The deadline for the Youth Healing Project RFP is delayed until August 14 due to new requirements for Best Starts for Kids funded contracts. The guidance for these requirements is actively being developed and will be communicated publicly as soon as possible.
If you have already submitted an application, you will be asked to submit additional information or documentation. More guidance to come.
The main project activities for the Youth Healing Project also have a new contract term and will now be from January to December 2027. Organizations and youth can bill for work that starts in November of 2026 to account for staff time and start-up costs associated with project planning. For more information on the new timeline, you can reference updated RFP documents in Agiloft.
The new requirements are related to a new Expenditure Restriction that King County Council passed on June 23 (Ordinance 20086). The language that applies to this RFP is below:
Expenditure Restriction 2: A. Of this appropriation, contracts with service providers supported by Best Starts for Kids levy moneys shall not be entered into and grants supported by Best Starts for Kids levy moneys shall not be awarded unless the director of the department of community and human services transmits a letter to the council no less than ten business days before execution of any new contract or grant.
B. The letter to the council shall identify the Best Starts for Kids levy strategy, the contract or grant amount, and certify, after making a reasonably diligent inquiry and assessment, the following to be true and correct to the best of the director’s knowledge:
1. The program proposed for support advances the goals of the Best Starts for Kids levy and the applicable strategy, with identifiable and measurable outcomes;
2. For new requests for proposals or support opportunities, that there were at least two proposers or grantees considered, or if not, the reasons used to determine that only one service provider supported by Best Starts for Kids levy moneys for the applicable service or program was qualified to propose or only one grant recipient was qualified;
3. The proposed grant recipient or contractor is qualified, capable, and prepared to deliver the required services in a responsible, timely manner;
4. The proposed grant recipient or contractor has the necessary financial management, accounting, reporting systems, and qualified personnel to responsibly administer the public funds to be provided;
5. The proposed grant recipient or contractor has the capacity and capability to accurately and timely report to King County on the desired outcomes for the program; and
6. The proposed grant recipient, contractor, or any person in a leadership or managerial capacity responsible for administering the moneys or programming by the proposed grant recipient or contractor, has not previously been identified by King County government as having directly and materially participated in conduct that has caused any program or grant to be terminated for wrongdoing or misuse of moneys, has not been directly and materially involved in conduct at a program or organization identified by the King County auditor, ombuds office, or department staff where misspending, misusing, or otherwise improperly obtaining King County funds was found, or, if wrongdoing or misuse of moneys has been identified by King County government, the director has determined that all reasonable steps have been taken to recover any previously misused moneys and adequate corrective action has been implemented.
The director of the department of community and human services may require the proposed grant recipient or contractor to certify, to the best of their knowledge, the foregoing statements as part of the director’s diligent inquiry. The executive shall electronically file the notification letter with the clerk of the council, who will retain an electronic copy and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers.
The full omnibus budget, Ordinance 20086, can be found here.
