Applications open for Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline – due November 20

King County’s Employment and Education Resources’ (EER) team is leading the Best Starts for Kids strategy for Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline (SSPP). This strategy supports youth and young adults between the ages of 12 and 24 who are at-risk of, currently, or were involved in the criminal justice system and face challenges staying in school, completing high school, gaining access to higher education and employment opportunities. Historically, this has been true for youth and young adults of color, especially African Americans, LatinX, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and East Africans, who have experienced historical, racial trauma and oppression.

The request for proposals to fund community supports to protect youth and young adults from going down the school-to-prison pipeline and instead be on a school-to-life success path is now available here.* 

*This link will take you to a ZoomGrants page. Create a login to view the request for proposals and apply.

What is the ‘School-to-Prison Pipeline’?

The ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ references how youth, primarily youth of color, are systematically funneled from schools into the criminal justice system. While all of the Best Starts for Kids strategies can contribute towards stopping the school-to-prison pipeline through promotion, prevention, and early intervention, the SSPP strategy specifically seeks to intentionally dismantle and replace the school-to-prison pipeline. This is partly done by partnering effectively with communities to create a school-to-life success path. A school-to-life success path is about creating a system that helps all of our youth and young adults, especially youth of color, live-up to their full potential and pursue their aspirations with the support of their communities. This includes acknowledging and building on their strengths/resources, and developing accessible, culturally reflective and responsive avenues of community support.

What activities will be funded?

This specific request is to further fund community supports (often referred to as “outreach and case management”) that focus on supporting the positive cultural identity development of youth and young adults along with their connection to education and attainment of future employment.

Applicants should propose a combination of community support (aka “outreach and case management services”) they believe will protect youth and young adults from going down the school-to-prison pipeline and instead be on a school-to-life success path.

Eligibility

This request 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, youth-led organizations serving in the South King County region are encouraged to submit proposals.

Available funding

A total of $4,000,000 is available for the program period of January 1, 2018 until June 30, 2019. The maximum amount available per program during the period is $400,000. We anticipate an opportunity for contracts within this request to receive funding for up to an additional 18 months based on available funding.

Timeline

RFP Issued	October 20, 2017
Information Sessions	In person: October 25 & 26, 2017 Webinar: October 30, 2017 See below for time and location details.
Final Day to Request Technical Assistance and Ask Questions	November 14, 2017
RFP Responses Due	Proposals due November 20, 2017 by 11:59 p.m. Late responses will not be accepted.
Responses Reviewed and Rated	December 8, 2017
Interviews with Applicants	December 11 – 15, 2017
Notice of Selected and Non-Selected Applicants	December 29, 2017
Program/Contract Start Date	January 1, 2018

Dates listed here are subject to change.

Information sessions

Date	Time		Location
Wednesday, October 25, 2017	9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Federal Way EX3 Ron Sandwith Teen Center 31453 28th Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003
Thursday, October 26, 2017	6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Kent Redeemed by the Blood Pentecostal Church703 Central Avenue South ​Kent, Washington 98032Contact: Pastor Boles, 206-853-8592
Monday, October 30, 2017	1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Webinar Add this link to your calendar, or click here to join the meeting. Phone in option: 206.263.8114, Conference ID: 1924039

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 to support my application?

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

Click here to watch a webinar from the Best Starts data and evaluation team sharing resources and tips for using data in your application.

• Request for Proposals