RHSH Colorado
For Foundations, Grant Writers & Major Donors

Everything you need
to evaluate RHSH.

This page is designed for program officers, grant committees, and major donors. You'll find our EIN, mission, programs, logic model, budget, board composition, outcomes, and contact — all in one place. No digging required.

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Organization Quick Facts
Legal NameRestoring Hearts Supporting Hands
DBA / BrandRHSH Colorado
EIN93-4976456
Tax Status501(c)(3) Public Charity
Year Founded2024 · Programs launching 2026
HeadquartersColorado Springs, Colorado
Service AreaColorado Springs metro; Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, Schriever, Cheyenne Mountain, Air Force Academy
Primary FocusVeteran mental health, military family stability, teen resilience
Population ServedVeterans, military families, teens ages 12–18; bilingual EN/ES services
Websiterhshcolorado.org
Primary Contactinfo@rhshcolorado.org
DAF / StockAccepted — contact us for transfer details
Jump to: Mission & Vision Statement of Need Programs Outcomes Logic Model Budget Board & Leadership Stewardship Partners Contact
90K
Fort Carson military community — soldiers, families, contractors, reservists (2025)
1 in 5
El Paso County households with active-duty member or veteran — 2× Colorado average (CHI, 2023)
195
Veterans counted homeless in El Paso County in 2025 Point-in-Time — up 120% from prior year (Pikes Peak CoC)
29%
Of all Colorado veterans live in the Colorado Springs metro — highest concentration in the state (Census, 2023)
Mission & Vision
Who we are and why we exist

Mission

Restoring Hearts Supporting Hands supports Colorado military families by healing veteran trauma and building resilience in the children living in its shadow. We provide mental health navigation, housing stabilization, peer mentorship, bilingual family support, and teen resilience programming — all free of charge, all centered on the families Fort Carson and Colorado's military installations depend on.

Vision

A Colorado where every veteran who served has access to the mental health support they need, every military family is stable and connected, and every child who grew up in the shadow of trauma has the resilience to thrive — regardless of rank, language, or circumstance.

Grant boilerplate paragraph

Copy and use this in your grant management system or funder notes:

Restoring Hearts Supporting Hands (RHSH) is a Colorado Springs-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving veteran and military families in one of the nation's largest military communities. Founded in 2024 and launching direct services in 2026, led by licensed clinical social worker Amanda Robinson — whose son Garrett's post-combat PTSD and housing instability exposed the gap between military service and available support — RHSH delivers veteran mental health navigation, emergency housing stabilization, bilingual family support, and teen resilience programming. All services are free of charge. RHSH operates a triple mission: healing veteran trauma, stabilizing military families, and building resilience in the children living in that shadow. EIN: 93-4976456.

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Honor Through Service

Veterans gave everything. We show up for them and their families with the same commitment.

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Trauma-Informed Care

We meet veterans and families where they are — without judgment, without red tape, without delay.

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Prevention First

Early support for teens in military households prevents the next generation of crisis. We invest upstream.

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Cultural Responsiveness

Full bilingual (EN/ES) service delivery. We honor the language and culture of every family we serve.

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Accountability

We steward donor resources with transparency, honest reporting, and responsible, measured growth.

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Community Partnership

We work alongside schools, military installations, and Colorado Springs partners — not in front of them.

Statement of Need
The problem we're solving

Colorado Springs is home to five major military installations — Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever SFB, Cheyenne Mountain, and the Air Force Academy — making it one of the most concentrated military communities in the United States. Fort Carson alone supports a total community of nearly 90,000 soldiers, family members, contractors, civilian employees, and reservists (Fort Carson Fact Sheet, February 2025). The Colorado Springs metro is home to 29% of all veterans in Colorado — the highest concentration in the state (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023).

The Colorado Health Institute's 2023 statewide health survey found that 1 in 5 El Paso County households includes an active-duty service member or veteran — more than twice the Colorado average. This is not a city with a military presence. It is the military capital of the state.

The gap between need and available support is measurable. The VA MISSION Act requires community care referrals when wait times exceed 20 days for primary care or 28 days for specialty care — meaning VA itself acknowledges its own capacity limits. Veterans in crisis cannot wait. Garrett Robinson's experience — sleeping in his car for four months before his mother found out — is not exceptional. It is common.

