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Executive Summary
Peace Street Project is a nonprofit working to reduce violence in the east side of our city by reaching the young people and neighborhoods at greatest risk. We provide street outreach and conflict mediation, one-on-one mentoring and connections to school and jobs, using mentors who come from the same neighborhoods and have earned the trust of the people we serve.
Violence harms families, schools and whole neighborhoods. Much of it comes from a small number of people and conflicts, and much of it can be prevented when someone trusted steps in early. Our program puts caring, trained mentors where they are needed: they mediate conflicts before they turn violent, stay close to young people at highest risk and connect them to school, work and other help.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 40 young people, plus community members reached through mediation. Our Year 1 budget is about $169,000, growing to about $337,000 by Year 5 as we grow from two violence prevention mentors to six. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside in savings.
We are asking the Union Grove Fund for $75,000, as part of the $155,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $14,000 in Year 1 comes from donations, which we plan to grow to about $45,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for mentors' time, youth activities and the record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many young people we work with, how many conflicts we help resolve, how many get connected to school, work or other help, and what happens to violence in the neighborhoods we serve, using public data. We will not claim credit for changes we cannot show. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Peace Street Project is a nonprofit organization in Alabama. A 501(c)(3) public charity.
Our mission. To help young people at highest risk of violence find safe, hopeful paths forward.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2022 when two neighborhood fathers and a pastor started walking the streets near the high school after games. Since then we have worked with about 40 young people, with 10 volunteers helping each month.
What we do:
- Hire and train mentors from the neighborhoods we serve who have credibility with young people.
- Mediate conflicts and de-escalate tensions before they turn violent.
- Mentor young people at highest risk, one-on-one, with regular contact.
- Connect participants to school, jobs, counseling and other help.
- Offer safe places and positive activities, especially in the hours when trouble is most likely.
Where we work. In the east side neighborhood around the high school and the park, afternoons and evenings, with an office at a community center.
Our partners. Our high school, the hospital's trauma team, two churches and a community center that donates space.
Our approach. This is a health-focused approach to violence, used in many cities. We treat violence like something that can spread and can be stopped. We are independent from law enforcement so that the people we serve can trust us.
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.
Violence in some neighborhoods in the east side of our city is a daily worry for families. Young people may be pulled into conflicts, or hurt by them, and many do not trust police or other formal systems. Many have lost friends and family to violence and carry that trauma with them. They need adults they trust.
Facts about our community. According to city police data, our east side neighborhood had a disproportionate share of the city's shootings last year.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Trust. People at highest risk often do not trust police or agencies, and will not talk to them.
2. Time. Trouble often happens in the hours after school and in the evenings, when most programs are closed.
3. Opportunity. Many young people see no path to school or work, which makes risky choices look more attractive.
4. Trauma. Many have experienced violence and have no support to cope with it.
5. Coordination. Services exist, but many young people never connect to them.
What we have seen ourselves. Many young people told us they carry fear every day, and that they would not talk to the police but would talk to someone from the neighborhood.
Who we serve first. Young people ages 14 to 24 at highest risk of being involved in violence, and the neighborhoods where it is concentrated, in young people 14 to 24 on the east side who have been involved in or affected by violence.
Products & Services
How the program works.
1. Credible mentors. Our mentors come from the neighborhoods they serve and are hired for credibility, character and the ability to listen. They are trained in conflict mediation, trauma awareness and safety.
2. Conflict mediation. When tension builds, mentors step in to talk with the people involved, find a way to settle things peacefully and follow up.
3. One-on-one mentoring. Each participant works with a mentor on a simple plan for school, work, health and relationships, with frequent contact.
4. Connection to help. We connect participants to school, GED, jobs, counseling, mental health care and other services through partners.
5. Safe, positive activities. About $14,000 in Year 1 pays for youth activities, a safe space, training, transportation and supplies.
How we will measure results. We count participants, hours of mentoring, conflicts mediated and connections to school, work and services. We watch public data on shootings and violent incidents in our target area. We will note that many things affect violence, and we will not claim we are the sole cause of any change. Our goals for Year 1: work with 40 young people at highest risk; mediate 60 conflicts; connect 25 to school, a GED or a job; and have no participant seriously injured in violence during the year.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve young people and neighborhoods in the east side of our city, especially young people 14 to 24 on the east side who have been involved in or affected by violence.
How we know people need this. Our volunteer walks near the high school prevented at least a dozen fights last year, and school staff asked us to do more.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 40 young people, plus community members reached through mediation. Local rates of shootings and violent incidents, school discipline and dropout data, and the number of young people involved with the justice system are common ways to size the need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find them. As we grow from two mentors to six, we expect to reach more young people each year.
How participants reach us. Our partner high school, the hospital trauma team, the probation office and local churches.
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- The police and the justice system respond to violence after it happens. We work to prevent it, and keep our independence so people can trust us. We meet with city leaders regularly and are independent from the police department, which our participants value.
- Schools offer counseling and discipline. We partner with them and reach young people outside school and those who have left.
- Hospitals sometimes run programs that reach victims of violence in the emergency room. We partner with them for referrals.
