Request for Proposals for Regional Intermediary to Support College and Career Readiness Alliances May 16, 2016
Introductions Shaun Adamec Director of Strategic Communications Charlie Toulmin Director of Policy Jessy Donaldson Senior Program Officer for Policy Chiara Wegener External Affairs Manager 2
Goals for Today s Webinar Provide information and answer questions about the RFP to help you write strong proposals Share a high level view of the Foundation s four initiatives and how this RFP contributes to reaching our Big Goal Encourage you to sign up for our email list to learn about future grant opportunities: nmefoundation.org/news/stayconnected 3
Agenda Nellie Mae Education Foundation Public Understanding & Demand Initiative Alliance Building and Influencers Projects Proposal Discussion Questions 4
Nellie Mae Education Foundation Alliance Building RFP 5
New England Region Mission Systems Transformation NMEF Snapshot Equity = By 2030, 80% of NE students will graduate college and career ready Student-Centered Learning (SCL) 6
Student-Centered Learning personalized anytime, anywhere student ownership competency based 7
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Build Educator Ownership, Leadership, and Capacity Advance Quality and Rigor of SCL Practices Develop Effective Systems Designs Build Public Understanding And Demand 9
Public Understanding & Demand Projects Build stronger public awareness and understanding of innovative approaches to public schooling, while cultivating public support and demand. Alliance Building Shift public narrative Grass tops (advocating policymakers, enlisting influencers) Grassroots (community engagement and organizing) Build Educator Ownership, Leadership, and Capacity Advance Quality and Rigor of SCL Practices Develop Effective Systems Designs Build Public Understanding And Demand 10
SCL is necessary, but not sufficient to achieving universal readiness. Local grassroots mobilization and grasstops influence is necessary for sustainable change. Change is about practice and policy shift, but also culture and public narrative. Build Educator Ownership, Leadership, and Capacity Advance Quality and Rigor of SCL Practices Develop Effective Systems Designs Build Public Understanding And Demand 11
Public Understanding & Demand Strategy Change the conversation on public education reform Increase understanding, support and demand for SCL across the region Connect decision-makers with community stakeholders to sustain SCL change Make authentic engagement a permanent part of district and state decision-making processes 12
Theory of Change The combination of local/bottom-up engagement and broad-based/top-down initiatives will result in pressure from multiple sources, leading to increased support for systems change within school districts and among various key stakeholders at the state and local levels. 13
Request for Proposals Alliance Building RFP 14
Background Information History of alliances in creating change on social issues Alliance Building scan done with Education First: Appetite for state college and career readiness alliances across the region Desire for regional intermediary structure to support and network state alliances 15
Alliance Building Structure 16
Regional Strategy: Overview Goal Convene, organize and support alliances and cultivate influencers in and across New England states to build public understanding and demand for the Big Goal and Student- Centered Learning Technical Assistance Strategies 1 Provide on-going technical assistance to grantees to facilitate knowledge sharing across state-based alliances 2 Host an annual convening to disseminate information and build awareness within and across statebased alliances and influencers Desired Outcomes Increased public awareness, understanding and demand for the Big Goal among education organizations and influencers Greater knowledge of the most promising strategies to meet the goal in each New England state Increased capacity of alliances to conduct their advocacy and engagement work with effective tactics, messaging, enlistment of influencers, etc. Stronger partnerships among alliances to collaborate, troubleshoot challenges, and share information as needed 17
Goal Regional Strategy: Technical Assistance Technical Assistance Strategies Activities Convene, organize and support alliances and cultivate influencers in and across New England states to build public understanding and demand for the Big Goal and Student- Centered Learning 1 Partner with Foundation staff to Provide on-going select and structure grant technical assistance to relationships with state alliances grantees to facilitate Conduct regular monthly check-ins knowledge sharing with state alliances and update across state-based alliances Foundation staff Track and monitor progress of state alliances 2 Host an annual convening to disseminate information and build awareness within and across statebased alliances and influencers Facilitate virtual and in-person technical assistance and capacity building activities for state alliances individually and in small groups Promote peer-to-peer learning among state alliances Develop new and share existing resources to support state alliances 18
Regional Strategy: Convenings Goal Technical Assistance Strategies Activities Convene, organize and support alliances and cultivate influencers in and across New England states to build public understanding and demand for the Big Goal and Student- Centered Learning 1 Convene an annual conference Provide on-going of college and career readiness technical assistance to alliances, including the grantees to facilitate following: knowledge sharing across state-based Alliance members and other alliances leading education-focused organizations from each New England state 2 Host an annual convening to disseminate information and build awareness within and across statebased alliances and influencers Influencers from each New England state Interested non-grantees of Nellie Mae Other local, regional and national funders to support convenings 19
Funding Priorities Regional Intermediary Grant/Contract Up to $250,000 annually State Alliance Grants Three implementation grants of up to $150,000 annually Up to three planning grants of up to $50,000 annually By 2018, all six New England states have fully operational and supported college and career readiness alliances 20
Selection Criteria Organizational experience with: Supporting multi-state or multi-site networks of alliances Providing customized technical assistance and capacity building activities to networks Organizing large regional or multi-state convenings Existing organizational capacity that can be built upon, as needed, to implement the proposed workplan Organizational knowledge of the K-12 education field Alignment of project workplan and budget with proposed scope of work 21
Project Start-up Timeline May 27, 2016 Proposals Due by 5:00 PM May 30 June 14, 2016 Proposal Review June 15, 2016 Decisions on Grant/Contract and Organizations Notified June 15 July 14, 2016 Intermediary MOU Negotiated and Finalized July 15, 2016 Grant/Contract with Regional Intermediary Begins July 15 August 31, 2016 State Alliance Grantee Selection Process September 1-30, 2016 State Alliance MOUs Negotiated and Finalized October 1, 2016 State Alliance Grants Begin 22
Questions?
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