Portfolio Revenue Targets by Year
| Room | Audience | Opens | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | Y5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Philanthropic Foundations | Y1 | $200K | $500K | $900K | $1.6M | $2.5M |
| B | Corporate Partners | Y1 | $80K | $200K | $450K | $950K | $1.5M |
| C | General Public (Regular Giving) | Y1 | $100K | $250K | $550K | $1.0M | $1.5M |
| D | Government & Health Departments | Y3 | — | — | $250K | $950K | $2.0M |
| E | Bequests & Major Donors | Y1 | $30K | $80K | $180K | $500K | $1.0M |
| F | Health Sector Partnerships | Y2 | — | $50K | $100K | $450K | $1.0M |
| G | International Philanthropy | Y5 | — | — | — | — | $500K |
| — | CMS in-kind (related-party) | Y1 | $60K | $30K | — | — | — |
| TOTAL PORTFOLIO (incl. CMS in-kind) | $470K | $1.11M | $2.43M | $5.45M | $10.0M | ||
All figures represent conservative targets. Evidence-base maturity in Y1–Y2 is the prerequisite for unlocking Room D (government) and accelerating Rooms A and F. From Y4 onwards, infrastructure costs not borne directly by the CLG are absorbed by Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd, enabling 87c per donated dollar to flow to direct service.
Note on Y1 figures: External fundraising rooms (A–G) total $410K in Year 1; the $60K CMS in-kind Technical Negotiator contribution brings the total resource envelope to $470K. 2026 mark-up: the revised structure adds a paid Community & Medical Liaison role (Lisa Hugo) and a part-time Compliance Officer from Year 2, lifting Year 1 OPEX to $555,747 (see structure.html). To restore Year 1 break-even, Room A / Room B targets need to lift by ~$115K, or Lisa's Liaison FTE starts at 0.6 and steps up in Year 2 — to be agreed with the Board. The Year 1 OPEX includes a Board-approved CEO salary of $165,000 (authorised range $150K–$180K) and a $60,000 board sitting-fee envelope ($3,000 × 4 meetings × 5 directors).
Grant Application: Serious Illness Debt Relief, Building Australia's First Evidence-Based Service
"We are not asking for funding to run a programme. We are asking for an investment in a measurement system that will generate the evidence Australia's health sector has been missing."
Executive Summary
Life Without Debt (LWD), operating as the charitable arm of Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd, is seeking a grant of $200,000 in Year 1 to fund the first year of a formally measured, population-scale response to the crisis of unmanaged debt among Australians navigating serious illness, palliative care, and bereavement. This figure represents the philanthropic-foundations envelope (Room A) within Life Without Debt's $470,000 Year 1 funded revenue pipeline, which is calibrated to fully cover the Board-approved Year 1 OPEX of $442,708 (including the CEO salary and director sitting fees disclosed on structure.html).
This is not a welfare programme. It is a measurement-led intervention model with a Theory of Change grounded in the Aspen Institute framework: stated assumptions, testable indicators, and a causal chain from immediate outputs to long-term systemic change. Every dollar invested generates a case. Every case generates data. Every cohort of data generates evidence. Evidence generates sector change, policy reform, and the ability to scale.
Australia currently has no dedicated, measurement-led service addressing financial distress in the context of life-limiting illness. We intend to become that service, and to use your investment to build the proof base that justifies its permanent institutionalisation.
The Problem We Are Solving
Each year in Australia, approximately 190,000 people die from life-limiting illness. Research by Palliative Care Australia and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare consistently shows that financial distress is among the top-five stressors for patients and families in palliative care, yet it is systematically unaddressed within the current service model.
