1.
FOSTER A DREAM GRANT PROPOSAL
Disclaimer: This proposal was written in an undergraduate course as a simulation. The
information included in this grant proposal was based on the research of a real 501(c)(3)
non­profit organization, and reflected the organization’s programs at the time the proposal was
written.
May 7, 2012

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Table of Contents
Grant Section Page #
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Needs Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Agency Credibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Future Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Logic Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attached Separately
Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Attached Separately
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3. Foster a Dream, requests $28,000 to expand the funding for two programs that serve the
educational needs of foster youth: the Dare to Dream Academic Scholarship and the Get Set
mentoring program.
Statistics show that while 70% of foster youth desire to attend college, only 3% are able
to achieve the goal of receiving a college degree. According to the National Center for Youth
Law, at least 30% of foster youth perform below grade level and 50% of foster youth are held
back in school. The obstacles faced by foster youth are numerous. Their lifestyles are often
transitory in both the home setting and the educational setting. Many foster youth have also had
traumatic life experience that resulted in their placement in the foster care system. These life
obstacles contribute to the barriers they face in academic achievement. Foster youth, therefore,
require aid in the transition from high school to college and the adult world. The programs
offered through Foster a Dream, will ease this transition for foster youth.
Foster a Dream, is a non­profit organization located in Butte County, California. The
mission of the organization is to provide resources and services to foster youth in the region, and
to guide and ease their transition into the adult world. The organization serves foster youth
through the Adopt­a­Dream program in which foster youth may make a specialized request for
funding to support a dream they wish to attain. The organization then publishes the dream story
on its website for donors to read. Foster a Dream has programs that provide gifts for foster youth
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4. during the holiday season and during rough times of transition between homes. The organization
awards between eight and ten foster youth with an academic scholarship annually through its
Dare to Dream scholarship program. Since 2006, it has awarded over $115,000 through this
program. The Get Set program serves about eight students per year. It addresses each foster
youth’s needs individually and covers all expenses necessary including any preparatory or
technical training classes. The organization is planning to double the amount of foster youth
served through the Get Set program this year.
This grant will be used toward the objectives that follow
Through the Dare to Dream Scholarship Program, award five more foster youth with
scholarships than were awarded last year. This would bring the total up to 15 foster
youth awarded.
Through the Get Set mentoring program the grant will:
Double the amount of students served through the program in the coming year,
bringing the total enrollment up to 16 foster youth.
Provide SAT and ACT preparation classes for foster youth in the program free of
charge.
Train the appropriate number of mentors from the community to pair with
students enrolled in the program.
Multiple sources of funding will match, and exceed the value of this grant. Foster A
Dream will garner about $128,800 from other funding sources such as cash donations made
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5. directly to the organization through event fundraising, intentional giving, and online giving.
Additionally, about $30,000 will come from in­kind donations. Volunteer hours will be a
substantial form of donation to the organization; both event volunteers and weekly mentors
donate time to the foster youth served by Foster a Dream, Inc.
Needs Statement
Organizations seeking to address the problems faced by foster youth in education need to
acquire the tools to meet each foster child’s individual needs.
The California Foster Youth Education Task Force is a coalition of more than 20
organizations dedicated to easing the burdens faced by foster youth. It asserts that if state
agencies, public education systems, and non­profits work together in creative and new ways,
Foster youth will benefit in numerous ways. The findings from a small, longitudinal study of
foster youth from a random national sample contribute to the understanding of problems faced by
foster youth. Dr. Blome, a Senior Program Consultant at the National Center for Excellence in
Child Welfare conducted this study in 1997. Her data shows that foster youth and their
non­foster youth peers have similar expectations of their post­secondary education. Only 63
percent of foster youth in her study graduated from high school, however, in comparison to 84
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6. percent of non­foster youth. This exemplifies that foster youth must overcome significant
obstacles in attaining even their public education.
On a local level, data still supports that the educational needs of foster youth are unmet.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about one­fifth of the nation’s
foster youth​ ​reside in the state of California, and nearly 73 percent of foster youth are school age:
between the ages of five and twenty. Because many of the children who enter foster care do so
at elementary school age, they often do not gain the educational foundation necessary for future
learning.
Michelle Lisa Lustig, a professional who works as the Foster Youth Coordinator at the
San Diego Office of Education, advocates for foster youth in her doctoral dissertation. Her
findings endorse supplemental academic support services. She asserts that the practical
applications of these supplemental services are the solution to many of the problems faced by
foster youth collectively and individually.
