Imagine that you, and a few others who have a passion for community awareness and intervention, have been given a 4 million dollar grant to establish...

Imagine that you, and a few others who have a passion for community awareness and intervention, have been given a 4 million dollar grant to establish a program, center, or organization. This assignment can be a proposal for a marginalized population within your community whose mental health needs have been overlooked or ignored by service providers. The proposal can take the shape of a "Community Action Plan" that you and an interest group would present to the county commissioner or city council, or it can take the shape of a "Proposal for The _______ Center", in which you describe the population, current issues, needed services, a proposed program, a rationale, a budget, etc. for potential consideration by an interest group, committee, or funding organization.

1       Name of your organization and proposed location. Why did you name it as such and establish it where you did?

2       Write a purpose, vision, or mission statement. Follow best practices for a concise and well-articulated statement. Justify and explain as needed.

3       Needs analysis and assessment. Who is the target population? How will this organization address the presenting problem? This section must be thorough and supported by research.

4       Program goal and objectives. What will this organization achieve long-term and short-term? Articulate an overall goal and 3-5 measurable, time-specific, realistic objectives.

5       Services to be provided. Describe how this organization help, relieve, provide, etc. for the targeted population.

6       Structure of the organization. Describe processes for client screening, other relevant organizational functions, and staffing (counselors, social workers, volunteers, administrative staff).

7       Organizational accountability. What type of testing or assessment of the target population will be conducted? (e.g. Global Assessment Functioning, GAF). Describe how documentation for trustees/directors/financial providers and record keeping for clients will be handled.

8       Budget. Delineate how the $4 million grant will be spent. End with a closing paragraph in which you also address sustainability, i.e. how the organization will survive once the money has been spent.