Grant Proposal

Name

Institution

Year

Cover Letter

Lending Hand Children Welfare

November 5, 2020

Lending Hand Director

Dear Sir/Madam,

Having established our charity organization at the local level, we hereby welcome you to our annual meeting and seminar to be held on 20th November 2020. Over the past ten years, the thought of establishing a reliable and credible avenue for the street children in the community continues to increase. We as the Lending Hand charity group seeks to address the issue of homelessness for the street children in our locality. The issue of homelessness among street children has been growing thus putting more risk to the community.

The upcoming seminar is aimed at launching out our agenda and welcoming people to this charitable course in a bid to raise funds to help get the street children out of this menace. Our team has already laid down the right mechanisms in collaboration with the local authorities that will add to the efforts already being made by the community. More to this is the honest and passionate efforts we are putting to help provide for the vulnerable street children.

We seek your support in any way that can help see this dream become a reality. At Lending Hand, we are happy to welcome you to our meeting and seminar that will be aimed at pulling more people and efforts to this agenda. We will forever be grateful for the efforts you out in making this come true as well go ahead in helping the vulnerable street children.

Regards,

Lending Hand

Summary

Lendignt Hand is a charitable children welfare program tat seeks tro address the iossues fgacign the street children in Texas. The welfare will;l be run uder the local welfare group that already operates in the community. Based on the project scope, the implementation of the objectives will be done in a systematic manner. The first step in project implementation will be to carry out data mapping that will include gathering, and analyzing the issue. The data to be gathered will help in laying out the right image of the data scope.

Introduction

This project is based on opening up the society to an existing social issue that is paramount to the development and safety of the people. The project will be built around existing figures, data, and observable issues that are core to the society. To build a very convincing case, the project will create a clear picture on the nature, value and sensitivity of the issue at hand. Therefore, the topic chosen for this project is the street children welfare that has already proven to be a major issue in many urban areas. Still, the project will try to decode existing myths on the issue of street families and children thus show how and why the matter needs to be addressed. By doing so, the project will deeply address the matter and seek to narrate an issue that has for years faced neglect. It is true that street children are prone to all sports of suffering as they are vulnerable out there in the cold.

Surprisingly, some of the street children are innocently neglected by their parents who have totally failed to own up the responsibility of taking care of the young ones. Moreover, the issue of family bonds and domestic violence has pushed many to the streets where they suffer more. It is clear that solutions are at the reach of the society but there lacks the total will to face the challenge and look for solutions (Kirst-Ashman, 2015). developing and testing theories requires a lot of research, and with that research, comes huge investments. While research is an important part of academia, it can also be very costly. Fortunately, a whole slew of research grants, scholarships, and fellowships exist – all that’s left is to do the grant research. The research will therefore try to lay down an issue of street children by exposing how the problem is a hindrance to social and economic stability of the area. Further, the project will create an outline for funding that will seek to get support in a welfare that is built around volunteering in support of the street children.

Problem Statement

Over the years, the value of human life has been ignored with many people going through harsh times across the world. The issue of homelessness and street children has become rampant and this is greatly leading to economic and social chaos (Berg-Weger, 2016). Over the past ten years, the number of homeless children in the streets had doubled and this pronounces a very serious situation. To make matters worse, adverse poverty and high cost of living is adding to the pressure leading to family breakups (Nilsson et al., 2016). More homeless children are ending up in the streets with no one to look after them or feed them. Consequently, a very sad image in the urban areas is being painted raising alarm on the state of the social welfare (Grignoli & Serban, 2018). As of January 2019, Texas had an estimated 25,848 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Of that Total, 1,919 were family households, 1,806 were Veterans, 1,355 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 3,511 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. With the government and local authorities already stretched to the limit in caring for these street children, it is the high time volunteers and private agencies come in to lend a helping hand. It has bene noted that between 2017 and mid-2019, all states in the U.S recorded more than 10,000 street families or children. On average, this translates to a 5.5% increase over the past five years with the situation expected to worsen in the coming decade. Perhaps, the earlier the solution is sought, the better in terms of cost and time conveniences. After years of neglect, children welfare and street families has started to pain t a very grim picture of the decaying social welfare of the society (Kirst-Ashman, 2015).

Today, more children are ending up on the street at a very young age. The problem here lies in the black of cohesive social laws that can prevent the neglect of children by their parents. Secondly, the local and national efforts coordination and funding of the children welfare agencies has not been effective on the ground. To crack the issue, personal responsibility of every individual and leader needs to be sought. Some of the neglected children who end up in the streets barely understand the issue and thus end up suffering more (Kirst-Ashman, 2015). If the issue is nit addressed, the future will even throw more problems to the society mainly on matters of social pressure and crime.  

