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Executive Summary
Eastside Youth Sports Alliance is a nonprofit that uses youth sports to help young people ages 9 to 14 in the west side of our city build life skills, keep up in school, and form strong relationships with caring adults. Each season combines practices and games with homework help, mentoring, and short lessons on skills like teamwork and setting goals. Trained coaches and volunteers lead every part.
Many young people in our community have few safe, organized activities after school. School teams have limited spots, and private clubs can cost too much for many families. Our program removes those barriers: fees are low or free based on need, we provide the equipment, and practices happen at places kids can reach.
In Year 1 we plan to serve 60 young people across two seasons (fall basketball and spring soccer). Our Year 1 budget is about $128,000. It grows to about $246,000 by Year 5 as we add seasons, locations and coaches. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside as savings.
We are asking (the name of a local community foundation or company foundation) for $25,000, as part of the $108,000 in grants we need for Year 1. The other $20,000 in Year 1 comes from small program fees (based on what families can afford) and donations. Grant money pays for coaches and program staff, equipment and field costs, and the office work needed to report results honestly.
We will measure attendance, whether young people keep coming back season after season, how they are doing in school (with their family's permission), and whether they feel they have an adult at the program they can talk to. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Eastside Youth Sports Alliance is a nonprofit organization in Mississippi. A 501(c)(3) public charity
Our mission. To help young people in our neighborhood grow into confident, healthy and successful adults through sports, mentoring and homework help.
How we started and what we have done. We started in 2024 when three parents organized a free summer basketball league at a city park. Over two summers, 85 kids played, and 70 asked us to run a school-year program.
Our programs:
- Sports seasons in basketball in the fall and winter, and soccer in the spring, with practices during the week and games on weekends.
- Homework help: a study time built into every practice day.
- Mentoring: every young person is matched with a coach or trained volunteer who checks in with them every week.
- Life skills: a short lesson each week on topics like teamwork, setting goals, handling conflict, and healthy habits.
Our partners. Lincoln Middle School (a made-up name) lets us use its gym and refers students; a local church provides volunteer mentors.
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. Every coach and volunteer has a background check, and we follow written rules to keep children safe.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this program is needed.
Young people in the west side of our city need safe, organized places to be after school, and adults who know them and believe in them. For many families, those opportunities are hard to find or afford.
1. Hard to get in. School teams have limited spots, often only for kids already good at the sport. Recreation and club teams can cost money for fees, uniforms, travel and rides that many families do not have.
2. The hours after school. The time between the end of school and when parents get home from work is when young people are most likely to be without an adult.
3. Missing relationships. Young people do better when they have steady relationships with caring adults outside their family. Many in our community have few.
4. School struggles. Some of our participants are behind in school and do not have a quiet place or help to finish homework.
What we have seen ourselves. Last summer 40 families joined our waiting list. A school counselor told us she has more students who need an after-school activity than she has places to send them.
Who we serve first. Young people referred by school counselors, families who cannot afford fees, and kids not in any other after-school activity.
Products & Services
How the program works.
Each season runs about 10 weeks and has four parts:
1. The sport. Practices during the week and a game every weekend. Coaches teach skills and fitness, and they show what respect, effort and teamwork look like. We provide all equipment.
2. Homework help. A study time before or after practice, led by coaches and volunteers, where young people do homework, read, or get tutoring. With their family's permission, coaches check in on school attendance and grades.
3. Mentoring. Each young person is matched with a coach or trained volunteer who checks in with them every week and, whenever possible, stays with them from season to season.
4. Life skills. A short lesson each week on teamwork, setting goals, handling conflict, healthy habits and planning for the future.
Who can join. Young people ages 9 to 14. Fees are based on what families can afford, and no one is turned away for not being able to pay.
Who runs it. An Executive Director leads the organization. In Year 1, one Program Coordinator and Coach runs the day-to-day program. That grows to four coordinator and coach positions by Year 5 as we add seasons and locations. Volunteers help with coaching, mentoring and homework after a background check and training.
Why this works. The sport gives young people a reason to show up. The adults, homework help and life skills give them support beyond the game.
How we will measure results. We will count attendance at every practice, track how many young people come back the next season, use a short survey at the start and end of each season, and, with family permission, collect school attendance and grades. Our goals for Year 1: 80% average attendance; 60% of participants return for another season; 70% say on the end-of-season survey that they have an adult at the program they can talk to.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve young people ages 9 to 14 in the west side of our city, especially two neighborhoods near our partner school, and that school's students.
How we know families want this. 85 young people played in our first two summer leagues, and 40 families are on our waiting list for the school year.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, 60 young people across two seasons (fall basketball and spring soccer). As we grow from one coach to four over five years, we expect to serve more young people each year through more seasons, teams and locations.
Competitive Landscape
Other programs, and how we work with them.
- School teams serve students who make the team. We welcome every young person no matter their skill level, and we add homework help and mentoring.
- Private clubs and travel teams offer high-level play, often at a cost many families cannot pay. We are low-cost or free and close to home.
- City recreation leagues offer some sports. We work alongside them by using their fields for games and serving the middle-school ages their league does not cover.
