Front Line Founders Veterans Entrepreneurship Network

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Executive Summary

Front Line Founders Veterans Entrepreneurship Network is a nonprofit in Ohio that helps veterans and military spouses start and grow businesses. Our team of veteran Business Coaches, a Capital and Contracting Navigator and a Veteran Peer Mentor Coordinator walks with each entrepreneur from the first idea to the first customers and beyond. We run a 12-week business course in small cohorts, give one-on-one coaching, hold free legal and accounting clinics with licensed professionals, help entrepreneurs find loans, grants and government contracts, match each person with a mentor and pay for a small amount of startup costs, such as a license, a website or equipment, directly to the vendor, never as cash. There is no charge to veterans.

Many veterans have the discipline, leadership and nerve to build a business, and many want to: they are used to leading a team, working under pressure and finishing the mission. They often lack three things: a clear plan, money and connections. Some leave the service with little savings and no credit history. Some have a disability and want work that fits their life. Some have a good idea and do not know how to form a company, price a product, keep books or sell to the government. Many do not know where to turn, and the help that exists is spread across many offices.

With this grant we will serve about 60 veterans and military spouses in Year 1, opening in about Month 3, and about 90 in Year 2. About 24 of them will receive startup help paid directly to vendors. Our goal is that at least 70% of cohort graduates have a written plan and a legal business structure, that at least 40% have started or grown a business within 12 months and that our graduates tell us they would recommend us. We do not promise that any business will succeed.

Our Year 1 budget: about $512,500, growing to about $728,500 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 business development contracts and local sponsors add steady support, so grants fall from about 79% of our income in Year 1 to about 57% in Year 5.

We are asking the Main Street Valor Foundation for $80,000 for one Veteran Business Coach, a startup seed fund paid directly to vendors and a legal and accounting clinic. Government contracts, other grants and sponsors cover the rest, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Marisol Vega, the Executive Director, an Air Force veteran and a small business owner. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Front Line Founders Veterans Entrepreneurship Network is a nonprofit organization in Ohio. 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 help veterans and military families build businesses that support their families and strengthen our community.

What we believe. Entrepreneurship is a path to independence, a way to use the skills learned in service and a way to create jobs for others. Many good businesses are small, local and owned by people who understand their customers. Veterans are the experts on their own lives, and the best help comes from people who have started businesses themselves. We serve women and men, people of every race, faith, sexual orientation and gender identity, veterans of every era and discharge status when our funding allows, veterans with a disability, Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses.

How we started. Front Line Founders Veterans Entrepreneurship Network began when an Air Force veteran who owned a print shop began meeting other veterans on Tuesday evenings at a library to talk through business ideas. Attendance grew from four to more than thirty. A banker, an accountant and an attorney began to volunteer. In two years the group helped about 80 veterans and spouses with plans, and 23 opened businesses. The local small business development center, the VA and the chamber of commerce asked whether we could grow into a full program. This proposal asks for support to do that.

What we offer:
- A 12-week business course. Evening classes in small cohorts, covering the business idea, customers, pricing, marketing, money, legal structure, taxes, hiring, and how to sell. Each person finishes with a written plan and a pitch.
- One-on-one coaching. A Veteran Business Coach meets with each entrepreneur during the course and for a year afterward.
- Free legal and accounting clinics. Licensed attorneys and accountants answer questions about forming a company, contracts, licenses, insurance, bookkeeping and taxes. Clinic professionals are paid for their time or volunteer, and they are responsible for their own advice. We do not give legal or tax advice ourselves.
- Access to capital. A Capital and Contracting Navigator helps entrepreneurs understand their choices, such as microloans, community development lenders, SBA-backed loans and grants, and prepares them to apply. We do not make loans, and we do not promise that any loan will be approved.
- Government contracting. Help to register, to understand veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned certifications and to find opportunities, in partnership with the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the SBA's veteran programs. We do not promise any contract.
- Startup help. A small seed fund pays vendors directly for items that a coach and the entrepreneur agree are needed, such as a license, a website, equipment, insurance or inventory, never cash to the entrepreneur.
- Mentors. A Veteran Peer Mentor Coordinator matches each graduate with an experienced business owner.
- Community. Monthly meetups, pitch nights and a veteran business directory.

