Next Watch Veterans Counseling Center

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Executive Summary

Next Watch Veterans Counseling Center is a nonprofit in Colorado that gives veterans and their families free or low-cost mental health counseling from licensed clinicians who understand military life. Veterans can meet with a counselor in person or by secure video, in the evening or on a weekend, and they can choose individual counseling, a veteran group, couples and family sessions, or a conversation with a Veteran Peer Support Specialist who has been through hard times too. An Intake and Care Coordinator helps each veteran get started within days, not months, and connects veterans to VA care, benefits and community help.

Many veterans live with the weight of what they have seen and done: trauma, grief, moral injury, military sexual trauma, anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, anger, pain, loneliness after leaving a unit that felt like family. Many do not seek help. Some worry about what it will mean for their job or their record. Some live far from a VA clinic, work during the day or have a family to care for. Some do not qualify for VA care, or do not want it. Some have waited weeks for a first appointment. We exist so that a veteran who is ready to talk can talk to someone this week.

With this grant we will serve about 120 veterans in Year 1, opening in about Month 3, and about 170 in Year 2, with about 1,440 counseling sessions in Year 1. Our goal is that at least 85% of veterans who ask for help have a first appointment within 14 days, that at least 70% of those who start counseling stay in care for six or more sessions, and that most report feeling better on a standard symptom survey that we give at the start and again later. Every veteran has a written safety plan and knows how to reach the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1), and we call 911 when there is immediate danger.

Our Year 1 budget: about $551,000, growing to about $761,500 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. Third-party billing, government contracts and local donors add steady support, so grants fall from about 80% of our income in Year 1 to about 54% in Year 5.

We are asking the Valor Wellness Foundation for $90,000 for one Licensed Clinician, a psychiatric consultation and referral contract and veteran and family supports such as rides and child care paid directly to providers. Billing, government contracts, other grants and donors cover the rest, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Elena Ruiz, the Executive Director, a licensed clinical social worker and an Air Force veteran. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises. We do not promise that counseling will work for every veteran, and we will say so to every veteran who asks.

Company Description

Next Watch Veterans Counseling Center is a nonprofit organization in Colorado. 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 make sure no veteran or military family in our community has to face hard times alone or wait for care.

What we believe. Asking for help takes courage, and it is a sign of strength. Mental health care works best when it is easy to reach, private, free of judgment and delivered by people who understand military culture. Veterans are the experts on their own lives. We serve women and men, people of every race, faith, sexual orientation and gender identity, and veterans of every era and discharge status, including veterans who are not eligible for VA care, when our funding allows.

How we started. Next Watch Veterans Counseling Center began when a group of veterans, two licensed counselors and a local church started a weekly veterans' conversation night in a church basement. Attendance grew from five to more than thirty, and counselors began to see veterans one-on-one after the group. In two years the volunteers connected more than 120 veterans to care, and a number of them told us they would not have gone anywhere else. The VA medical center, the county and the local hospital asked whether we could grow into a full, licensed program with regular hours. This proposal asks for support to do that.

What we offer:
- Individual counseling. One-on-one sessions with a licensed clinician, in person or by secure video, with evening and weekend hours. Clinicians are trained in evidence-based therapies for trauma and related conditions, such as cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure and EMDR, as well as therapies for depression, anxiety, sleep problems and grief. We use the approach that fits each veteran, and we explain it in plain language.
- Veteran groups. Groups for combat veterans, women veterans, survivors of military sexual trauma, veterans in transition and a moral injury group, each led by a licensed clinician and, where it fits, a peer.
- Couples and family sessions. Spouses, partners, parents and teenage children of a veteran can attend, because a veteran's well-being and the family's are tied together.
- Peer support. A Veteran Peer Support Specialist offers friendship, encouragement, rides to a first appointment and practical help. The role does not provide clinical care.
- Intake and care coordination. A single phone number, a short, respectful intake and help with scheduling, paperwork, transportation and connections to VA health care and benefits, housing, employment, legal aid and substance use treatment.
- Suicide prevention. Every veteran is asked about safety at intake and as care goes on, and every veteran who is at risk has a written safety plan. We offer lethal means safety counseling to veterans and families, which helps people reduce access to things that could be used in a crisis, and we offer it with respect and without judgment.
- Aftercare. Check-ins after counseling ends, and an open door to return.

