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Keeping in mind that The FS Foundation's mission is to assist its target beneficiaries (PWFs) in becoming more independent, connected, and involved with their communities—successful applicants will clearly explain the following as related to their proposed project:

• Who it will benefit

• What objectives it will achieve

• Why it will matter now

• When it will be launched

• Where it will operate

• How much it will cost

• How long it will operate

• How it will achieve stated outcomes

• How it will track participants' progress and measure lasting success

The successful applicant will also meet the following benchmarks:

1. Is a U.S. nonprofit with its own tax-exempt EIN, and has filed at least one full Form 990. [more]

2. Is strongly aligned with FSF in its mission, purpose, and vision for the benefit of similar target populations.

3. Has generated $250,000 or more annual revenue as reported on its most recent Form 990, where admin overhead is under 35% and program service revenue is over 15%. [more]

4. Has board members, staff, or advisers well acquainted with PWFs' unique needs and wants.

5. Has already designed a new or improved project ready to launch with >20% PWFs participating directly or 100% PWFs benefiting indirectly. [more]

6. Has a project consisting of group learning over several weeks or months of progressive teaching to build skills needed for PWFs' greater independence, sense of achievement, and community involvement.

7. Has a plan to demonstrate how skills learned or assistive technology developed as part of its project will meaningfully improve PWFs' mental or physical health, career or academic opportunities, personal self expression, or independence.

8. Has clear and measurable outcome metrics showing the project's impact on all participants over its time-frame, and what will happen without adequate funding.

9. Has prepared a complete budget clearly delineating all project costs and income showing balanced and varied sources of earned and contributed revenue. [more]

10. Has ideally secured donations or pledges covering at least one third of the project cost, and expects to receive reasonable service fees to offset at least 20% of project costs with long-term fiscal sustainability in mind.