I.

Grantmaker’s Interest and Priorities

Please explain how your grant request meets this particular grantmaker’s published interests.
DEPENDENT ON GRANTMAKER

II. Organizational Background

The Arizona Organizing Project was launched in 2010 with the aim of developing and nurturing
healthy, effective and powerful peer organizations of homeless and formerly homeless
individuals by utilizing tools drawn from the best community organizing and recovery model
curriculum. Our mission is to foster healthy, sustainable communities organized and led by
people emerging from poverty. Our primary objective is to end chronic poverty in Arizona by
providing a participative and inclusive environment where peer groups of people living in
chronic poverty successfully collaborate to provide services, transform policies affecting their
lives, and reshape our Arizona communities to sustainable health and prosperity. Our target
population includes people who are homeless in Central Phoenix. Our efforts have been effective
in engaging hundreds of people currently homeless to create sustainable solutions to poverty.

1. Internship Program with Housing and Stipends: Designed to provide a stable living
environment for people who are formerly homeless, we incorporate hands on leadership
development in neighborhood organizing and life skills development.
2. Neighborhood Leadership Institute: We organize and train homeless leaders who create
neighborhood organizations that transform health and well being of their communities.
3. Recovery Model Mental Health Services: In collaboration with Recovery Empowerment
Network, we use a recovery empowerment model curriculum in our housing and services
programs that provides a peer run approach to creating opportunity for those with behavioral
health issues, mental illness, or the effects of homelessness to heal and grow.
4. Community Center: We provide food, clothing, recovery counseling, wellness checks, access
to computers, instruction in career development skills, and assistance for public benefits, arts and
movement classes, and educational curriculum including via our Peer-to-Peer Help Desk.
5. Social Enterprise Development: We work with people currently living in chronic poverty with
a desire to be social entrepreneurs and create partnerships with companies and community
leaders to mentor and teach job skills. This causes empowering economic social change.
6. Peer Group Organizing: Currently, we work with 5 peer-run homeless organizations: Women
of Wealth, Madison Street Veterans Association; Jefferson Street Gentleman’s Association
(Seniors); Phoenix Street Life; Capitol Mall Fellows (Former Inmates).

Our staff includes George Roundy, Executive Director, a technology business leader who brings
over 30 years of involvement with The Hunger Project, including serving on the national staff.
Scott Jacobson, M.A., our Director of Development, has raised funds for Phoenix Area agencies
such as Arizona Department of Behavioral Health Services, Magellan and the Human Services
Campus. Bill Black, Community Organizer, formerly managed the Men’s Overflow Shelter at
the Campus and there organized homeless peer groups and a volunteer corps. Susi Morales,
BHT, Operations Manager, has extensive experience in the Recovery Method of mental health
treatment. Elizabeth Venable, M.A. M.P.A., Grant Writer/Public Policy Organizer, worked At A
New Way of Life, Reentry Project, reentry housing for formerly incarcerated women in Watts
founded by a formerly incarcerated woman, and the National Coalition for the Homeless. Interns
and volunteers help to staff our peer-run programs and provide access to curriculum in our new
community center. Currently we are developing a board of directors separate from the Atwood
Health Foundation, which has offered oversight and financial management as our fiscal sponsor.

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III. Purpose of Request
This request for general operating support will fund our new Community Center in Partnership
with Recovery Empowerment Network—which we opened in March 2011. The opportunity we
have created is for people in poverty to be their own leaders and assets, for services to be
provided in a manner that acknowledges the challenges people face in a humane manner—and in
a way that transforms people in poverty from dependents to leaders. We have found ever-
increasing interest in our empowering and supportive training and support services—which grow
as access to social services in Arizona declines and which empower people to be their own best
sources of support. We have transformed our old office space into an Intern residence and Help
Desk while still tending to the needs of new members in our new Community Center. We
provide direct assistance with services to a growing number of people daily—people who
directly respond to and value the respectful and empowering approach of our peer-run methods.
With the Recovery Empowerment Network we seek to expand our effectiveness to meet the
needs of our members in recovery. Our outreach continues to build our programs, and expand
our accessibility with another location. Executive Director, George Roundy, and Development
Director, Scott Jacobson, will work to finalize full funding for our expansion by July 2011. Our
Community Center opened in March 2011. By March 2012 we seek to fill the large space with
free curricula including peer support services, recovery services, micro enterprise, educational
training, and the arts. Community Organizer Bill Black and Public Policy Organizer Elizabeth
Venable are actively working to promote public education methods organized by of people in
poverty to hold service providers and government institutions accountable to their most
vulnerable constituents. By 2012 we are aiming to have integrated people in poverty into the
boards of many Phoenix service providers. Our Operations Manager, Susi Morales, will oversee
the expansion of our Internship program with a goal of increasing to 2 intern houses in 2012.