Our casework has identified five pathways of financially transmitted harm in this population:
- Joint liability inheritance: surviving spouses inheriting joint debts they did not originate
- Emotional coercion debt: debts incurred under duress during illness (family members borrowing to fund care)
- Informal family absorption: adult children taking on parent debt informally, outside legal protections
- ATO/business liability: personal liability for business debts of the deceased
- Guarantee liability: guarantors called upon immediately upon death, without grace period negotiation
We call this phenomenon Sexually Transmitted Debt (STD), a term coined by legal scholars to describe debt transmitted through intimate and family relationships. It disproportionately affects women, First Nations families, and people in regional Australia.
Our Theory of Change
We operate a causal intervention model, not a service delivery model. The distinction matters because foundations fund change, not activity.
Our model has three measurable levels of impact:
- Level 1: Outputs: Cases opened, debts identified, creditors engaged, days to resolution
- Level 2: Outcomes: Debt resolved ($), stress reduction (validated instrument), STD cases protected, family satisfaction
- Level 3: Impact: MOU partnerships with palliative services, policy submissions, peer-reviewed evidence, sector standard adoption
Evidence to Date (31 Cases)
Budget Allocation: $200,000 Year 1
| Line Item | Amount | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| CEO / Executive Leadership (proportional allocation) | $70,000 | Laurence Hugo, full $165K salary apportioned across funded streams; Room A share funds case oversight, sector engagement, and impact reporting |
| Clinical Case Coordinator (0.8 FTE) | $60,000 | Primary referral intake, family liaison, case documentation |
| Licensed Credit Mediator (contracted, top-up) | $30,000 | Creditor negotiation hours not covered by the $60K CMS in-kind contribution; licensed under ACL No. 387398 |
| Measurement & Evaluation System | $15,000 | Validated stress instrument, case register, annual impact report |
| Referral Network Development | $10,000 | MOU drafting, palliative service relationship building |
| Governance & Compliance (share of $60K sitting-fee envelope) | $10,000 | Board oversight specifically attributable to Room A reporting and grant acquittal |
| Contingency (~2.5%) | $5,000 | Unforeseen case complexity |
| TOTAL | $200,000 | Balance of LWD OPEX covered by Rooms B/C/E/CMS in-kind ($270K) |
What We Are Committing To
Reporting & Accountability Commitments
- Quarterly case data reports (anonymised) to the Foundation within 30 days of quarter end
- Annual audited Impact Report: financial + outcome data, published publicly
- Formal Theory of Change review at 12 months, reporting stated assumptions against measured results
- Open data policy: case register data available for academic research under MOU
- Independent evaluation commissioned at Year 2 if portfolio exceeds $500K
- Named acknowledgement in all Impact Reports and on the LWD website Transparency page
Governance & Perpetuity Design
Life Without Debt is incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) under the Corporations Act. Its constitutional objects include a clause prohibiting distributions to members and requiring charitable assets to be directed to equivalent charitable purposes upon wind-up. This is not a founder-led organisation that ceases when its founders retire.
The Board includes a minimum of three independent directors. The CEO role is defined as a professional position, not a founder position. A Board Succession Plan is in force and available for Foundation review. The service model is documented in a Standard Operating Procedure Manual that enables continuity of operation independent of any individual practitioner.
We have been specifically designed to be built to outlive its founders, because the people we serve have lost their own loved ones and deserve a system that will still be there when the next generation faces the same crisis.
Corporate Partnership Prospectus: The Bank Paradox, Fund the Antidote to Your Own Collections Practices
"Your collections department is the problem our charity solves. Your ESG budget can fund the solution. That is not irony; it is the most direct form of corporate social responsibility available to a financial institution."
The Strategic Proposition
Banks, insurers, and superannuation funds are the primary creditors that Life Without Debt negotiates with on behalf of our clients. This creates what we call The Bank Paradox: your collections department is, by necessity, creating distress for dying Australians and their bereaved families. Your ESG and community investment budget exists precisely to address that kind of harm.
Partnering with LWD is not about offsetting that paradox with a donation. It is about funding the expert intermediary system that converts an adversarial debt collection relationship into a managed, compassionate resolution pathway, one that is better for the creditor (faster resolution, less reputational risk, lower litigation cost) and unambiguously better for the debtor.