Who we serve. Veterans, including National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses and service members who are within a year of leaving the service, regardless of discharge type when our funding allows. Some government funding has its own eligibility rules, which we confirm for each funding source. We do not charge for any service.

What we do not do. We do not make loans, invest in businesses or take equity. We do not give legal, tax or investment advice. We do not promise that any business will succeed, that any loan will be approved or that any contract will be won. 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 veterans 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 veterans, a banker, an attorney, a small business owner, a representative of the small business development center 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 small business development center, the chamber of commerce, a community development lender, the VA, a community college and two veterans' organizations. We have a letter of intent for a small space with classroom and co-working room on a bus line. Before we begin, we will have an attorney review our seed fund rules, vendor agreements, mentor policies and privacy policies and confirm any requirements of Ohio.

Problem & Opportunity

Veterans start businesses at a high rate, and many succeed, but many more never begin or fail early. A veteran who leaves the service with a good idea often faces a long list of unknowns: how to form a company, which license to get, how to price, how to find customers, how to keep books and pay taxes, and where to get money. The answers are scattered across the state, the county, the SBA, banks and websites, and some of what is online is wrong or sells something.

Money is the hardest barrier. Many veterans have limited savings, student or consumer debt or no credit history after years of service abroad. Banks may be unwilling to lend to a business with no track record. Some veterans are drawn to costly online loans, merchant advances or business-in-a-box offers that can leave them worse off. Women veterans, veterans of color, veterans with a disability and rural veterans often have even less access.

Military spouses face their own barriers. Frequent moves can break a career, and a business can be a portable, flexible way to earn. They often have the same questions and less access to veteran programs.

Government contracting is a large opportunity, and a complicated one. Many veteran-owned small businesses could sell to government buyers, but the rules, registration and certifications are confusing, and some firms lose time and money chasing things they are not ready for.

When a business fails early, the costs fall hard: lost savings, debt, damaged credit and discouragement. When a veteran-owned business succeeds, it creates income for the owner, jobs for neighbors and a role model.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Studies of small business training show that coaching, mentoring and access to capital can help, and results vary with the person, the industry and the economy. Most new businesses face a hard first few years. We do not know that every veteran we serve will build a lasting business, and for some the best result is to learn early that an idea is not ready or that employment is a better path. We will measure our own results and share them honestly. We will use local numbers from the Census Bureau, the SBA and the state in our final application and will not overstate them.

Our community has good resources, including a small business development center and a chamber of commerce, but they serve everyone, are stretched thin and are not built around military life. We aim to be the front door for veterans and a bridge to those resources.

Products & Services

Front Line Founders Veterans Entrepreneurship Network will run a veterans entrepreneurship center with a Program Director, veteran Business Coaches, a Capital and Contracting Navigator, a Veteran Peer Mentor Coordinator and an Executive Director, and will offer a business course, coaching, clinics, access to capital help, contracting help, startup help and mentoring at no cost to veterans.

How it works, step by step:
1. First contact. A veteran or military spouse calls, visits or uses our website. We return every message within one business day. Anyone in crisis is connected right away to the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1), or 911 when there is immediate danger.
2. Intake and fit. A short, respectful conversation about the idea, experience, money and goals. We check whether a business is the right path and, if not, we refer to employment help. An idea does not need to be perfect.
3. The 12-week course. Evening classes in cohorts of about 20, with a coach, guest speakers and homework. Each person builds a business plan, a simple budget and a pitch. Graduation includes a pitch night.
4. Coaching. One-on-one meetings during the course and every month for a year afterward, with quick help when something goes wrong.
5. Clinics. Free sessions with licensed attorneys and accountants on forming a company, licenses, contracts, insurance, bookkeeping and taxes. Professionals give their own advice, and we do not.
6. Capital. The Capital and Contracting Navigator helps each entrepreneur understand the choices, prepare financial statements and a loan package and approach lenders, including community lenders and SBA-backed programs. We warn against high-cost loans and merchant advances, and we never take a fee from a lender or a borrower.
7. Startup help. When a coach and an entrepreneur agree that a specific item will move the business forward, the seed fund pays the vendor directly. Items must be in the business plan, and the amount is limited to an average of about $2,500.
8. Contracting. For businesses that are ready, help registering, understanding certifications and finding and responding to opportunities.
9. Mentors. A mentor from the same field, where possible, meets with each graduate for at least a year.
10. Follow-up. Check-ins at 6, 12 and 24 months, with a short survey on revenue, jobs and what is working.

