Small, community-based organizations face a variety of challenges in applying for public funding opportunities. In order to achieve our goal of serving the most historically underfunded communities and the organizations that support them, we know we need to level the playing field. That’s why we’re contracting with consultants or organizations to provide technical assistance to community-based organizations needing support in applying for Best Starts funds in 2017.
The Request for Qualifications for consultants and organizations to provide technical assistance is now available here. This link will take you to the King County Solicitations page. You may enter the site as a Guest or, if previously registered, by logging on with your User ID. You will see the RFQ after logging in. If not, type Best Starts for Kids in the keywords search bar to locate the RFQ.
These contractors will support interested organizations in describing their strengths, related services, organizational structure, the role they play in the community, success stories, or other information and content needed to submit a strong proposal for Best Starts funding.
Available funding
The total amount available to this work is $500,000 for 2017, with individual grant amounts ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 depending on geographic, cultural, and linguistic breadth of the contract. Funds will be disbursed along the following strategy areas:
- Home-based services (prenatal to age five)
- Community-based parenting and parenting supports (prenatal to five)
- Child care health consultation (prenatal to five)
- Early learning direct services (prenatal-five)
- Partnership with schools (ages five to twenty-four)
- Youth development (five to twenty-four)
- Parent engagement (five to twenty-four)
- Pipeline to success (five to twenty-four)
Scope of Work
Contractors will participate in a training to learn about King County’s RFQ process and BSK’s vision for its funding strategies. They will then provide the following support to CBOs:
- Assist CBOs in assessing whether their proposed work is a good fit with the RFP criteria
- Assist CBOs in understanding the BSK requirements and support identification of ongoing internal support needed to meet the requirements
- Assist CBOs in articulating and documenting their story and proposed work that demonstrates the community’s need and the CBO’s ability to meet those needs
- Guide CBOs on how to respond to an RFP
- Edit and proof-read applications
Qualifications
The most qualified contractors will possess the following:
- Knowledge of general public funding processes
- Knowledge of the strategy areas in which CBOs are looking to apply for funding
- Cultural competence and multi-lingual capability
- Thorough understanding of how institutional racism and other forms of institutional discrimination have prevented CBOs from receiving public funds and limited their capacity to grow and more fully meet community needs
- Demonstrated ability and experience providing support, coaching, and/or technical assistance to CBO’s.
Need technical assistance?
Each Best Starts funding opportunity will include information about how to get technical assistance in applying. We’ll include this information on this blog whenever we post a new Best Starts funding opportunity. Enter your email in the Subscribe by Email form on bottom of this page (top right on a desktop browser) to receive an email whenever we post a new blog.
You can also subscribe to the Best Starts Newsletter here. You’ll receive our monthly newsletter with news and updates, and a new funding opportunity alert whenever we post a request for proposals or other opportunity to partner with Best Starts for Kids.