This is the most operationally coherent ESG investment a financial institution can make: you fund a specialist to resolve, humanely, the debts your own business has originated, in the most vulnerable circumstances any debtor ever faces.
The Commercial Case for Partnership
| Metric | Without LWD | With LWD |
|---|---|---|
| Time to resolution | 6–24 months (legal/collections process) | 23 days average |
| Legal/collections cost | $3,000–$15,000 per account | $0 (funded externally) |
| Reputational exposure | High (collections from bereaved families is a media risk) | Eliminated: managed by licensed intermediary |
| Recovery rate | Variable (contested, often written off) | Negotiated: creditor receives agreed settlement |
| Regulatory risk | AFCA complaints, ASIC scrutiny | Reduced: documented compassionate process |
| ESG reporting value | None | Named partnership, case data, impact attribution |
Partnership Tiers
- Named on LWD website Partner page
- Annual Impact Report (digital)
- LWD logo for ESG reporting
- Invitation to annual stakeholder briefing
- All Supporter benefits
- Quarterly case outcome data (anonymised)
- Named in all media releases
- Co-branded staff financial wellbeing resources
- Two seats at annual symposium
- Priority referral pathway for your customers in crisis
- All Partner benefits
- Exclusive category (one principal partner per sector)
- Named programme: "[Partner] Compassionate Debt Resolution Programme"
- Board observer seat
- Internal staff briefings on STD pathways
- Research co-authorship opportunities
- First right of renewal on three-year term
ESG Alignment Statement
Partnership with Life Without Debt satisfies obligations across multiple ESG frameworks:
- Social (S): Direct community benefit: debt relief for dying Australians and their families. Measurable, attributable, audited outcomes.
- Governance (G): Supports financially vulnerable customers through a licensed, regulated intermediary, reducing AFCA complaint risk and demonstrating hardship policy compliance.
- UN SDG Alignment: SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)
- APRA/ASIC Hardship Obligations: Demonstrates proactive investment in the support infrastructure for customers experiencing hardship in extreme circumstances.
Impact Report Commitment
What Partners Receive Annually
- Independently verified impact data: cases resolved, debt amounts, resolution time, stress outcomes
- Attribution statement for use in your Annual Report and ESG disclosure
- Case study (anonymised and consent-obtained) suitable for internal communications
- LWD logo, partnership certificate, and media release for your PR team
- Forward look: next year's evidence targets and programme expansion plan
The $19.25 Promise: One Hour a Week That Changes Everything
"For less than a cup of coffee a day, you fund an hour of licensed expert negotiation, and that one hour resolves, on average, $58,700 of debt from a family that has already lost everything else."
The Campaign Proposition
We have designed our regular giving programme around a single, honest, verifiable number: $19.25 per week. That is what one hour of licensed credit mediation costs. And that one hour is what stands between a grieving family and a debt they don't know they owe, can't afford to pay, and don't have the expertise to negotiate.
