1 /
Nonprofit Partnership Presentation · Colorado / California Search
Forward
Operating
Base

FOB is seeking the right nonprofit fiscal sponsor to support a structured veteran mentorship, youth resilience, and SMB apprenticeship initiative without misrepresenting the program's current for-profit status.

Presented by Jacob Johnston, Program Director March 2026  ·  Colorado Springs, CO truenorthfob.org  ·  719-204-6365
45 Days
Intensive cohort program — veterans + youth
4 Pillars
14 operational modules — career, business, crisis, operations
2 Populations
Transitioning veterans and at-risk youth ages 15–18
1 Ask
A mission-aligned fiscal sponsorship partnership
Mission Alignment

Why FOB Needs the Right Fiscal Sponsor

What FOB Is Building

A dual-population model serving transitioning veterans and at-risk youth ages 15–18 through mentorship, apprenticeship, and early crisis intervention.

Why a Sponsor Matters

FOB needs compliant grant and donation intake, restricted fund management, and nonprofit oversight while the pilot track record is built.

The Fit

Veterans who serve as mentors give youth the single most powerful protective factor against suicide: a caring adult outside the family who believes in them. FOB pairs that evidence-based relationship with local SMB apprenticeship and follow-on support.

Geographic Focus

FOB is looking first for a nonprofit partner in Colorado or California that understands youth development, veteran service, workforce pathways, or crisis-adjacent programming.

The due-diligence materials already exist: program guide, mentor agreement, parental consent form, SMB partner agreement, fiscal sponsorship draft language, and the four-pillar module map.

The Case for Action

Two Crises. One Program.

17/day
Veterans die by suicide — roughly one every 80 minutes
1 in 5
High school students seriously considered suicide in 2023
60%
Of veteran suicides — never engaged VA services before death
62%
Rise in youth suicide rates, ages 10–24, from 2007–2021

The CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey identifies the most powerful protective factor against youth suicide as: "a trusted adult outside the family who the youth believes cares about them." That is the mentor relationship. That is FOB's core model. This program is not aspirational — it is evidence-aligned.

CDC YRBS 2023 · CDC MMWR Suppl. Oct 2024 (Verlenden et al.) · CDC Health Disparities in Suicide · VA Office of Mental Health 2023 · CDC NCHS

Program Design

The 45-Day
Summer Cohort

Four phases. Two populations. Veterans train as mentors first, then youth join. The final two weeks shift to real-world apprenticeship at local SMB partners. Graduation is a public event.

Cohort Size
12–15 Youth  ·  6–8 Mentors
3+ SMB Partners  ·  1:2 Mentor Ratio
Also Operates As
Pipeline Punks — youth-facing brand identity for in-school and cohort programming. Brand assets owned by Program Director.
Phase Structure
Phase 0
Days 1–5
Mentor Training — Mentors Only
Veterans and community volunteers complete trauma-informed training, Buddy Backup orientation, mandatory reporter certification, and mock session practice before youth arrive.
Phase 1
Days 6–30
Core Curriculum — Veterans + Youth
Four weeks: leadership foundation, business basics, Colorado LLC formation, SDVOSB certification, financial literacy, sales, and pitch development. SMB owners lead curriculum sessions in their area of expertise.
Phase 2
Days 31–45
SMB Apprenticeship + Graduation
1–3 participants placed at each SMB partner site for structured two-week apprenticeship. Day 45 is a formal public graduation event open to families and community.
Phase 3
Ongoing
Alumni Network + Follow-On Support
Monthly group sessions, individual mentor check-ins at 7/14/30/90 days. Youth graduates eligible to return as junior mentors. Veterans supported through business launch pathway.
Program Architecture

Four Pillars. 14 Modules.

1

Leadership & Career

AI job matching, SkillBridge portal, employment stabilization. Serves veterans and youth through the SMB apprenticeship pipeline.

2

Business & Entrepreneurship

Automated proposal writing, tax compliance, micro-grant marketplace. Supports veteran-owned businesses and SMB partners.

3

Crisis Response

Buddy Backup Command (deployed), community peer support platform, by-name list outreach. Two tracks: veteran and youth.

4

Program Operations

Grant management, data governance, volunteer scheduler, financial dashboard, legal-aid document vault. The administrative backbone behind FOB delivery.

Buddy Backup is deployed. The veteran track is live on Railway with AES-256-GCM encryption, 34 Row-Level Security policies, and all three consent flows tested and passing (revoke fires in 625ms vs. 5-second requirement). The youth track requires attorney compliance review before deployment — that review is budgeted and planned for Phase 2.

Governance

How a Fiscal Sponsor Partnership Can Work

Nonprofit Fiscal Sponsor
FOB Program Director

Provides

  • Restricted-fund management once an agreement is signed
  • Grant and donation intake through the sponsor entity
  • Compliance and reporting oversight appropriate to the relationship
  • Annual review and the option to modify or terminate the arrangement
  • Authority to approve which funding opportunities fit the sponsor

Responsible For

  • All day-to-day program operations
  • Mentor recruitment, training, and oversight
  • Youth participant enrollment and safety
  • Grant applications and funder reporting
  • Buddy Backup system operation

Sponsor Protections

  • Written agreement defining program scope, fund restrictions, and notice periods
  • No obligation to represent FOB as an independent nonprofit before the structure exists
  • No launch of youth crisis technology without legal and compliance review
  • Clear approval gates for grant pursuit, communications, and public fundraising language

IP Ownership

  • All FOB IP (Buddy Backup, Pipeline Punks brand, program docs) remains with Jacob Johnston / True North Data Strategies LLC
  • The sponsor receives only the rights defined in the fiscal sponsorship agreement
  • No automatic transfer of IP claims through the sponsorship relationship
  • Any future structural change is documented separately from the sponsorship agreement
Partnership Case

Why This
Partnership Is
Time-Sensitive

FOB has the program design, partner-facing presentations, module map, and live donation path already in motion. The missing piece is the right nonprofit relationship to receive charitable funds and carry compliant oversight while the pilot proves itself.

