To help ensure that basic needs are met for all families in King County, Best Starts for Kids will strengthen the capacity of organizations who help to secure families’ basic needs. Basic needs are defined as the necessities that young children and their families need to support healthy growth and development, including but not limited to: diapers, cribs, car seats, formula, food, and clothing. The request for proposals to to help meet the basic needs of families through resource brokering is now available here.
Learn more about resource brokering and the importance of meeting basic needs for families here.
The Basic Needs Resource Brokering funding opportunity is one of three funding opportunities that support Best Starts Community Based Parenting and Peer Supports strategy. Additional funding opportunities will be released this year and in 2018.
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 and
community-based organizations are encouraged to submit proposals.
Funding priorities
This investment will prioritize organizations that:
- Serve communities of color, low-income communities and limited-English-speaking
communities, in alignment with King County’s Equity and Social Justice
Ordinance, and as prioritized in the Best Starts Implementation Plan. - Provide services in communities and/or geographies where there are limited
resources or service gaps. - Partner with community-based organizations serving diverse communities.
Commitment to equity
Equity and Social Justice 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 all 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.
Available funding
The total funding available for Basic Needs Resource Brokering is $350,000 per year. Applicants may apply for funding amounts ranging from $10,000 to $125,000 per year in their project budget. 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.
Timeline
| RFP released | October 19, 2017 |
| Information sessions | Webinar: October 25, 2017, 12:30 – 1:30 pm In person: October 31, 2017, 2:30 – 3:30 pm, Shoreline Public Library See below for additional details |
| Final day to ask questions | November 11, 2017 |
| RFP responses due | November 21, 2017 no later than 2:00 PM |
| Interviews with applicants (if necessary) | November 27 and 28, 2017 |
| Responses reviewed and rated | December 15, 2017 |
| Notice to selected and non-selected organizations | January 17, 2018 |
| List of selected organizations published. | January 22, 2018 |
| Project implementation begins |
January 31, 2018 |
Dates listed here are subject to change.
Information sessions
Webinar information session
Wednesday, October 25, 2017, 12:30 – 1:30 pm
Mark your calendar and add this link to your reminder, or join online here.
Or call in: 206-263-8114, conference ID: 3490706
In person information session
Tuesday, October 31, 2017, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Shoreline Public Library meeting room
345 Northeast 175th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155
Need help? Get free technical assistance
Technical assistance is available at no cost to support Best Starts for Kids applicants. Providers offer a wide range of skills, areas of expertise, and language abilities.
See the list of providers and contact information for technical assistance here.
Where can I find data?
Best Starts values the use of multiple sources of data and information. While the use of data resources is not required, we have compiled some King County data resources to
assure equal access to information. Indicators identified for Best Starts can be found
here: www.kingcounty.gov/bskindicators. Please visit the “Data Resources” page on the
Communities Count website: http://www.communitiescount.org/index.php?page=dataresources