Grant Request Heart Ranch
Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form
Organization Name: Heart Ranch
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As:
Mailing Address: 380 Akolea Rd
City: Hilo
State: Hawaii
Postal Code: 96720
Main Phone: (808) 937-9717
Main Fax:
Organization Website: www.heartranch.org
Employer ID Number: 45-4624685
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)3
Proposal Information
Today’s Date: 3/7/2023
Requested Amount: 10,000
Project Title: Youth Mentorship Program
Project Description:
Our Youth Mentorship Program is completely free and has been serving children ages 10-18 on the Big Island of Hawaii since 2012. Mainly targeting underprivileged and hurting kids from a variety of difficult life situations, we pair each child with a horse and one-on-one mentor for a term of five weekly sessions. We offer six of these terms annually and will host at least 100 children, not including fill-ins, this coming year. We use horsemanship practice combined with principles of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy to address the personal wellbeing of each participant by offering love, encouragement, and the horse’s calming presence. The horse provides nonjudgmental feedback about each child’s relational patterns, and this creates a way to visibly see the effects of boundary-setting, self-regulation, and growth of confidence, leadership, and other character-related skills. We want each child to increase their resilience and self-empowerment through working with the horse to overcome both internal and external obstacles, and our overall mission is to build confidence, develop leadership, and provide trauma-informed care for the community.
We measure program success through a character trait self-assessment completed at the beginning and end of the term. We also have participants fill out a reflection form to offer any thoughts or feedback, and we talk with parents about how their child is doing. Family involvement is important to us, and we have a dedicated family viewing area and volunteers who spend their time connecting with parents, siblings, and other relatives. We have partnered with a variety of local youth and mental health organizations over the years, and have served foster children, those with incarcerated or deceased parents, and victims of trauma and bullying, as well as youth suffering from anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other mental health issues. We plan for our program to continue indefinitely.
Total Project Budget: $167,178
Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Community donations (committed/potential), East Hawaii Fund Grant (committed), Kukio Fund Grant (committed), Waiwai Nonprofit Grant-in-Aid for Hawaii County (potential), William J. & Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation (committed), The Healy Foundation (potential), and a number of others whose applications are in progress
Project Duration: Ongoing
Geographical Area Served: Hawaii Island
Age Group To Be Served: Youth ages 10-18
Contact Information
Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Miss
Contact First Name: Marleena
Contact Last Name: Sheffield
Contact Title: Grant Writer
Contact Phone: 808 217 2400
Contact Email: marleena@heartranch.org