Aim

This research seeks to investigate the problem of street children in Texas by looking at the numbers and how the issue can be addressed for a better social and economic development of the state.

Objectives

To provide the required perspective on the issue of street or homeless children in Texas.

To gather ample information and data regarding the issue of street children by conducting preliminary view of the data and cases in the streets.

To help raise funds for the support and welfare elevation of the existing groups trying to help the street children get by on the streets.

To help map out and show what and how the cases of homeless children in Texas appears thus lay better plans on addressing the issue.

Project Description

The project will be conducted in two phases where the mapping of the issue and implementation of the proposed ideas will take place. The approach will be essential in crating a map that will guide through the process. For the sake of time and resources convinces, the project will be undertaken in line with the laid down objectives (Berg-Weger, 2016). Based on the project scope, the implementation of the objectives will be done in a systematic manner. The first step in project implementation will be to carry out data mapping that will include gathering, and analyzing the issue (Nilsson et al., 2016). The data to be gathered will help in laying out the right image of the data scope. To add on this, the project will develop an implementation map that will include addressing the issue at hand. Once the data is gathered, a detailed report will be prepared that will help outline the issue spread.

The project will first look at the existing infrastructure and support resources for the street children in Texas. Once the support assets are identified, the project will then look at what and how the laid down avenues for an inclusive solution to the issue. More emphasis will be given to the nature and intensity of the matter that will help integrate a compound solution to the issue of street children (Grignoli & Serban, 2018). The project will further break down the related problems of crime by the street children. The data gathered will therefore be compound and cover a wide array of areas that relate to the issue of homelessness among children in Texas.

Moreover, the project will explore and offer solution to the issue by first creating the right outlook. To achieve this, the project will address the matters of resource shortage among the street children agencies and welfare groups in the region. The approach will help digest the issue by laying the right outlook on the intensity of the matter. More efforts will be given to the information gathering where different sources of data will be used. The main source of this information will come from the database on Texas social welfare and government data. The reliability of this type of information will be of great importance to ensure that the steps taken in the project are viable.

Evaluation

An evaluation plan is an integral part of a grant proposal that provides information to improve a project during development and implementation. When writing a proposal for larger center grant, using a professional external evaluator is recommended (Kirst-Ashman, 2015). The evaluation for this project will be paramount in guaranteeing a credible and open project. Doubling on this, the evaluation will seek to present reliable and affirmed information that will be analyzed for clarity and transparency. For the purpose of evaluation and validation, the information presented in the project will underline key aspects of the issue to be addressed (Nilsson et al., 2016).

First, the evaluation part will point to how and where the resources being sought will be directed. The project will solely be built around social welfare approach where credible efforts will be put to help address the issue of homelessness among children in Texas. Therefore, the key aspect of this drive is to induce the right mechanism to create a reliable and tangible project flow that will be open, transparent, and valid. In order to build the right portfolio, the project will be conducted in line with the identified needs that are in line with social needs of the street children.

The aim of this project will be to underline the issue of homelessness in Texas and how the street children pose a social and economic challenge to the area. To help address this issue, the project seeks to show how the efforts of volunteers and enough funding can help reduce this issue. Moreover, the project will be based on showing the value for an integrated approach to the right solution module that will help solve the problem. The funding being sought in this project will go far in helping the street children overcome the problems they face on the streets. Part of the funds will be directed in creating enhancement programs for the street children that will equip them with the right skills in life. Further, the funds will be directed to building a tangible solution-based approach like in providing shelter to the street children (Nilsson et al., 2016). Based on the project scope, the implementation of the objectives will be done in a systematic manner.

The first step in project implementation will be to carry out data mapping that will include gathering, and analyzing the issue. More efforts will be put in increasing the reliability of the project by providing credible outline for the funding and how the resources will be utilized (Grignoli & Serban, 2018). More efforts will be directed towards building the right outlook into the project outcomes and solution enhancement. In line with the project needs, there will be greater emphasis on how and where the project needs will go first. Priority here will be essential in creating the right outlook on how and where the project needs to flow. The resource utilization for the project will therefore be base don the needs and urgency of the issue to be addressed. In particular, the openness and credibility of the figures presented should therefore be guiding light in this project.

