There is no single solution to poverty or inequity. However, we know that in order for children to be successful, they need:

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1 Our Goals and Beliefs: The goal of the Pacific Northwest Initiative (PNW) is to improve opportunities for all young people in Washington State and the greater Portland, Oregon area to thrive in stable families, great schools and strong communities. To do this, we aim to reform the public systems of care and the institutions that were established to support young people and families isolated by poverty, adversity and inequity. We refer to this work as systems change, as we are trying to ensure that larger systems not just individual programs are set up to help more people succeed. There is no single solution to poverty or inequity. However, we know that in order for children to be successful, they need: Families with stable housing that provides a secure platform on which to build success; Access to high-quality early learning experiences so that they are prepared for kindergarten and school success; Great schools and great educators that adapt to the personalized learning needs of racially and culturally diverse students; and Strong, vibrant communities that have the capacity to drive inclusive reform efforts aimed at supporting families and children. Because the communities and people most affected by poverty and adversity are not full partners in driving change, these pathways of opportunity often miss the mark, fail to get results and leave opportunity gaps that reinforce longstanding inequities. Empowered, mobilized communities are part of the solution to many of the issues and needs we all care about. Low-income communities and communities of color must have leadership roles in setting goals and designing solutions, either through existing decision-making structures or by setting their own agendas. By increasing the influence of diverse voices in policy decisions and systems-change initiatives, we can increase the likelihood of identifying alternative, targeted approaches to close the opportunity gap for those most affected by poverty and inequity. We believe that leadership, and connections within and across communities, play critical roles in creating systemic changes that can provide more opportunities for children and families to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. To deepen our understanding of and test our learning about targeted strategies, we will focus on collaborative efforts and coalition work within and across low-income communities and communities of color Request for Proposals (RFP): The PNW team s goals and strategies are built on partnerships with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors so that, together, we can create pathways to opportunity for all children and families in our region. Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), we aim to fund community-based collaborative efforts that are established and led by low-income communities and communities of color. The focus of this RFP on collaborative efforts and coalition work is shaped by feedback from community partners who have shared their experiences through individual conversations, and most recently, as part of facilitated meetings with a focused group of external advisors. This RFP is an initial step to address some of the complex issues we have been tackling and our plan is to build knowledge and practice within the foundation as well as across communities. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pacific Northwest Initiative 1

2 Our objective is to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color are not only assured seats at the table where big state or community-wide initiatives or policies are created and implemented, but have the capacity to fully participate and play leadership roles in those initiatives. We believe that enduring changes are more likely to occur through deep partnerships between communities and government or systems partners. However, we also understand that under-represented communities may need to lead in the formation of their own agendas to assure persistent opportunity gaps are closed as part of larger reform efforts. We consider both approaches working through systems and driving change through your community to be incredibly important. We are open to funding collaborations with government and system partners, as well as funding efforts to help under-represented communities elevate their own agendas to build stronger partnerships in the future. Too often, organizations rooted in their local community are stretched thin attending to immediate community and organizational needs and therefore do not have the time or resources to: 1) drive or provide leadership to community-wide initiatives; 2) strengthen coalitions and collaborative efforts; or 3) conduct leadership development and other capacity-building work. We see this RFP as an opportunity to help address these challenges. We seek to fund partners who share our goal to drive long-term, systematic changes focused on closing the opportunity gap through authentic partnerships and leadership from the most affected communities. In making funding decisions, the PNW team will consider and prioritize the following factors: geographic diversity, community demographics, history of collaboration, breadth of representation, leadership opportunities, and roles in decision-making by people who are most affected by persistent opportunity gaps. The decision-making process is described in greater detail in the Proposal Solicitation and Review Process section, and applicants will be asked to address these factors in greater detail on the proposal template. Consistent with our goals and beliefs identified in the previous section, we intend to support collaborative efforts and coalition work focused on the following areas: 1. High-quality early learning aimed at kindergarten readiness and academic gains that can be sustained throughout elementary school; 2. K-12 and postsecondary education aimed ultimately at earning an educational credential or degree after high school; and 3. Improving the crisis response system leading to permanent housing solutions for families that are either unstably housed, homeless or at risk of homelessness. We anticipate distributing approximately $600,000 annually to help address these challenges through this open RFP process. Within these three program areas, this RFP is open to funding a range of activities, including but not limited to the following: (please note that these are examples only, not prescribed activities) Capacity building o Facilitate access to technical assistance and tools which will strengthen the ability of communities to identify their own priorities, define problems and develop solutions in the early stages when systems-change initiatives or state-level policies are created and shaped. o Build knowledge and content expertise for stakeholders to proactively design solutions. o Collect data, build knowledge, and effectively communicate the real or likely effects of proposed solutions at the community level. o Develop a plan for action aimed at obstacles embedded in institutions and the systems in which they operate. o Offer stipends, honorariums, or other resources that support the participation of leaders or staff from community-based organizations in systems-change initiatives or state-level policies. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pacific Northwest Initiative 2