Giving Tiers
- Funds 1 hour of licensed expert negotiation weekly
- Annual impact update: your hours, your cases
- 87c of every dollar goes to direct service
- Cancel or pause any time, no questions asked
- Funds 2 hours of expert negotiation weekly
- Quarterly impact update with case outcomes
- Named on our Annual Donor Wall
- Invitation to annual Impact Briefing (virtual)
- Funds a full half-day of expert negotiation weekly
- Monthly impact report with full case data
- Personal call from the CEO, annually
- First opportunity to join our Major Donor programme
- Named in our Annual Impact Report
The Transparency Pledge
Every regular donor receives our Transparency Pledge, a binding public commitment we make in writing on the day they join:
Our Promise to You
- 87 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to client service, no exceptions
- Salary cap: No LWD employee earns more than 1.5× the national median full-time salary
- Zero vanity policy: We do not fund conferences, awards nights, or promotional merchandise
- Infrastructure carried externally: Office, IT, and administrative overhead is absorbed by Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd, not charged against donations
- Annual Audited Impact Report: Published publicly every year. If we miss our targets, we tell you exactly why
- Cancel any time: No minimum term. No guilt. If you need to stop, stop. We would rather you return when you can than resent us while you can't
Donor Stewardship Commitments
We do not believe in "set and forget" donor relationships. Every regular donor is a member of a community of people who have made an active decision to fund systemic change. We will treat them accordingly:
- Welcome sequence: Three-email onboarding explaining exactly where their money goes and what it does
- Annual impact letter: personalised with the cases their cumulative giving has contributed to
- Optional anniversary call: at 12 months, we offer a 15-minute personal call (not a fundraising call)
- Community updates: quarterly email on sector developments, policy wins, and new evidence
- Feedback loops: annual donor survey; results published in the Impact Report
Growth Pathway to $1.5M
| Year | Active Donors | Avg Weekly Gift | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y1 | 100 | $19.25 | $100,000 |
| Y2 | 240 | $20.00 | $250,000 |
| Y3 | 500 | $21.15 | $550,000 |
| Y4 | 900 | $22.00 | $1,030,000 |
| Y5 | 1,300 | $22.25 | $1,500,000 |
Growth driven by: paid digital media (Room C ads), EOFY campaigns, workplace giving partnerships, and donor-referred recruitment ("word of mouth from people we've helped").
Funding Submission: Integrating Financial Distress Resolution into the National Palliative Care Framework
"Financial distress is a clinical symptom in palliative care. It is time Australia funded its treatment the same way we fund pain management, as an evidence-based standard of care, not an optional charity service."
Submission Summary
This submission is addressed to the Department of Health and Aged Care and is also prepared for submission to State and Territory Health Departments, Primary Health Networks (PHNs), and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) under its Psychosocial Recovery Coaching stream.
We are requesting inclusion of the Life Without Debt model within the National Palliative Care Strategy 2023–2028 implementation funding (specifically within the "Holistic Care" and "Carer Support" priority areas) and a grant of $200,000 in Year 3 to fund the formal service integration study required before broader commissioning.
The case for government funding rests on three arguments:
- Cost displacement: Financial distress in palliative care increases hospital presentations, delays discharge, and extends inpatient stays. Resolving debt reduces these downstream health system costs.
- Evidence quality: By Year 3, LWD will have a two-year audited case register with Level 2 outcome data, sufficient for government evidence standards.
- Market failure: The private market has no financial incentive to serve this population. Government commissioning is the only mechanism that can guarantee universal access.
Health System Cost Analysis
Based on available AIHW data and our case register:
| Factor | Without Debt Resolution | With LWD Intervention | Estimated Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| ED presentations (financial crisis-linked) | 2.3 per family (est.) | 0.8 per family | $2,800/family |
| Bereavement counselling utilisation | 8.2 sessions avg | 4.1 sessions avg (52% stress reduction) | $820/family |
| Mental health inpatient (complicated grief) | 4.2% of bereaved | Est. 1.8% with financial resolution | $6,400/prevented case |
| Total estimated health system saving per case | $4,020–$10,020 | ||
LWD cost per case: $1,840. Health system saving per case: $4,020–$10,020. Net saving to government: $2,180–$8,180 per case, before counting the direct financial relief to families.