Future funding

The running of thus project will require funding that will help run and maintain its operations. To ensure that the project benefits the targeted people, there needs to be proper planning on sourcing of funds and utilization. Priority will be given to volunteers who wish to join this voluntary course that will be of great importance to the needy children on the streets of Texas. The underlying value of the project cannot be realized without the right funding that has to look into the future needs of expansion. The aim here is to start small and grow the project that will align with the upcoming needs of the locality as well as the projected growth. To start with, the project will outsource funds from well-wishers who would like to be part of the community uplifting program. The first step will therefore be to publicize the project to make sure that the members of the community understand its operation and value to the locality.

The project will also be marketed to private agencies and organization who will be expected to play a key role. Additionally, the operation of the project will depend on the local authority as another vital source of funding that will help take this project far. By combining these efforts, the operation of the project and its funding is expected to take huge steps in the right direction and thus help achieve huge benefits. One major source of funding will be charity where the project will be run as an open program to anyone who wishes to support. Online platform and social media will be used to sell the idea and request well wishers to collaborate in the program. To add on this, the online community will be engaged in creating the right outlook on how and where her project is headed for further insights.

Future funding will also come from the local authorities who have already laid down procedures to address the issue of street children. By collaborating with the local agencies and authorities, there will be an increased exposure of the program and thus more funding. The local authorities understand the urgency and needs of the local street families and thus they will be essential in funding. The platform will also increase the possibility of a diverse and open funding thus add to the accountability and reliability of the project. Funding can sometimes pose a challenge if not well coordinated. To address this matter, the project will be hinged on the right avenues that can help bring in more people to support its agenda. The best way to endure proper and adequate future funding is to show how the project will benefit the community.

The other avenue for future funding is to link up and establish a common agenda with NGOs within the area. One of the ways to sell out and reach many people is to utilize the existing Non-Governmental Organizations that operate under the local charity groups. For example, the local children welfare NGOs can help generate the tight outreach to the community as they have had adequate experience in the community. The children charity ground and programs will also help the project sell out to the community and the global community. To build on this, the project will try to align with the already identified needs of the community by launching friendly programs. For example, the project can begin with addressing the issue of food and shelter for the street children that will create the right avenue for growth. To broaden this, the project will outsource funds from the already established charity groups that have partnership with local agencies. More avenues for funding will come from the established entities that deal with children affairs and more so the street families and the homeless.

Budget

The budget for this welfare program will be allocated based on the activities to be done and the time of implementation. One of the key things in this area is the need to have a tangible and reliable budget outlook that can help in running the project. The budget will also be divided into three segments that will be guided by the period and the nature of tasks to be handled. The first segment will entail the project buildup that will cover the mapping and analysis of the matter. The tasks will take two months to complete and expected to demand 250 Dollars. The second stage will be the program establishment that will first go into catering for 100 street children. The basic provisions in this case will be shelter and food that will go for 750 Dollars for three months. This budget will be laid down in terms of the urgency of the task and its duration.

Once the budget is established, the allocation of the eight efforts will be done in line with the tasks urgency and demand. The total budget for this project for the first six months is expected to amount to 3000 Dollars.

References

Berg-Weger, M. (2016). Social work and social welfare: An invitation. Routledge.

Chavez, L., & Menjívar, C. (2017). Children without borders: A mapping of the literature on unaccompanied migrant children to the United States. Migraciones internacionales, 5(18), 71-111.

Grignoli, D., & Serban, I. (2018). Propulsive Welfare for the Risk Societies: A Project for Solidarity and Communication in the Social-Health System. Soc. & Soc. Work Rev., 2, 6.

Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2015). Empowerment Series: Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare: Critical Thinking Perspectives. Nelson Education.

McConville, D., & Cordery, C. (2018). Charity performance reporting, regulatory approaches and standard-setting. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 37(4), 300-314.

Nilsson, A., Erlandsson, A., & Västfjäll, D. (2016). The congruency between moral foundations and intentions to donate, self-reported donations, and actual donations to charity. Journal of Research in Personality, 65, 22-29.

Park, J. (2017). A Study on the Effective Ways of Charity Campaigns-focused on a Classification of Charity Case Studies. Journal of the Korea Convergence Society, 8(12), 227-234.

Petrovich, J. C., & Cronley, C. C. (2015). Deep in the heart of Texas: A phenomenological exploration of unsheltered homelessness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(4), 315.

Santa Maria, D., Padhye, N., Yang, Y., Gallardo, K., Santos, G. M., Jung, J., & Businelle, M. (2018). Drug use patterns and predictors among homeless youth: results of an ecological momentary assessment. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 44(5), 551-560.