessee. 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 letter, board list and financial statements.
Our mission. To help single mothers build businesses that give their families stability, choices and hope.
How we started. We began as a small group of mothers and business owners who met monthly to share advice. Participants asked for a real program, with classes, childcare and a way to get started. This proposal asks for support to run that program as a full-year, three-cohort academy. Before we start, we will survey at least 50 mothers about their schedules, childcare needs and business ideas, and we will use what we learn to set class times and the stipend amount.
What we do:
- A 12-week evening business course covering the business idea, customers, pricing, money, marketing and a written business plan.
- Childcare support so participants can attend, through stipends to licensed providers or on-site care.
- Volunteer business mentors who meet with each participant.
- Startup mini-grants of $1,000 for graduates with the strongest launch plans.
- Follow-up support at 6 and 12 months.
How we are run. A volunteer board of directors oversees the organization. The Executive Director leads fundraising and partnerships, and the Program Manager runs each cohort. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this project is needed.
Single mothers often run a business idea around a full-time job and childcare, with no spare time or money to start. Many do not have a way to learn the basics of pricing, customers and money in a setting that welcomes children, and most have little or no savings to buy their first supplies. Programs that ignore childcare and money leave many strong ideas unstarted.
The gaps we see:
1. Time and childcare. Evening and weekend classes do not work if a mother cannot arrange care.
2. Startup money. Even a small business needs money for supplies, a website or equipment.
3. Practical knowledge. Many mothers have never written a business plan, set prices or tracked money.
4. Isolation. Starting a business alone is hard without mentors and other owners to learn from.
What we will check. In our survey we will ask mothers about their childcare, schedules and ideas, and we will track how many apply, finish and launch.
Who benefits first. Single mothers in our region with a business idea or a very early business, especially those with limited income and limited access to loans.
Products & Services
What the grant will pay for and what we will do.
1. Recruit and enroll three cohorts. About 15 mothers in each 12-week cohort, 45 in the first year, recruited through schools, churches, family resource centers and word of mouth.
2. Teach the 12-week course. Weekly evening classes with a meal, covering the idea, customers, pricing, money, marketing and a written business plan.
3. Provide childcare support. Stipends so each participant can pay for licensed childcare while she attends class.
4. Match every participant with a mentor. A volunteer business owner who meets with her at least twice a month.
5. Award startup mini-grants and follow up. $1,000 startup mini-grants for about 20 graduates with the strongest launch plans, and check-ins at 6 and 12 months.
How we will measure results. We will count mothers enrolled, graduates, written business plans, mini-grants awarded and businesses started or formalized. We will ask each graduate for feedback and follow up at 6 and 12 months to see whether she has launched and what income she has earned. Our goals for Year 1 are 45 enrolled, at least 36 graduating and about 20 mini-grants awarded.
Market Analysis
Who benefits and how.
- Mothers. About 45 mothers start the program each year, and we expect most to finish with a written business plan.
- Jobs and income. Graduates who start businesses create jobs for themselves and sometimes for others, and spend locally.
- Children. Children of participants see their mothers learn, plan and work toward a goal.
How many we will reach. In Year 1 about 45 mothers (three cohorts of 15). With a second program manager in Year 3, we plan to run four cohorts a year.
Competitive Landscape
Other choices people have, and how we fit.
- Small Business Development Centers and general business classes. They offer excellent advice, but often without childcare or startup money.
- Online courses. Flexible, but without mentors, peers or childcare.
- Other women's programs. We will partner with them and refer participants to each other.
What makes us different: Childcare, a meal, mentors and a startup mini-grant built into a single 12-week program designed around a single mother's schedule.
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we will reach mothers who could join.
- Referrals from schools, churches, family resource centers, clinics and other agencies.
- Flyers and notices in community centers, libraries and laundromats.
- Word of mouth from graduates, who tell their stories at information nights.
- A simple website, a short application and social media posts.
Marketing budget. About $6,000 a year in Year 1, growing about 4% a year.
Operations Plan
How the project will be carried out.