Policy Alignment
| Policy Framework | Relevant Objective | LWD Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| National Palliative Care Strategy 2023–2028 | Holistic Care; Carer Support; Equity of Access | Addresses financial distress as a non-clinical palliative symptom |
| National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan | Financial hardship as a suicide risk factor | Removes debt burden, documented risk factor for bereavement-related suicide |
| Closing the Gap | Economic security for First Nations families | STD disproportionately affects First Nations inheritance and family debt contexts |
| Women's Economic Equality Taskforce | Financial independence for women | 60% of STD cases involve women inheriting partner debt |
| Aged Care Quality Standards | Standard 8: Organisational governance | Referral pathway supports standard-compliant holistic care |
Service Integration Model
We propose a hub-and-spoke integration model within the existing palliative care referral network:
- Hub: Life Without Debt provides the specialist debt resolution capability: licensed mediators, case management, reporting infrastructure
- Spokes: Palliative care services, hospital social work departments, PHN-commissioned community services, and NDIA plan managers act as referral sources under a signed MOU
- Trigger point: Financial distress screening at palliative care intake (≤3-question validated screen) triggers automatic warm referral to LWD
- Feedback loop: LWD provides quarterly de-identified outcome data to referring services, closing the information loop that currently prevents any measurement of financial wellbeing outcomes in palliative care
Pathway to Institutionalisation
The Room D strategy is the single most important element of the perpetuity design. Government funding that institutionalises this service within national palliative care infrastructure is revenue that does not depend on donor sentiment, economic cycles, or any individual founder being alive.
Our three-stage pathway:
- Stage 1 (Y1–Y2): Build the evidence base. Two years of audited case data at Levels 1 and 2.
- Stage 2 (Y3): Submit to government and PHNs with the evidence. Secure first commissioning contracts. Run a formal service integration study.
- Stage 3 (Y4–Y5): Present integration study results. Advocate for inclusion in the next iteration of the National Palliative Care Strategy. Achieve indexed annual funding.
A Legacy That Outlasts All of Us: The Life Without Debt Endowment Vision
"You have seen what debt does to a family after loss. You know this service should exist permanently. A bequest to Life Without Debt is not a gift; it is an architectural decision about what Australia looks like for the next generation."
Personal Cultivation Letter
Dear [Name],
I am writing to you personally because of what you have seen, perhaps experienced yourself, in the intersection of serious illness and financial chaos.
You know that when a person is dying, or when a family is grieving, the last thing they should be doing is fielding calls from creditors, trying to understand a loan document they did not sign, or watching a lifetime of careful saving disappear into a debt they inherited rather than incurred.
Life Without Debt exists to be the specialist in that room: the licensed expert who steps between the family and the creditor and says: not today, not like this, there is a better way.
We have resolved $1.82 million in debt across 31 cases. We have reduced stress scores by an average of 52%. Nine families have been protected from Sexually Transmitted Debt, debt that crossed from the deceased to the living through the mechanics of grief and legal obligation.
But here is what I need you to understand about the future: this service cannot be dependent on any individual founder being alive. The families we serve have already lost one person they depended on. They cannot afford to lose their support system too.
That is why we are building an endowment: a capital base that generates $400,000 per year in perpetuity at a 4% drawdown rate, funded at $10 million by Year 10. An endowment that means the service continues, the measurement continues, the evidence continues, regardless of who is running it, who is funding it in any given year, or what is happening in the broader economy.
We are looking for founding endowment donors. People who understand that a bequest to this cause is not charity; it is infrastructure. It is the decision to ensure that the next generation of Australian families, facing what you may have faced, will find a specialist waiting for them.
I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you and, if appropriate, with your solicitor, about what a named fund within the Life Without Debt Endowment might look like for your family.
The Endowment Model
The endowment is held and managed by the Board of Life Without Debt under its CLG constitutional objects. Capital is invested in a diversified, low-cost index portfolio. Drawdowns are capped at 4% per annum to preserve real capital value. The endowment is audited annually and reported in the Annual Impact Report.
Major Donor & Bequest Pathways
- Named in the Endowment Register permanently
- Annual personalised impact letter from CEO
- Invitation to private briefings with Board
- Named Fund within the endowment
- Family can designate a focus (e.g., STD cases, First Nations families)
- Personalised annual report on your fund's impact
- Permanent recognition on LWD premises
- All Legacy Architect benefits
- Board seat offered to family nominee
- [Family Name] Foundation Fund: perpetual naming
- Annual in-person meeting with CEO and Board Chair
Bequest Guidance
We recommend the following suggested bequest wording, developed with our solicitors and ACNC-compliant:
We are happy to provide a letter of acknowledgement to your estate planning solicitor confirming our charitable status, ABN, and constitutional objects. Please contact us in confidence.
