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Executive Summary
Safe Harbor Advocacy Center is a nonprofit that supports people in the north side of our city and the surrounding county who are surviving domestic violence. We provide a confidential helpline, one-on-one advocacy and help with protective orders, and referrals to shelter and legal aid, always in a way that puts the survivor's safety and choices first.
Domestic violence is about one person using fear and control over another. Leaving can be the most dangerous time, and many people stay because they have nowhere to go, no money of their own, or children to protect. A survivor needs someone who believes them, helps them plan for safety, and connects them to housing, legal help and income. Our program is built around trained advocates who do exactly that, at the survivor's own pace.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 120 survivors over the year, about 40 getting active help at any time. Our Year 1 budget is about $138,000, growing to about $309,000 by Year 5 as we grow from one victim advocate 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 $120,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $18,000 in Year 1 comes from donations, which we plan to grow to about $57,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for advocate time, small emergency safety funds paid directly to vendors, and the confidential record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many survivors we serve, how many have a written safety plan, how many connect to housing, legal help or other services they chose, and how many tell us they know more ways to stay safe. We never report anything that could identify a survivor. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Safe Harbor Advocacy Center is a nonprofit organization in Colorado. A 501(c)(3) public charity
Our mission. To help survivors of domestic violence be safe, heard and supported as they rebuild their lives.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2022 when two nurses and a pastor started a confidential support line for patients and congregation members. Since then we have supported about 120 people, with eight trained volunteers helping each month.
What we do:
- Answer a confidential helpline during set hours and help people make a safety plan.
- Give each survivor a trained advocate who listens, explains options and goes at the survivor's pace.
- Help with the practical things: safe housing, protective orders, court, child care, work, benefits and a new phone or locks.
- Connect survivors to shelters, counselors, legal aid and other partners, and help them take the first step.
- Share the number of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) with every person we serve.
Where we work. A confidential helpline Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and private meetings at partner locations.
Our partners. A nearby shelter that accepts our referrals, a legal aid clinic, our state domestic violence coalition (for training) and a hospital social work office.
Our approach. We believe survivors know their own lives best. We give information and options, and the survivor decides what to do.
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 the north side of our city and the surrounding county are hurt by someone close to them every day, and many never get help. Those who do reach out often find that shelters are full, advocates are overloaded, or services close when they are most needed.
Facts about our community. According to our state coalition, local programs turned away or could not serve many requests for help in a single year.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Safe housing. Shelters fill up and many survivors have nowhere else to go.
2. Money and independence. Abusers often control the money, and leaving can mean losing a home, a job and health insurance.
3. Legal help. Protective orders, custody and immigration questions are complicated and expensive to handle alone.
4. Trust and access. People fear not being believed, fear the police, fear being found, or do not know help exists.
5. Follow-up. The need continues long after the crisis, as survivors rebuild.
What we have seen ourselves. Most survivors who come to us say that finding a safe place to stay was the first barrier, and many say they were not believed the first time they asked for help.
Who we serve first. People who are in immediate danger, people with children, people with disabilities, and people who face extra barriers to getting help, in people with children in the neighborhoods we serve, and people who face extra barriers to getting help, such as language, disability or immigration concerns.
Products & Services
How the program works.
1. A confidential line and a trained advocate. Survivors can call or text, and a trained advocate answers. Every advocate completes domestic violence training before working with survivors, and works under supervision.
2. Safety first. Each survivor creates a safety plan with an advocate, covering where they can go, how to protect children, how to keep phones and money safe, and what to do in an emergency.
3. Practical help. We help survivors with protective orders, court dates, housing applications, benefits and finding a safe place to stay.
4. Emergency safety funds. About $20,000 in Year 1 pays for things like a few nights of emergency lodging, new locks, a phone, transportation or a bus ticket. We pay the vendor directly and keep a confidential record.
5. Referrals and follow-up. We connect survivors to shelters, counselors, legal aid and other services, and check in as long as the survivor wants us to.
How we will measure results. We count survivors served, safety plans made, referrals completed and services requested. Twice a year a short, anonymous survey asks survivors whether they know more ways to stay safe and whether they felt respected. Participation in surveys is always voluntary. We report only totals to funders. Our goals for Year 1: serve 120 survivors; help 100 make a written safety plan; connect 60 to housing, legal help or counseling they chose; and have 85% say they felt respected and know more about staying safe.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve survivors of domestic violence in the north side of our city and the surrounding county, especially people with children in the neighborhoods we serve, and people who face extra barriers to getting help, such as language, disability or immigration concerns.
How we know people need this. Last year our volunteer line received 160 calls and we turned away 40 because we ran out of time. Two clinics and a school now refer people to us.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 120 survivors over the year, about 40 getting active help at any time. Calls to hotlines, protective orders filed in local courts and shelter turn-aways are common ways to measure need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find them. As we grow from one victim advocate to five, we expect to serve more people each year.
How people reach us. Two hospitals, police victim services, the courthouse, three churches and school counselors.
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- Domestic violence shelters offer emergency housing and often some advocacy. We refer survivors to them and do not run a shelter ourselves in Year 1.
- The state domestic violence coalition supports, trains and sets standards for local programs. We are a member of our state coalition and our advocates have completed its training.