Current Funding Reality
FOB remains under True North Data Strategies LLC today. GiveSendGo stays live, donations are not tax-deductible, and no nonprofit status is being implied before a fiscal sponsorship agreement is actually executed. Where grant rules allow it, budgets can include Program Director salary and a 5% to 12% nonprofit administrative fee.
What Is Already Built
Program Design 45-day cohort model with veterans, youth, SMB apprenticeship, and alumni follow-on already mapped
Partner Materials SMB presentation, nonprofit presentation, pillar deck, and operating documents are ready for review
Technology Buddy Backup veteran track is deployed; youth-side release remains gated behind legal review
SMB Offer Participating SMBs receive the proposal and contract-generation workflow during active partnership, with retainer support for updates
Grant Budget Logic FOB grant budgets can support Program Director salary and provide a 5% to 12% administrative fee to the nonprofit sponsor where the grant permits admin cost recovery
Nonprofit Need A sponsor in Colorado or California that can steward charitable funds and help carry compliant growth
What This Deck Is Not Claiming
No unconfirmed grant pipeline, no assumed revenue forecast, and no nonprofit status before the paperwork exists. This version stays grounded in what is already real.
Execution Plan

Three Phases to Independence

Phase 1 · Now–Month 3

Establish & Pilot

  • Finalize nonprofit outreach list in Colorado and California
  • Review deck, program packet, and fiscal sponsorship terms with candidate partners
  • Prepare Cohort 1 launch path and partner commitments
  • In-School Track design complete
  • Buddy Backup veteran track deployed
  • Metrics tracking active from Day 1
Phase 2 · Month 3–9

Prove & Fund

  • Execute fiscal sponsorship agreement if fit is confirmed
  • Launch pilot cohort with SMB partners and track outcomes
  • Submit funding opportunities that match the sponsor's compliance posture
  • In-School Track first school partnership
  • Attorney: Buddy Backup IP + Railway compliance
  • Cohort 2 launched
  • Refine public language based on operational proof
Phase 3 · Month 9–18

Structural Decision

  • Evaluate whether the sponsor arrangement should continue, expand, or sunset
  • Decide whether FOB should remain sponsored, stay for-profit, or pursue a future standalone nonprofit path
  • Youth Buddy Backup pilot (if attorney cleared)
  • Scale partner and school relationships based on documented results
  • Structure follows proof — not the other way around

The relationship is intended to be structured with clear notice provisions, annual review, and enough separation to protect both the sponsor and the FOB program while results are being proven.

Preferred Terms

Fiscal Sponsorship Starting Point

Operating Entity TodayTrue North Data Strategies LLC — FOB is still operating as a for-profit project until a sponsorship agreement is signed
Sponsorship GoalNonprofit fiscal sponsor in Colorado or California aligned with youth development, veteran support, workforce, or crisis-adjacent work
Program ScopeDual-population: transitioning veterans + at-risk youth ages 15–18. Mentorship, apprenticeship, resilience, and community connection.
Fund StructureRestricted FOB fund administered by the sponsor only after execution of the fiscal sponsorship agreement
Program Director SalaryGrant budgets may include Program Director salary as a direct program cost where the funding source permits it
Nonprofit Admin FeeFOB anticipates a 5% to 12% administrative fee for the nonprofit sponsor from grants received where the grant allows administrative cost recovery
IP OwnershipAll FOB intellectual property (Buddy Backup, Pipeline Punks brand, program documentation) remains with Jacob Johnston / True North Data Strategies LLC unless separately assigned
Donation Status NowGiveSendGo remains live, but contributions are not tax-deductible until the nonprofit structure is formally in place
Review PeriodAnnual review, clear written notice terms, and flexibility to revisit the relationship as operational proof develops
Step 1
Call
Step 2
Review
Step 3
Draft
Step 4
Launch

This website-facing version is built for exploratory partner outreach, not internal board procedure.

Forward Operating Base · Pipeline Punks Youth Program
Looking for the
right nonprofit
partner.

Veterans leading youth. Community building purpose. A program addressing two urgent suicide-risk populations through one locally rooted initiative. The model is designed. The documents are ready. FOB now needs the right nonprofit fiscal sponsor to help carry the next stage responsibly.

Jacob Johnston · Program Director, FOB jacob@truenorthstrategyops.com · 719-204-6365 truenorthfob.org · pipelinepunks.com Current operating entity: True North Data Strategies LLC · Colorado Springs, CO
Documents Available for Diligence
01 · Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement Draft
02 · Summer Cohort Program Guide
03 · Mentor Agreement
04 · Parental Consent Form
05 · SMB Partner Agreement
06 · Four-Pillar Module Overview
07 · Program Messaging and Presentation Materials