Updated April 10: Please note that the addendum clarifying eligibility requirements for this RFP is now available here.
Best Starts for Kids is seeking proposals from individual organizations, or collaborations among organizations, to provide capacity-building supports to service providers that are, or will be, funded by Best Starts to provide the following services to young children and their families across King County:
Home-Based Services, inclusive of:
o Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Home Visiting Programs
o Community-Designed, Home-Based Programs and Practices
Community-Based Parenting Education and Support Programs
You can find the RFP HERE. Applications are due by Tuesday, April 24, 2018 by 2pm.
To view all supporting application materials please click HERE and select the Best Starts for Kids: Capacity-Building for Prenatal to Five Home-Based & Community-Based Services.
Capacity-Building Strategy
Capacity building is a process through which individuals, programs, organizations, and
systems obtain and/or strengthen assets and capabilities they need to effectively and equitably provide services to, and improved outcomes in partnership with, families and communities. Capacity-building support is the provision of information, tools, and resources on best practices along with the individualized, responsive, and ongoing coaching and support to strengthen programs, organizations, and systems capabilities.
Best Start’s goal in funding capacity building for organizations providing home-based and/or community-based services is to support collaborative design or co-creation of programs as well as address the many variables that can impact program implementation such as leadership development, funding/resource development and access to resources, practitioner empowerment, competence, and capacity for future efforts.
Capacity-building supports will be structured around two, integrated frameworks: the implementation science-based “formula for success” and race equity in implementation.
Implementation Science Framework
Equity in Implementation
All of BSK’s work is rooted in equity and social justice. Capacity-building support providers will demonstrate an understanding of fundamental equity concepts and how they shape capacity-building efforts. This includes factors such as how disparities and disproportionalities impact small community-based organizations (CBOs) from marginalized communities, the importance of validating deep community knowledge and expertise of community needs and assets, and how power dynamics play out among capacity-building providers, CBOs, and communities. Capacity-building supports must be provided using co-creation methods—those which intentionally draw upon the input of providers and communities to develop a solution for a specific need.
This RFP provides an opportunity to strengthen current implementation science frameworks by overlaying an equity lens—and demonstrating that high-quality implementation for all families must include equity best practices at program, organizational, and systems levels.
Funding Opportunities
There are three different capacity areas identified in this RFP.
Well Defined Programs
Purpose: Capacity-building support providers will partner with these Best Starts funded programs to support development or strengthening of innovative programs by creating program development products.
- 10 programs funded through the Community-Designed Home-Based Programs and Practices RFP
- 6-8 programs funded through the General Parenting—Parenting Supports and Education RFP
Effective Implementation
Purpose: Capacity-building providers will partner with these BSK-funded programs to support infrastructure development and high quality implementation:
- 11 programs funded through the Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Home Visiting RFP
- 10 programs funded through the Community-Designed Home-Based Programs and Practices RFP
- 6-8 programs funded through the Community-Based Parenting Support and Education RFP
Supportive Environments
Purpose: BSK will invest in an organization or partnership of organizations to develop a home-based services partnership group comprising families, community-based organizations, and King County systems partners in order to build the capacity of the home-based service system.
Timeline
The following time frame represents the tentative schedule of the entire process. The dates listed here are subject to change.
| RFP issued | March 20, 2018 |
| Information session
To join online click HERE, 230pm-4pm Audio via phone at 206.263.8114, conference ID #3490706 |
March 26, 2018 |
| Final day to ask questions | April 18, 2018 |
| RFP addenda issued (if necessary) | April 20, 2018 |
| Proposals due | April 24, 2018 |
| Responses reviewed and rated | April 27-May 10, 2018 |
| Notice of selected and non-selected proposals | May 25, 2018 |
| Selected proposals list published | May 26, 2018 |
Contract periods
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Eligibility
This announcement is open to not-for-profit organizations, community-based
organizations; tribes and tribal organizations; universities, schools, and school districts;
and public or governmental agencies serving communities in King County as well as
private consultants or research organizations with expertise in the needs of young
children, families, communities, and the systems that serve them.
Funding Priorities
This investment will prioritize:
- Partnerships that prioritize and demonstrate use of an equity lens. This includes knowledge of best practices is building equity capacity in organizations, applying methods that are equity informed in capacity-building supports and product development, and equitable ways of engaging providers and families.
- Partnerships that value and utilize co-creation and partnership methods in developing and improving programs and strategies. This includes expertise in using regular processes for soliciting family and community input on needs and services.
- Demonstrated partnerships that have expertise working with organizations that have a range of different capacities and cultural and linguistic assets.
- Partnerships that have expertise in implementation science or other methods and best practices in organizational development, capacity building, and/or technical assistance.
- Organizations that are connected to, and embedded in, BSK’s focus communities—those communities facing significant disparities by race and place. This includes employing staff and leadership who are representative of the communities served.
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.