The book “A Rage to do Better” by Nell Bernstein compiles stories by former foster
youth. Tony, Age 22 says, “I was in nine different group homes as a teenager. The one stable
thing in my life was my high school…When I got moved to the children’s shelter, school staff
took turns picking me up to make sure that I got to school. At the time, I was glad to get out of
the shelter, but in retrospect I realize that was the most powerful thing somebody could have ever
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7. done for me­ made sure I got an education.” This is a powerful testament to the positive impact
individualized services can make on a foster child.
One helpful way to look at the multiple problems faced by foster youth is to view these
problems on both a group level and on an individual level. Foster youth collectively face
difficulties in making educational achievements. The barriers to facing this collective problem
are often individualized, circumstantial issues. For instance, one foster child may face difficulty
in getting into his or her school because the home placement is out of the range of public
transportation provided by the school. Another foster child may face difficulty because he or she
cannot afford SAT preparation classes or the SAT test. These are both barriers that fall into the
collective educational problems for foster youth, but the need for each child is individualized.
In view of the fact that each foster child has specific needs, the effort to remove the
child’s
educational barriers must be individualized at the local level. There is not a “one­size­fits­all”
solution for providing a better education for foster children. Therefore, the organization needs to
collaborate with each individual foster child within its locality to provide the services
specifically required by that child.
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8. Agency Credibility
Foster A Dream believes that every foster child can achieve their highest potential if he
or she is given a chance to dream and believe. Our purpose is to invest in helping foster youth
become productive citizens. Foster A dream seeks to sustain self­sufficiency for foster youth, by
being a guiding source for successful transition into the adult world.
Our “Get Set” program consists of career preparation activities for youth who are
preparing for emancipation. It is designed to engage youth over a period of 18 months to two
years in a program of discovery that will result in increased job readiness, exploration of higher
education opportunities and overall self­discovery. In 2006, Foster A Dream launched the Dare
to Dream Scholarship Program. Thanks to numerous sponsors, this program has awarded more
than $115,000 in academic scholarships to over 45 youth.
Lori Cohee, Foster A Dream’s Founder, was a foster child from the age of 12 until
adulthood. She managed to succeed academically in high school and college and made it her
life’s goal to make a difference in the lives of children growing up in foster care. The board of
directors for Foster A Dream is composed of eight individuals of note in the community. Their
titles cover the spectrum from the Business Manager of Goodwill Industries, to the Retired
Senior Vice President of Patient Care at John Muir Health.
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9. Foster A Dream is financially supported by many entities. The Dream Maker’s Society
consists of compassionate community investors who have made an ongoing commitment to
foster youth in our community pledging $1,000 or more for at least 5 years. Benicia Refinery,
John Muir Health, and the Engineering/Remediation Resource Group are major supporters of
Foster A Dream.
Objectives
By the end of the one­year program, Foster A Dream will:
Award five more foster youth with academic scholarships, bringing the total number
of annual awards up to 15.
Double the enrollment of foster youth in the Get Set mentoring program. This will
bring the total number of enrolled students up to 16.
Train the appropriate number of mentors from the community to pair with students
enrolled in the Get Set program.
Provide SAT and ACT preparatory classes to any foster youth in Butte County who
seeks the service.
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10. Outcomes
A minimum of 20 foster youth in Butte County will experience at least one of the following:
Receive an academic scholarship.
Take an SAT or ACT preparatory class free of charge.
Be paired with a trained mentor from the community.
Feel safe in expressing their academic concerns.
Receive academic tutoring free of charge.
The primary goal of Foster A Dream is to provide programs and resources that build the
hopes, dreams and futures of foster youth in Butte County.
1. Award five more foster youth with academic scholarships.
The Dare to Dream scholarship program currently awards between eight and ten foster
youth with scholarships in a year. With this grant, Foster A Dream expects to award at least five
more scholarships to foster youth. An application will be given to any interested foster youth
who is in high school and who plans to enroll in any form of postsecondary education. The
applications will be reviewed by the Executive Director and Program Director of Foster A
Dream. After narrowing the results, they will conduct personal interviews with the remaining
eligible students. Together, they will select the final recipients of the scholarship. The awards
will be given to the recipients at a special breakfast hosted by Foster A Dream.
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2. Double the enrollment of foster youth in the Get Set mentoring program.
