Opportunity Reboot Request for Proposals
TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary... 1 Overview of the RFP... 2 The Need and Target Population... 2 Approach... 2 The Partnership Opportunity... 3 Interventions... 4 Evidence Requirements... 4 Evaluation... 5 Technical Assistance... 5 Performance Measures... 6 Eligibility Criteria... 6 Application Process... 6 Letter of Intent... 6 Proposal Components... 7 Review Process and Selection Criteria... 9 Reviewer Selection and Training... 9 Selection Criteria... 9 Additional points... 11 Overview of Review Stages... 12 Awards, Grant Period, and Fiscal Management... 14 Final Decision-making... 14 Process Timeline... 14 References... 15 ii
SUMMARY This Request for Proposals (RFP) invites applications from nonprofit organizations working to more effectively create pathways to school, career, and life success for Minnesota s opportunity youth to participate in a new Social Innovation Fund project designed to expand services, enhance organizational capacity to strengthen social-emotional skills for workforce readiness, and provide rigorous evidence of program quality, effectiveness and impact. Opportunity youth are generally between the ages of 14 and 24 and are either homeless, in foster care, involved in the juvenile justice system or disconnected from school and education. Opportunity youth are disproportionately male and from minority groups, but substantial rates are found for all youth groups (Belfield et al, 2015). These youth are also at risk for becoming or may be high school dropouts; may be involved with the criminal justice and human service systems; and have mental health conditions and/or care-giving responsibilities that further complicate their lives. Common paths for opportunity youth include the school-to-prison pipeline, the adult mental health system and other trajectories that place a significant economic burden on themselves, their families, the community, taxpayers and ultimately our progressive economic growth. Several studies have projected the economic and social burden of opportunity youth due to lost earnings, lower economic growth, lower tax revenues and higher government spending. In 2011, opportunity youth cost taxpayers $93 billion in lost revenues (Bridgeland & Milano, 2012). This initiative and funding opportunity are made possible through a Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant to Youthprise for implementation of its Opportunity Reboot program. SIF is an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that is focused on improving the lives of people in low-income communities throughout the United States. CNCS achieves this goal by funding innovative community-based solutions that have compelling evidence, ultimately with the aim of increasing the evidence base, capacity, and scale of the organizations serving vulnerable populations. Youthprise will award six to eight Opportunity Reboot subgrants based on approximately $1.25 million/year in available funds. Subgrants will be in the range of $150,000-$250,000 per subgrantee annually, and individual grants over the three-year period will total $450,000-$750,000 per grantee. Although three years of funding will be awarded initially, we anticipate this being a five year project. We expect to fund subgrantees in years four and five subject to appropriations. Successful applicants will implement program models that are aligned with a Career Pathways framework that also integrate an intentional focus on social-emotional skills and mentoring with support from Youthprise and its SIF partners. Successful Career Pathways models must possess the nine elements described within the Program Plan item in the Proposal Components of this document and have at least preliminary evidence of program effectiveness. Subgrantees will be required to provide a 1:1, dollar-for-dollar, cash match with non-federal dollars and to participate in a rigorous evaluation, including developmental evaluation, program quality assessments, and quasi-experimental studies. This is a reimbursable grant award. Selected subgrantees must demonstrate they have spent at least dollar-for-dollar resources when submitting for reimbursement. 1
OVERVIEW OF THE RFP Opportunity Reboot is open to all nonprofit organizations meeting the eligibility criteria as outlined in the section that follows. The Opportunity Reboot RFP process will be initiated in accordance with a timeline that will enable subgrantees to begin their projects on April 1, 2016. THE NEED AND TARGET POPULATION As America s youth transition to adulthood, many travel a traditional pathway to complete school and enter into jobs or careers through which they can earn a living wage. However, there exists a subset of the youth population aged 16 to 24 who are unable to pursue such paths for any number of reasons, to include adverse socioeconomic factors and diminished academic attainment. In fact, 6.7 million of America s youth in this age range are disconnected, meaning they fail to obtain the education and skills they need to thrive in 21 st Century careers. Bridgeland and Mason-Elder (2012) characterize these youth who are unable to meet their full potential as opportunity youth both because