Orphanage Non-Profit Funding Sample Proposal

Thank you for your organization’s generous funding of charitable causes around the world. We know that the Margot Samson Charitable Foundation supports many causes that benefit poor children, and it is for this reason that I am writing to you today. For more than three decades, World of Care Orphanages has been operating twenty orphanages in India, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Mali, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Haiti, delivering care and hope to more than a thousand children. Now we wish to open a new, desperately needed facility to house and educate 300 orphans in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the poorest countries on earth.

We currently enjoy the support of many generous organizations, but as we grow to extend our protection and services to more children in need, we must continually seek funding from supporters like your foundation. We urgently need $100,000 in additional funding to remodel, open, and operate a new orphanage in Kinshasa. With our established track record and stellar charitable rating, you can rest assured that your donation will be put to the best possible use. We strongly believe our proposal has been thoroughly outlined and will meet or exceed all of your expectations and requirements.

Together, we can make a difference and bring hope to many needy children. World of Care Orphanages, a nonprofit organization that operates twenty orphanages in Third World countries, seeks funding to open and operate an orphanage in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo DRC. Thousands of children in the DRC have been left without parents or guardians, due to a long history of strife within that country, in addition to the recent outbreaks of Ebola and other deadly diseases. World of Care Orphanages has a plan to house, care for, and educate these orphans so they may become productive citizens of DRC as adults.

We need your help to make this dream come true. The Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with a long history of civil war, political turmoil, and economic strife. Added to this dangerous mix has been the spread of HIV AIDS, as well as various other contagious deadly diseases such as the Ebola virus, and periodic influxes of refugees from its troubled neighbor, Rwanda.

The continual onslaught of all these disasters has left an even bigger tragedy in their wake. Thousands of orphans abandoned to survive on their own. These innocent victims are often preyed upon by adults and forced to work as unpaid slaves and even prostitutes. Without comfort, shelter, or education, there is little hope for the future of the orphans of the DRC.

World of Care Orphanages wants to deliver that hope to DRC children. With your help, we plan to open our first orphanage is the capital city of Kinshasa. This facility will provide shelter, nutrition, medical care, and education to 300 orphans ranging in age from infants to eighteen years of age.

We—and you—can make the difference between a life of despair and a future filled with meaningful possibility. World of Care Orphanages has been operating as a charitable organization since 1979. We manage 20 orphanages in India, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Mali, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Haiti, delivering care and hope to more than a thousand children.

You can rest assured that your donation will be put to the best possible use with us. World of Care Orphanages has identified the following needs which are not being met in the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC.

Needs

While it is difficult to determine precisely how many orphans exist in the DRC, non­governmental organizations operating within the country estimate somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000 children living without parents or guardians. At least 8,500 children have become orphans due to the violence of civil war. An estimated 3,000 children have been orphaned by the deaths of parents due to the periodic outbreaks of Ebola and other deadly viruses. The DRC is one of the poorest countries in Africa.

The government currently lacks the resources to care for its population, and with continuing political strife, this situation is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future.

Solution

World of Care Orphanages plans to establish and operate an orphanage for 300 children in Kinshasa, DRC. We have a history of success in caring for and educating orphaned children in Third World countries. In addition, we have services in place to help reunite lost children with relatives and to place abandoned children in adoptions in the United States and other countries of the world.

While we acknowledge that 300 children is a tiny percentage of the needy in the DRC, we must begin somewhere. We hope to expand our reach within this country in time.

Sources

World of Care Orphanages Annual Reports, 1980-20xx. WHO Summary Report Democratic Republic of Congo, 20xxx. Future of West Africa, Politique Internationale, 20xx.

Studies

Orphanages Around the World. 20xx Analysis. Safe shelter for growing children is of primary concern in establishing our orphanage in Kinshasa. The national government of the DRC has promised to donate to us the property known as L’école Internationale, which at one time was an elite private boarding school but was seized by the government of Zaire now DRC two decades ago and has been abandoned since 1998.