What the grant will pay for. Part of one Veteran Business Coach's salary, the startup seed fund paid directly to vendors and the legal and accounting clinic. The rest of the budget comes from government business development contracts, other grants and sponsors.

Honesty. We tell every entrepreneur that most businesses take time, that some do not work and that deciding not to start can be a good decision. We do not sell franchises, products or services to participants, and we do not allow anyone to use our program to sell to veterans.

Why this approach is strong. We combine training, coaching, professional advice, capital help and mentoring in one place, led by people who have built businesses and served. We pay for startup items only when they are part of a plan, and we stay with the entrepreneur after the course ends.

Market Analysis

Who benefits: veterans and military spouses in our Ohio area who want to start or grow a business, and the customers, employees and neighborhoods that benefit from new local businesses.

Our primary group is veterans of every era and military spouses who have a business idea or a young business. We expect to serve men and women of all ages, with an effort to reach women veterans, veterans with a service-connected disability, veterans of color, rural veterans, Guard and Reserve members, military spouses and service members who are within a year of leaving the service. About half will have a business idea, and about half will already have a small business that is struggling or ready to grow.

We will not serve a person who needs emergency help at the moment of the visit, and we will help them reach the right place. We refer veterans who would be better served by a job, a training program or health care, and we stay in touch.

Local data. We will use the most recent numbers from the Census Bureau, the SBA, the state and the VA in our final application and will not overstate them. Our own experience shows demand: in two years of Tuesday evening meetings, about 80 veterans and spouses came for help, and a waiting list formed for the one class we could teach. We plan for about 60 participants in Year 1 and about 90 in Year 2, growing to about 190 by Year 5 as we add coaches.

Our secondary groups are the customers and communities who gain local businesses and jobs; lenders, who gain better-prepared borrowers; government buyers, who gain more qualified small business suppliers; and the small business development center and chamber, which gain a partner with a direct line to veterans.

Industries. We expect most businesses to be in services, construction trades, transportation and logistics, food, retail, technology and professional services. We do not steer people toward one industry, and we encourage veterans to start in fields they know.

We do not guarantee a spot in a cohort to anyone. When we are full, we say so, offer a place on a short waiting list and help the person begin with the free resources at the small business development center.

Competitive Landscape

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

- Small business development centers and SCORE. They offer free or low-cost advice to everyone, and we work closely with them, take referrals from them and refer to them. They serve many people and few have a program built around military life.
- The SBA's veteran programs. The SBA offers programs for veterans and service members, including entrepreneurship courses and a network of Veterans Business Outreach Centers. We refer veterans to them and use their materials. They are national, and a veteran may not get local, ongoing coaching.
- Community colleges and universities. They offer courses and degrees, which are valuable and slower, with fees. We work with them.
- Banks and community development lenders. We do not compete with them. We prepare entrepreneurs to be good borrowers and introduce them to lenders.
- Co-working spaces, accelerators and online courses. Some are excellent and many charge fees or take equity. We offer free help with no equity.
- Franchise and business-opportunity sellers. Some are legitimate, and some are costly and risky. We are neutral, we do not take money from sellers and we encourage every entrepreneur to ask a lawyer to review any contract.

What makes us different.
- Coaches and mentors who are veterans and business owners.
- A start-to-finish path in one place: course, coaching, clinics, capital help, contracting help and startup help.
- Startup help paid directly to vendors, tied to a written plan.
- Follow-up for two years, not just until the course ends.
- Honest talk about risk, including when a business is not the right path.
- 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 small business development center and national 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 veterans, partners and supporters we need once the project is funded.

Veterans and spouses. We will meet them where they are: the installation's transition office, the VA medical center and Vet Center, American Legion and VFW posts, veterans' service organizations, community colleges, military family support groups, churches, barber shops, gyms and libraries. We will attend Stand Down events, job fairs and resource fairs. We will keep a simple website with a veteran business directory, a text line and a printed card that fits in a wallet. Graduates, with their written permission, will be our best messengers.

Lenders and professionals. We will recruit community development lenders, banks, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents and business owners to serve on clinics and as mentors. We will make clear that they may not use the program to sell their services to participants, and we will not accept payment for referrals.