Housing instability among veterans is a documented local crisis. The 2025 El Paso County Point-in-Time count found 195 veterans experiencing homelessness — a 120% increase from 89 the prior year, according to the Pikes Peak Continuum of Care (Colorado Springs Gazette, October 2025). That number reflects only those counted on a single night.

The children of military families carry their own weight. Research consistently shows that children in households with untreated veteran PTSD face elevated rates of anxiety, depression, and academic disruption. And within Colorado Springs' significant Latino and Spanish-speaking military community — nearly 18% of U.S. military service members identify as Hispanic — language barriers compound every challenge. RHSH is one of very few organizations providing full bilingual mental health and family navigation services to military families in this region.

90K Fort Carson's total military community — soldiers, families, contractors, and reservists (Feb. 2025)
1 in 5 El Paso County households include an active-duty member or veteran — 2× the Colorado average (CHI, 2023)
195 Veterans counted homeless in El Paso County in 2025 Point-in-Time — up 120% from 2024 (Pikes Peak CoC)
29% Of all veterans in Colorado live in the Colorado Springs metro — the highest concentration in the state

The gap no single agency fills

The VA serves veterans. Schools serve students. County services serve families. No single agency is designed to serve the military family as a whole unit — the veteran, the spouse, the teenager, and the household that absorbed a war together. That is RHSH's specific lane.

Program Description
Six integrated programs. One mission.

RHSH delivers a continuum of care — from immediate veteran crisis response through long-term teen resilience programming. All services are free. All materials are available in English and Spanish.

🧠 Veteran Mental Health Navigation

Every veteran who contacts RHSH is connected to a dedicated navigator within 48 hours — guaranteed. Navigators provide crisis triage, VA system guidance, referrals to community mental health providers, and 90-day follow-up support. We cut through the bureaucratic delay that kills momentum during the hardest moments.

Funder lane: Veteran mental health · Crisis response · VA system navigation

🏠 Housing Stabilization

Emergency bridge funding, navigator-guided housing placement, and 6-month stability follow-up for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Garrett Robinson spent four months in his car before anyone knew. RHSH exists to close that gap — fast.

Funder lane: Veteran housing · Emergency stabilization · Homelessness prevention

💪 Teen Resilience Cohorts

12-week group resilience program for teens ages 12–18 in military households. 90-minute weekly sessions of 8–12 students, delivered free through Colorado Springs school partnerships. Curriculum addresses emotional regulation, stress management, identity, and peer connection — giving military kids language for what they're already carrying.

Funder lane: Youth mental health · Prevention · Military family resilience

RHSH programs in action — Colorado Springs

🤝 Peer Mentorship Circles

Veteran-to-veteran AND teen-to-teen mentorship tracks. Monthly community gatherings plus structured 1:1 pairings. Peer support is consistently ranked among the highest-impact interventions for PTSD recovery and youth resilience — because lived experience is irreplaceable.

Funder lane: Peer support · Veteran wellness · Youth mentorship

🌎 Bilingual Family Support

Full English/Spanish navigation for military families. All RHSH materials are bilingual. Dr. Sofia Reyes leads our bilingual program, ensuring Spanish-speaking families receive the same quality of care — not a reduced version of it.

Funder lane: Latino community · Bilingual services · Military family equity

💼 Employment Transition

Resume translation from military service to civilian employment, employer partnerships, and career navigation. Board member Cole Whitfield (Navy veteran, corporate development) opens direct employer connections. We don't just teach interview skills — we open doors.

Funder lane: Veteran employment · Economic stability · Workforce development

Implementation timeline (Year 1)

Months 1–2: Navigator hiring, school partnerships secured for Teen Resilience Cohorts, peer mentor recruitment, bilingual materials finalized. Fort Carson and military installation community outreach launched.

Months 3–5: Veteran Navigation and Housing Stabilization at full capacity. Teen Cohorts 1 & 2 delivered. Peer mentorship circles launched. Employment partnerships activated.

Months 6–9: Teen Cohort 3 delivered. Mid-year data review. Program adjustments based on participant and school feedback. Bilingual program expanded to additional military family networks.

