Letter of Inquiry

February 25, 2010

The Pew Charitable Trusts
Rebecca W. Rimel
C.E.O. and Pres.
1 Commerce Sq.
2005 Market St., Ste. 1700
Philadelphia, PA 19103-7077

Dear Ms. Rimel,

My foundation requests $150,000 to create alcohol education programs for youth.

Our mission is to decrease the number of deaths on college campuses that come as a result of binge-drinking. We advocate education and trust in students to choose responsibly. Our foundation understands that it firsts begins in the home and early on at school. We would like to provide the opportunity for those that cannot get a free education at home about alcohol safety for them to acquire it at school. Our target audience are students about to enter high school that come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. We have a staff of 20 and would like to begin our programs around Seattle public K-8 schools. Our current annual budget has been mostly funded by individual donors and local businesses-- it currently stands around $30,000 a year. We are a beginning foundation that was recently started last year in 2009.

Our intent is to begin the slow campaign of lowering the drinking age to 18. We would like to begin the battle on binge-drinking with alcohol education after-school programs. Our project is entitled "Battle Binging". We understand that kids will drink no matter what, our primary concern is educating them on safety and responsibility for others. Our programs would include utilizing documentaries, real stories from families who were affected by their children binge-drinking and local immersion in community activities and social growth to make them budding leaders in their communities.

"Battle Binging" has a desperate need for fiscal backing; we would like to continue to expand as a foundation helping students understand the importance of the dangers of alcohol. We would like to put an end to preventable deaths and end a mistrust in students when it comes to drinking. Our long term goal is to lower the drinking age, but our current goal as of right now is to start with education and turning students into leaders. The need for this money would begin with some local and national research: what in the past has worked and what hasn't? We would like to begin by thinking of potential ways to make the after-school program fit with modern students today.

Our expenses would mostly be geared towards purchasing rights to documentaries, travel budgets for speakers and useful supplies and tools to help with after-school activities. All of the grant money that would potentially be awarded to us would be used throughout the seven K-8 Seattle public schools to begin the program as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing your response,

Carolyn Huynh