This property encompasses three large dormitories, a central cafeteria eating facility, eleven classrooms, and various offices, all situated on twenty acres. The basic brick structure of these buildings is mostly intact. Repairs must be done to the roofs and all windows must be replaced, and a major remodel of the interior must be accomplished before children of various ages can be housed and educated here. A new dormitory to house and care for children below the age of four must be constructed, as well as living quarters for staff who must be on site at all times.

Find a more detailed description of the buildings and our plans for them under Facilities. When remodeling is complete, the Kinshasa orphanage will include the following facilities to house and educate 300 children. This property encompasses three large dormitories, a central cafeteria eating facility, eleven classrooms, and various offices, all situated on twenty acres.

Girls Dormitory

Capacity 106. Girls aged 6 through 17 will be housed in this dormitory in bunk beds. Age groups will be separated by moveable partitions.

Girls will use an attached group restroom.

Boys Dormitory

Capacity 110. Boys aged 6 through 17 will be housed in this dormitory in bunk beds. Age groups will be separated by moveable partitions. Boys will use an attached group restroom.

Nursery

Capacity 86. Boys and girls aged 1 through 5 will be housed in this dormitory in cribs and child beds. Some cribs and beds may be shared by more than one child. Two bunk beds for adult staff will also be in this room.

The attached group restroom will also contain changing tables.

Staff Dormitory

Capacity 8. Bunk beds for staff members who must be on site overnight are available in this room. Staff will use the group restrooms used by the children.

Cafeteria

The cafeteria can accommodate approximately 180 people in one sitting. Mealtimes will be staggered to deal with this limitation.

Classrooms

Capacity 11 classrooms can accommodate 30 students each. Spaces not needed for resident orphans will be offered to paying residents of Kinshasa.

Grounds

Twenty acres of land offer the opportunity to create a variety of play areas, as well as a large garden that both children and staff will attend to. Additional facilities may be constructed in the future. World of Care Orphanages is an organization that seeks to grow as the demand for our services grows. Our staff understands the personnel and budget needs to run an orphanage in a Third World country such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We will support this new project and put your funding to its best usage. Our organization includes the following staff and capabilities.

Architects, Engineers, and Creative Construction Experts

We have excellent relationships with subcontractors to provide design and construction services for our orphanages throughout the world. Experts in Administration and Residential Care. We have a staff of experienced professionals to hire and train staff to administer our new Kinshasa orphanage and care for the children who will be housed there.

Experienced School Administrators. Our experienced school administrators will hire and train teachers and school counselors as needed to educate the children in our care. World of Care Orphanages currently manages 20 orphanages in India, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Mali, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Haiti, delivering shelter, care, medical treatment, education, and hope for the future to more than a thousand children. A temporary staff will be assigned to the Kinshasa project to oversee the remodel and establishment of the residential facility and school.

This may take up to one year. After that time, administration will be maintained by a local staff, providing jobs for citizens of the DRC. World of Care Orphanages has specialized in establishing and running orphanages since 1998.

We have been cited by Compassionate Charity Catalog as a leader in our field. Our permanent staff, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, is comprised of over 85 members who administer and oversee our operations in all countries. We personally visit each orphanage at least twice a year to ensure that our standards are continuously upheld.

This project is important to the community of Kinshasa and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, both of which—although currently unable to fund the effort—desire to move homeless orphans into a caring environment, and desires to have its children educated so they may become contributing citizens in the country’s future. We plan to involve the community in the orphanage’s efforts in the following manner.

Community Involvement

Donations from Local Churches. Although most DRC organizations do not have the funds to donate large sums to charitable efforts, most are willing to contribute small amounts each week and these do contribute to our coffers. In addition, local citizens will be encouraged to donate clothing, toys, nonperishable foods and fresh produce to the orphanage.

Talent Shows

We find that the children in our care love to learn to sing, play musical instruments, and dance. To give our little stars the opportunity to shine, we hold several talent shows per year and charge the local community a small fee to attend.