Months 10–12: Year-end evaluation. Funder reports. Impact brief published. Planning for Year 2 expansion to additional Colorado Springs installation communities.

Goals & Outcomes
What success looks like

RHSH uses verifiable indicators aligned with prevention science and trauma-informed care research. We track what we can measure, report honestly, and refine as programs mature.

48hr Veteran-to-navigator connection — every veteran, every time
90% Housing stability rate at 6-month follow-up (Year 1 target)
75% Of Teen Cohort completers report improved stress management skills
100% Bilingual service delivery — all programs, all materials, EN/ES

Program outcomes by lane

Program Short-term Output Long-term Outcome
Veteran Mental Health Navigation 48-hour connection; 90-day follow-up completed Reduced crisis escalation; sustained mental health engagement
Housing Stabilization Stable housing secured within 30 days 6-month housing retention; reduced veteran homelessness
Teen Resilience Cohorts 12 sessions completed; pre/post survey improvement Improved emotional regulation; reduced anxiety indicators
Peer Mentorship Monthly participation; 1:1 match sustained 6+ months Reduced isolation; stronger community belonging
Bilingual Family Support EN/ES navigation completed; family referrals made Equitable access; Spanish-speaking families fully served
Employment Transition Resume completed; employer introduction made Civilian employment secured; economic stability improved
Logic Model
Theory of change

RHSH's logic model connects community inputs through structured activities to measurable outcomes. Our theory: stable veterans raise stable families, and resilient teens break cycles of intergenerational trauma.

Inputs

Founder expertise (MSW, trauma) · Board capacity (clinical, legal, military, community) · Grant funding · School partnerships · Military installation relationships

Activities

Veteran navigation · Housing placement · Teen Resilience Cohorts · Peer mentor matching · Bilingual family support · Employment transition

Outputs

Veterans connected within 48hrs · Housing secured · Cohorts completed · Mentor pairs sustained · Families navigated in EN & ES · Employers engaged

Short-term Outcomes

Reduced veteran crisis escalation · Stable housing · Improved teen coping skills · Peer connection · Bilingual family access · Employment secured

Long-term Impact

Healed veteran families · Reduced intergenerational trauma · Resilient military teens · Stronger Colorado Springs community · Model for military-dense cities

Key assumptions

Veteran willingness: Veterans are more likely to seek support when connected to peer navigators with shared military experience rather than traditional clinical settings.

Teen accessibility: School-based delivery removes the primary barrier to teen mental health support — transportation, cost, and parent scheduling constraints.

Family stability cascade: When a veteran stabilizes, the family stabilizes. Investing in veteran mental health is the highest-leverage point for family-wide outcomes.

Budget
Program budget — Year 1

The budget below reflects our full Year 1 operating plan across all six programs. We can provide a site-specific or restricted line-item budget for any funder upon request.

Category Description Amount
Program Staffing Navigator, program coordinator, bilingual outreach — contract and part-time $42,000
Teen Resilience Cohorts (3) Facilitator time, curriculum materials, school site coordination, pre/post evaluation $18,000
Veteran Navigation Navigator tools, referral network, 48-hr response infrastructure, 90-day follow-up tracking $12,000
Housing Stabilization Emergency bridge funds, placement navigator time, 6-month follow-up $10,000
Bilingual Program Translation, bilingual materials, Spanish-language community outreach $6,000
Peer Mentorship Monthly gatherings, 1:1 match coordination, training stipends $5,000
Operations & Admin Executive Director time (20%), accounting, communications, insurance, compliance $8,000
Technology & Infrastructure Case management software, website, donor platform, Google Workspace $3,000
Total Year 1 Budget $104,000

Program ratio

83%

of every dollar goes directly to program delivery
Admin overhead under 17%

A strong program-to-overhead ratio for a launch-year organization operating six integrated program lines simultaneously.