they are seeking opportunity and they present an opportunity to our nation if we invest in them. A failure to act on this issue can have dire consequences from both societal and economic standpoints. Societal consequences include the potential for increased crime as a result of the inability of opportunity youth to earn adequate living wages (Bridgeland & Mason-Elder, 2012). Equally important are socioeconomic outcomes resulting from the unmet needs of opportunity youth. In 2011, opportunity youth cost taxpayers a staggering $93 billion in lost revenues and increased social services (Bridgeland & Mason-Elder, 2012). Indeed, the need for programs to redirect the paths of opportunity youth and positively impact their futures is imperative. Opportunity Reboot will target youth, ages 14 to 24 in the state of Minnesota, to include major population centers in Minneapolis (Hennepin County) and Saint Paul (Ramsey County), as well as areas in Greater Minnesota, some of which are rural. To the greatest extent possible, Opportunity Reboot will award funding to geographically diverse organizations to ensure a cross-section of opportunity youth in the state receive services. Additional information regarding the geographic target population and areas is provided in the Eligibility Criteria section of this RFP. APPROACH Despite growing evidence of the critical need to link technical, academic, and social-emotional development to prepare youth to enter the workforce effectively, most efforts remain largely siloed, with the implicit assumption that youth will access different programs for different needs. In reality, young people need access to programs and services that help them develop holistically, rather than having to navigate multiple systems. For this to be possible, programs in different sectors with different emphases need overlapping sets of approaches, principles, and practices through which they engage young people and set them on a path toward economic independence in adulthood. Improving the education and workforce prospects for opportunity youth currently disconnected from such systems depends on this type of collaborative approach. 2
Youthprise s SIF initiative, Opportunity Reboot, was created as part of a larger strategy to build collaborative community-based strategies to address educational and social obstacles opportunity youth face and to offer them exposure to skills and enrichment available through programs that align with the Career Pathways Framework, as described in the Program Plan section of this RFP. Ultimately, Opportunity Reboot s goal is to enhance the lives of opportunity youth in Minnesota. In particular, Opportunity Reboot expects that the opportunity youth served through programs it funds will experience improved educational and career attainment. Opportunity Reboot operates with the ideology that building capacity of workforce readiness and youth development organizations to equip young people with the academic, technical, and social-emotional skills and social capital (in the form of mentoring or developmental relationships) necessary for economic independence will enhance the value and impact of existing programs that focus in any one of these domains. Opportunity Reboot is seeking applicants capable of providing comprehensive wraparound services to youth that include a full range of secondary and post-secondary education, workforce preparation, and credentialing. These services must be complemented with a strong emphasis on youth development supports that strengthen social-emotional development, such as high-quality mentoring, service learning, leadership activities, and wraparound services that address barriers to securing education and employment. THE PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY This RFP launches a major effort to enhance and expand the supports for opportunity youth in Minnesota through a network of community coalitions implementing programs aligned with the Career Pathways Framework and enhanced with the principles and mentoring. Successful applicants will join a learning community of networks across the state committed not only to expanding effective programs, but with a strong focus on youth development through mentoring and other relationships and a focus on developing social-emotional skills that have been found to rival IQ in predicting educational attainment, labor market performance, physical health, and reduced criminality (Heckman & Kautz, 2013). In addition, subgrantees will invest in and benefit from rigorous developmental evaluation, program quality assessments, and impact studies that can be used both to enhance program effectiveness and generate additional support for scaling and sustainability. This is a high-demand, high reward grant opportunity that is particularly targeted to engage programs and collaborations ready to: Strengthen the quality of comprehensive workforce readiness programs and initiatives through a focus on youth development and through rigorous developmental evaluation; Expand reach to effectively serve more opportunity youth, particularly those who are currently underserved; Engage in rigorous evaluation of effectiveness and impact as part of a cohort of programs across the state; 3
