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Statement of Organizational Mission

Providing Innovative Mental Health Services

Healthy Haven provides educational, vocational, and social services in West Brunnerville for adults suffering from persistent and disabling mental illness. We offer participants the opportunity to socialize, to develop new interests through educational experiences, and to learn the independent living skills necessary to become productive, contributing members of the community.

Given the Brunner Foundation's focus on community services and willingness to fund capital projects, Healthy Haven's expansion project provides a suitable match. The new facility will further our ability to help participants escape the cycle between homelessness and hospitalization through a combination of accessible housing and intensive support programs.

Mission: Traditionally in inquiry letters, the second paragraph states the organizational mission. Avoid using the legal language of your nonprofit bylaws but do incorporate the official focus of the organization. Then show how the organizational mission will be enhanced by the proposed project. Sometimes nonprofits are so desperate for operational support that they try to design programs that appeal to a specific funding source, instead of developing projects that fit within their own organizational goals. Foundations want their grant money to address issues of central importance to both your organization and the community.

Format: Advances in desktop publishing allow elegant formatting options for proposals. Rather than filling each page with long blocks of text, aim for section breaks that catch the eye. Consider offering at least one format break on the page, perhaps a bold heading or short list of bulleted items. However, an inquiry letter should be recognizable as a letter -- no color printing, no cover sheet, no complex diagrams, and no clip art.

Headings: Although some fundraising books suggest using generic headings (The Mission Statement or The Problem to be Addressed), aim for headings that convey meaningful content about the organization, as exemplified in the sample letter. Each heading should have a parallel construction. The present participle (-ing) suffix of verbs works well: Serving mentally ill adults, Constructing supportive housing, Designing a landmark facility. Only one or two headings should be used per page; avoid layers of subheadings in a two-page letter.

Brief Description of Organizational History & Accomplishments

Given space constraints, this sample letter uses three brief paragraphs to summarize the nonprofit organization's history, clientele, services, and achievements.

Healthy Haven opened in 1985 when local families sought daytime activities, peer support, and work opportunities for their mentally ill relatives. Within five years, services expanded to address the needs of both homeless and housed participants. In 1997, a grant from the Acme Corporate Foundation funded our first group home.

Highlights: Remember that a successful query letter results in an invitation to submit a longer proposal. Save the extensive narrative history for that document and just focus on the highlights here. The example above offers three milestones. While noting the first year of operation, the first sentence emphasizes that "local families" founded the organization, a humanizing touch grounded in the immediate community. Without melodrama, this phrase brings more intimacy than a reference to the board of directors or the executive director. The second sentence conveys the growth of an organization and further specifies the population served. The third milestone gives credit to a prestigious foundation, indicating that funding sources are fully appreciated, and shows that the organization has experience managing housing programs. Each date chosen gives the grantwriter strategic opportunities to stress crucial details.

Open seven days a week, Healthy Haven offers continuous support through periods of both crisis and relative stability. Last year, Healthy Haven served almost 900 participants, scheduled more than 1,200 workshops, served over 21,000 meals, washed 1,080 loads of laundry, made 277 housing placements, prepared 69 applications for Social Security benefits, and offered vocational training for 141 mentally ill adults. All services are free.

Facts: After summarizing historical achievements, the letter documents a broad range of essential services provided for a large number of individuals. The focus on "continuous support" during each day of the week hints at the grant request: an expanded housing component so that support is provided on a 24-hour basis as well. The bulk of this paragraph is a lengthy sentence, in a parallel structure of clauses that quantify and define services. Ordering within this list is deliberate, so that the reader moves from educational workshops to the basic need of clean clothes for homeless participants and then back to more advanced job skills. Closing the paragraph with a short four-word sentence brings rhetorical focus to the last word: free. Because participants and their families are not charged, outside funding is crucial.

Recognized as a model program, Healthy Haven has hosted delegations from as far away as Japan, Russia, China, Denmark, and Wales. The center received the 1996 Regina Award from the California Department of Mental Health and the 1998 National Gold Achievement Award from the Community Psychiatry Association.

Models: Foundations look for respected nonprofits with proven track records and the ability to serve as models for other programs. By indicating both an international and national reputation, the paragraph above implies that the new housing facility will be equally visible before other mental health professionals.

Acclaim: For new organizations that have not yet won national acclaim, begin collecting evidence of your contributions to the community. Encourage staff to participate on panels at regional conferences. Invite government representatives and elected officials to tour the facility. Compile positive comments written by donors or clients. Conduct an annual survey of participant satisfaction with services. Nominate your Executive Director for local "Woman of the Year" awards. Approach City Hall to issue a mayor's proclamation that thanks your organization for improving the neighborhood. Send press releases and article ideas to local journalists.