Timeline:
- Months 1 to 2: Survey mothers, set class times and the stipend amount, recruit mentors and the first cohort
- Months 3 to 5: Run Cohort 1 and award the first mini-grants
- Months 6 to 8: Run Cohort 2 and follow up with Cohort 1
- Months 9 to 11: Run Cohort 3 and follow up with Cohort 2
- Month 12: Award final mini-grants, report results and plan next year
Space and partners. Classes are held at a partner church and a community college classroom at no cost. Licensed childcare providers receive the stipends, and local business owners volunteer as mentors.
Safety and rules. Mentors and volunteers complete a background check where the law allows, and childcare is provided only by licensed providers. Participant information is kept private.
Records and reporting. Participant information is kept private and reported to funders only as totals. 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
Who leads the organization.
Keisha Monroe, Executive Director. Keisha leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and partnerships, and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $54,000 a year.
Program Manager. Recruits participants, runs each cohort, manages mentors and tracks results. One in Year 1, growing to two in Year 3, at a planned salary of $44,000 each.
Mentors and the Board. About 15 volunteer mentors, and a five-member Board of Directors that includes a business owner and a person with nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant money is tracked separately for each funder, and an outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Milestones Narrative
Our goals and how we will measure them.
- Year 1: Run three cohorts, enroll about 45 mothers and award about 20 mini-grants; a balanced budget of about $182,000; 2 paid staff.
- Year 2: Run three cohorts and follow up with graduates; a balanced budget of about $187,000; 2 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a second program manager and run four cohorts a year; a balanced budget of about $236,000; 3 paid staff.
- Year 4: Grow our donor base and sponsors; a balanced budget of about $241,000; 3 paid staff.
- Year 5: Run a steady four-cohort academy and share what we have learned; a balanced budget of about $247,000; 3 paid staff.
How we will check our results. Enrollment, completion, plans written, mini-grants awarded and businesses started are recorded for every cohort. Twice a year, staff and the Board review results and share them with our funders.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $75,000 from the Brightpath Women's Fund for the program manager, childcare support for participants and startup mini-grants, for January through December 2027.
The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Program Manager salary, $44,000.
- Other: Childcare stipends for participants, $15,000 (other funds add $11,000).
- Other: Startup mini-grants for graduates, $16,000 (other funds add $4,000).
Other money in the project. Other grants, donations and sponsors pay the other $15,000 of childcare stipends and mini-grants, plus the Executive Director's salary ($54,000), training materials and the venue ($12,000), outreach and evaluation ($6,000) and administration and insurance ($14,000).
Year 1 budget: about $182,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $4,800 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $162,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), and donations and business sponsors $20,000. Year 1 costs: Executive Director $54,000; Program Manager $44,000; childcare stipends about $26,000; startup mini-grants about $20,000; training materials and venue about $12,000; outreach and evaluation about $6,000; administration and insurance about $14,000. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $6,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget.
The next five years. Our budget grows from about $182,000 in Year 1 to about $247,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $162,000, $160,000, $188,000, $186,000 and $184,000 in Years 1 to 5, and donations and business sponsors grow from $20,000 to $63,000. We add a second program manager in Year 3 and run four cohorts a year from then on.
Savings. We start with about $15,000 of our own plus $50,000 in startup support, and plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $59,500.
After the grant. We will raise donations and business sponsors each year so grants become a smaller share of our budget over time. Graduates who succeed are asked to mentor the next cohort, which lowers our costs and strengthens the program.
Risks and how we will handle them:
- Not enough mothers apply. We will begin recruiting early with referral partners and survey results, and adjust class times.
- Childcare falls through. We will pay licensed providers directly and keep a small backup fund.
- Graduates do not launch. We will keep mentor and follow-up support in place and share what works with the next cohort.
If we 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 cohort of about 10 mothers in a donated room with volunteer mentors, 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) letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current budget.
- A list of your Board members and what they do.
- Your course outline and sample class schedule.
- Letters of support from partner churches, schools and agencies.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and Program Manager.
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: $162,000 in Year 1, growing to $184,000.
- Donations and Business Sponsors: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $63,000.
- Pay (a full year, per person): Executive Director $54,000, Program Manager $44,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Childcare Stipends $26,000, Startup Mini-Grants for Graduates $20,000, Training Materials and Venue $12,000, Outreach and Evaluation $6,000, Administration and Insurance $14,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.