Run Strong Youth Athletics

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Executive Summary

Run Strong Youth Athletics is a nonprofit in Georgia that provides free track and field training, competition and running-based fitness to young people ages 8 to 16 in underserved communities. Running is the most accessible sport in the world. It needs little more than shoes, builds lifelong fitness habits and is one of the broadest paths to college athletic scholarships.

Many children in our neighborhoods have no team, no coach and, sometimes, no shoes that fit. A free, welcoming program with certified coaches can change that.

With this grant we will serve about 120 young people in Year 1 at 3 community sites. We do not promise that any participant will win a race or earn a scholarship. We promise safe training, good coaching and a place to belong.

Our Year 1 budget is about $138,500, growing to about $179,500 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 5 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a part-time Program Coordinator and three part-time coaches) and 8 by Year 5.

We are asking the Peach State Youth Fitness Foundation for $44,000 for certified coach stipends, a running shoe loan fund and competition fees and travel. 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

Run Strong Youth Athletics is a nonprofit organization in Georgia. 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 give young people in underserved communities free access to running, track and field and the healthy habits that last a lifetime.

What we do.
- Run free track and field training at three community sites, twice a week.
- Lend running shoes to every participant who needs them.
- Teach sprinting, distance running, relays, jumps and throws in age-appropriate groups.
- Pay competition entry fees and travel so every participant can race.
- Host a season-ending meet for families and neighbors.
- Train and pay part-time coaches certified through USATF.

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 promise any participant a scholarship, a college roster spot or a professional career. 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 and parents began holding free Saturday running clubs in a neighborhood park. Participation grew each month, and many children arrived in worn shoes. We kept simple records of who came and how their times improved. This proposal asks for support to move from Saturday running clubs to a steady program with paid, trained coaches and the equipment to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Running is the most accessible sport in the world. It requires no equipment beyond shoes, builds lifelong fitness habits and is a broad path to college athletic scholarships.

Cost. Club track fees, entry fees and shoes cost more than many families can pay. Children outgrow shoes quickly, and replacement is a real burden.

Access. Few schools have track teams before high school, and clubs are often far from underserved neighborhoods. Many parks have no track at all.

Safety and trust. Parents want trained coaches, safe surfaces and honest guidance on training loads and injuries.

Missed benefits. Children who do not run miss the fitness, confidence and friendships that track brings and, for some, a path to college.

What we hear.
- A mother says her son runs everywhere and has never been timed.
- A coach says half the children arrive in shoes with holes.
- A teacher says the fastest girl in her class has no team to join.
- A father says he would drive across town if the program were free.

We do not claim that a sports program can solve every challenge. We believe that a good pair of shoes, a patient coach and a stopwatch can change a young person's year.

Products & Services

Run Strong Youth Athletics gives youth ages 8 to 16 in underserved communities a safe, welcoming place to train, race and grow.

How the program works.
1. Sites. We partner with three community sites that have a track, a field or a safe paved area.
2. Sessions. Two practices a week and a meet on Saturdays in the season.
3. Groups. Participants are grouped by age and experience and trained in sprints, distance, relays, jumps and throws.
4. Shoes and gear. Every participant who needs them borrows shoes sized for them and receives a team shirt.
5. Coaching. Coaches teach form, pacing, warm-up and recovery and set simple goals with each athlete.
6. Competition. Teams enter local meets, with entry fees and travel paid.
7. Showcase. A season-ending meet invites families and neighbors.

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 USATF, 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 speed, and we offer events for all abilities.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Youth ages 8 to 16 from underserved communities who live near our partner sites and want to run. 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 Saturday clubs we served full tracks and kept a waiting list. Schools and recreation staff told us that many more young people want to join than we can serve. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 120 young people at 3 sites. By Year 5, with more coaches and sites, we plan to serve about 280.

Where participants come from.
- Schools, coaches and counselors.
- Recreation and park staff.
- Churches and neighborhood centers.
- Families who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Families gain a safe, free activity. Schools gain athletes who feed their teams. Neighborhoods gain more young people who are active and proud.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a young person crossing a finish line. 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. Club track programs. Strong competition and fees many families cannot pay. We offer a free alternative.

2. School track teams. Good, with limited rosters and a short season, mostly in high school.

3. Recreation department programs. Affordable, with limited coaching.

4. Running stores and adult clubs. Good for fitness, not built for young athletes.

5. Pickup races. Fun, with no coaching or safety rules.

What makes us different.
- Free to every participant.
- USATF certified coaches and age-based groups.
- Shoes and gear provided.
- Entry fees and travel paid.
- A path to school teams and club tracks.

