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Executive Summary
Main Street Starters is a nonprofit that helps people in our county and the nearby towns start and grow small businesses, especially people who have been left out of traditional business help. We provide free evening classes, one-on-one advising and help getting ready for a loan, with a business advisor who works with each owner one-on-one.
Small businesses are where many families build income, create jobs and build wealth. But many would-be owners, especially those with limited income, no business experience or little access to banks, struggle to get started. They do not know how to write a plan, understand their numbers, find a loan or handle licenses and taxes. Our program fills that gap with free, practical help in plain language.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 100 owners over the year, in four class series of 25. Our Year 1 budget is about $130,000, growing to about $315,000 by Year 5 as we grow from one business advisor to five. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside in savings.
We are asking the Carlisle Family Foundation for $50,000, as part of the $118,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $12,000 in Year 1 comes from program fees and donations, which we plan to grow to about $40,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for business advisor time, training classes and the record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many people we serve, how many finish our training, how many start or grow a business, how many get funding, and how many jobs those businesses create. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Main Street Starters is a nonprofit organization in Mississippi. A 501(c)(3) public charity
Our mission. To help everyday people start and grow small businesses that support their families and their neighborhoods.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2022 when two retired bankers started offering free evening classes at the library for people who wanted to start a business. Since then we have worked with about 80 owners, with eight volunteers helping each month.
What we do:
- Teach practical small business classes in plain language: how to test an idea, plan, price, market and keep records.
- Give each owner a business advisor for one-on-one help with their plan, numbers, licenses and next steps.
- Help owners get ready for a loan or other funding, and connect them to lenders, community lenders and grants.
- Connect owners to free resources such as the Small Business Development Center, SCORE mentors and local chambers.
- Host events where owners meet each other, lenders and customers.
Where we work. A library meeting room, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with advising by appointment during the day.
Our partners. A community bank, the local SBDC, a CPA who donates time and the library that provides space.
Our approach. We help people become business owners on their own terms. We are honest when an idea needs more work, and we help people decide when to start, wait or change course. We do not lend money ourselves in Year 1.
How we are run. A volunteer Board of Directors (a small group of community members who oversee the organization) meets regularly, approves the budget, reviews the finances and oversees the Executive Director.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this program is needed.
People in our county and the nearby towns start businesses every year, but many fail for reasons that good advice could have prevented: unclear pricing, weak records, missing licenses or too little cash. Others never start because they do not know where to begin. Owners with limited income or no connections face the biggest gaps.
Facts about our community. According to the U.S. Census, there are about 3,200 businesses with no employees in our county.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Know-how. Many owners have a skill but not the business skills, like pricing, records and taxes.
2. Capital. Banks often turn down new owners, and many owners do not know about community lenders and grants.
3. Connections. Owners without networks have a harder time finding customers, suppliers and advice.
4. Paperwork. Licenses, permits, taxes and insurance can be confusing, especially for first-time owners.
5. Time. Many owners work another job and cannot attend daytime classes.
What we have seen ourselves. Many owners told us they were turned down for a loan because they did not have records or a business plan, even though their business was making money.
Who we serve first. Aspiring and early-stage owners with limited income, women, veterans, immigrants and people with records, in owners with limited income, women, veterans, immigrants and people with a record, in the east and south neighborhoods.
Products & Services
How the program works.
1. Plain-language classes. Short evening classes teach how to test an idea, write a simple plan, set prices, understand cash flow, keep records and market a small business. About $14,000 in Year 1 pays for materials, speakers, workspace and class costs.
2. A business advisor for each owner. Advisors meet one-on-one to work on each owner's plan, numbers and next steps, and help owners prepare to meet a lender.
3. Funding readiness. We help owners understand their credit, prepare a funding request and connect with community lenders and grants. We do not make loans ourselves in Year 1.
4. Free resources. We connect owners to the Small Business Development Center, SCORE mentors, local chambers and legal and tax help.
5. Community. We host regular owner meetups so owners can learn from each other.
How we will measure results. We record each owner's start date, classes completed, plans written and businesses started or grown. We follow up at 6 and 12 months to ask whether they are open, how many people they employ and whether they received funding. We report what owners tell us, and we say so. Our goals for Year 1: serve 100 owners; have 70 complete our class series; help 35 start or grow a business; and help 20 get funding they did not have before.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve people who want to start or grow a small business in our county and the nearby towns, especially owners with limited income, women, veterans, immigrants and people with a record, in the east and south neighborhoods.
How we know people need this. Our first class had 15 seats and 40 people signed up, and a local bank refers owners to us every month.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 100 owners over the year, in four class series of 25. The number of small businesses and self-employed people in our area, and the share of owners who report being denied credit, are common ways to size the need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find them. As we grow from one business advisor to five, we expect to serve more owners each year.
How owners reach us. Two banks, the library, a workforce center and local churches.
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- Small Business Development Centers and SCORE offer free advice and training. We work with them and focus on people who need more hands-on, ongoing support. We refer owners to our SBDC and they refer people to us.
- Chambers of commerce offer networking. We partner with them and bring them owners they may not otherwise reach.
- Community development lenders (often called CDFIs) make loans to owners that banks turn down. We help owners prepare for them and refer people to them.