Volunteers

Although most citizens of DRC have few material goods, they are often willing to give time to the poorest, especially children. We plan to recruit as many volunteers as possible to help care for our children as well as to educate them and teach them basic skills such as sewing and carpentry.

Community Benefits

Reduction in Poverty and Crime. By caring for 300 orphans, we will remove those homeless children from the streets, thus reducing the instances of sickness and death, and reducing current and future crime rates. Involvement with Future DRC Citizens. Through contributions, open communications, and volunteerism, the adults of the DRC will become involved with and connected to our orphans, who are the future citizens of the DRC.

Entertainment and Volunteer Opportunities

There are few options for entertainment among the poorer citizens of Kinshasa. We find that our talent shows are usually well attended by the community because they are simply happy to attend a show for a very small fee. In addition, many teens and young adults treasure the time they spend as volunteers, caring for infants or teaching skills to the orphans.

Opportunities for Reunification and Adoption. At World of Care Orphanages, we maintain a list of abandoned children and have assisted in reuniting children with relatives from whom they have been separated by war or disease. In addition, we are always open to the happy possibility of adoption by any family who meets our strict standards and desires to add a child to their household. Opportunities for Reunification and Adoptions.

At World of Care Orphanages, we maintain a list of abandoned children and have assisted in reuniting children with relatives from whom they have been separated by war or disease. In addition, we are always open to the happy possibility of adoption by any family who meets our strict standards and desires to add a child to their household. Opportunities for Temporary Help.

As the children in our care learn life skills and progress through school, we allow children above the age of 14 to work for pay in temporary jobs in the community. This allows our teens to gain valuable work experience and pay, and allows the community to hire a skilled worker for a short period of time. All such work situations must be approved, must not interfere with the child’s education, and must not harm or take advantage of the child in any way. Our orphans have worked as babysitters, tutors, and assistant sports coaches, just to name a few opportunities.

Employment Opportunities. Our new Kinshasa orphanage will offer employment for local caretakers, cooks, teachers, custodians, and maintenance personnel.

Summary

We strive to make the orphanage an integral part of the Kinshasa community so that the children in our care can progress at the age of 18 to a meaningful adult life outside our walls. Due to the traumatic circumstances of their lives, orphans always have a variety of special needs. We anticipate dealing with all of the following.

Traumatized children

Many orphans have witnessed violence and brutality, often including being present at the deaths of one or both parents and other relatives. These children will receive counseling and the patient instruction of caring adults to teach them that the world is not always a terrifying place.

Wounded and disabled children

Some children will arrive with limbs missing or disabled in some way due to an injury of violence or accident. Our medical staff will strive to serve each child to best assist in learning to overcome or live with the disability.

Uneducated children

Children of all ages will arrive, often having been neglected for years, with no parental instruction or formal education. Our staff will evaluate each child and ensure that an appropriate instructional program is available, no matter the age of the child. Boys and girls will be treated equally and receive equal education and opportunities.

Cultural prejudice

Many children have been taught by adults to distrust or even detest other ethnic groups. We house children of all ethnic groups together and teach them to respect and treat each other with dignity and kindness. Through our history of work in Third World nations, we know that orphans come with a variety of special needs. We are well prepared to meet those needs.

Maintaining health among children in Third World countries can be a challenge, but it is a challenge we are accustomed to meeting. We will ensure the continuing health of orphans and staff in the following manner. Guarantee of clean water through filtration and testing.

Maintaining an adequate supply of clean water can be a challenge in the DRC. Our orphanage will have a filtration system and will routinely test the quality to be sure the water is safe to drink.

Nutritious meals

Children will receive an adequate amount of calcium, vitamins, protein, grains, vegetables, and fruits in their daily diet. See the Nutrition section for more detailed information.

Nurse on site

The permanent staff at the Kinshasa facility will include sufficient nurses to have one on duty 24 hours a day. Doctors on call and available when needed. The Kinshasa orphanage will contract with local doctors to ensure that a doctor will always be available if needed. Scheduled well care examinations.