IV.Community Context
Agencies we partner with include St. Luke’s Health Initiative/Atwood Health Foundation, our
fiscal sponsor; Recovery Empowerment Network funds half of the rent of our new community
center and provides 2 staff members; Community Housing Partnership sponsors rent for intern
housing; ASU School of Nursing provides access to wellness education; ACLU of Arizona has
offered legal rights trainings; Primera Iglesia Methodist Church provides shelter space;
Tigermountain Foundation; Valley of the Sun United Way; Urban Outreach; M.A.G Human
Services Coordinating Committee; Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition; Everyone Deserves a
Roof; Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness; New City Phoenix; and Native Connections.
Involved community members include Brad Hilton, Hilton Hotels, who helped advise us on
strategy; Gaye Tolman, Magellen Health Services, who provided access to community
connections; Louisa Stark, Community Housing Partnership, provided connections and material
resources; Steven Garcia, Attorney at Law, who provides legal assistance to homeless members;
Ann Morton, MFA student, taught fiber arts for 13 Fridays to the Women of Wealth; Kelly
Paisley, Emerge Arizona, helped us find a location for our Community Center; and Arlene
Pfeiff, St. Vincent de Paul, helped us clarify our mission and vision. Our organization differs
from other homeless service models in that we utilize a peer support method (similar to
Recovery Method practices for mental health) in which services are provided directly by people
experiencing poverty. Our internship program trains people who have experienced homelessness
to work to create sustainable communities and emerge from poverty—and assist others to do the
same.

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V. Evaluation Plan
1. Record baseline indicators and demonstrate improved performance in health, well being, and
attainment of housing of 50 or more peer group members and 10 or more interns.
Implementation of assessments in social work, nursing, and behavioral health by Sept., 2011.
2. Successfully move into new headquarters that is within easy reach and access of our main
target population in central Phoenix and build a 3-year sustainability plan.
3. All 5 peer groups have business and/or program and development plans by December 2011.
Successful completion of strategic plans and execution initiated for 4 new enterprises, including
a bicycle shop; community gardens; women’s fiber arts business by March of 2012.
4. Measure transformation in policies of social service agencies and systems by tracking changes
peer groups organized towards, including homeless representation on boards of directors.
5. Legal services and counseling service launched by October of 2011.
6. Completion of a curriculum that combines AZOP and Recovery Empowerment Network's
approach to community organizing and recovery empowerment model curriculum by Mar.,
2012.

We are currently doing weekly wellness checks with the Arizona State University School of
Nursing and plan to involve Social Work and Sociology. Professors from ASU and Grand
Canyon University will be involved in the development of metrics and assessments, and a data
collection system will be created by Elizabeth Venable, M.A. M.P.A.. Our evaluations will
improve the success of our service programs and act as a model for inclusiveness of homeless
people in provision of services and decisions made about their lives.

VI. Sustainability
Director of Development Scott Jacobson, M.A., is actively meeting with human service
foundation grant makers in Arizona. Karen Fernow, owner of Scriptwriterink, LLC offers no-
cost professional grant writing and research services for both foundation and government
funding. Elizabeth Venable Ma, M.P.A. is targeting funders for community organizing,
strengthening individual giving mechanisms, and pursuing local government funding.

VII. Additional Resources

Our current funders include the St. Luke’s Health Initiative ($40,000 per year, for 3 years), the
Hilton Foundation ($50,000 per year, ongoing), the Arizona Community Foundation ($20,000 in
initial 2011 funding, reapply in April 2011), the Recovery Empowerment Network-fiscal partner
for Community Center, and $10,000+ in individual donations. We are applying to the Nina
Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Arizona Foundation for Women, Bruce T. Halle Family
Foundation, and the Pakis Family Foundation, and will target individual donations and
Community Development Block Grants. We receive donations of rent and staff from Recovery
Empowerment Network, shelter from Primera Iglesia Methodist Church, housing from
Community Housing Partnership, supplies from IKEA, donations from The Land of Ahhs
Consignment Store, and donations such as blankets, food, clothing, computers, and paint.