Meet the demands of a federal grant in terms of securing a one-to-one funding match (minimum of $100,000 per year for three years) and maintaining necessary paperwork for public accountability. INTERVENTIONS Opportunity Reboot subgrantees will implement programs that emphasize positive youth development and align with the Career Pathways Framework described fully in the Program Plan section of this RFP. While Opportunity Reboot will not require that a particular program model be implemented, project components of secondary and post-secondary education, service learning, social-emotional skills development, leadership mentoring, and apprenticeships are required. Examples of models that that are consistent with this context include: Gateway to College Program, YouthBuild, Back on Track, and Accelerating Opportunity. Specific features of these interventions include: Skills development, Educational options, Curriculum-based instruction, Accelerated educational process and career advancement, Focus on credentials in high-demand industries, Sector-specific focus, Development of career plans, Addressing barriers to education and career pursuits, and Improved educational and career attainment. EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS Applicants will be required to provide level of evidence and evaluation information as part of the submission process. This information must include descriptions of the proposed model and data that indicate evidence of effectiveness. The data must confirm, at a minimum, preliminary indication/evidence of success. Levels of evidence will be determined based on CNCS Rubric for Identifying Interventions Incoming Levels of Evidence, which is summarized as follows: Preliminary Level of Evidence The applicant must, at a minimum, be able to present a study that has yielded promising results for either the program or a similar program. This includes formal data on outcomes, such as pre/post surveys, or post-tests that have been analyzed for program participants and a comparison group. Moderate Level of Evidence The study used to evaluate the evidence must support causal conclusions but have limited generalizability. At least one study with high internal or external validity, such as quasi-experimental design (QED) or randomized controlled trials (RCT), is typically needed to achieve this level of evidence. Strong Level of Evidence To reach this level of evidence, the applicant s intervention design must support causal conclusions and must have sufficient participation and settings/sites to support scaling to state, regional, or national levels. These applicants will have already conducted either a multisite RCT or QED or several smaller ones at different locations and/or with different populations. 4
EVALUATION Youthprise has engaged Search Institute as its overall evaluation partner to provide a rigorous assessment of its SIF initiative. Subgrantees are required to demonstrate their capacity to participate meaningfully in this third-party evaluation effort. Subgrantees will be required to participate in a rigorous evaluation to assess the implementation and impact of their program model. Youthprise has dedicated resources for technical assistance, quality control and coordination of evaluation activities across Opportunity Reboot subgrantees. CNCS will also provide technical support and guidance in developing and executing plans. In addition to the Youthprise dedicated resources for evaluation, subgrantees will be required to dedicate approximately 10% of their budgets to evaluation. We strongly encourage applicants assess their capacity and willingness to participate in a rigorous third-party evaluation. The program evaluation will have three components, as outlined in the text that follows. 1. The first level of evaluation will be a developmental evaluation of subgrantee programs (with a goal of continuous improvement), particularly focusing on the extent to which the intentional development of social-emotional skills and supports increases program effectiveness in terms of work readiness and reintegration into the education system. 2. The second level of evaluation will address overall program quality. This will be assessed through regular feedback from program sites, surveys of staff and employers who participate in training and other technical assistance, and stakeholder interviews. A particular focus will be on understanding how effectively the data, training, grantee supports, and other technical assistance were provided so that they were implementable in the program context. 3. The third level of evaluation will be a quasi-experimental impact study. Participating programs, which will have utilized the surveys for continuous improvement in level 1 and thus, be able to collect data effectively with minimal support, will be matched with similar workforce development during the quasi-experimental study to prevent contamination. Upon completion of the data collection, training and other technical assistance (TA) will be offered to utilize the findings for improvement in the comparison sites. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TA) Opportunity Reboot will involve intensive training, TA, and peer learning to support sub-grantees in adhering to federal and CNCS guidelines. Training will also be offered related to best practices in youth development, including social-emotional and 21 st century skills, global fluency, and building social capital (or developmental relationships), with a goal of building program quality to a level that merits a quasi-experimental outcomes evaluation. Throughout this process, Opportunity Reboot will continuously assess readiness and offer appropriate technical support to ensure readiness to implement a rigorous evaluation plan that will increase evidence of effectiveness of the program model. Youthprise and its partners will administer comprehensive training, TA, and peer mentoring to ensure that funded programs achieve at least a moderate level of evidence. In addition to individualizing support to address specific program needs, Youthprise will host joint convenings among grantees twice annually and arrange peer learning opportunities to build on the strengths of each other s models and capacities. 5
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Subgrantees are expected to identify (with support from the evaluation partner) and track performance measures designed to yield information on program efficacy. Opportunity Reboot will require that these performance measures are reviewed annually, with modifications made as appropriate, and that an evaluation plan with benchmarks be established each year of the project. These plans will describe anticipated data collection measures and benchmarks, as well as annual strategies for providing the 1:1 cash match required for the program. Quarterly program and financial reports will be required for all subgrantees, with the expectation that any program concerns will be identified and corrected in a timely manner. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA To be eligible for the Opportunity Reboot competition, an organization must be a nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS status or an entity described in sections 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, applicants must be able to provide a 1:1, dollar-for-dollar, cash match for the funded project. Applicants that cannot demonstrate the ability to provide a 1:1 cash match will be disqualified from the review process. In addition, all subgrantees will be subject to continuous monitoring to ensure programmatic and grant compliance. Eligible applicants will provide services in Minnesota communities across the state where large numbers of opportunity youth reside. In particular, Opportunity Reboot will target Minnesota s Youth Development and Economic Opportunities focus areas, to include major population centers in Minneapolis (Hennepin County) and Saint Paul (Ramsey County), as well as areas in Greater Minnesota, some of which are rural and philanthropically underserved. Opportunity Reboot will target low income, at-risk youth and opportunity youth throughout the state. Geographic diversity will also be considered in selecting subgrantees that serve opportunity youth. As feasible, Opportunity Reboot is interested in funding a balance of rural and urban communities throughout the state. APPLICATION PROCESS LETTER OF INTENT All applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) that Opportunity Reboot will use to complete a preliminary screening of prospective applicants. The LOI must outline general information on the lead organization; how the applicant meets eligibility criteria, to include nonprofit status; a formal commitment to secure at minimum 25% of required dollar-for- dollar matching funds at the time of proposal submission; proposed partners with a brief description of their roles; identification of the target population; three to four data points demonstrating a need for services in the target area. Youthprise staff will review LOIs to assess each prospective applicant for eligibility. LOIs must be submitted online at www.youthprise.org on Friday, October 30, 2015. 6
PROPOSAL COMPONENTS If your project meets the eligibility criteria, you will be directed to our online grant submission process where you will be instructed how to submit a full proposal. Organizational Capacity: This section should describe how the applicant is organized, the nature and scope of its work, and the capabilities it possesses such as any current or previous relevant experience with promising results on current projects and/or projects of a similar scope. In addition, the applicant should provide at least three data points for example, data on poverty or the shortage of relevant resources to demonstrate a need for programming in its targeted area that is consistent with the focus of Opportunity Reboot. Prospective grantees should also describe their experience specific to meeting the needs of priority populations, i.e., opportunity youth, as targeted by Opportunity Reboot. Further, applicants must show they have the capacity to effectively manage all components of a federal grant and be comprehensive in the delivery of services to opportunity youth. Opportunity Reboot encourages organizations that lack experience in specific areas to partner with organizations that are stronger in the areas