Who we serve. Any person who served in the U.S. armed forces, regardless of discharge type when our funding allows, and their families. Some government funding has its own eligibility rules, which we confirm for each funding source. No veteran is turned away because of an inability to pay.

What we do not do. We are not a crisis service, an emergency room or an inpatient program. Our clinicians do not prescribe medication, and we refer to physicians and psychiatrists. We do not prepare or charge for VA benefit claims, which only accredited representatives may do. We do not provide treatment for substance use disorders, though we screen, support and refer.

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 licensed psychologist, a VA social worker, an attorney, a pastor and a certified public accountant. The Executive Director manages the organization, the Clinical Director leads care and quality and an outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Where things stand today. We have letters of support from the VA medical center's mental health program, the county behavioral health department, a hospital, two churches and a veterans' service organization. We have a letter of intent for a small clinic suite on a bus line. Before we open, we will have an attorney confirm Colorado's licensing and registration requirements for our clinic, review our consent forms, privacy and records policies, and billing compliance, and confirm that each clinician holds a current license in good standing.

Problem & Opportunity

Veterans are more likely than other adults to die by suicide, and the risk is higher still in the first year after leaving the service. Many more live with trauma, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, sleep problems or a substance use problem that makes everything else harder: work, marriage, parenting, friendships. Women veterans, veterans of color, rural veterans, veterans with a service-connected disability and veterans who left the service with a less-than-honorable discharge often have the hardest time getting care.

Barriers are real and well known. Many veterans do not live near a VA clinic, and a visit can mean hours of driving. Appointments can take weeks, and the first one is often the hardest to get. Some veterans do not trust large systems, or worry that asking for help could affect a security clearance, a job, a gun owner's rights or custody. Some think that what they went through "was not that bad" compared to others. Some are not eligible for VA care at all. Private counselors may not understand military life, may have long waiting lists and may charge fees that a veteran on a fixed income cannot pay.

The cost of not getting help is high: lost jobs, broken families, homelessness, alcohol and drug use, emergency room visits and, too often, a life lost. The cost falls on veterans, their children and spouses, their employers and the whole community.

A veteran who is ready to talk needs a first appointment quickly. Waiting can turn a moment of courage into a decision to give up. Veterans also tell us they want a counselor who does not need military life explained from the beginning, a place that is private, and evening hours that fit around work.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Counseling helps many people, and the best-studied treatments for trauma have strong evidence, but they do not work for everyone, and a veteran may need more than one try. Peer support is widely valued, but the evidence on its effect is still growing. We will collect our own results and share them honestly. We will use local numbers from the VA, the county and the state in our final application and will not overstate them.

Our community has a few options. The VA medical center offers excellent care to eligible veterans but is often full. The county behavioral health center serves everyone and has a long list. A few private practices serve veterans, but most do not take veterans without insurance. A veteran in our county who asks for help today could wait weeks. We aim to make that wait days.

Products & Services

Next Watch Veterans Counseling Center will open a licensed, welcoming counseling center for veterans and their families, with a Clinical Director, licensed clinicians, a Veteran Peer Support Specialist, an Intake and Care Coordinator and an Executive Director, and will offer counseling in person and by secure video with evening and weekend hours.

How it works, step by step:
1. First contact. A veteran or family member calls, texts or uses our website. The Intake and Care Coordinator answers during business hours and returns every message within one business day. Veterans who are in crisis are connected right away to the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1), or 911 when there is immediate danger.
2. Intake. A short, respectful conversation, in person or by video, about what the veteran needs, a safety check and an explanation of privacy, how counseling works and what it costs (nothing, for a veteran who cannot pay). Our target is a first appointment within 14 days.
3. First session. The clinician meets the veteran, asks what the veteran wants, uses brief, standard questionnaires to measure symptoms and writes a plan together with the veteran. A written safety plan is made with every veteran who is at risk.
4. Counseling. Weekly sessions for most veterans, usually for about 12 weeks, though some need more. We use evidence-based therapies where they fit and adapt them to the person. A veteran can add a group, a peer or family sessions at any time, and can switch clinicians if the match is not right.
5. Care coordination. The Care Coordinator helps with the practical problems that make everything harder, such as transportation, child care, benefits, housing, employment and legal issues, and makes warm handoffs to the VA, a psychiatrist, substance use treatment, a primary care clinic or another provider when a veteran needs more than we can offer.
6. Medication questions. Our clinicians do not prescribe. A contracted psychiatrist consults with our clinicians and sees veterans for short evaluations when needed, or helps arrange care with the veteran's own doctor or the VA.
7. Follow-up and aftercare. We repeat the symptom questionnaire during care and at the end, check in after counseling ends and welcome veterans back at any time.

