** EXTENDED SUBMISSION DEADLINE **
Request for Qualifications (RFQ):
Youth Development Organizations for Co-Development and Implementation of Recruitment Strategy for Youth-Led Grantmaking Structure - 2 Month Contract
Release Date: November 2, 2021
EXTENDED Deadline for Submission: December 16, 2021 by 5:00 PM ET.
If you are interested in this opportunity and are considering applying, email info@baltimorespromise.org indicating your intent to apply. Send your intent email by December 10, 2021 at 5:00 PM.
Click to watch the recording or download the presentation from the Virtual Bidders Conference held on 11/11/21.
Click here to view the RFQ’s Question & Answer Document.
Overview
As a next step in our commitment to centering youth voice, leadership, and decision-making in the work of collective impact and resource allocation, Baltimore’s Promise is seeking to collaborate with youth and young adults to launch the development of a youth and young adult-led (YYA) grantmaking structure for Baltimore City. This RFQ is seeking identify a to learn about Youth Development Organization (YDO) serving older youth who can do the following over a period of two months:
Co-develop a thoughtful, youth-friendly recruitment process in partnership with the management team of the YYA grantmaking effort as well as two youth advisors hired to consult on the early stages of this effort’s development
Serve as the lead implementer of a recruitment strategy designed to attract a diverse, competitive pool of interested young people ages 16 - 24 both in and out of school
Leverage existing partnerships and build new partnerships with other organizations to share this opportunity broadly across the city
The Youth Development organization (YDO) should have a strong history of older youth engagement, developing or supporting youth leadership structures, directly engaging youth leaders, and incorporating youth voice into its own operations. This opportunity is open to submissions representing a partnership between two or more organizations; however, the lead applicant will be the contract recipient and is responsible for all subcontracting. The YYA grantmaker recruitment process will ideally begin December 2021 with the YYA grantmakers chosen by the end of January 2021.
Download the full RFQ here.
The deadline to submit qualifications is December 16, 2021 by 5:00 PM. All materials must be submitted online via Formstack. The maximum award for this contract is $25,000.
Desired Skills and Experience
The YYA Grantmaking Structure is seeking a YDO with the following skills and experiences:
Experience successfully recruiting young adults for efforts, convenings, programs, etc. (This includes evidence of neighborhood-based recruitment, peer recruitment, social media, and citywide outreach efforts)
Experience working in Baltimore City and with Baltimore City’s young people
Shared or similar values with the YYA Grantmaking effort and clear examples of how these values have been operationalized in the YDO
Knowledgeable about and empathetic toward Baltimore City’s young people, their context, and their needs
Understanding of culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches to youth development and engagement
Experience employing and working through an asset-based approach to young people
Use of culturally-affirming practices in multiple aspects of YDO’s operations, including but not limited to content, training, fundraising, coordination, etc.)
Experience repairing and restoring Youth-Adult relationships
Experience tracking and reporting on data, in particular as a part of a continuous quality improvement process
Submitting Qualifications
YDOs interested in submitting qualifications are asked to submit the following via Formstack:
Organizational Contact Information
Short biographies of key staff and partners who would be involved in the recruitment effort
A list of at least four references that include two young adult leaders (16 - 24) and two community stakeholders ages 25+ currently engaged with your organization. Your references must be willing to be a part of an hour-long interview if your organization is selected for the next stage of consideration. They will be compensated $50/each for their time.
Line item budget demonstrating how the requested contract dollars will be spent in service of the recruitment goals of this contract.
Responses to the following qualification assessment questions (character limit for each question is 1000 characters):
What experience does your organization have with co-designing a process or effort with young people? Please describe examples of this kind of codesign work.
What experience does your organization have with recruiting older youth for programs, efforts, convenings, or initiatives, in particular recruitment efforts casting a wide net and seeking a diverse pool of young people?
What experience does your organization have with engaging young people both virtually and in person? Describe your approach to both and successful tactics or strategies to ensure full engagement regardless of medium.
What experience does your organization have in engaging young people from across the city? What partners and networks, if any, has your organization leveraged to increase its reach and exposure?
What culturally responsive or affirming practices, trauma-informed practices, and restorative practices has your organization incorporated into its operations and programming? Describe them and their impact.
Based on your experiences outlined above, please describe your initial suggestions for a recruitment process designed to meet the scope as outlined above and how you would engage two youth advisors in the development and execution of the recruitment plan.
Questions about the RFQ
Baltimore’s Promise hosted a Virtual Bidders Conference on November 11, 2021, to review the RFQ and address questions from attendees:
Click here to watch the recording of the Virtual Bidders Conference.
Click here to download the presentation from the Virtual Bidders Conference.
Applicants may also submit written questions about the RFQ via email to info@baltimorespromise.org until December 9, 2021 at 5:00 PM ET. Please begin your subject with “YYA YDO RFQ” to ensure your inquiry is routed expediently. All responses to the questions received during the Bidders Conference and via email are posted here. The Question and Answer document will be finalized by December 10, 2021 at 5:00 PM.