Government and partners. We will work with the small business development center, the SBA's veteran programs, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, the chamber of commerce and the state veterans agency so every veteran can use every resource available.

Customers. We will encourage the community to buy from veteran-owned businesses through the directory, a veteran business showcase and partnerships with chambers and local governments. Businesses are listed only with their consent.

Funders. We will report results as totals, never with a participant's name, to funders and government partners twice a year and in a short annual report. We will invite funders to attend a pitch night.

Donors and community. We will invite individuals, businesses, banks, churches, civic clubs and veterans' organizations to sponsor a cohort, a seed grant or a pitch night. Gifts are tracked separately and acknowledged with thanks.

How we talk about entrepreneurship. We use plain, realistic words. We do not promise riches, and 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 seed fund rules, vendor agreements, mentor and volunteer policies and privacy policies, sign the lease, hire the Program Director, two Veteran Business Coaches, the Capital and Contracting Navigator and the Peer Mentor Coordinator, choose a secure data system and set up the space.
- Month 3: Staff training in coaching, small business basics, military culture, trauma-informed practice, crisis response, confidentiality and the data system. Recruit clinic professionals and mentors. Open to veterans.
- Months 4 to 8: First 12-week cohort, first coaching meetings, first clinics and first seed fund payments. Mentor matching begins.
- Months 9 to 12: Second cohort starts, first graduation and pitch night. Follow-up check-ins begin. Review of results, wait times and costs, a year-end report to funders and planning for Year 2.

Space. A small leased space on a bus line, with a classroom, a co-working room, a private coaching room and a reception area. Rent and utilities are about $30,000 a year in Year 1. Paint, flooring and a private coaching 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, a projector and a laptop loaner pool ($6,500), office, classroom and co-working furniture, including a private coaching room ($3,500) and locking cabinets for confidential records ($1,000). After Year 1, we set aside about $2,000 to $3,000 a year to replace and add equipment.

Staffing. In Year 1: an Executive Director, an Entrepreneurship Program Director, two Veteran Business Coaches, a Capital and Contracting Navigator, a Veteran Peer Mentor Coordinator and a part-time Program Coordinator and Data Specialist. A third Business Coach joins in Year 3, a second Navigator in Year 4 and a fourth Business Coach in Year 5. Each coach carries about 30 to 40 active entrepreneurs at a time.

Seed fund rules and controls. Startup help is tied to a written business plan, averages about $2,500 and is paid directly to the vendor, never as cash to an entrepreneur. The item must be agreed by the coach and the Program Director, the vendor must provide an invoice and a W-9, and each payment is approved by the Executive Director or a designee and recorded. The board reviews a list of all payments each quarter. The seed fund is about $60,000 a year in Year 1, or about 24 businesses, and grows about 14% a year, to about 41 businesses in Year 5. Seed fund items stay the property of the business. We do not take equity, repayment or a share of revenue.

Clinics. Attorneys and accountants are paid or volunteer through written agreements, carry their own professional insurance and give advice to the entrepreneur, not to us. Clinic fees are about $12,000 a year in Year 1. We do not give legal, tax or investment advice, and we say so in writing.

Capital rules. We do not make loans. We never take a fee or a gift from a lender, a borrower or a vendor in exchange for a referral. We warn about high-cost loans, merchant cash advances and offers that require large up-front fees, and we do not promise that any loan will be approved.

Mentors and volunteers. Mentors and volunteers pass a background check, sign a conflict-of-interest policy, may not sell to or invest in a participant's business during the mentoring relationship without disclosure to the Program Director and never have access to records.

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

Crisis and safety. If a participant 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. Participants' information, including financial information, is kept in a locked cabinet and a secure, password-protected system, and shared only with the participant's written permission, except where the law or our funders require it. We report results to funders only as totals.

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 veterans 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.

Marisol Vega, Executive Director. An Air Force veteran who has owned a small print business for fourteen years and has volunteered as a mentor to veteran entrepreneurs. 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.)

Entrepreneurship Program Director (full time, hired in Months 1 to 2). Runs the program day to day, teaches and supervises the course, supervises the coaches and reviews seed fund requests. We will seek a person with experience in small business and with military culture.