- Mentoring and youth programs serve many young people. We focus on those at highest risk, whom other programs may not reach.
- Violence prevention groups elsewhere offer training and technical help. We learn from them.
What makes us different: mentors who live in the neighborhood, evening and weekend hours and strong ties to the local high school
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from schools, hospitals, probation, courts and churches.
- Outreach by mentors on the streets, at parks and basketball courts, and at community events.
- Word of mouth, which is the most important source in the community.
- Community meetings where neighbors help us understand what is happening.
Funding. Cities, states and the federal government have been funding violence prevention programs, and many funders want to see a track record, a clear model, good training and data. We build these from the start.
Volunteers. Church groups, parents in the neighborhood, college students and local businesses.
Raising money beyond grants. Donations are planned at about $14,000 in Year 1, growing to about $45,000 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 participant moves through the program:
1. A mentor meets the young person on their terms, and builds trust over time.
2. A simple plan for safety, school, work and health.
3. Regular contact, with many check-ins, sometimes daily.
4. Connection to school, work, counseling and other services.
5. Step-down, as the young person's life becomes more stable.
A first contact. A mentor introduces themselves, listens without judging, learns what the young person needs and what they are worried about, and agrees to meet again.
Safety. Mentors work in pairs for outreach, follow written safety rules, avoid situations that put them at risk, and have a plan for when to leave and when to call for help. Mentors receive counseling support because the work is stressful. Mentors do not carry weapons or act as police.
Privacy. Participant information is kept private. We explain at the start the few situations when we may have to share information (for example, if someone is in immediate danger or the law requires it), and funders get totals, never names.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $5,000 in equipment (phones, laptops, safety gear, a printer and activity supplies), then about $1,500 to $2,000 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. Two violence prevention mentors in Year 1, then three in Year 2, four in Year 3, five in Year 4 and six in Year 5. Mentors receive training, supervision, counseling support and fair pay, because they do difficult, risky work.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $13,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
Andre Flores, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and contracts, builds partnerships, oversees the finances and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $58,000 a year.
Violence prevention mentors. Mentor participants, mediate conflicts, connect people to services and keep records. Two positions in Year 1, growing to six by Year 5, at a planned salary of $40,000 each. Qualifications we look for: from the neighborhood, good listening skills, calm in tense situations and willing to complete mediation training.
Volunteers. Volunteers help with activities, tutoring and events in safe settings. They do not take part in conflict mediation, and are screened and trained before working with young people.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Jessica Diaz, 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 mentor training and set up our safety rules and supervision.
- Build relationships with schools, hospitals and community leaders.
- Serve about 40 young people, plus community members reached through mediation.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for mentoring, mediation and connections to school and work.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $169,000.
Year 2: three violence prevention mentors; budget of about $211,000.
Year 3: four violence prevention mentors; budget of about $253,000.
Year 4: five violence prevention mentors; budget of about $295,000.
Year 5: six violence prevention mentors; budget of about $337,000.
Over the five years: grow to six mentors, add neighborhoods and a summer program and strengthen our data. Program costs grow about 5% a year.
How we will check our results. We track participants, hours of mentoring, mediations and connections to services. We watch public violence data in our area. Staff and the Board review results and share them with funders, without naming anyone.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $75,000 from the Union Grove Fund for the salaries of our first two mentors, youth activities and the costs of reporting results, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $169,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $155,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Donations: $14,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $58,000. - Violence prevention mentors: $80,000. - Program costs (youth activities, safe spaces, training, transportation, supplies): $14,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $13,000. - That is about $165,000 in costs. The remaining $4,000 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 $169,000 in Year 1 to about $337,000 in Year 5 as we grow to six violence prevention mentors. Grants and contracts are planned at $155,000 in Year 1, $191,000 in Year 2, $225,000 in Year 3, $259,000 in Year 4 and $292,000 in Year 5. Donations grow from $14,000 to $45,000, 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 government funds. Many violence prevention grants pay after the work is done, require regular data and sometimes ask for results over several years. We plan for the wait and keep careful records. Help we receive that is not cash. Donated space, volunteer hours, donated food and supplies and community partners are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. Free use of a church gym and classroom (about $6,000 a year in rent value), about 800 volunteer hours a year and donated food If we are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status. One way is a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that agrees to receive grants for you and pass them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Many funders accept this. Another way is to start smaller: partner with a church, school or community center, start with two trained mentors and one neighborhood, and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants and contracts easier to win.
Appendix Notes
Documents to attach with this proposal:
- Your IRS 501(c)(3) letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current budget.
- A list of your Board members and what they do.
- Letters of support from schools, hospitals, churches or community leaders.
- Your mentor job descriptions, training plan, safety rules and supervision plan.
- Your participant numbers from the past year, if you have them (participants, mediations, connections).
- Your privacy policy and your plan for responding to emergencies.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff. If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.
The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Staff pay: Executive Director $58,000; each violence prevention mentor $40,000, growing from 2 to 6.
- Program costs about $14,000 in Year 1, rising about 5% a year
- Office costs about $13,000 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.