The Request for Proposals to support Youth Development activities is now available here. This link will take you to King County Solicitations. You may enter the site as a Guest or, if previously registered, by logging on with your User ID. Type “Best Starts for Kids” in the keywords search bar to locate the RFP.
This funding opportunity will support organizations for up to three years, focusing on mentoring, youth leadership and engagement opportunities, positive identity development, and healthy relationships.
Example activities
See the full RFP for many example activities for each program area. A few examples include:
- Mentoring: High school age student led mentoring programs to work with elementary age students.
- Youth leadership & engagement opportunities: Implementation of a program to support young people in local community mapping and municipal/neighborhood land use and planning efforts.
- Positive identity development: Program that works with LGBTQ young people to develop family communication strategies.
- Healthy and Safe Relationships: Peer to peer mediation programs to promote healthy problem solving.
Commitment to Equity
Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) is an integral part of the County’s work and foundational to the work of Best Starts for Kids. Our goal is to ensure that all people, regardless of who they are and where they live, have the opportunity to thrive, with full and equal access to opportunities, power, and resources.
For Best Starts funded programs, we seek to support organizations that are reflective of and embedded in the communities they serve, and recognize and address the disparities and disproportionality that exist in our communities.
Eligibility
This announcement is only open to not-for-profit organizations, community-based organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, schools and school districts, and public or governmental agencies serving communities in King County. Small non-profits, community-based organizations, and youth-led organizations are encouraged to submit proposals.
Available funding
Applicants may propose up to $200,000 per year in their project budget. Grants are available for up to 3 years.
The final amount of funding awarded to each grantee will be determined during the proposal review and award process. There is no pre-determined maximum number of proposals that will be awarded. Instead, the number of grantees awarded funds will be determined by the quality of applications received.
Proposal timeline
| Key Activity | Deadline |
| RFP Issued | June 29 |
| Information Sessions | July 12-July 20 |
| Questions Due From Applicants (via email)* | August 3 by 5pm |
| RFP Responses Due | August 10 by 2pm |
| Notice of Selected and Non-Selected Proposers** | September 12 |
| Selected RFP List Published** | September 15 |
*Questions received after this date may not be answered.
**Subject to change.
Where can I find data to support my application?
The Best Starts for Kids interactive data website allows users to focus in on Best Starts indicators in their community, neighborhood, or city. Proposals should relate to one or more of the secondary indicators listed in the Request for Proposals.
You are NOT required to submit a detailed evaluation plan as part of your application.
An additional data resource page is available from Communities Count.
Have more questions? Join us for information sessions.
| Date | Time 2017 Info Sessions | |
| Wednesday, July 12, 2017 | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | Mt Si Community Center, 400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend, WA 98046 |
| Thursday, July 13, 2017 | 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm | Skype: Join Skype Meeting; 1.206.263.8114 Conference ID: 441706 |
| Friday, July 14, 2017 | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | Kenmore Library, 6531 NE 181st St. Kenmore, WA 98028 |
| Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | Auburn Community Center, 910 Ninth Street SE, Auburn, WA 98002 |
| Thursday, July 20, 2017 | 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Skyway Library, 12601 76th Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98178 |
Technical assistance available
Technical assistance is available to organizations needing support in applying. If you have never applied for government funding before, are new to responding to a Requests for Proposal (RFP), or are needing support with your application, please select a contractor listed below who you think best suits your needs and reach out to them directly to set up an appointment to discuss your application. This service is being offered at no cost to the applicant.
Contractors to support Best Starts for Kids Youth Development Applications
David Daw has vast experience working with community based organizations and non-profit organizations. Over the past five years as the Capacity Building Manger and then Director of a non-profit organization he managed contracts and provided TA for 6 cities to support agencies when applying for funding for their human services funding. He has provided technical assistance for fund development under a Gates Foundation and United Way grants. He as also participated in over 20 Request for Proposal Review Committees (King County, multiple cities, and foundations) and understand what makes a great proposal. With his assistance organization have successfully applied for and received Federal, State, City and foundation funding. In addition, his formal education is in economic development and intercultural communication. He was the Neighborhood Revitalization Manager in White Center where he provided technical assistance, and worked with the local business associations. As a consultant, he has supported dozens of small businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations. David can be reached at: David@Dawllc.com.
Stella Gran-O’Donnell has over 17 years experience working for government agencies and as a consultant providing training, technical assistance, and capacity building to grassroots groups, community-based agencies and organizations. As co-director for the Community Research Center (CRC) she oversaw efforts for and provided T/TA and capacity building assistance – community assessments, grant writing and evaluation – to small grassroots groups and CBOs. She also spearheaded the Sustainable Evaluation Project which offered small awards and training to 6 organizations to support their program evaluation efforts. Since, Stella has continued partnering with more than 20 schools and local CBOs throughout King County and Federal Region X (AK, OR, ID and WA) to support agencies with organizational development and technical assistance needs per request. She also served as a grant reviewer for multiple government agencies. Specific experience includes: TA/Capacity Building with refugee and immigrant agencies and schools; budget development and completion of forms; identifying relevant research to support statement of need; knowledge of best practices, promising practices and evidence based-practices for positive youth development programs and evaluation. Stella can be reached at: sgranodonnell@comcast.net.
Anna Raksany has supported many community based organizations apply for funding over the past 20 years, having chosen her career as a fundraiser after a great experience as a teenager receiving services from a small grassroots nonprofit. She approaches a project such as this one in an interview style, asking questions in conversation and trying to distill the answers into a few key points that are most important to the organization and relevant to this particular funding opportunity. She wants your voice and values to come alive in a proposal, so that reviewers tasked with the tough decision of selecting only a few grantees can see your impact on paper. She has many years of experience with grant writing, feels comfortable with narrative portions, outcome measures, budgets, and staffing descriptions. Anna also is fluent in Spanish. Anna can be reached at: araksany@gmail.com.