What the grant will pay for. Part of one Licensed Clinician's salary, a psychiatric consultation and referral contract and veteran and family supports, such as rides to appointments and child care, paid directly to providers. The rest of the budget comes from third-party billing, government contracts, other grants and donors.

Respect and choice. Counseling is voluntary and confidential within the limits described in this proposal. We do not report a veteran's treatment to an employer, a commander or any government agency except as the law requires. We meet veterans where they are, in a clinic, by video or, where policy allows, in a community setting they trust.

Why this approach is strong. A veteran gets a licensed clinician and a peer who both understand military life, an appointment within days, hours that fit work and family and a coordinator who handles the practical barriers. We will not claim that it solves every problem, but it removes many of the obstacles that keep veterans from care.

Market Analysis

Who benefits: veterans and military family members in our Colorado county, and the employers, schools, churches and neighbors who care about them.

Our primary group is veterans of every era who are living with trauma, depression, anxiety, grief, relationship problems, anger, trouble sleeping or the stress of leaving the service. We expect to serve men and women of all ages, with an effort to reach women veterans, veterans under 35 who are newly out of the service, veterans over 60 who have carried a burden for decades, rural veterans and veterans who do not use VA care. We also serve spouses, partners, parents and teenage children of veterans, because families carry some of the weight.

We will not serve a person who needs emergency medical or inpatient psychiatric care at the moment of the visit, and we will help them reach the right place by calling 911, the Veterans Crisis Line or an emergency room. We will refer veterans whose needs are outside our scope, such as a veteran with a severe psychotic disorder or a serious substance use disorder who needs a higher level of care, and we stay in touch while the referral is made.

Local data. We will use the most recent numbers from the VA, the county health department and the state in our final application and will not overstate them. Our own experience shows demand: in the two years of our conversation night and volunteer program, more than 120 veterans reached out, and a number asked for more hours than we could offer. We plan for about 120 veterans in Year 1 and about 170 in Year 2, growing to about 340 by Year 5 as we add clinicians.

Our secondary groups are the VA, which gains a community partner for veterans who are not eligible or who prefer a non-VA setting; employers, who gain a more stable workforce; courts and probation officers, who gain a referral option for veterans in veterans treatment court; and churches and community groups, who have a place to refer a person who needs more than a listening ear.

We do not guarantee an appointment to anyone, and when we are full we say so, offer a place on a short waiting list and connect the veteran with another source of help in the meantime. We do not accept payment in exchange for referrals.

Competitive Landscape

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

- The VA medical center and Vet Centers. They offer excellent care to eligible veterans, and we work closely with them, take referrals from them and refer to them. Waiting times can be long, and some veterans are not eligible or do not want to go to the VA. We fill that gap and never compete with it.
- County and community behavioral health centers. They serve everyone, often with a sliding fee. Lists are long, and few clinicians are trained in military culture. We offer a faster start and a veteran-specific setting.
- Private therapists and group practices. Some serve veterans very well. Most do not have openings for veterans who cannot pay, and many are not familiar with military life. We refer veterans to them when they are a better fit.
- Crisis lines and emergency rooms. They are essential in a crisis. We connect veterans to them and follow up afterward, but they are not ongoing care.
- Peer groups and veterans' organizations. They offer fellowship that counseling cannot replace. We refer to them and invite them to partner with us.
- Faith communities. Many pastors counsel veterans, and we support them with training, a referral path and an open door.

What makes us different.
- Licensed clinicians who are trained in military culture and in evidence-based therapies, together with a Veteran Peer Support Specialist.
- Speed. A first appointment within 14 days, and a single phone number answered by a person.
- Convenience. Evening and weekend hours, secure video and help with rides and child care.
- The whole family. Counseling for partners and children as well as veterans.
- No wrong door. We help veterans find the right care, even when it is not ours.
- Honest results. We measure symptoms at the start and end of care and share our results as totals, whether they are good or not.

