Champions in Training

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Executive Summary

Champions in Training is a nonprofit in Texas that uses boxing to teach discipline, confidence and life skills to young people ages 10 to 18 in underserved communities. Every session combines homework help, boxing technique and a lesson on handling conflict without violence.

Boxing teaches that conflict has rules, effort has rewards and discipline builds character. Participants learn to stay calm, work hard and respect others. They train with gloves, bags and pads, and sparring is limited to supervised sessions for older teens.

With this grant we will serve about 80 young people in Year 1 at 2 gyms. We do not promise that any participant will box competitively or avoid every hard moment. We promise a safe gym, good coaching, homework help and a mentor who shows up.

Our Year 1 budget is about $165,500, growing to about $225,500 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 4 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a part-time Program Coordinator, a head coach and a homework mentor) and 8 by Year 5.

We are asking the Lone Star Youth Opportunity Foundation for $48,000 for a head coach stipend, boxing equipment and program coordination. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Champions in Training is a nonprofit organization in Texas. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. To use boxing to teach discipline, confidence and life skills, and to show young people that conflict has rules, effort has rewards and discipline builds character.

What we do.
- Run free non-contact boxing instruction twice a week at two partner gyms.
- Add homework help and mentoring to every session.
- Build an anti-violence message into every class, from handling conflict to walking away.
- Provide gloves, hand wraps and mouthguards to every participant.
- Offer supervised, headgear-protected sparring only to older teens who ask and have a coach's approval.
- Train and pay part-time coaches certified through USA Boxing.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families, safety before winning and a place for every young person who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We do not charge families. We do not allow unsupervised sparring or any contact for participants under 13. We do not promise any participant a fight, a title or a career in boxing. We do not give medical advice. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of coaches, teachers and parents began offering free boxing fitness evenings for teens at a neighborhood gym. Attendance grew and parents asked for a regular program with homework help. We kept simple records of who came and how they did in school. This proposal asks for support to move from boxing evenings to a steady program with paid, trained coaches and the equipment to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Many young people in underserved neighborhoods face violence, boredom after school and few adults who have time for them.

Cost. Boxing gyms charge membership fees and equipment costs that many families cannot pay.

Access. Few gyms welcome young beginners, and those that do may be far from where families live or open only when parents work.

Safety and trust. Parents want to know that coaches are trained, that gloves and headgear are clean and that no child will be pushed into contact. They also worry about the company their children keep.

Missed benefits. Young people without a safe, structured activity may spend after-school hours on the street and miss the mentoring and discipline a good coach provides.

What we hear.
- A mother says her son hangs out on the corner because there is nowhere else to go.
- A coach says boxing teaches a child to stay calm when a fight starts.
- A teacher says a student who started boxing is turning in homework for the first time.
- A police officer says teens need adults who show up every week.

We do not claim that a sports program can solve every challenge. We believe that a good coach, a safe gym and a plan for the afternoon can change a young person's path.

Products & Services

Champions in Training gives youth ages 10 to 18 in underserved communities a safe, welcoming place to train, study and grow.

How the program works.
1. Sites. We partner with two gyms that provide space and a ring, and we bring coaches, equipment and mentors.
2. Sessions. Each session meets twice a week for two hours: homework help for the first thirty minutes and boxing training after.
3. Fitness first. Participants learn stance, footwork, punching technique and defense on bags and pads, with no sparring.
4. Anti-violence lessons. Every class includes a short lesson on handling conflict, de-escalation and respect.
5. Mentoring. Each participant has a mentor who checks in on school, home and goals.
6. Equipment. Every participant receives gloves, hand wraps and a mouthguard.
7. Showcase. At the end of each session, participants show their skills in a non-contact demonstration for families.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a coach, warm up together, work on skills in small groups, play a short game or drill and finish with a talk about what went well. Coaches praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one sits out.

Coaches. Our coaches are certified through USA Boxing, pass a background check, complete our training and are paid a stipend.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. We welcome every young person, whatever their fitness or experience, and we offer girls' and boys' sessions.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Youth ages 10 to 18 from underserved communities who live near our partner gyms and want a structured, positive activity. Eligibility is based on school lunch status or income guidelines our board sets, and no young person is turned away for lack of skill.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our boxing evenings we served full gyms and kept a waiting list. Schools and a youth violence prevention office told us they have many more young people to refer than we can serve. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 80 young people at 2 gyms. By Year 5, with more coaches and sites, we plan to serve about 200.

Where participants come from.
- Schools, counselors and coaches.
- Youth violence prevention and probation offices.
- Churches and neighborhood centers.
- Families who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Families gain a safe place for their teens. Schools gain students who focus better. Neighborhoods gain young people who handle conflict with discipline.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a young person with gloves and homework in one backpack. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. Commercial boxing gyms. Strong training and fees many families cannot pay. We offer a free alternative.

2. Police athletic leagues. Valuable and limited by space and schedule. We partner with them.

3. After-school programs. Provide care and homework help with little physical training.

4. Martial arts schools. Offer discipline at a cost.

5. Pickup fighting and street conflict. The outcome we want to prevent.

What makes us different.
- Free to every participant.
- Certified coaches and a no-sparring rule for young beginners.
- Homework help and mentoring in every session.
- Anti-violence lessons built into every class.
- A path to supervised amateur boxing for older teens who want it.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve families who can already pay or who live close to them. The young people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with boxing gyms, police athletic leagues and other youth programs to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- Schools. We will work with counselors and coaches to share a one-page sign-up form in English and Spanish.
- Violence prevention and probation offices. We will leave flyers and a named contact.
- Families. We will hold a short information night at each gym before a session.
- Churches and neighborhood centers. We will talk with leaders who know families.
- Word of mouth. Many participants will find us through a friend.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching coaches and sponsors.
- Invite certified boxing coaches, teachers and former athletes through gyms and coaching groups.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety and in working with young people.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what families said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for families with the greatest need and for young people new to the sport. We keep a waiting list when teams are full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, homework completed, fights avoided and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the coaches and coordinator, buy equipment, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Begin the fall sessions at both gyms.
- Months 4 to 10: Run fall, winter and spring sessions with a showcase at the end of each.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey participants and families, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Sessions are held at two partner boxing gyms, provided at low or no cost. We store equipment in locked bins.