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 school coaches, recreation departments 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 coaches and counselors to share a one-page sign-up form in English and Spanish.
- Parks. We will post flyers and hold open practice days.
- Families. We will hold a short information night at each site before a season.
- 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 coaches, teachers and former athletes through schools and running clubs.
- 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, times improved, meets entered 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 season at three sites.
- Months 4 to 10: Run fall and spring seasons with two practices a week and meets on Saturdays.
- Months 11 and 12: Run a summer session, survey participants and families, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Practices are held on tracks, fields and paved areas at community sites, provided at no or low cost. We store equipment in locked bins.

Safety and privacy.
- Throwing areas are roped off and checked, and participants warm up before every practice and rest when hurt.
- 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 $9,000 of equipment once at the start: timing equipment ($3,000), hurdles, starting blocks and cones ($3,000), first aid kits and equipment storage ($1,500), shoe racks and foot sizing tools ($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 $24,000 a year, handles schedules and sign-ups. Three part-time certified coaches, each paid a stipend of $10,000 a year, lead practices and meets. We add a coach for every new site.

Management & Organization

Tamika Wells, 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 track coach who watched fast children go unnoticed. 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. Part-time coaches lead practices and meets, and each is certified through USATF and passes a background check. These stipends are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a track coach, a teacher, a parent, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a former athlete. 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 athletic director, a recreation center manager and a sports medicine nurse give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $46,000 a year; program Coordinator (part-time), paid $24,000 a year; uSATF Certified Coach (part-time stipend), paid $10,000 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 120 young people at 3 sites.
- 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 160 young people at 3 sites.
- Year 3: About 200 young people at 4 sites.
- Year 4: About 240 young people at 5 sites.
- Year 5: About 280 young people at 6 sites.

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 34 percent of our budget, down from about 61 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: $44,000 from the Peach State Youth Fitness Foundation for certified coach stipends, a running shoe loan fund and competition fees and travel, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: USATF certified coach stipends, three sites, part time, $30,000.
- Supplies: Running shoe loan fund for 60 pairs, rotation and replacement, $8,000 (other funds add $3,000).
- Travel: Competition entry fees and transportation for 120 youth, $6,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 52% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $138,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $5,700 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $84,500; city Recreation Department Partnership $28,000; running Industry Corporate Sponsors $18,000; individual Donors $8,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $46,000; program Coordinator (part-time) $24,000; uSATF Certified Coach (part-time stipend) $10,000; running Shoe Loan Fund and Replacement about $5,000; competition Entry Fees about $4,000; transportation about $6,000; track and Field Rental about $5,000; coach Certification about $3,000; administration and Insurance about $8,000; about $3,800 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $16,300 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,000 for timing equipment; $3,000 for hurdles, starting blocks and cones; $1,500 for first aid kits and equipment storage; $1,500 for shoe racks and foot sizing tools; $2,000 for attorney review of the waiver, consent and privacy policy; $1,800 for banners, bilingual flyers and a simple website; $1,500 for background checks and coach certification for the first season; $2,000 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($16,300), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $32,800, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $49,500. We start with $6,000 from our founding board and $46,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a running shoe retailer, $52,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $138,500 in Year 1 to about $179,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $84,500, $70,500, $67,500, $64,500 and $61,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: city Recreation Department Partnership from $28,000 to $52,000; running Industry Corporate Sponsors from $18,000 to $42,000; individual Donors from $8,000 to $24,000. Our surplus is planned at about $5,700 in Year 1, about $5,900 in Year 2, about $7,000 in Year 3, about $7,900 in Year 4 and about $8,700 in Year 5. We grow from 3 sites to 6 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 $45,000, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $5,540 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per runner. In Year 1, our total costs are about $1,107 per runner served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more runner served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $610 per runner.

After the grant. City recreation 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 track and field 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 runners 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: $84,500 in Year 1, growing to $61,500 in Year 5.
- City Recreation Department Partnership: $28,000 in Year 1, growing to $52,000 in Year 5.
- Running Industry Corporate Sponsors: $18,000 in Year 1, growing to $42,000 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) $24,000; uSATF Certified Coach (part-time stipend) $10,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: running Shoe Loan Fund and Replacement $5,000; competition Entry Fees $4,000; transportation $6,000; track and Field Rental $5,000; coach Certification $3,000; administration and Insurance $8,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $9,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $3,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $16,300, paid once from $52,000 in startup money.
- Young people served: about 120 in Year 1, growing to about 280 in Year 5. Sites: 3 in Year 1, growing to 6 by Year 5. Seasons run fall and spring with two practices a week and Saturday meets.
- 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