Memorandum of Understanding: Embedded Financial Distress Resolution in Palliative Care Services
"Your clinical team is already seeing the consequences of unmanaged debt: delayed discharge decisions, family conflict, deteriorating patient mental state. We are the specialist referral they need but cannot find."
Partnership Proposition
Life Without Debt proposes a formal Memorandum of Understanding with your service to establish an embedded financial distress referral pathway for patients and families experiencing debt-related distress in the context of serious illness or bereavement.
This is not a referral to a general financial counselling service. Financial counsellors are valuable, but they are not licensed credit mediators. They cannot negotiate directly with creditors on behalf of a client. LWD staff are AFCA-accredited licensed credit mediators, the specific qualification that allows direct creditor negotiation, debt waiver advocacy, and formal hardship application management.
The distinction matters. A financial counsellor can advise a family on their options. LWD can execute the resolution.
Referral Protocol
| Step | Action | Responsible Party | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial distress screening at palliative intake (3-question validated screen) | Palliative Care Social Worker | Day 1 of admission |
| 2 | Warm referral to LWD via secure referral form (email or portal) | Social Work Department | Within 48 hours of positive screen |
| 3 | LWD initial contact with patient/family | LWD Case Coordinator | Within 3 business days |
| 4 | Case assessment: debt mapping, creditor identification, urgency triage | LWD Licensed Mediator | Within 7 days |
| 5 | Creditor engagement and negotiation | LWD Licensed Mediator | Ongoing (avg 23 days) |
| 6 | Case close report to referring service | LWD | Within 14 days of resolution |
Partnership Tiers & Fee Structure
- Signed MOU with referral protocol
- Quarterly de-identified outcome data
- Staff training on financial distress screening (2 hrs)
- LWD absorbs all client costs (charity-funded)
- All MOU Basic inclusions
- Dedicated case coordinator (0.2 FTE) for your service
- Monthly case review meetings with your social work team
- Annual staff education programme (4 hrs)
- Joint research and publication opportunities
- All MOU Enhanced inclusions
- One day per week on-site presence at your facility
- Co-designed financial distress screening tool
- Integration with your patient record system
- Named in your service's Annual Report
- Joint grant applications as consortium
Cost vs. Unmanaged Debt Distress
The value of a Room F partnership to a health service is not only the clinical benefit to patients and families; it is also the systemic reduction in downstream costs your service absorbs when financial distress is unmanaged:
- Extended length of stay: Patients who cannot resolve estate matters experience delayed discharge decisions, adding bed days and clinical cost
- Increased family conflict: Financial disputes between family members during bereavement increase social work case complexity and staff hours
- Bereavement service overload: Complicated grief with a financial trigger requires more intensive bereavement support, increasing counsellor case loads
- Readmission risk: Financial stress is a documented risk factor for mental health deterioration and re-presentation to ED
MOU Enhanced at $20,000 per annum: If LWD resolves 10 cases per year through your referral pathway, and each case reduces health system cost by $4,020 (conservative estimate), your service generates $40,200 in cost displacement, a 2:1 return on the commissioning fee before counting the patient benefit.
International Replication Pitch: The Life Without Debt Model: A Proven System Ready for Global Export
"We built it in Australia. We proved it works. Now we are ready to help you build it in your country, because the crisis of debt in dying and bereavement does not respect national borders."
The Global Case
By Year 5, Life Without Debt will have:
- A five-year audited case register with statistically significant outcome data at Levels 1, 2, and 3
- Government commissioning in at least one Australian state, establishing institutional legitimacy
- At least two peer-reviewed publications in palliative care or medical social work journals
- A documented replication framework (the Standard Operating Procedure Manual, measurement instruments, training curriculum, and technology stack), packaged for export
The problem we solve (debt in the context of dying and bereavement) exists in every country with consumer credit markets. The solution (licensed specialist credit mediation with a formal measurement system) is exportable.