Safety and privacy.
- Participants under 13 do not spar. Older participants may spar only with headgear, a coach in the ring and a coach's approval.
- Gloves, wraps and mouthguards are cleaned after use, and anyone with a head injury sits out until a doctor says it is safe.
- Every coach and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Two adults are present at every session, and no adult is ever alone with a young person.
- We keep an emergency plan and a first aid kit at every site, and families complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a family's permission and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $14,000 of equipment once at the start: heavy bags and stands (6) ($4,500), portable boxing ring ($4,000), speed bags, slip bags and training pads ($1,500), gloves and hand wraps, first set ($1,500), sound system and round timers ($1,000), first aid supplies and locking storage ($1,500). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. A part-time Program Coordinator, paid $26,000 a year, handles schedules and school communication. A part-time head coach, paid a stipend of $32,000 a year, leads training. A part-time homework mentor, paid $14,000, helps with school work. We add a coach and a mentor in Year 3.

Management & Organization

Isaiah Cole, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a boxing coach who watched young people find focus in the ring. I will complete the training we require of our coaches so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Coaches. A part-time head coach leads sessions and each coach is certified through USA Boxing and passes a background check. These stipends are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a boxing coach, a teacher, a parent, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a former participant. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A school counselor, a police athletic league leader and a gym owner give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $46,000 a year; program Coordinator (part-time), paid $26,000 a year; head Coach (part-time stipend), paid $32,000 a year; homework Mentor (part-time), paid $14,000 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 80 young people at 2 gyms.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 110 young people at 2 gyms.
- Year 3: About 140 young people at 3 gyms.
- Year 4: About 170 young people at 3 gyms.
- Year 5: About 200 young people at 4 gyms.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 43 percent of our budget, down from about 59 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $48,000 from the Lone Star Youth Opportunity Foundation for a head coach stipend, boxing equipment and program coordination, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Head coach stipend, part time, $32,000.
- Supplies: Boxing equipment: gloves, hand wraps and mouthguards for 80 youth, $10,000 (other funds add $3,000).
- Other: Program coordination, mentor training and school communication, $6,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 49% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $165,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,700 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $97,500; city Youth Violence Prevention Funding $40,000; corporate Sponsors $20,000; individual Donors $8,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $46,000; program Coordinator (part-time) $26,000; head Coach (part-time stipend) $32,000; homework Mentor (part-time) $14,000; gloves, Wraps, Mouthguards and Gear about $7,000; gym Space about $12,000; coach Training and Safety Certification about $3,000; homework Help Materials about $3,000; competition Fees and Travel about $5,000; administration and Insurance about $8,000; about $5,200 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $22,800 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $4,500 for heavy bags and stands (6); $4,000 for portable boxing ring; $1,500 for speed bags, slip bags and training pads; $1,500 for gloves and hand wraps, first set; $1,000 for sound system and round timers; $1,500 for first aid supplies and locking storage; $2,500 for attorney review of the waiver, consent and privacy policy; $1,800 for banners, bilingual flyers and a simple website; $2,000 for background checks and coach certification for the first season; $2,500 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($22,800), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $39,000, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $62,000. We start with $8,000 from our founding board and $56,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a local business partner, $64,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $165,500 in Year 1 to about $225,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $97,500, $85,000, $121,000, $109,000 and $97,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: city Youth Violence Prevention Funding from $40,000 to $60,000; corporate Sponsors from $20,000 to $44,000; individual Donors from $8,000 to $24,000. Our surplus is planned at about $6,700 in Year 1, about $7,100 in Year 2, about $9,700 in Year 3, about $10,400 in Year 4 and about $11,300 in Year 5. We grow from 2 gyms to 4 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $52,900, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $6,620 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per participant. In Year 1, our total costs are about $1,985 per participant served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more participant served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $1,071 per participant.

After the grant. City youth violence prevention funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free boxing option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner and donor support each year.

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 neighborhood, a handful of participants and a small team, 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.
- Signed letters of support from partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- 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):
- Grant Revenue: $97,500 in Year 1, growing to $97,500 in Year 5.
- City Youth Violence Prevention Funding: $40,000 in Year 1, growing to $60,000 in Year 5.
- Corporate Sponsors: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $44,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $8,000 in Year 1, growing to $24,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $46,000; program Coordinator (part-time) $26,000; head Coach (part-time stipend) $32,000; homework Mentor (part-time) $14,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: gloves, Wraps, Mouthguards and Gear $7,000; gym Space $12,000; coach Training and Safety Certification $3,000; homework Help Materials $3,000; competition Fees and Travel $5,000; administration and Insurance $8,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $14,000 at the start, then $2,500 to $3,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $22,800, paid once from $64,000 in startup money.
- Young people served: about 80 in Year 1, growing to about 200 in Year 5. Sites: 2 in Year 1, growing to 4 by Year 5. Sessions run in fall, winter and spring, twice a week for two hours.
- About 4% 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