where the primary applicant lacks expertise. Cross-Sector Collaboration: This section should demonstrate that the applicant has strong partnerships in place to fulfill all components of its project, which must include secondary and postsecondary education, service learning, wraparound services, youth development supports, mentoring, and apprenticeships. It is anticipated that applicants will need strong partners in order to implement program models. Applicants must also demonstrate the capacity of each partner to carry out its component of the project. Collectively, partners must be able to demonstrate the capacity to meet all nine elements of the Career Pathways Framework, as described in the Program Plan item that follows. Opportunity Reboot is especially interested in partnerships that authentically engage racial and ethnic populations or other populations where significant disparities exist. Letters of support or memoranda of understanding should be included that specifically outline the role of each partner and its capacity to contribute to the success of the proposed project. These items do not replace the required narrative for this section, but rather complement descriptive text provided regarding partnerships that are in place. Program Plan: This section should provide a clear and concise description of the intervention being proposed and how the project will complement, rather than duplicate, existing efforts in the target community. Applicants are expected to present a clear connection between the identified goals and objectives to be presented in this section and the proposed activities. This section should also include a timeline of activities to be completed over a one-year period, with activities, responsible parties, and time frames denoted. In describing the program plan, applicants must demonstrate that the chosen model has shown preliminary evidence of effectiveness in working with the target population, specifically opportunity youth; embraces a collaborative approach that engages culturally and linguistically diverse organizations in the community that are representative of the targeted population; and aligns with and is adaptable to a Career Pathways Framework, which includes the following elements: 7
1. Develop skills for occupations that are in demand in local communities; 2. Include a full range of education options, including apprenticeships, that show clear and non-duplicative progression; 3. Include curriculum and instruction that makes work central to the learning process and helps build work readiness skills in the educational process; 4. Utilize strategies to accelerate the educational process and career advancement, such as credit for prior learning and dual enrollment; 5. Lead to securing an industry-recognized credential in a high-demand local industry; 6. Create opportunities for advancement in a particular sector, regardless of point of entry; 7. Support the development of individual career plans and provide wraparound services to support education and career goals; 8. Offer curriculum and training that is organized to address barriers to education and employment such as child care, work schedules, etc.; and 9. Promote increasing an individual s educational attainment, jobs skills, and employment outcomes. In addition, applicants must explain how they will apply the Career Pathways Framework to achieve the project components of secondary and post-secondary education, service learning, socialemotional skills development, leadership mentoring, and apprenticeships. Examples of models consistent with this context include: Gateway to College Program, YouthBuild, Back On Track, and Accelerating Opportunity. Youthprise will not require the use of a specific model. Subgrantees can employ their own models as long as the selected approach meets the Career Pathways criteria; emphasizes a positive youth development approach to workforce development that includes the development of 21 st century skills, including global citizenship and social-emotional development; and has shown at least preliminary evidence of effectiveness. Evaluation Capacity: The applicant must provide information in this section to demonstrate its ability to effectively participate in a rigorous third-party evaluation, including internal readiness/commitment, data collection systems, and experience using data to guide internal continuous program improvement. Additionally, the applicant must discuss its history of evaluating its programs and results of evaluations. Elements of the subgrantee evaluation (e.g. collection of particular kinds of data) will be standardized across sites to allow the data to be aggregated, however we will work with each funded subgrantee to finalize a tailored evaluation plan. Budget and Capacity to Leverage Matching Funds: Applicants must clearly demonstrate the capacity and a viable plan to secure a 1:1 match against Opportunity Reboot funds within the first year of the project. Applicants are required to submit a one-year budget and a detailed budget narrative for the proposed intervention. The budget must reflect adequate allocations to support the work of partnering organizations. Because the proposal must demonstrate a clear and strong relationship between the stated objectives, project activities, and the budget, the budget justification should describe the cost estimated per proposed project, activity, or product. This budget justification should define the amount of work that is planned and expected to be performed and what it will cost. 8