Veteran Business Coaches (two in Years 1 and 2, three in Years 3 and 4, four in Year 5). Teach the course, meet one on one with entrepreneurs and stay with them for a year. We will seek coaches who have started and run businesses, and we will hire veterans where we can.

Capital and Contracting Navigator (one in Years 1 to 3, two from Year 4). Helps entrepreneurs understand financing options, prepare loan packages and take first steps in government contracting, working with lenders, the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the SBA's veteran programs.

Veteran Peer Mentor Coordinator. Recruits, trains and matches mentors, runs meetups and checks in with each pair.

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 veterans, a banker, an attorney, a small business owner, a small business development center representative and a certified public accountant. The board approves the budget and policies, reviews payments and results each quarter and does not receive pay.

Veteran advisory group. Graduates and current participants meet quarterly and tell us what is working and what is not. Their advice shapes the course and the seed fund.

Outside professionals. An attorney reviews our seed fund 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. Volunteers do not have access to participants' records.

Staff pay in this plan includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation. Salaries are Executive Director $62,000, Program Director $54,000, Veteran Business Coach $48,000, Capital and Contracting Navigator $50,000, Veteran Peer Mentor 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 60 participants in two cohorts and coaching, provide startup help to about 24 businesses and see at least 70% of graduates with a written plan and a legal business structure. A balanced budget of about $512,500, with a small surplus of about $12,300. 7 paid staff.
- Year 2: Serve about 90 participants and provide startup help to about 27 businesses. Apply for government business development contracts. Begin 12-month follow-up. A balanced budget of about $527,000, with a small surplus of about $12,300. 7 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a third Business Coach and serve about 120 participants, with startup help to about 31 businesses. Government contracts cover more of our budget. A balanced budget of about $591,500, with a small surplus of about $12,700. 8 paid staff.
- Year 4: Add a second Capital and Contracting Navigator and serve about 150 participants, with startup help to about 36 businesses. A balanced budget of about $660,000, with a small surplus of about $13,600. 9 paid staff.
- Year 5: Add a fourth Business Coach and serve about 190 participants, with startup help to about 41 businesses, with government contracts covering about 29% of our budget. A balanced budget of about $728,500, with a small surplus of about $14,400. 10 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Participants served, by era of service, gender, disability and whether they are a military spouse.
- Course completion and the share with a written plan and a legal structure.
- Seed fund payments, and what each business bought.
- Businesses started or grown within 12 months, and still operating at 12 and 24 months.
- Revenue, jobs created and loans or contracts obtained, reported as totals and with the entrepreneur's permission.
- Cost per participant and cost per business started or grown.
- Participant satisfaction and whether participants felt respected, collected anonymously.

How we review results. The Program Director and coaches review caseloads and results every week, and the whole team reviews outcomes monthly. Each semester, staff, the 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: $80,000 from the Main Street Valor Foundation for one Veteran Business Coach, a startup seed fund paid directly to vendors and a legal and accounting clinic, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Veteran Business Coach salary, $48,000 (other funds add $48,000).
- Other: Startup seed fund (paid directly to vendors, never as cash), $22,000 (other funds add $38,000).
- Contractual: Legal and accounting clinic (paid directly to professionals), $10,000 (other funds add $2,000).

Other money in the program. Government business development contracts, other grants and sponsors pay the other $88,000 of those lines, plus the Executive Director's salary ($62,000), the Program Director ($54,000), the Capital and Contracting Navigator ($50,000), the Peer Mentor Coordinator ($38,000), the part-time Program Coordinator ($26,000), cohort materials, speakers and graduation costs ($14,000), office and co-working space rent and utilities ($30,000), technology and data system ($10,000), outreach, pitch nights and events ($12,000), insurance ($8,000), staff credentials and training ($6,000), evaluation and reporting ($6,000) and administration and accounting ($14,000).

Year 1 budget: about $512,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $12,300 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $402,500 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), government business development contracts $70,000 and sponsorships and donations $40,000. Year 1 costs: Executive Director $62,000; Entrepreneurship Program Director $54,000; two Veteran Business Coachs $96,000; Capital and Contracting Navigator $50,000; Veteran Peer Mentor Coordinator $38,000; Program Coordinator and Data Specialist $26,000; startup seed fund about $60,000; cohort materials, speakers and graduation costs about $14,000; legal and accounting clinic about $12,000; office and co-working space rent and utilities about $30,000; technology and data system about $10,000; outreach, pitch nights and events about $12,000; insurance about $8,000; staff credentials and 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 seed fund. The seed fund averages about $2,500 for each of about 24 businesses in Year 1 ($60,000). It grows about 14% a year, to about $101,300 in Year 5, or about 41 businesses. We pay each amount directly to a vendor and only for items in a written business plan.

