HomeMy WebLinkAboutFY2024 Aid to Agencies Application (Emerging)_TRAILFY2024 Aid to Agencies Application (Emerging)
Section 1 - General Information
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Aid to Agencies provides flexible operational funding for nonprofits. Applications are due Monday, January 30, 2023 at
12pm. This application is for “emerging” agencies, those that have not existed as a legal entity for at least 2 years or
have not received A2A funds in any of the last five years. Each agency is eligible to apply for up to $15,000. No award
will be made for less than $5,000. Please submit one project proposal per application. Questions can be directed to
Brianna Thul at bthul@iowa-city.org or to Neighborhood Services staff at 319-356-5230. Hard copy applications are
available upon request.
Submit completed applications online or a PDF version to bthul@iowa-city.org. Emailed applications must receive a
confirmation email from City staff before the application deadline to be considered for funding. No exceptions will be
made for late submittals. Online submittals are preferred, but you may send your application by certified or registered
mail; overnight delivery service e.g., FedEx; or deliver in person if arrangements are made with a Neighborhood
Services representative. Please call 319-356-5230 to make drop off arrangements prior to arrival.
Applications are due on Monday, January 30, 2023 by 12pm. No exceptions will be made for late
submittals. Should you have any questions while completing the application contact
Neighborhood Services staff at 319-356-5230 or by email at bthul@iowa-city.org.
1. Lead Organization / Agency
Application Contact
Name *
Address *
Website
TRAIL of Johnson County
City
Iowa City
State / Province / Region
IA
Postal / Zip Code
52240
Country
United States
Street Address
28 S. Linn Street
Address Line 2
#301
www.trailofjohnsoncounty.org
Name *
Title *
Bob Untiedt
Executive Director
2. Organization/Agency Type *
Years in Operation *
Project Name *
Brief Description *
Total Funds Requested *
Has the applicant received City assistance in the last five years?*
Is the applicant currently in compliance with all federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations including any
CDBG and/or HOME funded projects?*
Phone *
Email *
319-800-9003
bob@trailofjohnsoncounty.org
501(c)3
Public
For Profit
Faith-Based
CHDO
Other
7
3. Project
TRAIL Senior Support
TRAIL is seeking operational support primarily to allow us to continue to offer scholarships for low-income
seniors to be members, as well as add to our newest program, Life Transitions. This will enable several dozen
Iowa CIty residents to obtain volunteer service supports, including social engagement in transportation services;
medical advocacy, small household repairs; yardwork, & many other services, valued in the tens of thousands of
dollars, were they to be obtained in the open market. Additionally, the cost/member of TRAIL comes to about
$1241 per person; this operational support will help in both greater diversification of our revenue streams &
'making up the difference' for both low-income and membership fee shortfalls (total membership fees cover less
than 40% of our costs. TRAIL is a unique organization, which has disproportionate impacts on the quality of life
and the ability to remain in their homes for seniors of Iowa City, who make up more than 80% of our members.
9,000.00$
4. History
Yes No
(including partners, co-applicants, etc.)
Yes
No
Currently in litigation
Section 2 - Need and Priority
The City Steps Plan guides funding within the community that benefits low-moderate income persons by
creating jobs, improving housing, and providing services. You can find a copy of City Steps
at www.icgov.org/actionplan
5. Summary of proposed project *
6. Why is the project needed?*
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Starting in late 2021, TRAIL of Johnson County has offered service to very low income persons, waiving our
normal $50/month membership fee. This is called our 'Supported Membership'. While there has been a limited
variability month-to-month, over the last year, we have had around 24 members on average. Each member costs
TRAIL $1230 per person, for a total cost of $29,520. We have obtained some grants in support of this project,
but never more than $13,000 in a year.