REVIEW PROCESS AND SELECTION CRITERIA REVIEWER SELECTION AND TRAINING Eligible applications will be reviewed through a competitive process using a panel of reviewers that includes staff from Youthprise and its partner organizations, as well funding partners, board members, and other experts. Youthprise will also include opportunity youth in the review process to ensure that the perspectives of those who are most impacted by programming are valued and prioritized. Proposals will be scored and ranked based on criteria established by the review team with recommendations for funding made to Youthprise staff. SELECTION CRITERIA Opportunity Reboot is open to all nonprofit organizations meeting the requirements outlined in the Eligibility Criteria section of this RFP. The table that follows summarizes the scoring criteria for subgrantee applications. Descriptions of each criterion follow the summary table. Review Criterion Maximum Point Value Factor 1: Organizational Capacity 15 Factor 2: Cross-Sector Collaboration 15 Factor 3: Program Plan 30 Factor 4: Evaluation Capacity and Plan 20 Factor 5: Budget and Capacity to Leverage Matching Funds Additional points: Proposals from organizations that are based outside of the seven county Minneapolis/St.Paul metropolitan area Additional points: Proposals that plan to partner with organizations that have an explicit focus on systems involved youth in their mission Additional points: Proposals that plan to partner with culturally and linguistically specific organizations Additional points: Proposals that plan to serve youth with disabilities 20 5 5 5 5 9
Factor 1: Organizational Capacity (15 points) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates, in quantitative and qualitative terms, its history of providing comprehensive services to youth who are disconnected from employment and education opportunities. The extent to which the program model is comprehensive and aligned with a Career Pathways Framework. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates the ability to implement comprehensive models that are aligned with the Career Pathways Framework with similar populations. The extent to which the selected model shows levels of success, with priority on models showing greater levels of evidence; and the extent to which the applicant presents a plan to meet the expectation of rapid scaling at the beginning of year 2. The extent to which the organization exhibits that it is a high-performing organization and has the ability to manage a federal grant. The suitability of information on how the applicant is organized, the nature and scope of its work, and the capabilities it possesses; this includes the qualifications, experience, and appropriateness of proposed project staff. Factor 2: Cross-Sector Collaboration (15 points) The extent to which the organization demonstrates authentic collaboration with other partners that serve the ethnic and linguistic communities targeted for the project. The strength and capacity of the partnering organizations to implement their segment of the project. The extent to which collaborators are engaged with the targeted communities. Factor 3: Program Plan (30 points) The extent to which the proposed strategies, activities, and interventions are designed to address, develop, and/or improve identified areas addressing career pathways for opportunity youth. The extent to which the intervention will address stated goals and objectives of the applicant and Opportunity Reboot. The extent to which the proposed strategies, activities, and interventions complement, rather than duplicate, similar efforts under way in the target community. The appropriateness of the timeline to complete stated activities. The number of opportunity youth who will be served by the project. The extent to which the applicant substantiates, through data, that it will serve low-income communities. 10
The presence of firm commitments (i.e., letters of support, MOUs) demonstrating the involvement of critical partners, such as educational institutions, youth development providers, and employers. The extent to which the applicant emphasizes a positive youth development approach in executing the selected model for implementation and/or the applicant s capacity to adopt or apply this approach to programming. (Note: Technical assistance will be provided to assist subgrantees in efforts to incorporate positive youth development approaches into their programming.) The extent to which the applicant articulates a meaningful strategy to incorporate youth voice in efforts to make continuous program improvements. The extent to which the applicant describes a process for engaging youth in leadership and decision making within initiative. Factor 4: Evaluation Capacity (20 points) The applicant s experience and capacity to work with a third-party evaluator to rigorously evaluate its program model. The degree to which the applicant has systems in place for measuring outputs and outcomes within programs. The degree to which the applicant demonstrates capacity to collect, analyze, and report data using the proposed methods. History and record of effectiveness in documenting progress toward achieving objectives, planned activities, and intended outcomes Factor 5: Budget and Capacity to Leverage Matching Funds (20 points) The degree to which the applicant demonstrates a viable plan to secure a minimum 1:1 match of unrestricted nonfederal funds against Opportunity Reboot funding. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that it is fiscally healthy. Appropriateness and relevance of requested costs and clarity of accompanying budget narrative. Adequate allocation in budget to support participation of community partners that serve culturally and linguistically diverse populations. ADDITIONAL POINTS Based Outside of the Seven County Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Area In order to secure the additional points, proposals will need to show that the submitting organization is based (i.e. headquarters) outside of the seven county Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The seven counties include: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington. Proposals will receive all or none of the points as appropriate. 11
Explicit Focus on Systems Involved Youth In order to secure the additional points, proposals will need to show the partnerships with community-based organizations that have an explicit focus in their mission of serving youth who are homeless, involved with the juvenile justice system or are in foster care. Proposals will receive 0 to 5 points depending on the depth of such partnerships involved. Depth will be determined based on the amount of budgeted resources to support the partnership and level of involvement in all aspects of the program plan. Culturally and Linguistically Specific Organizations In order to secure the additional points, proposals will need to show partnerships with organizations whose main purposes include serving populations from various communities of color. Proposals will receive 0 to 5 points depending on the depth of such partnerships involved. Depth will be determined based on the amount of budgeted resources to support the partnership and level of involvement in all aspects of the program plan. Youth with disabilities In order to secure the additional points, proposals will need to show significant proposed programming for youth with mental, educational, and/or physical disabilities. Proposals will receive 0 to 5 points based on the following percentages of proposed service to youth with disabilities: 0%: 0 points 1% -10%: 1 point 11%-15%: 2 points 16% -20%: 3 points 21% -40%: 4 points 41% + : 5 points OVERVIEW OF REVIEW STAGES The review process includes the following stages: Dissemination of solicitation Youthprise will ensure that the RFP is disseminated and publicized in a manner that will ensure it is accessible to all potential qualified applicants. The RFP will be released for consideration on October 1, 2015. Receipt of letters of intent (LOI) This is the first phase of the review process. Prospective applicants will be given one month after the solicitation is published to prepare and submit letters of intent. o Submission of the LOI by the required deadline, October 30, 2015. LOI includes: o Adequate description of project to demonstrate alignment with Opportunity Reboot purpose and goals, as well as key information described in the Letter of Intent section of this RFP; and 12
o Evidence of eligibility to submit a full application. Receipt of proposals and review Youthprise staff will review all applications to ensure they are compliant with the RFP. Applications determined to be non-compliant will not be considered, and those applicants will be notified. Applicants meeting the following criteria will be considered compliant and will be advanced to the next stage: o Meet all eligibility requirements; o Submit an application and required documentation by the submission deadline, January 8, 2016; o Submit a budget that is compliant with RFP requirements; o Demonstrate either cash-on-hand or cash commitments (or a combination thereof) toward meeting first-year matching fund requirements; and o Provide evidence of required partnerships (i.e. letters of support or memoranda of understanding). External review Youthprise will identify, select, and train reviewers, who will be selected based on their expertise in pertinent areas, with an emphasis on workforce development among disengaged, culturally and linguistically diverse youth. As previously stated, we also ensure youth from the targeted demographic are included in the review process. The screening process for reviewers will identify conflicts of interest to ensure a fair and objective review process. Reviewers will be instructed that all activities pursuant to the review are to be held in strict confidence. Reviewers will be assigned applications and will subsequently assess and score applications based on the selection criteria. Applications will be presented to the designated Youthprise staff for the next stage of the review process. Quality