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Dear Community, If you follow the nonprofit world, you know that the current landscape of funding is incredibly vague and shifting for organizations everywhere right now. We want to be entirely transparent about how these systemic changes are affecting us directly. This year, we intentionally chose to focus our energy on our youth program rather than running a general fundraiser or a membership drive. While this allowed us to dive deep into our community work, the combination of a shifting and increasingly unpredictable economic climate, and our lack of a general campaign means our general donations are down by $20,000 compared to this time last year. To look at our immediate needs, here is exactly where we stand with our upcoming summer camp: Total Camp Cost: $25,000 (This covers everything from initial scheduling and registration to the actual camp weeks and our final community showcase). What is raised so far: $16,500 $4,000 generated by camp families toward tuition through our new sliding scale rate $4,500 raised by our community $8,000 in sponsorships from supporting foundations so far, with requests still pending
The Camp Gap: $8,500
While we only need $8,500 to fully fund the camp itself, the reality of our overall $20,000 general donation deficit means our true organizational need right now is about $30,000 to ensure all of our year-round programs stay secure. Now in its third consecutive year, our youth program has proven its deep value to our community. Because of this track record, we are actively applying for multi-year grant funding through several promising avenues. While these major grants are the ultimate goal, they take time to secure. We have a clear, precise budget and we know exactly what it takes to run these programs sustainably. Once this steady, multi-year funding is locked in, our financial model will completely shift. Our goal is to get to a point where we only need to run one major fundraiser a year, leaving us more time to focus on programming rather than fundraising. Beyond sustainability, this model is built to scale. Youth Fiber Studio is an outreach initiative designed to connect people of all ages through fiber arts. As we expand our network of skilled local teachers, our growth potential is directly tied to community energy: we can offer as many unique programs as our instructors are excited to teach. Crucially, this creates a path toward self-funding. Local institutions like schools and libraries are eager for this programming and are willing to pay for it. By contributing to our general fund now, you are helping us sustain the infrastructure needed in order to secure these paid contracts, making the program increasingly self-sustaining over time.Your support right now bridges the gap to that vibrant, sustainable future.
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