What we do not claim. We are new. Our track record is small, built on volunteers, and the VA and larger providers 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, families and supporters we need once the project is funded.

Veterans. We will meet veterans where they are: the VA medical center and Vet Center, American Legion and VFW posts, veterans' service organizations, the veterans treatment court, community colleges and universities with veteran centers, employers with veteran hiring programs, churches, barber shops, gyms, libraries and food pantries. We will attend Stand Down events and veterans' resource fairs and use word of mouth. We will keep a simple website, a text line and a printed card that fits in a wallet, with the Veterans Crisis Line number on the back. Veterans who have finished counseling, with their written permission, will be our best messengers.

Families. We will reach spouses and partners through family readiness groups, schools, churches and the VA's caregiver programs.

Referral partners. We will build relationships with the VA's mental health program, primary care clinics, hospitals, the county behavioral health department, the courts, law enforcement and first responders, employers and faith leaders. We will offer short trainings on how to talk to a veteran about getting help and how to reach us and the Veterans Crisis Line. We will not pay or reward anyone for referrals.

Funders. We will report results as totals, never with a veteran's name, to funders, the VA and the county twice a year and in a short annual report. We will invite funders to see the center with notice, while respecting privacy.

Insurers and payers. Once we are credentialed, we will bill Medicaid, TRICARE, Medicare, private insurance and, where authorized, VA Community Care for services to veterans who have coverage, and we will never bill a veteran who cannot pay. Billing is described in the funding section and is a planning estimate, not a promise.

Donors and community. We will invite individuals, businesses, churches, civic clubs and veterans' organizations to sponsor counseling sessions, a group or a family night. Gifts are tracked separately and acknowledged with thanks.

How we talk about mental health. We use plain, respectful words. We do not use stories or photographs of veterans without clear, written, informed permission, and we never describe methods of self-harm in our materials. We follow safe messaging guidelines for suicide prevention in everything we publish, and every public message includes the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255).

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 to 2: Attorney review of licensing and registration, consent forms, privacy and records policies and billing compliance, sign the lease, hire the Clinical Director, two Licensed Clinicians, the Intake and Care Coordinator and the Peer Support Specialist, choose a secure records and telehealth system and set up the clinic.
- Month 3: Staff training in military culture, evidence-based therapies, suicide risk assessment and safety planning, lethal means safety counseling, confidentiality and its limits, mandatory reporting and the data system. Open to veterans.
- Months 4 to 8: First intakes, first sessions and first veteran groups. Begin credentialing with payers. Peer support begins.
- Months 9 to 12: Add a family group and an evening group. Review of wait times, results and costs, a year-end report to funders and planning for Year 2.

Space. A small leased clinic suite on a bus line, with private counseling rooms that are sound-insulated, a group room, a quiet waiting area, a private entrance and accessible restrooms. Rent and utilities are about $36,000 a year in Year 1. Soundproofing and privacy improvements are a one-time cost of $6,000, with a deposit and first month of rent of $6,500.

Equipment. We buy about $16,500 of equipment once at the start: laptops, headsets and telehealth kits ($6,000), furniture for private counseling rooms, a group room and a quiet waiting area ($9,000), and sound machines, locking record cabinets and door locks for privacy ($1,500). After Year 1, we set aside about $3,000 to $3,500 a year to replace and add equipment.

Staffing. In Year 1: an Executive Director, a licensed Clinical Director, two Licensed Clinicians, a Veteran Peer Support Specialist, an Intake and Care Coordinator and a part-time Program Coordinator and Data Specialist. A third Licensed Clinician and a second Peer Support Specialist join in Year 3, and a fourth Licensed Clinician in Year 5. Each clinician sees about 20 to 24 clients a week.

Clinical standards. Every clinician holds a current license in good standing in Colorado (a licensed professional counselor, a licensed clinical social worker, a marriage and family therapist or a psychologist), and licenses are checked every year. Clinicians receive regular clinical supervision and consultation, which is about $12,000 a year in Year 1. We use standard symptom questionnaires and evidence-based therapies, and we review a sample of records every quarter for quality. Diagnoses are made only by licensed clinicians. Telehealth sessions are held on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform, and clinicians see veterans by video only when the clinician is licensed where the veteran is located. We confirm our telehealth rules with our attorney.