3 Leadership development o Establish shared vision, goals, and responsibility to address the root causes of the opportunity gap. o Support opportunities for residents and community members to share experiences, enhance skills, and engage in coaching as well as peer support. o Establish a pipeline for youth, families, or staff from community-based organizations to grow and build leadership experience. Coalition building: establish or strengthen partnerships to take action on community-identified priorities. Diverse representation and voice: increase participation in dialogue and decision-making by those most affected by poverty and inequity in ongoing ways. We recognize that strengthening community capacity and leadership are not short term projects or a new program, but rather a long-term strategy. Our aspiration with these funds is to provide an opportunity for underrepresented communities to strengthen coalition work already underway or to embark on new collaborative efforts to address current challenges and take advantage of timely opportunities. While this opportunity is structured around time-limited grant support, our larger aim is to build relationships through a facilitated learning community that will extend beyond the funding and will increase the foundation s understanding of how community-led efforts can drive long-term changes. Partners who are selected through this RFP will co-design their collective learning agenda, identifying the best ways to engage with one another and share best practices with their broader communities. This group of RFP partners will likely participate in additional peer learning support to strengthen leadership skills. By building relationships and meaningful connections, we hope to bring about greater long-term participation, influence, and leadership by those most affected by poverty and inequity. In turn, these relationships hold the potential to shape enduring, large-scale change that can close economic and racial opportunity gaps while benefiting all children and families. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pacific Northwest Initiative 3

4 Proposal Solicitation and Review Process The foundation is issuing this RFP through an open competitive process and will be solely responsible for making grant award decisions. Individual grants will be awarded Project Support funds for a total of $75,000 over a two-year grant term: $50,000 in Year 1 and $25,000 in Year 2. The foundation will expect applicants to identify other funding sources, as we will not provide 100% support for project costs. Timeline Dates April 2014 Actions Release of RFP May 14, :00-4:30pm Click Here: June 3, :00-11:30am Click Here: July 10, :30 4:00pm Click Here: Note: To join the webinar, click on hyperlink above for access. Please do not copy and paste the hyperlink into your web browser. Before you join the webinar, we recommend that you click here to make sure that you have the appropriate players to view UCF (Universal Communications Format) rich media files in the webinar. If you are using a Mac computer, there may be compatibility issues with Safari web browser. We recommend using the following web browsers for the webinar: Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Fire Fox. August 1, 2014 August 1 to September 30, 2014 Week of October 6, 2014 October 31, 2014 Week of November 3, 2014 No later than November 28, 2014 Information sessions for prospective applicants via telephone or online webinar: Toll Free Dial in Number: Attendee access code: Proposals due by 5:00 p.m. Proposals evaluated by internal foundation review team Finalists invited to submit additional documents (if applicable) Final Award Decisions Finalists notified of funding decisions Signed grant agreements due from Finalists First grant payment released to Finalists Grant activities commence for Finalists Who is eligible to apply? U.S. public charities with active 501(c)(3) status, Tribes, or government entities that serve residents of Washington State or metropolitan Portland, Oregon (Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties). Organizations that have previously received a Gates Foundation grant may only apply if they have completed all past reporting obligations. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pacific Northwest Initiative 4

