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Mobile Mini Golf
Pairs of one student and one resident. Accessible tees. Seated play option. Team scorecard, not individual.
Bessie's Hope and Rent-A-Theme already share the work. Two missions, one room, one hour where students and seniors actually connect. This page proposes a structure that funds the work for both of us and unlocks a pipeline neither of us can access alone.
The U.S. Surgeon General named senior loneliness a public health crisis in 2023. The Eisner Foundation funds intergenerational programs almost exclusively. Generations United exists for this. AARP Foundation, RRF Foundation for Aging, Kaiser Permanente community benefit, and Colorado Health Foundation all have line items for it.
Most of these funders require a 501(c)(3) lead applicant. Bessie's Hope qualifies. Rent-A-Theme does not. Apart, we leave money on the table. Together, we own the category in Colorado.
"Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being."U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, 2023 advisory on loneliness and isolation
A class of 15 to 25 students visits a Colorado senior community for two hours of facilitated play. Five accessible stations. Designed so an 8-year-old and an 88-year-old can play together.
Pairs of one student and one resident. Accessible tees. Seated play option. Team scorecard, not individual.
Floor-scale Connect Four, Yahtzee, or custom. Residents call moves from a chair. Students execute on the floor.
Mixed-age teams build to a prompt. "Build something from your childhood neighborhood." Teams share their creations.
Students interview residents using prompt cards. Each student writes one quote. Cards become a takeaway gift.
A polaroid of each pair. One sentence answering "what surprised you today?" Each pair takes the photo home.
Both structures produce funding for both organizations. Both name Bessie's Hope on every grant, case study, and event. The difference is depth of structure and operational involvement.
Lighter touch. Bessie's Hope and Rent-A-Theme apply jointly for grants. Bessie's Hope is the lead applicant of record. Funds flow to Bessie's Hope, which subcontracts Rent-A-Theme to deliver Grandfriends Play Days.
Deeper structure. Bessie's Hope acts as fiscal sponsor for the Grandfriends program specifically. Grant funds flow to Bessie's Hope as restricted funds, disbursed to Rent-A-Theme for delivery. Standard fiscal sponsorship fee.
A starting position for negotiation. Final numbers reflect Bessie's Hope's actual operational costs and capacity.
| Funding source | Rent-A-Theme share | Bessie's Hope share |
|---|---|---|
| Direct corporate sponsor (Toyota, Kaiser per-event) | 100% (no fiscal sponsor needed) | - |
| Small business / BIPOC grants (Amber, Comcast RISE, Hello Alice) | 100% | - |
| Co-applicant partnership grants (Eisner, Generations United, RRF) | 75% (delivery cost + margin) | 25% (program partner share) |
| Fiscal sponsorship grants | 90% (delivery) | 10% (fiscal sponsorship fee) |
| Joint impact reporting / case studies | Co-owned, both logos | Co-owned, both logos |
On every Grandfriends Play Day, every case study, every grant award. Logo on every printed asset. Mention in every press release.
22 ranked targets identified by the Easley Labs grant finder system. Top 5 drafts already written. Bessie's Hope plugs in as the lead applicant; the strategy work is done.
Rent-A-Theme delivers. Bessie's Hope partners. The program runs without adding operational load to Bessie's Hope's existing team. We bring the equipment, the warehouse, and the staff.
From the partnership share or fiscal sponsorship fee. Multi-grant pipeline produces predictable annual revenue, not one-off project income.
Through Rent-A-Theme's existing school and senior community partner network. Every Grandfriends event introduces Bessie's Hope to a school PTA and a senior living regional office.
Bessie's Hope can also pitch the program to its own donor base. The case study assets serve both organizations' fundraising independently.
If this is the right shape but the numbers need work, we refine. If it is not the right fit, we shake hands and remain partners on individual events the way we always have. The goal is a real conversation, not a closed deal on day one.
Tonya Milligan · Rent-A-Theme Entertainment · (303) 339-0001