Crisis plan. Every staff member is trained in suicide risk assessment and in our written crisis plan. If a veteran is at immediate risk, staff stay with the person and call 911 and connect the person to the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255). Every veteran at risk has a written safety plan, and we offer lethal means safety counseling. After any crisis, the Clinical Director reviews what happened and what to change. We do not leave a veteran in crisis alone, and we do not use the waiting room as a place to manage a crisis.

Confidentiality and its limits. What a veteran tells a clinician is private. We follow HIPAA and Colorado law. We explain, in plain language, the limited times when we must or may share information: when a person is in immediate danger of harming self or others, when we have reason to suspect abuse or neglect of a child, an older adult or a person with a disability, when a court orders it and when a veteran has given written permission, such as to coordinate with the VA. If we ever provide substance use disorder treatment, we will follow the stricter federal confidentiality rules in 42 CFR Part 2.

Mandatory reporting. Every staff member is trained in the duty to report suspected abuse or neglect, and the Clinical Director is the point of contact.

Consent and rights. Every veteran receives a plain-language consent form, a notice of privacy practices and a list of rights, including the right to stop at any time and to ask for another clinician. We do not require a veteran to attend counseling for any other service, and we do not share counseling information with a veteran's employer or family without permission.

Fees and money. Counseling is free to veterans who cannot pay, and we never turn a veteran away for inability to pay. For veterans with insurance or coverage, we bill after credentialing and only with the veteran's consent. We never pay or accept payment for referrals, and we never give cash to a veteran. Veteran and family supports, such as rides and child care, are paid directly to providers, about $10,000 a year in Year 1.

Psychiatric consultation. A contracted psychiatrist, about $12,000 a year in Year 1, consults with clinicians and sees veterans for short evaluations or helps arrange care with the veteran's own physician or the VA. Our clinicians do not prescribe.

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 and help them get to appointments.

Insurance and records. We carry general liability, professional liability, property and non-owned auto liability insurance, and workers' compensation once we hire. Insurance is about $14,000 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.

Elena Ruiz, Executive Director. A licensed clinical social worker and Air Force veteran who has worked in veteran mental health for more than twelve years. 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.)

Clinical Director (licensed, full time, hired in Months 1 to 2). A licensed psychologist or licensed clinical social worker with experience in trauma care and with military culture. Leads clinical standards, supervision, quality review and crisis response, and sees clients.

Licensed Clinicians (two in Years 1 and 2, three in Years 3 and 4, four in Year 5). Licensed professional counselors, clinical social workers or marriage and family therapists with training in evidence-based trauma therapies. We will seek clinicians who are veterans or military family members where we can, and clinicians who reflect the veterans we serve.

Veteran Peer Support Specialists (one in Years 1 and 2, two from Year 3). Veterans with lived experience of recovery and, where possible, state or national peer certification. They offer friendship, encouragement, rides and practical help and are supervised by the Clinical Director. The role does not provide clinical care.

Intake and Care Coordinator. Answers the phone, completes intake, schedules, coordinates with the VA and community partners and helps solve practical problems.

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 licensed psychologist, a VA social worker, an attorney, a pastor and a certified public accountant. The board approves the budget and policies, reviews results each quarter and does not receive pay.

Veteran advisory group. Veterans and family members who have used counseling meet quarterly and tell us what is working and what is not. Their advice shapes the schedule, the groups and our outreach.

Outside professionals. An attorney reviews our consent forms, privacy and records policies, billing compliance and licensing. A contracted psychiatrist consults with clinicians. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.

Staff screening and training. Every staff member and volunteer passes a criminal background check, and staff are trained before they see clients. Volunteers do not see clients' records or provide counseling.