About government contracts. The SBA, the state, the county and city economic development offices and the VA fund programs that help small and veteran-owned businesses. 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 sponsors to cover the gap if they do.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $32,300 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $11,000 for equipment, $3,500 for leasehold improvements, $4,500 for deposits, $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 ($32,300), the cash we need to cover the wait for the first payments (about $21,400) and a cash cushion of about $124,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. That comes to $178,500. We start with $25,000 of our own savings and $165,000 in startup support from a veterans' foundation, a bank's community gift and our board, $190,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $512,500 in Year 1 to about $728,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $402,500, $380,000, $395,500, $408,000, $418,500 in Years 1 to 5. Government contracts grow from $70,000 to $210,000, and sponsorships and donations grow from $40,000 to $100,000. We add a third Business Coach in Year 3, a second Navigator in Year 4 and a fourth Business Coach in Year 5. Grants fall from about 79% of our income in Year 1 to about 57% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $157,600, 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 $35,875 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Our plan is to grow government contracts as agencies see results, to invite banks, businesses, veterans' groups and churches to sponsor cohorts and to grow individual donors. Because a veteran-owned business creates income and jobs, success strengthens the local economy and our case for public funding.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- Businesses fail early. We are honest about risk, tie startup help to a written plan, coach for a year and help people decide not to start when that is wise.
- A veteran is drawn to a costly loan or scheme. We teach how to spot them, never take fees from lenders or sellers and refer to trusted lenders.
- A vendor or mentor behaves badly. We check vendors, require conflict-of-interest disclosure and stop working with anyone who breaks our rules.
- 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 participant is in crisis. We use a written safety plan, train every staff member and connect to the Veterans Crisis Line and 911.
- A grant ends. We keep savings, grow contracts and sponsors and keep our cost per participant 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 coach, volunteer mentors and one cohort of 15 veterans, 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, Business Coaches, Navigator and Peer Mentor Coordinator.
- Letters of support from the small business development center, the chamber of commerce, a community development lender and the VA.
- Your 12-week course outline and sample business plan template.
- Your seed fund rules, vendor requirements and payment controls.
- Your mentor and volunteer policy, including conflict of interest.
- Your confidentiality policy, safety plan and crisis plan.
- Your plan for measuring results, including 12-month and 24-month follow-up.
- Results from your Tuesday evening meetings or pilot, 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: $402,500 in Year 1, then $380,000, $395,500, $408,000, $418,500.
- Government Business Development Contracts: $70,000 in Year 1, growing to $210,000.
- Sponsorships and Donations: $40,000 in Year 1, growing to $100,000.
- Participants: about 60 in Year 1 (the center opens about Month 3), 90 in Year 2, 120, 150 and 190 in Years 3 to 5, with about 24 businesses receiving startup help in Year 1 and about 41 in Year 5 at an average of about $2,500 each.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): Executive Director $62,000, Program Director $54,000, Veteran Business Coach $48,000 (two in Years 1 and 2, three in Years 3 and 4, four in Year 5), Capital and Contracting Navigator $50,000 (one in Years 1 to 3, two from Year 4), Veteran Peer Mentor Coordinator $38,000, Program Coordinator and Data Specialist (part-time) $26,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Startup Seed Fund (Paid Directly to Vendors) $60,000, Cohort Materials, Speakers and Graduation Costs $14,000, Legal and Accounting Clinic (Paid to Professionals) $12,000, Office and Co-Working Space Rent and Utilities $30,000, Technology and Data System $10,000, Outreach, Pitch Nights and Events $12,000, Insurance $8,000, Staff Credentials and Training $6,000, Evaluation and Reporting $6,000, Administration and Accounting $14,000. The other costs grow between 4% and 14% a year.
- Equipment: $11,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $3,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $32,300, paid once from $190,000 in startup money.
- About 7% 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