Funding sources (Year 1 plan)

Community & military-focused foundations$55,000
Corporate / family foundation grants$28,000
Individual donors$14,000
Fundraising events / campaigns$7,000
Total$104,000

We can provide a restricted line-item budget aligned to any specific giving level ($10k, $25k, $50k, or $100k) upon request. Contact us →

Board & Leadership
Governance & organizational capacity

RHSH is governed by a seven-member volunteer Board of Directors with expertise spanning clinical psychology, law, finance, military leadership, community health, veteran peer support, and corporate development. The board is majority women and majority people of color, with four veterans.

Amanda Robinson, MSW
Founder & Executive Director

Licensed clinical social worker, University of Denver. Twelve-plus years in community health, trauma, and family systems. Founded RHSH after navigating two years of failed VA responses following her son Garrett's return from two Afghanistan tours with PTSD. Her personal experience as a military mother drives every program RHSH delivers.

Lt. Col. Sandra Chavez (Ret.)
Board Chair · U.S. Army, 25 years · Bronze Star Recipient

25-year Army veteran with deployments to Bosnia and Iraq, Bronze Star recipient, and MPA from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Sandra joined RHSH because she spent a career watching what happens to military families when command structures end and civilian support structures don't begin. Colorado Springs is where she chose to stay.

Dr. Sofia Reyes
Teen & Youth Director · School Psychologist

Fourteen years as a school psychologist serving Colorado Springs and Pueblo schools. Bilingual (EN/ES). Military family background. Leads RHSH's Teen Resilience Cohort curriculum and all bilingual program delivery — ensuring Spanish-speaking families receive the same care, not a reduced version.

James "Jim" Kowalski
Veteran Community Liaison · USMC (22 years)

Twenty-two-year Marine Corps veteran. Leads El Paso County's peer support network for veterans. Brings firsthand knowledge of what veteran outreach actually works — and what doesn't — plus direct relationships with Colorado Springs' VSO and veteran community leaders.

Priya Hariharan
Board Treasurer · Nonprofit Accountant

Nonprofit accountant providing pro bono financial counsel to RHSH. Manages financial oversight, audit readiness, IRS compliance, and governance policy. Her expertise in nonprofit accounting gives RHSH institutional-grade financial controls from day one.

Dr. Alfonso Cappa-Meléndez
Clinical Director · Licensed Psychologist · Bilingual EN/ES

Licensed psychologist with seventeen years of clinical experience in trauma, PTSD, and child and adolescent mental health — practicing out of Pueblo, forty-five minutes south of Colorado Springs. Leads Pueblo Pioneer Psychology and has spent his career treating military-adjacent populations. Bilingual in English and Spanish with deep cultural fluency in the Latino military family community.

Diana Tsosie
Community & Outreach Director

Diné Nation. Eight years with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Deep expertise in outreach to populations who don't seek services — exactly the veterans RHSH needs to reach. Leads RHSH's community outreach strategy and homeless veteran navigation partnerships.

Cole Whitfield
Corporate & Fundraising · U.S. Navy (6 years)

Six-year Navy veteran and Director of Community Partnerships at a Colorado Springs healthcare system. Opens corporate employer doors for RHSH's Employment Transition program and leads corporate fundraising strategy. The board's primary bridge between RHSH and the Colorado Springs business community.

Board composition at a glance

5 of 7

board members are women (71%)

5 of 7

board members are people of color (71%)

4 of 7

board members are veterans or military-connected (57%)

Financial management & governance policies

Financial oversight: RHSH maintains internal controls including board oversight, dual-authorization for expenditures, and quarterly financial reviews by Board Treasurer Priya Hariharan (Nonprofit Accountant).

Accounting: Cloud-based accounting software with monthly reconciliation. Financial statements available to funders upon request within 5 business days.

Conflict of interest: Board members sign annual conflict of interest disclosures. No board member receives compensation from RHSH.

Founder story — for grant narratives

"My son Garrett came home from two tours in Afghanistan carrying things I couldn't see. For four months he slept in his car in Colorado Springs before I found out. Four months. I spent the next two years learning to navigate a VA system that was never designed for the people I was trying to help — a system with good intentions and enormous gaps. When Garrett finally stabilized, I didn't want to move on. I wanted to build the system that should have already existed.