Staff pay in this plan includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation. Salaries are Executive Director $64,000, Clinical Director $80,000, Licensed Clinician $68,000, Veteran Peer Support Specialist $40,000, Intake and Care Coordinator $44,000 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 120 veterans with about 1,440 sessions, offer a first appointment within 14 days to at least 85% of veterans and begin credentialing with payers. A balanced budget of about $551,000, with a small surplus of about $13,700. 7 paid staff.
- Year 2: Serve about 170 veterans with about 2,040 sessions, add a family group and an evening group and begin billing payers for covered services. A balanced budget of about $558,000, with a small surplus of about $13,000. 7 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a third Licensed Clinician and a second Peer Support Specialist and serve about 250 veterans with about 3,000 sessions. Billing and contracts cover more of our budget. A balanced budget of about $676,000, with a small surplus of about $14,900. 9 paid staff.
- Year 4: Serve about 265 veterans with about 3,180 sessions and publish our first outcomes report, with symptoms measured at the start and end of care. A balanced budget of about $684,000, with a small surplus of about $14,500. 9 paid staff.
- Year 5: Add a fourth Licensed Clinician and serve about 340 veterans with about 4,080 sessions, with billing and contracts covering about 33% of our budget. A balanced budget of about $761,500, with a small surplus of about $15,100. 10 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Veterans and family members served, by era of service, gender and whether they use VA care.
- Days from first contact to first appointment.
- Sessions attended and the share who stay in care for six or more sessions.
- Change on standard symptom questionnaires between the start and end of care.
- Safety plans made, crisis contacts and connections to the Veterans Crisis Line, reported in totals.
- Connections to VA care, benefits, housing, employment and other services.
- Veteran and family satisfaction and whether they felt respected, collected anonymously.

How we review results. The Clinical Director and clinicians review caseloads and quality every week, and the whole team reviews outcomes monthly. Each semester, staff, the veteran 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, the VA and the county 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: $90,000 from the Valor Wellness Foundation for one Licensed Clinician, a psychiatric consultation and referral contract and veteran and family supports, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Licensed Clinician salary, $68,000 (other funds add $68,000).
- Contractual: Psychiatric consultation and referral contract, $12,000.
- Other: Veteran and family supports (transportation and child care paid directly to providers), $10,000.

Other money in the program. Third-party billing, government contracts, other grants and local donors pay the other $68,000 of those lines, plus the Executive Director's salary ($64,000), the Clinical Director ($80,000), the Peer Support Specialist ($40,000), the Intake and Care Coordinator ($44,000), the part-time Program Coordinator ($26,000), clinic rent and utilities ($36,000), telehealth platform, secure records system and phones ($14,000), clinical supervision and consultation ($12,000), staff training ($10,000), outreach and community events ($12,000), insurance ($14,000), evaluation and data ($8,000) and administration and accounting ($16,000).

Year 1 budget: about $551,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $13,700 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $441,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), third-party billing and government contracts $60,000 and donations and local sponsors $50,000. Year 1 costs: Executive Director $64,000; Clinical Director $80,000; two Licensed Clinicians $136,000; Veteran Peer Support Specialist $40,000; Intake and Care Coordinator $44,000; Program Coordinator and Data Specialist $26,000; clinic rent and utilities about $36,000; telehealth platform, secure records system and phones about $14,000; clinical supervision and consultation about $12,000; staff training in evidence-based care and military culture about $10,000; veteran and family supports about $10,000; outreach and community events about $12,000; professional liability and general insurance about $14,000; psychiatric consultation and referral contract about $12,000; evaluation and data about $8,000; administration and accounting about $16,000; and about $5,900 a year for the wear on equipment.

How we planned the sessions. About $390,000 of the Year 1 budget is pay, because counseling is a people service. Each clinician sees about 20 to 24 clients a week. We plan for about 120 veterans and about 1,440 sessions in Year 1, because the center opens in about Month 3, and about 170 veterans and 2,040 sessions in Year 2 when both clinicians work a full year. We add a third clinician in Year 3 and a fourth in Year 5, which is how the numbers grow to about 340 veterans.

