Request for Qualifications (RFQ):

Grant Writing Services

Release Date: September 30, 2025

Responses Due: November 30, 2025

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

 
Apply Here
 

Introduction

Baltimore’s Promise is seeking experienced grant writers to support the organization's strategic growth and sustainability across multiple funding streams. Selected individuals or firms will be pre-qualified to provide grant writing and grant sourcing support on a project-by-project basis aligned with Baltimore’s Promise's core priorities.

This RFQ is intended to establish a pool of trusted consultants with demonstrated expertise in developing compelling, equity-centered proposals that align with our mission to support 42,000 more youth on the path to economic mobility.

Priority Expertise Areas

Respondents should demonstrate specialized experience in one or more of the following funding and content areas:

  • Federal Grants (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, DOL, HHS)

  • Place-Based Initiatives 

  • Summer Learning & Youth Well-Being Ecosystems

  • Workforce Development, Career Readiness & Talent Ecosystems

  • Research and Evaluation, Data Infrastructure, and Equity-Driven Measurement

  • Systems Change, Intermediary Functions

  • General Operating - Nonprofits

Experience with Baltimore City-specific context, funders, and collaborative grantmaking processes is strongly preferred.

Scope of Services

Qualified consultants may be engaged to:

  • Identify and vet relevant grant opportunities across public and private sectors

  • Lead or support the writing and submission of grant proposals

  • Coordinate with internal Baltimore’s Promise staff (Executive Leadership Team and Operations) for narrative development, budget alignment, and compliance

  • Produce logic models, work plans, and evaluation frameworks in line with funder requirements

  • Support multi-stakeholder proposal efforts (e.g., collaborative applications with youth-serving organizations, public agencies, youth, community members, and more)

Submission Requirements 

Please submit a single PDF packet via Formstack that includes:

  1. Cover letter outlining your interest and relevant areas of expertise, which includes a statement of capabilities. 

  2. Qualifications and experience, including:

    • List of grants written/submitted in the past five years (include funder, amount, and outcome if known)

    • Any experience sourcing or researching grant opportunities

    • Knowledge of federal and local funding streams

  3. Writing sample (preferably a past grant narrative or excerpt)

  4. References (minimum of two)

  5. Rate sheet or fee structure

  6. Certifications (e.g., SAM registration, MBE status, etc., if applicable)

Submissions are due no later than November 30, 2025.

Review and Selection Process

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Qualified applicants will be added to a pre-approved pool of consultants eligible for project-based engagements. Selection for specific opportunities will depend on alignment with project scope, availability, and demonstrated experience.

 
Apply Here
 

Questions about this RFQ can be submitted via email to operations@baltimorespromise.org.

About Baltimore’s Promise

Baltimore’s Promise is a data-driven collective impact nonprofit that has an audacious vision: all young adults in Baltimore City will have what they need to be healthy, and on a path to achieve economic self-sufficiency. We do this by spurring collective action, disrupting racist systemic barriers, building civic infrastructure, and accelerating positive outcomes for youth. Baltimore’s Promise cares about the well-being and opportunities available for all children from birth to career, and focuses on Black, Latinx, and other intersectionalities of youth ages 14-24, who are historically, and currently, discriminated against. It harnesses the power of data and collaboration to achieve better outcomes for Baltimore’s youth and their families. 

  • We support initiatives with a diverse range of partners to improve outcomes for youth at every age. 

  • We listen to and partner with youth to advocate for and fund programs that support communities that have been underfunded. 

  • We maintain and update data initiatives, like the Baltimore City Youth Data Scorecard, to make data related to health and well-being of children and young people in Baltimore accessible to all. 

  • We conduct and broadly share research to help decision-makers and our community understand what’s working and what needs to be improved to better serve youth in our city.

Today, hundreds of stakeholders — including the school district, higher education institutions, foundations, businesses, nonprofits, community leaders, adult residents, and youth and young adults — are engaged to build a broad basis of support for our commitment to work together to benefit our children. This ongoing engagement is critical to the work of Baltimore’s Promise, a collaborative dedicated to improving outcomes for the city’s youth.

This broad cradle-to-career focus is similar in intent to many collective impact strategies in cities across the United States. Baltimore’s Promise is the local affiliate of StriveTogether, a national nonprofit network of nearly 70 partnerships like Baltimore’s Promise that are working to improve outcomes for youth and young adults in their communities by bringing together cross-sector partners around a shared community vision.

To learn more about Baltimore’s Promise please visit www.baltimorespromise.org.

Additional Information

Baltimore’s Promise is committed to equitable contracting practices. We encourage proposals from youth, small, minority-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQIA+-owned businesses, as well as individuals and organizations with ties to Baltimore City.