What I can do for you​

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Below are some samples of work I've done for clients recently.​ The first is a rewrite of a funding request to the Hobbs/Lucas Family Foundation from AAA Safety Net Services of Marin County, CA, a nonprofit providing family-focused case management, outreach activities, and wellness workshops to help parents and children overcome systemic barriers and adverse childhood experiences.​

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Sample 1· Funding request rewrite
Need Statement & Program Description
 

 

 

Original AAA Safety Net Services

 

Dear Hobson/ Lucas Family Foundation,

On behalf of  AAA Safety Net Services, we respectfully request $10,000 in funding to support our Men's and Women's Mental, Physical, and Financial Health & Wellness Workshop Series. This investment will enable us to continue providing high-quality educational and empowerment programs that strengthen individuals, families, and our community.

Under the leadership of Ain Ashby, our organization has successfully hosted more than 100 workshops, demonstrating a strong commitment to community education and personal development. Through these workshops, participants have gained practical knowledge, built confidence, and developed skills that contribute to long-term success.

To date, our completed workshops have included:

 

• Life Skills

• Financial Literacy

• How to Start a Business

These programs have received positive feedback and have created a growing demand for additional workshops that address the interconnected areas of mental health, physical wellness, and financial well-being.

Our upcoming workshop series is expected to serve 72 participants, providing them with practical tools, professional guidance, and resources to improve their overall quality of life. The workshops will focus on mental wellness and stress management, healthy lifestyle practices, financial education, entrepreneurship, and strategies for building resilient families and communities.

The requested $10,000 will be used to cover essential program expenses, including:


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• Professional facilitators and guest speakers

• Workshop materials and participant resource packets

• Facility rental and equipment

• Healthy meals and refreshments for participants

• Marketing and community outreach

• Administrative and program coordination costs

• Follow-up resources and evaluation to measure program impact

This funding is essential to ensure that the workshops remain affordable and accessible to participants, many of whom face financial barriers to accessing wellness education and professional development opportunities. Our focus is helping low income household families to achieve sustainable life skills and access to professional knowledge that  they normally wouldn’t have access to. Your investment will allow us to provide a comprehensive learning experience that equips individuals with the knowledge and confidence to improve their mental health, strengthen their physical well-being, make informed financial decisions, and pursue economic opportunities.

With Ain Ashby's proven record of facilitating over 100 successful workshops, we are confident that this initiative will continue to make a meaningful and measurable impact. By supporting this program, you will help 72 participants gain practical skills that can lead to healthier lifestyles, increased financial stability, stronger families, and more resilient communities.

Thank you for considering our request for funding. We appreciate your commitment to investing in programs that create lasting change and improve the well-being of our community. We welcome the opportunity to discuss this proposal further and provide any additional information you may need.

Sincerely,
Ain Ashby


Co Founder & Director


AAA Safety Net Services

415-505-1652

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Rewrite AAA Safety Net Services

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Dear Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation,

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Picture 72 people this year who no longer feel stuck—each one just $139 away from a real turning point. At AAA Safety Net Services, we're not picturing it. We're building it, workshop by workshop, with resilient, under-served clients across the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Every week, someone walks through our doors carrying something real: a stack of bills they don't know how to face, a body and mind running on empty, or a business idea that's never been given room to breathe. They walk out with a plan, a new skill, and a little more confidence than they came in with.

We are requesting $10,000 to fund our Men's and Women's Mental, Physical, and Financial Health & Wellness Workshop Series—built on one conviction: people don't need a handout to change their lives, they need real tools and real access.

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This model works, and we can prove it. Under my prior leadership at the Marin County Cooperation Team, a comparable program grew from 434 clients to 1,485 in a single year, eventually reaching 2,720 residents—80% Black/African American, 75% women, 69% single parents. The results speak for themselves: 98% of participants reported increased empowerment, 96% stronger self-advocacy, 95% greater self-sufficiency and confidence, and 89% improved mental health. I now bring that same rigor, and that same heart, to AAA Safety Net Services.

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This next chapter weaves mental wellness, physical health, financial education, and entrepreneurship into one integrated series for 72 participants—because these threads were never meant to be separated. Financial stress bears down on mental health. Physical health shapes earning potential. Our workshops are designed around that connection, not in spite of it.

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Spread across 72 people, your $10,000 comes to less than $139 per person—the cost of a month of streaming or a dinner out for two. For that, someone gains a full season of professional facilitation, resources they keep long after the workshop ends, a healthy meal that lets them focus instead of worry, and—most of all—a real plan for what comes next.

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That's what we're asking you to become: a partner in a chain reaction that starts with one workshop and doesn't stop there. Every dollar goes directly toward facilitators, take-home materials, workshop space, healthy meals, outreach, and the follow-up that makes the impact last. The program remains entirely free for the low-income families we serve, who would otherwise have no access to this kind of guidance.

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Thank you for considering this alliance, and for your foundation's ongoing commitment to change that lasts. We're happy to provide any additional information that would help your review.

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Sincerely,

Ain Ashby

​Founder & Executive Director

AAA Safety Net Services

415-505-1652

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Tone: Evolves from formal and bureaucratic to intimate, vivid, and emotionally engaging.
Focus: Shifts away from third-person organizational history to a direct, human-centric narrative driven by first-person experience.
Persuasiveness: Becomes dramatically stronger by anchoring the ask with hard scaling metrics (e.g., 98% reported empowerment) and a relatable cost comparison ($139 per person).
Structure: Replaces a standard, predictable grant template with an immediate narrative hook and a seamless thematic flow to drive engagement.
Clarity of Impact: Re-contextualizes dry budget line items (like meals) into tangible human benefits, emphasizing focus and dignity.

 

SAMPLE 2 · GRANT FUNDING RESEARCH REPORT
Research Report for New Funding Resources for School Health Initiative Program, Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, Williamsburg, VA
 

The School Health Initiative Program (SHIP) of Williamsburg, VA, asked me to research new avenues of funding. After sending me an extensive list of funders they had used in the past, I was tasked with coming up with new funders in four separate areas: Gardening & Nutrition Education, Physical Activity & Wellness, Funders in the  Virginia Region, and National General Funders.

 

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Prepared for the WJCC School Health Initiative Program (SHIP)—funders not yet applied to, researched for deadlines, application links, and contacts.

 

Note: deadlines, contacts, and amounts change year to year—confirm current details on each funder's site before applying. Some listings note a funder to call before submitting, either because eligibility is uncertain or because the program is administered locally.

 

Legend:  GOOD FIT  =  strong alignment, worth prioritizing.   MODERATE  =  possible, but has a catch (eligibility question, dormant cycle, competitive/large ask, or recommend/requires a phone call first).   UNLIKELY  =  checked and does not appear to be a realistic fit right now (geography, timing, or program restriction).

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SAMPLE 3 · GRANT CALENDAR
One-year calendar for

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SAMPLE 4 · DESIGNATED OUTCOMES

Tracking the Success

An illustrative breakdown of FreshLink's program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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