How We Create Economic Mobility —
And How You Can Help.
A concise overview of the Foundation's theory of change, logic model, target outcomes, and current funding priorities — prepared for foundation program officers, corporate community-investment teams, and government grant reviewers.
The Problem, The Lever, The Outcome
THE PROBLEM
Out-of-school youth, aging-out foster youth, justice-involved young adults, and low-income veterans face structural barriers to stable employment and business ownership — resulting in long-term poverty, housing instability, and cycles of disadvantage.
OUR LEVER
Deliver a structured, mentor-supported entrepreneurship-education curriculum at no cost — paired, as funding permits, with residential stability, basic-needs support, and job-placement or seed-grant transition assistance.
THE OUTCOME
Graduates enter stable employment or self-employment, achieve measurable wage gains, and create jobs in their local communities — expanding economic mobility for themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods.
If we provide structured entrepreneurship education, mentorship, and (as funding permits) residential support to young adults from historically underserved communities, then participants will complete a credentialing curriculum, enter stable employment or self-employment, and realize measurable wage gains, because the program removes the skills gap, the information gap, and — through planned residential support — the material-stability gap that keep these populations from accessing business-ownership pathways.
Inputs → Activities → Outputs → Outcomes
The pipeline from what we invest to the impact we measure — structured for funders who need a clear results framework.
INPUTS
What the Foundation invests
- •501(c)(3) nonprofit governance (Delaware, TX + FL registrations)
- •24-week online entrepreneurship education curriculum
- •Founder and educator with 20+ years of service-business operating experience
- •Scholarship funds (philanthropic and, upon approval, government sources)
- •Mentor network and community partnerships
- •Planned: transitional housing, training stipends, on-site workforce infrastructure (contingent on grant capital)
ACTIVITIES
What the Foundation does
- •Recruit participants from the four priority charitable classes
- •Deliver 24-week structured curriculum (business model, compliance, branding, sales, operations, funding readiness)
- •Provide mentor-supported practicum — applied business learning
- •Award scholarships so participants attend at no cost
- •Planned: provide transitional housing + living stipend during training
- •Planned: deliver post-program job-placement and micro-enterprise seed grants
OUTPUTS
Immediate measurable deliverables
- •# of participants enrolled per cohort
- •# of scholarships awarded
- •# of curriculum modules completed per participant
- •# of mentor hours delivered
- •# of communities / ZIP codes served
- •Planned: # of transitional-housing beds filled
SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES
6–12 months after enrollment
- •Program completion rate (target ≥ 70%)
- •Credential attainment (certificate of completion)
- •Participant confidence & readiness (validated pre/post survey)
- •Business-plan completion rate
- •Funding-readiness score (SBA-readiness assessment)
MEDIUM-TERM OUTCOMES
12–24 months after graduation
- •% of graduates in employment or self-employment
- •Median wage gain vs. baseline
- •% of graduates launching a formally-registered business
- •Housing stability (for residential-program participants, once launched)
- •Reduced reliance on public-assistance programs
LONG-TERM IMPACT
3–5 years
- •Economic-mobility index gains in served communities
- •Jobs created in participants' local communities
- •Intergenerational wealth and knowledge transfer
- •Reduced recidivism among justice-involved graduates
- •Reduced long-term homelessness among residential-program graduates
Target outcome numbers are planning benchmarks based on comparable workforce-development and transitional-housing program evidence. Actual results will be tracked and reported in the Foundation's annual outcome reports.
Where Grant Capital Goes
Plain-English breakdown of the Foundation's near-term funding needs — phased so funders can match gift size and restriction to the right activity.
Immediate (current year)
Scholarship fund
$25,000–$100,000
Direct scholarship support for next 4 cohorts (~40 participants).
Program operations
$25,000–$75,000
Curriculum maintenance, mentor stipends, participant support services.
Capacity grant
$15,000–$50,000
Grant-writing capacity, outcome-tracking infrastructure, financial audit readiness.
Near-term (Year 2, contingent on 501(c)(3) determination)
Residential pilot
$250,000–$500,000
Lease a small transitional-housing property (6–12 beds) and run a residential pilot cohort alongside the online curriculum.
Stipend fund
$100,000–$250,000
Basic-needs and training stipends for residential participants.
Outcome evaluation
$50,000–$100,000
Third-party evaluation partner to independently measure short-term outcomes across the first three cohorts.
Long-term (Year 3+)
Capital campaign
$3M–$10M
Acquisition and buildout of a permanent campus with transitional-housing, workforce infrastructure, and self-sustaining features (vertical farming, renewable energy).
How Funders Can Engage
LETTER OF INQUIRY
The Foundation is happy to prepare a customized letter of inquiry or concept note for your review. Typical LOI turnaround: 5 business days.
PROGRAM OFFICER CONVERSATION
We welcome a 30-minute exploratory call with foundation staff to discuss alignment with your funding priorities before any formal submission.
SITE VISIT
Remote site visits available now. In-person visits will be available once the residential pilot launches.
MULTI-YEAR COMMITMENTS
Multi-year, general operating support is the Foundation's highest-leverage gift type — it enables stable staffing and long-cycle planning. We also welcome restricted gifts to specific program components.
Individual results vary based on effort, market conditions, and capital. Azgari Foundation does not guarantee any specific level of income or business success.