Sample LOI and grant proposal
Project Abstract
OUR NONPROFIT is seeking support from FUNDER through the [RFP] to support its mission of uplifting the lives of disabled folks in the community by financing its therapeutic art programs.
Statement of Need
According to the CDC, disabled adults in Virginia are 40% more likely than other residents to have depression and struggle with obesity, and 20% more likely to smoke. The cost of healthcare for persons with disabilities is about $15,766 per person.
Sources
“Disability & Health U.S. State Profile Data: Virginia.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 May 2023, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/impacts/virginia.html.
“Fostering Creativity in Individuals with Idds.” Fostering Creativity in IDDS Individuals | The Baddour Center, www.baddour.org/blog/posts/fostering-creativity-in-individuals-with-idds#:~:text=Creative%20activities%20and%20the%20arts,can%20present%20roadblocks%20and%20difficulties. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023.
Program Description
OUR NONPROFIT will lead 6 weeks of therapeutic art groups in the community with the assistance of a Licensed Clinical Social Workers. The groups will consist of art therapy, and participants will be given prompts to reflect on their feelings and negative thought patterns and express them through a healthy outlet.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of our programming is to produce high-quality mental health results within the participants and decrease their symptoms of depression.
The main objectives include:
The goal is for the score of depression to decrease by an average of 2 points for each participant.
Have each participant create a project that has meaning to them.
Display the participants’ art projects at a public showing in the local library with 20 guests.
Timeline
Test Depression Symptoms: November 3, 2023
First Workshop: November 3, 2023
Second Test: November 17, 2023
Third Test: December 15, 2023
Art Exhibit: December 16, 2023
Prepare results report: January 1, 2024
Budget
Art supplies: $500
Stipend for LCSW: $1,500
Workspace rent: $2,750
Hosting exhibit viewing: $250
Total: $5,000
Evaluation
Standardized depression symptom tests will be taken once before the program begins, once after two workshops, and once at the end of the program.
Staff and Organizational Information
NAME 1 is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a background in treating a diverse range of adults with depression.
NAME 2 is the founder of OUR NONPROFIT. She graduated from COLLEGE in 2008 and has held a career in nonprofit grant-writing and organization since 2010. She holds a leadership role on the grant-writing team and pioneered the curriculum and plans for this project.
NAME 3 is a member of the grant-writing team, and assisted with creating the art programming curriculum.
Dear FUNDER,
OUR NONPROFIT is seeking support from FUNDER through the [RFP] to support its mission of uplifting the lives of disabled folks in the community by financing its therapeutic art programs.
OUR STAFF will use this funding to reach vulnerable disabled populations in Richmond and lead therapeutic art groups. We intend to showcase the participants’ art projects in a gallery after the six-week program completes. We respectfully request $10,000 to begin this project.
People with disabilities need and deserve the same access to mental health treatment as able-bodied people. According to the Mental Health Association in Delaware, “In 2018 alone, 17.4 million adults with disabilities reported frequent mental distress (as defined as having at least 14 poor mental health days in the past 30 days).” Studies show a lack of access to mental health
We have a strong history of producing powerful, qualitative stories from low-income residence of the city, and the opportunity from the FUNDER is deeply aligned with our vision of empowering our most effective populations.
Our mission is to encourage those whose needs have been dismissed by society and provide them with a creative outlet, particularly those low-income folks who are disabled by their community. According to the Baddour Group, creative outlets can be an effective way for people with disabilities to communicate.
The programs we have created will improve the state of the participants’ mental health. We have done art therapy groups in the past, and an average of 8 out of 10 participants reported lower depression symptoms out of the three rounds of workshops we held. Since launching this project, we have hired a Licensed Clinical Social Worker to provide a more therapeutic element to the groups, and we have partnered with the local library to showcase the talents of the participants.
In the past, when we have tested participant satisfaction, we received a 94% satisfaction rate.
The total cost of our program for the 2 weeks of preparation and 6 weeks of workshops is $10,000. We are using the funds from GRANT that we secured in the past 3 months to pay our programming and grant writing staff, so that we could make the plans for this project. Your contribution of $10,000 will provide the funding we need to launch this program, including compensation for our LCSW, buying art supplies, and paying for our workspace,
Our Neurodiverse Art Community is an innovative solution to the depression in the disabled community and lack of mental health resources with a creative element that we have identified in our community. We know that FUNDER shares the same mission to uplift the lives of those oppressed by their society and that you share our passion for better access to basic human needs for disabled folks. By providing therapy to our target population in Richmond, we will make genuine improvements to the lack of attention being placed on these needs.
We appreciate your time and consideration and look forward to exploring ways that our organizations can partner together. If you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule a tour of our agency’s current programs and services, please contact me OURNONPROFIT@nonprofit.org or call me at ###-###-####.
Sincerely,
OUR NONPROFIT