assessment After the initial review process is complete, Youthprise staff will review the scores and comments to confirm that the review was conducted fairly and that criteria were uniformly assessed among all applicants. If inconsistencies are discovered, Youthprise will determine if further review is required. Based on the results of the external review and quality assessment, qualified applicants will be selected to advance to the internal review phase. Internal review This process will closely reflect the external review process. In addition to reviewing applications against stated criteria, reviewers will also evaluate applications with an eye toward feasibility, comprehensiveness, replicability, and long-term sustainability. Applicants advancing to this phase will be notified and will be required to undergo a site visit, which will allow reviewers to further assess prospective grantees capacity. Risk assessment evaluation Youthprise staff will conduct due diligence to evaluate the risks to the program posed by applicants. This will include assessing a variety of factors, such as financial solvency, validity and accuracy of information reported, performance on past government awards, and other factors. Before making awards, applications will undergo a rescreening for eligibility to ensure they meet all eligibility and other requirements. Applicants determined to be ineligible will not receive a grant, regardless of the application assessment results. Recommendation of awards After all phases of the review process have been completed, recommendations will be made to the Youthprise president and board of directors. 13
Selection of and notification Upon approval, successful applicants will be notified in writing with instructions on how to formally accept the award. Upon completion of the process, subgrantees will be publicized as required by federal statute. AWARDS, GRANT PERIOD, AND FISCAL MANAGEMENT Opportunity Reboot is a five-year project. Currently, $3.75 will be granted for a three-year period. Funding for years four and five is subject to appropriations. By March 7, 2016, Opportunity Reboot will have awarded 6 to 8 subgrants based on approximately $1.25 million/year in available funds. Opportunity Reboot anticipates that subgrants will be in the range of $150,000-$250,000 per subgrantee annually. Individual grants over the three-year period will total $450,000-$750,000 per grantee. The subgrant period is April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2019 for all grantees. The budget period is also April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2019 for all grantees, with three individual budget periods, i.e., one for each year. Renewed annual funding will be contingent upon availability of appropriated funds in subsequent years, satisfactory subgrantee performance, and a determination that continued funding is in the best interest of Opportunity Root and its strategic approach. FINAL DECISION-MAKING Top applicants for funding will undergo a thorough site visit, and Youthprise will conduct a preaward survey to select applicants best positioned to be successful as Opportunity Reboot subgrantees. After the site visit, staff will complete a written memo summarizing applicants to be considered by the Youthprise president and board, who will make the final funding decisions. Successful applicants will then be selected as subgrantees. Youthprise reserves the right to adjust budgets, timelines, staffing plans, and proposal elements to make awards accordingly if it deems proposals in these areas are excessive or more resources are needed to improve the probability of success. PROCESS TIMELINE Following is the proposed timeline for the selection of subgrantees that meet requirements of the SIF and Opportunity Reboot selection criteria. Selection Activity Timeline/Due Date RFP Released October 1, 2015 Letter of Intent Due October 30, 2015 Notification of Eligibility to Apply/Full Proposal Invitation November 13, 2015 Technical Assistance Workshop(s) November 20, 2015 Proposals Due January 8, 2016 Site Visits to Finalists February 15-26, 2016 Expected Date of Selection and Notification to Subgrantees March 4, 2016 Subgrantee Award Period April 1, 2016 March 31, 2019 14
REFERENCES Belfield, C., Bowden, B., Klapp, A., Levin, H., Shand, R., & Zander, S. (2015). The Economic Value of Social and Emotional Learning (revised). New York, NY: Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. Belfield, C., Levin, H., Shand, R., & Rosen, R.. (2012). The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth. New York, NY: Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. Bridgeland, J. & Mason-Elder, T. (2012, September). National Roadmap for Opportunity Youth. Presented at the Opportunity Nation Summit. Available online at http://www.civicenterprises.net/medialibrary/docs/opportunity%20youth%20national%20 Roadmap%20Final%202012.pdf Bridgeland, J., Milano, J. & Rosenblum, E. (2011). Across the Great Divide: Perspectives of CEOs and College Presidents on America's Higher Education and Skills Gap. Civic Enterprises. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.civicenterprises.net/medialibrary/docs/across_the_great_divide.pdf 15