TRAIL will continue to provide benefits to 24-30 low income seniors living in Iowa City through the project we are
suggesting here. This will allow access to free social and educational opportunities, as well as our volunteer
service program. The latter program connects our members to volunteers who will:
*provide transportation to grocery stores, doctors offices, etc.;
*do small household repairs
*assist with minor IT projects
*complete limited yardwork
AND, though an ongoing and very successful relationship with Westwinds Realty, enable us to provide up to 20
hours of professional maintenance assistance for these members. This latter joint effort has, in the last two
years, allowed for free plumbing repairs, replacement of mailboxes, restoration of a portion of a garage floor and
other significant benefits to our Supported Members.
We will also utilize a small fraction of this grant, if provided, to support our marketing and outreach efforts with
seniors. The Communications Committee of TRAIL of Johnson County is populated by VERY skilled
professionals, including a former VP of Communications for the UI Hospitals, a Communications director for the
UI College of Business, one of the co-owners of MELD Marketing in Iowa City, and a number of others with
similar qualifications. They know cost-effective marketing for seniors in Iowa City
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National studies by Meals-on-Wheels document that social isolation is a problem which leads to both mental and
physical illnesses. One of the elements of TRAIL's volunteer services that has grown enormously since the
pandemic is our 'Phone Buddy' program, which enables members to have a check-in call or a chat with a
volunteer. This, plus the supports noted above in other ways, will enable some low income residents of Iowa City
to maintain their independence and a measure of health which would otherwise be threatened. The growth of
seniors in Uowa City means that demand for our services will continue to grow as well; but we cannot afford to
have the same rate of growth in service to very low income seniors in Iowa City that we've been seeing without
additional financial support.
7. How does the project fill a gap in the community?*
8. How does the project address the goals of 2021-2025 City Steps?*
9. Describe how you will incorporate sustainability initiatives into your project to help carry out the City’s Climate
Action Plan.*
10. Provide a description of your primary target population(s). Explain how your agency promotes racial equity
and inclusivity for marginalized populations (including people of color, LGBTQ, immigrants/refugees, individuals
with disabilities).*
Additional Documentation
Limited to 1500 characters
TRAIL is a pretty unique organization. The Johnson County Mobility Coordinator, who works with low-income
persons all over the county, is part of our Membership Committee, and has been very helpful in connecting us
with those who need us most. She suggests that there is no other organization which performs the services we
provide. Additionally, we have found from our last two years of experience that low-income persons generally:
*have smaller or entirely lack social support networks (family or friends), and
*are generally of poorer health than average.
A Supported Member is more expensive for TRAIL to provide benefits to - but additionally, add a stress on our
volunteer service cadre. We have had experiences where one of our Supported Members requested a volunteer
daily for 30 days; that's a significant demand.
Further, the growth of volunteer service in our recent history is proof enough of need for TRAIL: we have gone
from an average of 350-400 requests for volunteer service in the years 2018-2021, to 884 requests which we
successfully serviced last year. We went from 453 to 884 service requests between 2021-2022...and that does
NOT count the average 101 'phone buddy' calls per month during 2022. Where we used to average 36 service
requests/month pre-pandemic, last year we averaged 74 such requests. Our volunteer support is growing slowly;
but we're meeting every request - often for transportation to doctors' office, more than any other thing.
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This City Steps notes repeatedly, especially but not limited to sections addressing the needs of disabled persons
and for affordable housing, that there is a significant and ongoing growth in the overall number and percentage
of the total population that is over 65. TRAIL has proven itself effective in assisting persons who live in their own
homes to extend their ability to live independently. This effectiveness helps reduce some of the need for other
services for disabled persons and for additional senior housing, thereby allowing the City of Iowa City to
concentrate some resources elsewhere.
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We will continue to offer zoom possibilities for participation in our social & educational offerings, so that
transportation is not always needed to events. A hybrid kind of offering happened as recently as Jan. 25, 2023,
when we provided both in-person and zoom connections to a presentation on 'Time Management in Retirement'
for our members. We also find that some of the tasks we do allow for carpooling - for instance, a few volunteers
will visit grocery stories at the same time as members are being transported to a grocery store. There are a
limited number of additional ways we will support the Climate Action Plan.
