Thank you for selecting TEACH, Inc. to assist you in forming a 501 (c) (3) corporation.  Tax-exempt status under section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS is the most critical step for nonprofit corporations with specific missions and purposes to address societal needs and problems.  It must show that it is organized and operated for purposes that are beneficial to the public interest.

Tax-exempt status allows your organization to receive funds from foundations (private and corporate), corporations, businesses, and individuals to be used to support your mission and goals without having to pay federal income tax on those funds.  It also allows your donors to take a tax-deduction for their gift to your organization.  Further, non-exempt status allows your organization to seek other types of certification that may be appropriate to the mission of your organization.

At least ten steps are required to form a 501 (c) (3) corporation.  Please be assured that a TEACH, Inc.

representative will assist you at every step:

Step 1:             Establish the need for the Corporation.  What is your purpose and mission?

Step 2:             Develop a certified copy of your corporation’s Articles of Incorporation.  Name

founding members of the Board.  How do you plan to operate the corporation?

Step 3:             Acquire an Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS.

Step 4:             Submit a written description of your purpose and activities.

Step 5:             Obtain charitable organization status in your state.

Step 6:             Submit a written description of your fundraising activities and three years of

financial records for your corporation if you are an existing corporation or a two year projected budget if you are a newly established corporation.

Step 7:             Develop Bylaws for operating the corporation.

Step 8:             Additional information as necessary to clarify the nature of your corporation

(e.g., copies of marketing materials, copies of publication such as magazines, copies of leases, contracts, or agreements that have been transacted)

Step 9:             Complete IRS form 1023 and submit it with the appropriate filing fee.

Step 10:           Obtain a letter of determination from the IRS that your corporation has obtained recognition as a tax-exempt corporation.

NEXT, Fill out the form–>

There are over 3,000 CDCs of record in the United States.  The Community Development Corporation (CDC) model is essentially a community self-help organization.  People from a specific geographical area form their own non-profit organization to address their own needs.

A CDC is a broad term referring to not-for-profit organizations incorporated to provide programs, services and engage in other activities that promote and support community development.

CDCs usually serve a geographic location such as a neighborhood or a town. They often focus on serving lower-income residents or struggling neighborhoods.

These organizations are often associated with the development of affordable housing and can be involved in a variety of activities including economic development, education, community organizing and real estate development.

An  important characteristic of CDCs is that they are created by people with a stake in the community itself.  This can include residents of the target area, churches or other religious institutions, and sometimes, small business owners to address the needs of a neighborhood or a town.

Starting a CDC

Starting a CDC is the same legal process as starting any other type of non-profit organization.  There is no federal governmental agency or national or state entity that certified non-profit organizations as CDCs.

A CDC is the essentially the same as any other non-profit organization.  Designation as a CDC is determined by the organization itself in its description term of the mission, purposes and activities to be undertaken in the areas of economic development, education, community organizing, low-income housing, job creation or other community-building activities.

Many federal agencies have programs for which CDCs are eligible applicants, but each program has its own eligibility criteria.  It is advisable to pre-screen eligibility criteria during the CDC start up phase.

Steps to Starting a CDC

1)      Convene community stakeholders with an interest in revitalizing a specific geographical area.

2)      Board members identify, review, and discuss the types of projects they want the organization to work on.  Based on the projects, the board will then determine the best structure for the organization.

3)      The board will then need to agree on a name and mission for the organization.  Articles of incorporation and by-laws need to be drawn up and filed with your state government. The timeframe needed for this will vary, depending upon the time it takes for the board to reach agreement.

TEACH, Inc. representatives will assist your organization with the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws.  If you would like to be actively involved, we suggest referring to the Legal Handbook that was developed by LISC, and can be obtained through NCCED.

4)      We will assist you in gathering additional information necessary to file an application to the federal Internal Revenue Service for designation as a non-profit organization under the U.S. tax code or 501 (c) (3).   (Please refer to the TEACH, Inc. Questionnaire for forming a 501 (c) (3) attached with this document).

5)      Once you receive the letter from the IRS granting your organization non-profit status, you can start to approach funders for the dollars that you will need to start-up your organization.