- Banks offer loans and accounts. We help owners work with them.
- Online courses teach skills but not personal support. We add that.
What makes us different: evening classes, advisors who stay with an owner for a full year and a focus on people banks often turn away
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from banks, community lenders, workforce centers, libraries, churches and other nonprofits.
- Presentations at community centers, libraries, farmers markets and trade programs.
- Word of mouth from owners we have helped.
- A clear, simple sign-up for classes, by phone, text or online.
Partners. We partner with local banks, community lenders and professionals (like accountants and attorneys) who donate time. These partners help our owners and help us find support.
Volunteers. Retired bankers, accountants, local owners and college business students.
Raising money beyond grants. Program fees and donations are planned at about $12,000 in Year 1, growing to about $40,000 by Year 5, through a yearly giving campaign, business and community partners, a community event and online giving. Raising more of our own money means we depend less on any one grant or contract.
Operations Plan
How the program runs.
How an owner moves through the program:
1. Sign-up and a first meeting with an advisor to learn about the owner's idea or business.
2. Classes on planning, numbers, marketing and records.
3. One-on-one advising to write a simple plan and decide on next steps.
4. Funding readiness and introductions to lenders and grants.
5. Follow-up at 6 and 12 months, and invitations to owner meetups.
A first meeting. We ask about the idea, who the customers are and what the owner has done so far, and agree on the next two steps.
Honest advice. Advisors give general guidance, not legal, tax or investment advice, and refer owners to professionals for those. We never guarantee a loan or promise results.
Privacy. Owner information, including financial details, is kept private. We share it only with signed permission, and funders get totals, never names.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $5,000 in equipment (laptops, a projector, a printer and classroom supplies), then about $1,500 to $2,000 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. One business advisor in Year 1, then two in Year 2, three in Year 3, four in Year 4 and five in Year 5. Advisors carry a limited number of owners so each gets real attention.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $11,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
Elena Mitchell, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and contracts, builds partnerships, oversees the finances and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $58,000 a year.
Business advisors. Teach classes, meet with owners one-on-one, help with plans and funding readiness, and follow up. One position in Year 1, growing to five by Year 5, at a planned salary of $44,000 each. Qualifications we look for: experience owning or advising a small business, a clear and patient way of explaining numbers.
Volunteers. Volunteer accountants, attorneys, bankers and experienced owners help with mentoring and workshops. They are screened and oriented before working with owners.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Carlos Johnson, who brings nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant and contract money is tracked separately so we can show each funder exactly how their money was spent. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Milestones Narrative
Our goals and how we will measure them.
Year 1:
- Sign partnerships with our first lender, SBDC and volunteer professionals.
- Hire and train our first business advisor and run our first class series.
- Serve about 100 owners over the year, in four class series of 25.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for classes completed, businesses started and funding connections.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $130,000.
Year 2: two business advisors; budget of about $176,000.
Year 3: three business advisors; budget of about $222,000.
Year 4: four business advisors; budget of about $268,000.
Year 5: five business advisors; budget of about $315,000.
Over the five years: grow to five business advisors, add classes in more places and languages, and build a mentor network. Training costs grow about 5% a year.
How we will check our results. For each owner we record classes, plans written, funding received and whether the business is open at 6 and 12 months. Staff and the Board review the results and share them with funders. Where we do not have follow-up information, we say so rather than guess.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $50,000 from the Carlisle Family Foundation for our first business advisor's salary, class materials and the costs of reporting results, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $130,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $118,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Program fees and donations: $12,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $58,000. - Business advisors: $44,000. - Training program costs (classes, materials, speakers, workspace): $14,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $11,000. - That is about $127,000 in costs. The remaining $3,000 or so goes into savings. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $5,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget. The next five years. Our budget grows from about $130,000 in Year 1 to about $315,000 in Year 5 as we grow to five business advisors. Grants and contracts are planned at $118,000 in Year 1, $158,000 in Year 2, $197,000 in Year 3, $236,000 in Year 4 and $275,000 in Year 5. Program fees and donations grow from $12,000 to $40,000, so grants become a smaller part of our budget over time. Savings. We start with about $18,000 of our own plus $65,000 in startup support, and we add to savings each year. Important for grants and bank partnerships. Many grants pay in installments or after a report, and bank or lender partnerships may be tied to results. We plan for that wait and keep careful records. Help we receive that is not cash. Donated space, volunteer professionals' time, donated supplies and speaker time are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. Free use of a library meeting room (about $3,600 a year in rent value), about 600 volunteer hours a year and donated accounting help If we are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status. One way is a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that agrees to receive grants for you and pass them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Many funders accept this. Another way is to start smaller: partner with a library or community center, run one short class series with a few volunteer advisors, and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants and contracts 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.
- Letters of support from banks, community lenders, the SBDC or other partners.
- Your class outline and sample plan template.
- Your participant numbers from the past year, if you have them (owners served, businesses started).
- Your privacy and conflict-of-interest policies.
- 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):
- Staff pay: Executive Director $58,000; each business advisor $44,000, growing from 1 to 5.
- Training program costs about $14,000 in Year 1, rising about 5% a year
- Office costs about $11,000 in Year 1, rising about 4% a year.
- Grants and contracts set so each year's budget balances with a small amount saved.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real budget.