The Replication Framework
| Component | Description | Export Format |
|---|---|---|
| Service Model | Referral protocol, case management, creditor negotiation playbook | Operations Manual (available Y4) |
| Measurement System | 18-indicator framework, validated stress instrument, case register design | Data architecture + implementation guide |
| Training Curriculum | 40-hour mediator training for the palliative debt context | Accredited online programme (built Y5) |
| Technology Stack | Case management system, reporting dashboard, referral portal | White-label SaaS (Year 6+ investment) |
| Legal & Regulatory Mapping | Australian regulatory framework analysis + comparative guide for UK, US, NZ, Canada | Country-specific legal memo |
| Evidence Package | Peer-reviewed publications, Impact Reports, case data | Academic publication + grey literature |
Pilot Countries: Year 5 Target Markets
- New Zealand: Closest regulatory environment; existing hospice sector relationships; Te Whatu Ora receptive to shared service models
- United Kingdom: Strong palliative care infrastructure (Marie Curie, Sue Ryder); high consumer debt per capita; NHS hardship referral pathway exists but lacks specialist
- Canada: Provincial health systems; active palliative care policy development; strong philanthropic sector aligned to health equity
- United States: Medical debt is a national crisis; palliative care social work profession receptive; Bloomberg Philanthropies and Gates Foundation both active in this space
International Funding Ask: $500,000
| Line Item | Amount | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| International Pilot Programme Director | $150,000 | 2-year senior role: relationship building, pilot design, site selection |
| Country-Specific Legal and Regulatory Analysis | $60,000 | Four-country comparative legal mapping (NZ, UK, Canada, US) |
| Replication Framework Documentation | $80,000 | Full export package: Operations Manual, training curriculum, data architecture |
| Pilot Site Establishment (2 countries) | $120,000 | Seed funding for two partner organisations to establish initial service capacity |
| Evaluation and Publication | $60,000 | Independent evaluation of pilot; academic publication; conference presentation |
| Travel and Stakeholder Engagement | $30,000 | Site visits, relationship building, sector conferences |
| TOTAL | $500,000 | 2-year international pilot programme |
Return on Investment for International Funders
All Seven Rooms: One Theory of Change
Every funding application in this document is aligned to a single, non-negotiable principle: evaluation is the business model, not a nice-to-have.
Each room uses different language for a different audience, but the underlying claim is always the same:
- Room A (Foundations): "You are investing in evidence, not programme delivery. Evidence is what changes systems."
- Room B (Corporate): "Your ESG dollar funds the resolution of harm your business model creates. That is not irony; it is coherence."
- Room C (Public): "$19.25 buys one hour of expert negotiation. That hour resolves, on average, $58,700 of debt. That is the most honest ROI statement any charity can make."
- Room D (Government): "The cost per case to the charity ($1,840) is less than the downstream health system saving per case ($4,020+). Commission us. It saves money."
- Room E (Bequests): "A bequest is not a gift. It is a decision to make this service permanent, to ensure it exists for families you will never meet."
- Room F (Health Sector): "We are the specialist referral your clinical team cannot currently find. Formalise the pathway. Your patients will benefit. Your costs will fall."
- Room G (International): "We built it. We measured it. We proved it. Now let us export it. The crisis does not stop at the border."
The Theory of Change is the spine of this entire document. Every room is a rib. Remove the spine and the rooms collapse. Keep the spine, the rigorous causal chain from intervention to systemic change, measured and reported annually, and the house stands.
See theory-of-change.html for the full causal chain and measurement framework. See value-proposition.html for the Value Proposition Canvas applied to each room. See growth-model.html for the year-on-year financial model from $470K to $100M.