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Our primary population is low income seniors in Iowa City. We are midst developing a more active diversity
recruitment effort, but currently do not discriminate on any basis. We have about 2% persons of color as
members, and two (openly identifying) transgendered persons joined us in the last year; our hope for 2023 is that
stronger connections with networks of relationships of persons of color will help us to realize better inclusivity.
We recognize that barriers to participation include a failure to reach out assertively and relationally, and are
working to overcome some of our historic recruitment practices.
Please submit no more than 7 additional pages
2022 Volunteer Svc Requests JR.jpg 146.94KB
Section 3 - Resources and Feasibility
Provide a budget breakdown for your specific program. Include only costs directly related to the program. For example,
providing a specific service should include the total estimated costs and available resources, broke out by general
categories such as salaries, materials, office expense, marketing, etc. If required by local and/or federal regulations,
include the cost of an audit. Document costs whenever possible.
11. Budget
Use of Funds City Funds Other Funds Source of Other
Funds
Type Status
City Funds Other Funds
Total
Documentation of Costs
12. Labor
Type Description Hours Per Hour Rate Total Cost
Please include estimates of paid skilled, paid unskilled, and volunteer labor for your organization which correspond to the budget breakdown. Paid labor for other
organizations should not be included
Total Labor Cost
13. If volunteers are used, please describe how these volunteers are utilized for the proposed activity.
14. All Aid to Agency projects are required to expend their full award and complete the proposed project by the
end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2024). Will you be able to meet this requirement?*
Professional Fees 1,620.16$1,200.00$reserves Cash Committed
1,620.16$1,200.00$
Skilled Volunteer
Recruitment,
Marketing,
Membership
208 23.60$4,908.80$
Skilled Volunteer &
membership
scheduling/coordi
nation
208 11.88$2,471.04$
Volunteer Direct service 672
7,379.84$
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Assuming an average of 28 volunteer requests per month, averaging 2 hours per request, then, according to the
valuing of volunteer labor as provided by the national organization Independent Sector, this will bring an
additional $20,126 worth of value to this project. We will be providing access to social and educational
programming, individual phonecalls to members as a 'check in' &/or means of reducing social isolation, and a
whole variety of volunteer services: again, transportation, home repair, yard work, IT project, others. Collectively,
the work of these volunteers is that which enables greater independence for our low-income senior members.
Yes No
Section 4 - Beneficiaries
Please indicate the population to be served by the proposed program according to the linked income categories. If
requesting money for a specific administrative expense (like a staff member ’s salary), indicate the population served by
your entire agency.
(Please Note: If funded, this information will be used as income targeting for your Agreement).
15. Income Breakdown
Median Income Households Persons
0-30% AMI
31-50% AMI
51-60% AMI
61-80% AMI
Over 80% AMI
Total
Percent LMI
Percent Iowa City Residents
Please describe the basis or methodology used to estimate the number of clients to be served (?)
AMI = Area Median Income, see www.icgov.org/actionplan.
Name *
Title *
Signature *
Impact & Community Benefit
25 26
25 26
30
100
Limited to 750 characters
We obtain income information for Supported Members when they fill out our membership
forms; we know addresses. The answers for #15 are as of 1/26/23; we are seeking to add
memberships of low-income seniors through this project. Also, we currently have around
240 members total; all but 30 are low-income, and we don't request income levels for any
but the 'Supported' members noted above. (We DO use annually updated AMI figures, as
well.)
16. Signature
Robert Untiedt
Executive Director
Board of Directors *
Agency Budget *
Financial Information *
IRS 990 form
Date
Section 5 - Required Documentation
It is recommended that applicants submit as much information as possible with the application to facilitate a full project evaluation.
Provide a list of individuals serving on the board.
2023 TRAIL Board Contact Info.docx 27.01KB
Provide the budget for the agency.
2023 TRAIL Budget.xlsx 10.56KB
Provide a 990 form, agency financial statements, or similar documentation.
2021 TRAIL Form 990-EZ signed copy.pdf 1.11MB
1/26/2023