6)      When first starting your fundraising search, start locally and work your way up to statewide and national funders.  Local funders are more apt to take a chance on a newly formed organization than a statewide or national funder would be.  The broader the geographic scope of the funder the higher the number of applicants and the stiffer the competition.   Foundations, banks, corporations, religious institutions, financial intermediaries, and federal, state, and local governments are all potential funding sources.  TEACH, Inc. is also prepared to help you with your funding search.

Resources List:  Here are some books and websites that can be very useful to new CDCs.

Websites-National Organizations

www.ncced.org:  Up-to-date information on public policy and available resources, as well as all of NCCED’s own activities.

www.knowledgeplex.org: This website was organized by Fannie Mae, with 19 partners, including NCCED.  It pools information from each of the partners and provides easy access to a wide range of information on community economic development in one location.

www.communitydevelopers.org: A website for people interested in a career in community economic development.  Provides some basic information and lists ways to get into the field.

www.capwiz.com: A website that provides an easy means to send letters to your elected officials in Washington about legislation that relates to community economic development.

www.microenterpriseworks.org: The website for the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, the national trade association for non-profits involved in microenterprise lending.

www.enterprisefoundation.org: The website for the Enterprise Foundation, a national financial intermediary that provides funding and technical assistance to CDCs in certain geographic locations.

www.liscnet.org: The website for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), another national financial intermediary.  LISC has local offices in many large cities across the country, as well as a program for rural CDCs.

Federal Government Web Sites

Federal agencies are easily accessed through their web sites.  Generally, their sites consist of the acronym for the agency, followed by .gov.  For example: [www.hud.gov] or  [www.dhhs.gov] etc.   There is also one central web site through which all federal agencies, the federal register, and other information can be accessed.  It is www.firstgov.gov.

Foundation/Fundraising Web Sites

The Foundation Center has several publications on fundraising for non-profits and there are libraries across the country with Foundation Center collections.  For more information on their publications and the library nearest you, contact www.foundationcenter.org.

The Grantsmanship Center provides training on how to write proposals and publishes a newsletter.  For a list of scheduled trainings and other information on proposal writing, contact. www.tgc.com.

Publications: A wide variety of publications on non-profit management topics, including boards, are available through the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, www.ncnb.org.   Available through NCCED are several individual publications, as well as a comprehensive library of community economic development publications.

Individual books include:

Coming of Age—A report based on the most recent national census of CDCs in the U.S.  This publication provides basic information on the CDC industry, including the number of CDCs, the number of units of housing and jobs that they have produced, a regional breakdown, a rural/urban breakdown, and summary of the recent trends in the field.  A publication that can help the new practitioner see that they are part of a big, experienced network of CDCs.  This report is also useful to show prospective funders that your new organization is part of a field that has a long tradition and a successful track record.

• Write a Mission Statement of Purpose
• Prepare a Description of your Program Activities
• Create a Strategic Fundraising Plan
• Determine Structural Issues for the Board of Directors
• Create a 3-year Budget
• Review the Operational Responsibilities of a Non-Profit Organization

2. TEACH, Inc. will assist you in completing your organization’s…

• Articles of Incorporation
• Bylaws
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• IRS Exemption Application
• State Exemption Application and/or Registration

Our aim is to enable individual schools to 1) achieve high academic and social performance for each individual student; 2) provide effective, fast-paced instruction; 3) create safe environments for teaching and learning; 4) create a system of continuous monitoring of teaching and learning; 5) foster caring home and school interactions; 6) promote data-based instructional decisions for teaching and learning; and 7) support educator use of proven core curricular instructional strategies.

Based on proven keys for effective professional development, TEACH, Inc. presenters believe that highly skilled teachers and high student achievement is a result of high quality, interactive adult instruction, continuous instructional coaching, and weekly documentation of individual student progress.

When we accept professional development contracts from a school or district, our preference is to deliver an annual program of at least five full-day sessions in order to fully develop and document teacher/student success.

We prepare letters of inquiry and full grant proposals to private, corporate, or community foundations that are the best fit for a particular project, applicant agency, and geographical location. We are one of a handful of grant writing businesses that actually guarantee that we will obtain up to 90 percent of the funds you require. The reason we can guarantee results is that we continue writing applications (up to 30) until we reach your monetary goal.

