REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP):How It Works

Training Webinar for Refugee Leaders from Burma and Bhutan

Presented by SEARAC/Mosaica Friday, December 9, 2011

Agenda

Review of RFP Helpful Hints for Proposal Discuss questions and concerns

Background

The project objectives are to:

3.Build capacity of community members to organize and help refugees toward individual and community self-sufficiency.

4.Promote local service coordination and resource collaborations for long-term integration amongst social service providers, resettlement agencies, ethnic CBOs, and refugee community leaders.

5.Increase general public awareness of the two refugee communities through public education by wide distribution of needs assessment findings with government service agencies, funding agencies including private and public entities, and local and internet media.

Purpose of the Grants to ECBOS

Develop a strong service project; Build and establish relationships

with local and mainstream resources; and

Create a sustainability plan for the project and organization.

Funding Priorities

The priorities for this RFP focus on projects that benefit youth*, elders**, and women.

*Youth is defined as an individual under the age of 21.

**Elder is defined as an individual over the age of 55.

Examples of projects could include: academic and cultural support to youth such as an afterschool project that provides home work support, college prep, career counseling, and activities for learning about cultural heritage;

intergenerational leadership development that engages youth and elders to learn from each other; health education that focuses on prevention and healthy nutrition and activities for women and elders; and

activities that improve psychological well-being and provide economic benefit to the individual, family, and community, such as usage of existing artisan or craft skills.

Awards

Estimated total grant amount$50,000

Award Ceiling$10,000

Award Floor$2,000

# of awards8

Eligibility

Learning tool and distributed only to groups and organizations that SEARAC has been engaged with between 2010 and 2011.

SEARAC will not accept applications from organizations or groups that have not already been a part of the T&TA project or any unsolicited proposals.

Applicants must provide a copy of a certificate of incorporation. If the applicant is not yet incorporated, please provide a statement of intention to incorporate. However, if selected for funding, funds will not be disbursed until incorporation is established.

Application and Submission Information

Please submit the following documents in the following order:

A Table of Contents A One-Page Project Summary/Abstract A 10-Page Double-Spaced Needs and Project

Description/ Narrative. This 10-page limitation for the narrative is strictly a maximum, and not a goal. In the competitive review process, reviewers will be instructed to disregard any narrative over the 10-page limit.

Budget and Budget Justification: The Budget Justification should explain how costs were determined.

Attachments: These may not exceed 10 pages in total.

Instructions

The summary must be: clear accurate concise, and should not repeat other parts of the

application. The abstract must include a brief description of the proposed project including the needs to be addressed, the proposed services, and the population group(s) to be served.

Project Summary/Abstract (max 1 page)

Instructions

1. Need for Assistance (maximum 2 pages)2. Project Goal, Objectives, and Expected

Outcomes (maximum 4 pages)3. Logic Model/Project Workplan Chart (1

page)4. Approach (maximum 1 page)5. Project Sustainability Plan (maximum 1 page)6. Organizational Capacity (maximum 1 page)

Narrative

Instructions

Identify specific needs of youth, women, or seniors in your targeted community

Include estimates of numbers of youth, women, or seniors

Discuss how you know their needs: Tracking of requests for assistance, surveys,

focus groups, data collected by others Stories of individuals from observations,

testimonials

Needs

Instructions

Project Goal: The overall aim of your project Example: Reduce isolation among elders or ensure

elder access needed health care.

Objectives: The specific things you will do Example: Build relationships with 4 senior service

organizations, assist 50 seniors to access health services by making referrals and accompanying them to appointments.

Outcomes: What will be different for the community because of what you do Example: 40 seniors have health concerns addressed

Goals, Objectives, Outcomes

Instructions

Logic Model

Instructions

Describe the projects activities – Why did you choose these activities? How will they lead to the outcomes you hope for?

Describe how you have involved the community you serve in planning the proposed project.

Describe how your project addresses the specific cultural and language needs of the target population.

Approach

Instructions

What will you do to make sure you can continue this project beyond the grant period?

Identify 2 potential partners Identify 2 potential funders Identify 2 other ways you could use

to raise funds to support the project

Sustainability Plan

Instructions

Describe the mission and history of the organization

If you have experience in providing services similar to those you intend to offer, describe that experience (this could be experience of organization or individuals involved)

If you do not have such experience, tell us how you will build your capacity.

Organizational Capacity

Instructions

Provide a budget with line-item detail and calculations for each budget item to include quantities and unit costs. (Use attached Excel template.)

Provide a narrative budget justification for the proposed project. The narrative budget justification should describe how the categorical costs are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, and allocation of the proposed costs.

The budget and budget justification narrative will not be counted toward the narrative page limit or the attachment limit.

Budget and Budget Justification

Instructions

Think about all possible costs: People: staff time, contractors, volunteer honorarium

($600 threshold), expense reimbursement Operating costs: space (portion of rent or rental fees),

phone, etc. Materials/supplies: equipment, books Other?

Describe how you calculated the estimated cost (assumptions you made)

Budget and Budget Justification

Instructions

1. 2 letters of support. One from a community, public, or commercial leader. One from a community member who benefited from the organization’s services. The letters can be emailed directly to SEARAC or included in the application package. If emailed, please indicate in the application package that the letters are submitted separately.

2. An organizational chart (volunteer or staff structure).

3. Certificate of Incorporation (or statement of intent to apply for incorporation).

4. A biographical sketch or resume for each key person involved in project, including volunteers. Resumes should be no more than two pages in length. If there are no volunteers currently engaged, provide job descriptions for each position and qualifications to carry out the project.

5. List of Board of Directors and their expertise and/or experience.

6. Other attachments can include examples of the organization’s work or success such as newspaper clippings, flyers, or newsletters.

Other Requirements and Attachments

Reviewing Criteria

The application will be reviewed by SEARAC staff, Mosaica staff, and an additional outside reviewer. The application will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

Clarity of proposed project (20 points) Demonstrated needs (20 points) Project goal, objectives, outcomes, and approach are

appropriate to the organization and community served (20 points)

Support for project from community members, stakeholders, other notable organizations or individuals (20 points)

Appropriateness of budget relative to the scope of the project (20 points)

Timeline

Application Due Date:

December 30, 2011

Application Results Announcement:

January 15, 2012

Project Implementation:

February 1, 2012