Innovation

With the nonprofit sector constantly having to adapt to changes in policy, public perception, and the economy, innovation is essential in providing organizations with the tools they need to persist. I view grant funding as an effective way to implement innovative programming, while still holding to the accountability and transparency necessary for an organization to stay in mission alignment.

The artifact I have included is a proposal for federal grant funding for Worthy2, a nonprofit organization based in Auburn, Alabama that works in outreach, advocacy, and awareness for human trafficking issues. This grant from the Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime would provide funding for a new survivor-engagement program, where survivors are trained and empowered to participate in prevention and outreach projects. In the development of this application, I learned how to build upon preexisting nonprofit programming in order to design a new initiative that would strengthen the organization's mission in an inventive way. By providing survivors with trauma-informed care and leadership trainings, they get to play an active role in prevention and empowerment, which are essential pieces required to dismantle the systems in place that allow the issue of human trafficking to exist in our communities.