All children in our care will be examined at least once a year to ensure they are healthy and developing at normal levels. Routine immunizations. All needed immunizations will be administered to children and staff on the recommended schedule. Mosquito netting. Each child’s bed will be protected by mosquito netting to prevent malaria.

Maintaining the health of children and staff is always a priority. We also seek to teach our children standards of cleanliness and basic health care that will serve them and their countries well in the future. Children need proper nutrition to ensure proper growth and development.

We have nutritionists on permanent staff to advise and oversee menus served at our orphanages. Each orphanage may have a slightly different menu due to availability of foods and local customs, but will generally follow the standards set below. A bowl of hot grain cereal, fresh fruit or juice, milk or yogurt. A serving of protein chicken, fish, cheese, beans , two vegetables, fruit, whole grain cookie and milk or juice.

A serving of protein chicken, fish, cheese, beans with rice or pasta, a vegetable, fruit, whole grain or calcium-rich dessert pudding custard ice cream , and milk or juice. Snacks shall consist of fruit, dried fruit, or healthy cookies granola bars. Each child will be given a chewable multivitamin daily.

These are donated by a kind sponsor. Everyone deserves a treat on a special occasion, so of course cakes, pies, and candy will be served for parties and on holidays and other celebratory functions. Infants and toddlers will be fed appropriate diets of milk or formula, yogurt, mashed fruits and vegetables until they are able to eat the same food as older children.

They will also receive liquid supplements as recommended. Children and staff in our orphanages generally eat a much healthier diet than most other citizens of their nations. At World of Care Orphanages, we know all about educating children.

In countries where it is possible to send children to public schools, we do so. In many Third World countries such as the DRC, adequate schools do not exist and so we must create our own. Because we cannot change our schedules to allow for extended vacations and leaves, our schools will function on a year-round basis, with shorter school days than customary in other situations and plenty of time for supervised sports and fun outside of classroom time. In Kinshasa, we will establish and run the following schools.

Nursery School

For children 2-4 years old. Basic skills such as dressing and eating and toilet training will be taught. Correct speech, behavior, and social interaction will be encouraged.

Ratio of teachers to children. 1 teacher for 6 students.

Primary School

For children 5-12 years old. Reading, writing, mathematics and science as are typical of schools in the United States and UK. Ratio of teachers to children in grades kindergarten through third grade.

1 teacher for 12 students. Ratio of teachers to children in grades four through six. 1 teacher for 20 students.

Secondary School

For children 13-18 years old. Reading, writing, mathematics and science as are typical of schools in the United States and UK. If instructors are available, some students may take commercial classes computer repair programming medical technicians, etc. During their senior year to develop skills needed for employment.

Ratio of teachers to children. 1 teacher for 25 students.

Tuition Students from the Community

As the school system is generally inadequate in the DRC and we often get requests to educate local children, we plan to allow several students from the community to attend the orphanage school on a tuition basis. Tuition will be determined by the average rate at local private schools of similar quality. Numbers of tuition students will vary by grade depending on the number of orphans enrolled in that grade.

Special Cases for Under-Educated Students

As some children will come to us with little or no education due to their circumstances, we will individually evaluate each child and place her or him in the appropriate grade. We may also advance or retain students in a grade as needed to ensure that child receives a complete and appropriate education. As previously mentioned in the Capacities section, we have permanent staff on hand to get the Kinshasa orphanage established and functioning.

But after that initial period usually 9 months to one year , local staff will take over. We anticipate needing the following local staff. Administrators will jointly oversee the operation and budget for the orphanage, and will report to the head office of World of Care Orphanages.

Thirty "House Parents" Caregivers. These staff members will live at the orphanage and function as substitute parents for the children. We hope to recruit a number of married couples and retired couples for these jobs. The number of teachers and grade levels required will depend on the ages of children in our care.