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline and local hotlines answer calls at all hours. We link survivors to them.
- Courts, police and prosecutors have their own victim services. We work alongside them but remain separate, so survivors can choose how much to involve them.
- Legal aid and family law clinics help with protective orders and custody. We refer and do not give legal advice ourselves.
What makes us different: a 24-hour text line, advocates who speak Spanish, and a quick, no-forms first conversation
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from hospitals, health clinics, schools, courts, police victim services, shelters, churches and legal aid.
- Safe, quiet ways to find us: cards in restrooms, pharmacies, clinics and libraries, so a person can take our number without anyone noticing.
- Our confidential helpline and website, with a quick-exit button on every page.
- Word of mouth from survivors and community members we have helped.
Community education. We offer short trainings for employers, faith leaders and schools about how to respond when someone shares that they are being abused. This builds trust, increases referrals and brings in support.
Volunteers. Local colleges, faith communities and women's groups.
Raising money beyond grants. Donations are planned at about $18,000 in Year 1, growing to about $57,000 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 a survivor moves through the program:
1. A call, text or walk-in. The advocate first asks whether it is safe to talk.
2. A first conversation that focuses on safety, not paperwork.
3. A safety plan and a list of what the survivor wants help with.
4. Practical help: housing, legal, benefits, children and work.
5. Follow-up for as long as the survivor chooses, with no pressure to stay or to leave.
A first contact. The advocate asks whether it is safe to talk, listens without judging, explains what we offer, and agrees on a safe way to reach the person again.
Safety of staff and survivors. We keep our location confidential, never publish the address of a shelter or safe space, and follow written safety rules for meetings and home visits. Advocates are not therapists and do not give legal or medical advice; they refer to people who can.
Privacy. Survivor information is kept private and locked. Federal and state funding for domestic violence and victim services generally restricts sharing a survivor's information, and we follow those rules. We share information only with the survivor's written, time-limited permission, unless the law requires it, and funders get totals only. Ask each funder about its confidentiality rules before you apply.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $5,000 in equipment (phones, laptops, locking file cabinets and a printer), then about $1,500 to $2,000 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. One victim advocate in Year 1, then two in Year 2, three in Year 3, four in Year 4 and five in Year 5. Advocates work under supervision and receive regular training. Many states set training requirements for domestic violence advocates, so check yours.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $15,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
Kevin Bennett, 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: $60,000 a year.
Victim advocates. Answer the helpline, meet with survivors, build safety plans, help with housing, court and benefits, and follow up. One position in Year 1, growing to five by Year 5, at a planned salary of $40,000 each. Qualifications we look for: completed a state-approved domestic violence advocate training, a calm and respectful manner, and strong skills in listening.
Volunteers. Volunteers can staff the helpline, drive survivors to appointments and help with donations after completing the same domestic violence training advocates receive and a background check.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Karen Brooks, 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:
- Complete advocate training and set up confidential record-keeping.
- Sign referral agreements with our main partners, including a shelter and a legal aid provider.
- Serve about 120 survivors over the year, about 40 getting active help at any time.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for safety plans and connections to services.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $138,000.
Year 2: two victim advocates; budget of about $181,000.
Year 3: three victim advocates; budget of about $224,000.
Year 4: four victim advocates; budget of about $266,000.
Year 5: five victim advocates; budget of about $309,000.
Over the five years: grow to five victim advocates, extend helpline hours, add community education for employers and schools, and explore a partnership for safe housing.
How we will check our results. For each survivor, with permission, we record the services requested and received. Twice a year an optional, anonymous survey asks survivors about safety and respect. Staff and the Board review totals and share them with funders. We never publish anything that could identify a survivor.
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 victim advocate's salary, emergency safety funds, and confidential record-keeping, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $138,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $120,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Donations: $18,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $60,000. - Victim advocates: $40,000. - Emergency safety funds (emergency lodging, locks, phones, transportation): $20,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $15,000. - That is about $135,000 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 $138,000 in Year 1 to about $309,000 in Year 5 as we grow to five victim advocates. Grants and contracts are planned at $120,000 in Year 1, $155,000 in Year 2, $189,000 in Year 3, $220,000 in Year 4 and $252,000 in Year 5. Donations grow from $18,000 to $57,000, 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 victim services funding. Many grants are state administered and pay you back after you have spent the money. They also come with confidentiality, training and reporting rules, so ask each funder how they work before you apply. Help we receive that is not cash. Donated space, volunteer hours, donated phones and supplies and free legal clinics are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. A donated confidential office (about $6,000 a year in rent value), about 900 volunteer hours a year, and free legal clinics for survivors 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 an existing shelter or your state coalition, start with a helpline and one or two trained advocates, and track results carefully. Start small and be careful, because survivor safety always comes before growth. 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 partner agencies, such as a shelter, your state domestic violence coalition and legal aid.
- Your confidentiality, safety and privacy policies, and your advocate training plan.
- Your anonymous service numbers from the past year, if you have them (survivors served, safety plans, referrals).
- Your hotline and emergency response procedures.
- 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 $60,000; each victim advocate $40,000, growing from 1 to 5.
- Emergency safety funds about $20,000 in Year 1, rising about 6% a year
- Office costs about $15,000 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.