- Other youth programs such as mentoring, tutoring and community centers help young people in related ways. We share referrals and events with them so families get help without overlap.
What makes us different: sports, homework help and mentoring in one program, with the same caring adults; low or no cost; and locations close to home.
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach families and build support.
Finding participants:
- Referrals from school counselors, teachers and coaches.
- Flyers and announcements at schools, churches, community centers and libraries.
- Sign-up days at the start of each season, with help filling out forms.
- Word of mouth from families already in the program.
Partners:
- Schools: referrals, use of gyms or fields, and (with family permission) attendance and grades.
- City parks and recreation: fields and league play.
- Community groups: referrals for families who need other help, like food or housing support.
- Local businesses: sponsorships, donated equipment and volunteer mentors.
Volunteers. We recruit coaches, mentors and homework helpers from local churches, a nearby college's volunteer center, and parents of former players. Every volunteer has a background check and training before working with young people.
Families. A welcome meeting at the start of each season, regular updates, and an end-of-season celebration where families see their children's progress.
Raising money beyond grants. Program fees and donations are planned at about $20,000 in Year 1, growing to about $75,000 by Year 5, through fees families can afford, a yearly giving campaign, local business sponsors and a yearly fundraising event. Raising more of our own money means we depend less on any one grant.
Operations Plan
How the program runs.
Seasons. We plan two seasons a year, fall (September to November) and spring (February to April), each about 10 weeks.
Where we meet. Practices and games are held at a partner school gym on weekdays and city park fields on Saturdays, under a free-use agreement with the city. Equipment and field costs are about $20,000 in Year 1, growing a little each year. We buy about $6,000 in equipment in Year 1 (uniforms, balls, nets, training gear and first-aid kits), then about $2,000 to $3,000 a year to replace worn items.
Keeping children safe:
- Background checks for all staff and volunteers.
- At least two adults present at all times, and written safety rules.
- Coaches trained in first aid and CPR, with first-aid kits at every site.
- Emergency contacts and health information on file for every child.
- Insurance to cover accidents and injuries.
Getting there. Most participants walk from school; families who need it can join a carpool list organized by our volunteers.
Keeping records. Attendance is taken at every practice. Surveys are given at the start and end of each season. Information is kept private and shared with funders only as totals, never by name.
Office work. Bookkeeping, payroll, insurance and reporting cost about $13,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
David Thompson, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants, builds partnerships, oversees the finances, and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $56,000 a year.
Program Coordinator and Coach. Runs the program day to day: schedules, coaching, matching mentors, homework time and keeping records. One position in Year 1, growing to two in Year 2, three in Years 3 and 4, and four in Year 5, at a planned salary of $36,000 each.
Volunteers. Coaches, mentors and homework helpers, all background-checked and trained.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Victor Bennett, who brings nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant 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:
- Sign agreements to use gyms or fields with our partner sites.
- Recruit and train volunteer coaches and mentors before the first season.
- Run our seasons and serve 60 young people across two seasons (fall basketball and spring soccer).
- Reach our attendance and survey goals, and collect start-of-season and end-of-season surveys from most participants.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $128,000.
Year 2: add a second coordinator and coach; budget of about $166,000; grow fees and donations to about $32,000.
Years 3 to 5: grow to four coordinator and coach positions and a budget of about $246,000 by Year 5. Grow fees and donations to about $75,000 a year, so we depend less on grants. Add sports, seasons or locations as we can.
How we will check our results. Attendance at every practice; how many come back each season; a short survey at the start and end of each season; and school attendance and grades with family permission. Staff and the Board review results after every season, and we share them with our funders.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $25,000 from (the name of a local community foundation or company foundation) for coach salaries and equipment for our fall and spring seasons, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $128,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants: $108,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Program fees and donations: $20,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $56,000. - Program Coordinator and Coach: $36,000. - Equipment and field costs: about $20,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): about $13,000. - Equipment wear and other: about $3,000. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $6,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget. The next five years. Our budget grows from about $128,000 in Year 1 to about $246,000 in Year 5 as we add coaches and serve more young people. Grants are planned at $108,000 in Year 1, $134,000 in Year 2, $159,000 in Year 3, $147,000 in Year 4 and $171,000 in Year 5. Fees and donations grow from $20,000 to $75,000, so grants become a smaller part of our budget over time. Savings. We start with about $15,000 of our own plus $45,000 in startup support, and plan to keep about five months of costs in savings. Help we receive that is not cash. Free use of a partner school gym (about $4,000 a year in rent value) and about 1,500 volunteer hours a year. 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: run one volunteer-led season, track results carefully, and apply to local foundations and businesses that make small grants to new groups. 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) 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, the city, or community partners.
- Agreements for gym or field use.
- Your child safety and background check rules.
- A short outline of your life-skills lessons and a sample season schedule.
- Your survey questions.
- 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 $56,000; each Program Coordinator and Coach $36,000, growing from one to four.
- Equipment and field costs about $20,000 in Year 1, rising about 6% a year; office costs about $13,000, rising about 4% a year.
- Grants 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.