Counselors will evaluate and assist traumatized children, as well as deal with everyday problems that may arise. We need at least five full-time cooks and five full-time kitchen assistants to help prepare, serve, and clean up after meals. Children will be taught to help as much as is appropriate for the varying age levels. We anticipate needing at least four permanent staff members dedicated to maintaining the buildings and acreage.

Children will also be assigned tasks to help as appropriate. We anticipate needing at least four permanent staff members dedicated to cleaning buildings and doing laundry. Children will also be assigned tasks to help as appropriate. As we depend on charitable donations, it is always difficult to anticipate the income for our organization.

Expenses too are only estimates, as we do not yet know exactly how many children we will be caring for. We always endeavor to keep costs down in creative ways. In Kinshasa, we have the ability to create a huge garden and grow much of our own food, so food costs are expected to decrease as the garden matures. As you can see by the table below, we need additional funding for our first year to complete our remodeling project.

A surplus of funds in any year will be spent to benefit the children in our care. We are soliciting additional pledges at this time so total assets are expected to be higher. The numbers represented above are to be used as an estimate.

The above Budget does in no way constitute a warranty of final price. Estimates are subject to change if specifications are changed, cost of doing business changes or costs for outsourced services change before being locked in by a binding contract. The following summarizes World of Care Orphanages’ request for funding.

Funding is to be used for the next fiscal year, with any surplus carried over to the next year.

Funding Requested

World of Care Orphanages requests a $100,000 donation from your foundation. Total Current Funding Funding Requested Projected 3-year Funding Needed Projected 5-year Funding Needed $225,000 $100,000 $775,000 $1,225,000. Funds received by World of Care Orphanages for the Kinshasa orphanage project are to be used in the first year as follows. These salaries include teachers, house parents, administrators, and maintenance personnel.

We will employ local workers and buy local materials as much as possible to hold down costs and build good relationships with the community. These funds will be used to purchase food for the orphans in our care. These funds will be used to purchase clothing, bedding, and other necessities for the orphans in our care. Expenses will be lower in following years and many items of bedding and clothing can be reused or passed down from one child to another.

Ninety-five percent of all funds donated to World of Care Orphanages go directly to benefit the children in our facilities. The remaining five percent is used for outreach efforts such as this request. In addition to generous donations of funds for our orphanages, we also receive goods donated from the following groups. Several church and civic groups send teams of volunteers each year to help with special projects.

We plan to use these volunteers to help with remodeling and creating our garden and playgrounds in our first year. Many churches and civic groups send us donations of bedding, clothing, toys, and school supplies each year. Although we try to "buy local" whenever we can to support the local community, donations of goods and services are always welcome.

When children in Third World countries are left without parents, they are often left without hope. If they survive at all, they are likely to become prostitutes or criminals as adults. We strive to break that cycle, because we firmly believe that every child deserves a home and a future.

World of Care Orphanages exists to help orphans in Third World countries grow up healthy and educated. Every child is worth saving. Many children are the victims of racial, tribal, or religious prejudice and violence. We do not discriminate when accepting children.

We teach acceptance and respect. All ethnic groups and religions are housed and educated together, which leads to a peaceful culture of acceptance. Boys and girls are educated equally. Although sometimes we need to respect local customs in terms of dress and manners, we provide the same education to both boys and girls in our classes.

Purpose Statement

Every orphanage we run will be a secure and loving home that prepares our children for the future. World of Care Orphanages has been operating as a charitable organization since 1979. We manage 20 orphanages in India, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Mali, orphans have earned hope to more than a thousand children.

Ethiopia, Liberia, and Haiti, delivering care and scholarships for college. World of Care Orphanages exists to help orphans in Third World countries grow up healthy and educated. We have more than three decades of expertise in caring for orphaned children.

More than 40% of our orphans have earned scholarships for college. Our orphanages provide jobs for more than two thousand local people in the communities they serve. World of Care Orphanages is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and has branch offices in Johannesburg, South Africa and Delhi, India.