Garrett has a teenage son, Dylan. Dylan grew up in the shadow of his father's trauma — barely knowing his dad, wondering if it was somehow his fault. That's not unique to our family. That's every military family where the veteran comes home but doesn't really come home. RHSH is for Garrett. It's for Dylan. It's for every version of both of them in Colorado Springs right now — and the parents trying to hold it all together."

— Amanda Robinson, Founder & Executive Director, RHSH Colorado

Community Partners
Embedded in the Colorado Springs community

RHSH is not operating in isolation. We are building active referral relationships and program partnerships with the organizations that Colorado Springs military families already trust.

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School District Partnership — D-49

RHSH is in active partnership development with District 49, which operates 19 schools in the Falcon corridor serving one of the highest concentrations of military-connected students in Colorado. Teen Resilience Cohorts are being structured to operate inside D-49 schools, with D-49's Military Student and Family Liaison coordinating referrals.

"D-49 is committed to ensuring military families have a smooth transition and continual support in the Pikes Peak region." — District 49

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Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center

RHSH has an established referral relationship with Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, Colorado Springs' primary one-stop veteran services hub. Veterans referred through Mt. Carmel's annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down are connected to RHSH for housing navigation and 90-day follow-up support that extends beyond Mt. Carmel's event-based model.

Cross-referral partnership active for housing stabilization and employment transition programs.

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Colorado Springs Healthcare Network

Board member Dr. Alfonso Cappa-Meléndez (licensed psychologist, seventeen years treating trauma and PTSD, based in Pueblo) provides direct referral pathways between RHSH and the local clinical community. Veterans referred to RHSH who need clinical care are connected to vetted trauma-informed providers; clinicians with veterans who need navigation support refer directly to RHSH.

Bidirectional clinical referral network — warm handoffs in both directions.

Letters of support available upon request

RHSH can provide formal letters of support from community partners for grant applications requiring documentation of community embeddedness. Contact Amanda Robinson directly to request letters for specific grant applications: info@rhshcolorado.org

Request a partner letter Schedule a site visit
Stewardship
How we work with funders
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Reporting cadence

Quarterly impact updates. Mid-year and end-of-year written funder reports. All reports delivered on schedule — not only when things go well.

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Restricted gifts

We confirm scope before accepting any restricted gift. We track and report restricted funds separately and provide a closeout summary at period end.

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Site visits

We welcome program officer site visits, school partner introductions, and veteran/family observations (with appropriate consent). Contact us to arrange.

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Documents on request

IRS determination letter · Board list · Financial statements · Conflict of interest policy · Program curriculum overview — available within 5 business days.

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Responsible scaling

We grow only when training, staffing, and partner readiness can support quality. We will not expand faster than we can deliver well.

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Open communication

If something isn't working, we'll tell you before the report. We believe honest, proactive communication is the foundation of a strong funder relationship.

Funder Resources
Documents & materials

The following materials are available upon request. Email us at info@rhshcolorado.org and we'll respond within 2 business days.

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One-Page Funder Summary

Mission, programs, outcomes, budget overview, and EIN — one page, print-ready PDF.

info@rhshcolorado.org
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IRS Determination Letter

Official 501(c)(3) determination letter confirming RHSH's tax-exempt status.

info@rhshcolorado.org
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Restricted Budget Template

Line-item budget aligned to your specific giving level ($10k–$100k). Tailored on request.

info@rhshcolorado.org
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Logic Model (Full Version)

Complete theory of change with assumptions, indicators, and data sources.

info@rhshcolorado.org
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Board List & Bios

Current board member list with roles, affiliations, and brief biographies.

View leadership →
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Sample Grant Narrative

A complete grant proposal narrative you can adapt for your foundation's application format.

info@rhshcolorado.org

Ready to start a funding conversation?

We can provide a tailored program scope, line-item budget, delivery timeline, and reporting plan before you commit. We respond to all funder inquiries within 2 business days.

Email: info@rhshcolorado.org  |  EIN: 93-4976456  |  501(c)(3) public charity

info@rhshcolorado.org Contact page Give now

Suggested subject lines for your inquiry

Grant inquiry — RHSH Colorado veteran mental health Funding conversation request — Teen Resilience Colorado Springs Site visit / program officer meeting — RHSH $[amount] gift inquiry — Restoring Hearts Supporting Hands