The first step in securing grant funding for your organization is finding potential funders. This can be a time-consuming and involved process. We review a variety of directories and online foundation, corporation, and government resources and develop a detailed list of potential funding sources whose areas of interest match your program initiatives. The list includes detailed information on contact information; funding priorities, grant award range, and deadlines for proposals.

Does your organization need to develop a strategic funding plan? Do you have a clear vision for one priority initiative or is your organization considering too many initiatives? TEACH, Inc. offers consultation in strategic planning systems to help your organization become single-minded in your pursuit of high profile, high-impact programs that truly reflect your organizational mission.

This service includes initial grant research, funder contact and qualification, presentation composition, and the creation of background information about your organization. We take a proposal concept and customize it for each foundation. The grant application process is not simply a matter of mailing the same application to a different address since each foundation has its own application process and forms.

Proposal writing leads to grants for program services, operational costs, and capital improvements. After researching and identifying appropriate funding sources for your organization, we obtain the guidelines and write the grant proposal tailored to each foundation’s specifications.

As part of the process we first develop templates of organizational information e.g. mission, history, target population, program services, accomplishments, and more. We also develop templates for each program your organization provides e.g. program summary, goals, objectives, methodology, evaluation, and time lines for program activities.

Most educators admit that data-driven decision making is a complex undertaking that requires intensive coaching support. TEACH, Inc. provides intensive individualized coaching. We help educators adopt a continuous-improvement perspective with an emphasis on goal setting, measurement, and feedback. Within the first year of TEACH, Inc. Change Coaching schools have the capacity to deeply reflect on their programs and processes, relate them to student outcomes, and make refinements guided by the data.

1 Data can uncover problems that might otherwise remain invisible.
2 Data can convince people of the need for change.
3 Data can confirm or discredit assumptions about students and school practices.
4 Data can identify areas where change is most needed and guide resource allocation.
5 Data can help schools evaluate program effectiveness-one student at a time.
6 Data can provide the feedback that teachers and administrators need to keep
going and stay on course.
7 Data can prevent over-reliance on standardized tests.
8 Data can prevent one-size-fits-all and quick solutions.
9 Data can give schools the ability to respond to accountability questions.
10 Data can build a culture of inquiry and continuous improvement.

1) on-site core-curricular content coaching;
2) on-site whole school transformational change coaching;
3) third-party program evaluation of federal and state grant awards;
4) local, state, and federal grant writing for non-profits and schools

The TEACH Approach is an intensive data-driven model for creating high-performing schools through the on-site delivery of core instructional content coaching and transformational whole-school change coaching. Our aim is to enable individual schools to 1) achieve high academic and social performance for each individual student; 2) create safe environments for teaching and learning; 3) create a system of continuous data-driven monitoring of teaching and learning; 4) foster caring home and school interactions and 5) promote data-driven instructional decisions for teaching and learning. TEACH specializes in bringing about transformative instructional and organizational changes.

This type of program evaluation model is dynamic and formative. For example, when a fourth grade student is performing at a first or second grade reading level, an individualized, accelerated instruction program is provided. The effectiveness and appropriateness of the instructional program offered is determined by the rate and quality of individual student progress.

Educators, students, and families access and monitor student performance on a continuous basis. This enables data to be used as a communication and decision making tool. Better decisions can be made about what a particular student needs to learn next and how to adapt or change instruction to accelerate student learning.

Dr. Horton operates as an Instructional Coach and conducts ‘hands-on’ involvement in individual classrooms to co-teach, model-teach, and offer guidance and direction in the science, art, and heart of research-based instructional best practices.

During planning periods, Dr. Horton works together with teachers to examine student work and plan a research-based instructional content coaching session. We seek to answer one question : How can we help students increase learning, meet state and national content standards, and achieve success on rigorous performance assessments?

Together with individual schools and teachers, we examine four major components:
• Curriculum alignment: What are we going to teach?
• Curriculum mapping: When are we going to teach it?
• Research-based instruction: Which instructional strategies are being adopted by a school?
• Curriculum benchmarking: Does student performance meet district and state standards?