5 Please note that the foundation will: Prioritize funding to community-based collaborative efforts and/or coalitions that are established and led by low-income communities and communities of color. (PLEASE NOTE: Applications from other entities must describe the history of existing partnerships as well as active decision-making roles with low-income communities and communities of color. Please see Question #4 in the Proposal Questions section.) Review applications for geographic diversity, community demographics, history of collaboration, breadth of representation, leadership opportunities and roles in decision-making by people who are most affected by persistent opportunity gaps. Support programs that are willing to share lessons learned, participate in a learning cohort, provide peer support or mentoring as well as report program outcomes. Cover the full costs of participation in the learning cohort and potential leadership development opportunities as an additional commitment to the grant award. The following are not eligible for funding: Organizations that discriminate in policy or practice on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or religious belief; Programs that include religious proselytizing as a condition of receipt of services; Capital construction expenses; and Lobbying. Instructions for Proposal Submission If your program is aligned with the identified goals and meets eligibility requirements, we invite you to submit a proposal using the foundation s proposal template which can be downloaded through our online grant application tool, Unison: Please provide complete answers in response to the Proposal Questions in order to ensure a competitive application, and note that the proposal document should be no longer than seven pages in length. The first time you visit Unison you will need to create an account. After you enter your information, a temporary password will be ed to you. Return to Unison to personalize your password and complete your account profile. You can save the application and return to it later through Unison by logging in any time before the submission deadline with your address and password. Please feel free to check the box next to Allow the foundation to view my application while I work on it on the Get Started tab of your application, so we can provide assistance if necessary. (Helpful Tip: If you already created an account from prior grant submissions in Unison, you can sign in with the same address and password you used before.) After creating an account, click on the Pacific Northwest Initiative opportunity on the Welcome Page and download the RFP guidelines and proposal template onto your computer to work offline. Once you are ready to submit the proposal, please return to your account in Unison to upload the completed seven-page Grant Proposal Narrative. To view frequently asked questions about submitting your application, click the Help link in Unison. If you have technical questions about the proposal submission process, please send an to PNWRFP@gatesfoundation.org. Please note that PNW staff will not be able to provide direct guidance on program content due to the high volume of requests as well as to ensure an unbiased selection process. If you have questions related to the application process, we highly encourage your participation in the Information Sessions listed in the Proposal Solicitation and Review Process Timeline (page 4). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pacific Northwest Initiative 5

6 Proposal Questions 1. Project Goals and Outcomes What are the specific goals and intended changes related to the priority program area(s) that will result from your work? How have you or do you plan to measure progress towards these goals? If your work is intended to influence an existing collaborative or collective impact effort, please tell us which one(s) and identify their measure(s) of success. How would your participation in a learning community bring value to your effort? What would you hope to get out of this experience? What are the experiences and strengths that you would be able to share? 2. Project Description Describe your collaborative effort and/or coalition: o Please identify which of the three priority program area(s) identified on page 2 you are currently addressing, or plan to address. Why is the program area(s) a priority for your community? o Community profile: Please describe your community and where the work will take place including demographics, ongoing or emerging issues that impact success of students and families? o Membership: Who participates in this collaboration or coalition? How is membership defined? Why are they important to the success of this effort? o Leadership and decision-making: Who are the identified leaders for this effort, what are the leadership structures and decision-making processes? (PLEASE NOTE: If your membership and leadership includes city/county/government or other representatives from outside of your community, please describe their roles and history of participation.) o Collaboration or coalition structure: Which organization will take the lead to convene or implement the work? What roles will your organization and the collaborative partners play? o Experience: How long has the collaboration or coalition existed? Is this effort at a planning stage, implementing an existing plan, or building on an established effort by increasing capacity and leadership? o Influencing change: How do you believe this work will drive long-term systemic changes? How would additional funds help to shift existing partnerships and practices, or create new innovative approaches? 3. Financial Information Tell us the amount you are requesting from the Gates Foundation, the total project budget amount and state your organization s total annual budget. Please tell us how the foundation s grant funds will be used. Describe the overall funding plan for the project and include any other funding sources currently committed to the project. Describe how you will financially sustain the project in the long term. Required: Attach a copy of your organization s most recent audited financial statements or Form 990, and a copy of your IRS tax status determination letter. 4. Organization Background Briefly describe your organization s history and mission, and tell us why your organization is qualified or is in the best position to carry out this project. If your collaborative effort or coalition is not established or led by low-income communities and communities of color, please describe: o Existing relationships, history or years of involvement, roles and ways in which stakeholders representing low-income communities and communities of color have helped to make decisions in your work; and o How additional funds will help to shift existing partnerships and practices or create new innovative approaches. Has your organization received prior grant funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation? If yes, please describe the results of those grant(s). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pacific Northwest Initiative 6