Section of a Grant Application

This is a section of a grant application I filled out for one of the shelter's programs. The questions were not 'new' to me, but I flexed my creative muscle by coming up with new answers. I liked writing this grant because the whole thing (it was about 8 pages) was an opportunity for me to take what I know, and turn it into words that should really get any donor interested.

1. Describe your program’s advocacy philosophy.
XXXX advocates the intervening and preventing of physical, sexual and mental abuse, along with ending the generation to generation domestic abuse cycle.


2. Please describe how the hot line and other shelter services are publicized? (Please explain.)
XXXX’s hotline runs around the clock – there is always a trained professional with the power to make quick decisions and arrange and pay for transportation to bring a child to safety at XXXX. The person on the other end of the line also has an amazing knowledge of resources and referrals available to people who may not qualify for XXXX’s services – such as parents of younger children, adult victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse and adults who need safe shelter.

XXXX XXXX Shelter’s “Community Outreach Team” does a fantastic job of publicizing all the programs and services that the shelter provides. These counselors visit schools and resource fairs to talk about XXXX, and often meet families in crisis whose members later come to the shelter for parenting programs, counseling or for the residential program. The team also informs school staffs about XXXX’s programs, which has helped many students via recommendations from their school counselors and teachers.


3. Do you provide wheelchair access? Yes If so, please describe which parts of your facilities are accessible.
The main shelter, counseling center and office are wheelchair accessible.


4. How do you provide bilingual services?
Because of XXXX’s location in Southern California, bilingual services are very important. Many of our residents’ parents primarily speak Spanish. Several XXXX staffers and counselors speak Spanish and a number of other languages, and can be called in as translators for therapy sessions and intakes. We also publish our informational material in Spanish and have Spanish-language parenting classes alongside our English-language classes. The parenting classes that are in Spanish also focus on the “Hispanic” model of family culture, and often include the grandparents and extended family in the discussion of parenting.

5. Do you have an age limit for male children? Yes If yes, what age? 12-17 If yes, how do you ensure that adolescent boys receive advocacy and services?
Boys, along with all residents who turn 18 while staying at XXXX, receive referrals to other agencies that provide services for adults. Extended placement boys and girls can stay at XXXX after their 18th birthday provided they are still attending high school.

6. When you have to turn people away from shelter, how do you provide appropriate services and advocacy?
No teenager is ever turned away from XXXX unless he or she is a danger to him/herself or others, or has an illness that cannot be taken care of at the shelter. XXXX will make the appropriate referrals in this case. When the shelter is full, clinical staff members try to see which residents are ready to go home in order to make room for new “in-crisis” teenagers. People who are not teenagers and therefore not qualified to stay at XXXX receive referrals to other shelters more appropriate to their situation.