The Get Set mentoring program currently serves about eight foster youth each year. This
number is expected to double in the coming year. This program serves foster youth by pairing
them with mentors from the community. The mentors will be expected to spend roughly two
hours per week with their foster child doing a variety of activities: bowling, dining, walking in
the park, etc. These activities promote the growth of strong relationships, and provide security
and love to the foster youth experiencing difficulty.
3. Train the appropriate number of mentors from the community to pair with students
enrolled in the Get Set program.
Foster A Dream first provides the volunteer mentors with six hours of training in which
they gain a better understanding of the difficulties faced by foster youth, both academically and
in the home. They are guided through scenarios they may face as mentors to foster youth by the
Foster A Dream staff. They are required to be fingerprinted in Butte County at their own
expense. Each mentor will be expected to sign a one­year agreement with Foster A Dream.
Because foster youth live transitory lives, the one­year mentor agreement will help to
promote stability in the lives of the foster youth in the program. It is highly recommended that
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12. mentors continue mentoring and building relationship with their foster youth even after the
one­year agreement is up. They could do this by signing up for the program for another year, or
simply maintaining a relationship with the foster youth if he or she has graduated from the
program.
4. Provide SAT and ACT preparatory classes to any foster youth in Butte County who
seeks the service.
Given the obstacles faced by foster youth in achieving success in education, Foster A
Dream seeks to provide any foster youth in Butte County with access to SAT and ACT
preparatory classes. Foster A Dream notifies each foster youth in the region at the beginning of
each school year that SAT and ACT courses will be provided free of charge. The students must
simply notify Foster A Dream staff by phone, email, or in person to begin the process of
enrolling in a preparatory class.
Foster A Dream will conduct evaluation activities to measure the effectiveness of the Get
Set mentoring program and the Dare to Dream scholarship program.
Outcome Measurements
Foster A Dream will use pre and post surveys to evaluate the outcomes from different
perspectives. Foster youth, mentors, primary caregivers, and teachers will be among those who
will be asked to participate in the survey. This will allow Foster A Dream to gather information
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13. about the effectiveness of the programs offered from both an educational perspective and a
personal perspective.
At the completion of one year, Foster A Dream’s Get Set mentoring program will have
doubled its enrollment of foster youth, bringing the total number of youth served by the program
up to 16. This program will also have increased the number of mentors from the community to
match the number of students served. These outcomes will be measured by proof of enrollment
forms, and weekly mentoring activity logs.
At the completion of one year, Foster A Dream’s Dare to Dream program will have
awarded at least 15 foster youth with academic scholarships. This outcome will be measured by
the applications kept on file, the award certificates, and bank receipts from the funds dispersed to
the higher education institution of the youth’s choice.
Any foster youth in the region, will be given access to SAT and ACT preparatory classes
free of charge if they express desire to enroll. This will be recorded by receipts kept on file by
the Foster A Dream staff.
Process Evaluation
As this is a one­year program, the Foster A Dream Board of Directors will meet quarterly
to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the programs it offers. They will review staff
evaluations of student­mentor relationships and the achievements or obstacles faced by
individual students. The Board will also provide the funder with quarterly reports reflecting their
findings.
Twice a year, the board will meet with all Foster A Dream personnel to evaluate the
program’s effectiveness over the past months and set short term goals for the next months. The
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14. evaluation will be based on mentoring activity logs, pre and post­test results, survey results, and
the professional perceptions of all Foster a Dream Personnel.
Other Funding
Foster A Dream will provide $158,873 in cash and in­kind contributions to make the programs
possible.
Potential sources include:
Annual fundraising banquet $15,000
Annual Coffee House Fundraiser $5,800
Dream Maker’s Banquet (fundraising event) $6,000
Dream Maker’s team (Regular committed donors) $40,000
In­kind contributions from:
volunteers, mentors, tutors, and community members $27,073
Online donations $5,000
Corporate Sponsorship
Valero Benicia Refinery $20,000
John Muir Health $20,000
Engineering/Remediation Resources Group $20,000
Future Funding
It will cost an estimated $190,000 per year to sustain the programs provided to foster youth
through Foster A Dream. The organization expects to acquire this amount yearly to continue the
project.
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15. Sources include:
Fundraising events $50,000
In­kind contributions from $28,000
community members, volunteers and mentors
Contributions from corporate sponsors $60,000
Dream Maker’s Team $40,000
Discretionary funds from organization $12,000
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