About billing and government contracts. Medicaid, TRICARE, Medicare, private insurance, VA Community Care (where authorized), county and state behavioral health contracts and veterans' funds can pay for counseling. These sources are competitive or slow to start, need credentialing, require strict documentation and pay on set terms. Credentialing can take several months, and payers can change their rates, rules and eligibility. We plan to begin billing by about Month 6 and have not counted on more than $60,000 in Year 1. The amounts in this plan are our planning estimates, not promises. We plan for grants and donors to cover the gap if they do.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $46,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $16,500 for equipment, $6,000 for leasehold improvements, $6,500 for deposits, $1,500 for licenses and permits, $9,000 for legal and professional help, $2,500 for signage, brochures and a website, $4,000 for background checks, training and first insurance.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($46,000), the cash we need to cover the wait for the first payments (about $27,100) and a cash cushion of about $133,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. That comes to $207,000. We start with $25,000 of our own savings and $185,000 in startup support from a veterans' foundation, a hospital community benefit gift and our board, $210,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $551,000 in Year 1 to about $761,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $441,000, $408,000, $454,000, $409,000, $411,500 in Years 1 to 5. Third-party billing and government contracts grow from $60,000 to $250,000, and donations and local sponsors grow from $50,000 to $100,000. We add a third Licensed Clinician and a second Peer Support Specialist in Year 3 and a fourth Licensed Clinician in Year 5. Grants fall from about 80% of our income in Year 1 to about 54% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $166,400, at the end of Year 1. Payers and grantors often pay after we bill or after we submit documents, so we plan for about $44,080 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Our plan is to grow billing and contracts as credentialing is complete and results are shown, to invite employers, hospitals, churches and veterans' groups to sponsor sessions and to grow individual donors. Because a veteran who gets help early is less likely to lose a job, a home or a family, success lowers costs for the community and strengthens our case for public funding.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A veteran is in crisis. We use a written crisis plan, train every staff member and connect to the Veterans Crisis Line and 911.
- We cannot hire or keep clinicians. We pay at or near the local market, offer flexible hours and supervision, and use telehealth to recruit across the state where licensing allows.
- Credentialing and billing are slower than planned. We plan with a cash cushion, stage hiring so costs follow funding and apply to other funders.
- A funder or payer changes its rules. We track rules each quarter and have an attorney review our billing.
- A privacy breach. We use a secure records system, train staff and follow a written breach plan.
- A grant ends. We keep savings, grow billing and donors and keep our costs per veteran 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 licensed clinician, a peer and a donated room, serving 30 to 40 veterans in the first year, 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 Clinical Director, copies of clinician licenses and job descriptions for the clinicians, Peer Support Specialist and Care Coordinator.
- Letters of support from the VA medical center's mental health program, the county behavioral health department, a hospital and veterans' organizations.
- Your confidentiality and privacy policies, notice of privacy practices and consent forms, reviewed by an attorney.
- Your crisis plan, suicide risk assessment and safety plan procedures and mandatory reporting policy.
- Your sliding-scale and billing policy and your payer credentialing plan.
- Your clinical supervision plan and quality review plan.
- The contract or letter of agreement with your consulting psychiatrist.
- Results from your volunteer program, shown as totals.
- Proof of professional liability and general 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: $441,000 in Year 1, then $408,000, $454,000, $409,000, $411,500.
- Third-Party Billing and Government Contracts: $60,000 in Year 1, growing to $250,000.
- Donations and Local Sponsors: $50,000 in Year 1, growing to $100,000.
- Veterans served: about 120 in Year 1 (the center opens about Month 3), 170 in Year 2, 250, 265 and 340 in Years 3 to 5, with about 12 sessions per veteran.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): Executive Director $64,000, Clinical Director $80,000, Licensed Clinician $68,000 (two in Years 1 and 2, three in Years 3 and 4, four in Year 5), Veteran Peer Support Specialist $40,000 (one in Years 1 and 2, two from Year 3), Intake and Care Coordinator $44,000, Program Coordinator and Data Specialist (part-time) $26,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: Clinic Rent and Utilities $36,000, Telehealth Platform, Secure Records System and Phones $14,000, Clinical Supervision and Consultation $12,000, Staff Training in Evidence-Based Care and Military Culture $10,000, Veteran and Family Supports (Transportation and Child Care Paid to Providers) $10,000, Outreach and Community Events $12,000, Professional Liability and General Insurance $14,000, Psychiatric Consultation and Referral Contract $12,000, Evaluation and Data $8,000, Administration and Accounting $16,000. The other costs grow between 4% and 8% a year.
- Equipment: $16,500 at the start, then $3,000 to $3,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $46,000, paid once from $210,000 in startup money.
- About 8% 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