REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:

CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT & IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: LANGUAGE ACCESS COMMUNITY GRANTS I N F O R M A T I O N P A C K E T # 2 0 1 7-01 Date Issued: April 18, 2017 Pre-proposal Conference: April 25, 2017 Proposals Due: 5:00 p.m. PST, May 5, 2017

LANGUAGE ACCESS COMMUNITY GRANTS, PHASE II TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Overview p 2 II. Notice of Availability of Funds p 4 III. Schedule p 5 IV. RFP A. Introduction B. Background and History C. Language Access Community Grants Program Purpose and Priorities D. Funding Period E. Proposal Categories and Availability of Funds F. Eligibility and Use of Funds G. Review Process, Schedule and Selection Criteria p 6 V. Application Form p 14

I. OVERVIEW This overview is intended to assist applicants with the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and the focus of the San Francisco Language Access Community Grants Program. Please read this section carefully, along with the RFP, to determine whether your organization and proposed project align with the strategic goals and priorities of the program as outlined in this document. These goals and priorities, as well as each applicant s demonstrated expertise to achieve outcomes will be the basis upon which all funding decisions are made. The Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) is seeking proposals from non-profit and community-based organizations based in San Francisco to assist in building community and City capacity to serve monolingual, Limited-English Proficient (LEP), hard-to-reach, vulnerable and/or underserved populations for which English is not a first language. The RFP process will select San Francisco non-profit/community-based organizations ("CBOs") and/or a collaborative with access to and expertise in one or more of the identified project priority areas. The purpose of this program is to continue increasing community and City capacity to meet the language access needs of underserved immigrant communities and monolingual or LEP individuals who live or work in San Francisco. Emphasis will be placed on 1) building communitybased language access leadership and capacity through community outreach and education, 2) collaborative work to assess, evaluate, and document language access needs in the community and ensure city departments are effectively communicating with and delivering services to residents who speak languages other than English, and 3) building community capacity to deliver community based interpretation and translation services. For the purposes of this program, Hard-to-Reach (HTR) populations refers to populations for whom English is not a first language and that are historically difficult to reach, or least likely to respond to English-language communications and media. All program activities must be conducted in San Francisco and will be focused on, but not limited to, areas of the City with the highest concentration of LEP or monolingual individuals. Applicants should propose activities that leverage their own ability to reach and motivate targeted populations while employing street-smart, relevant, and creative approaches. Selected applicants must demonstrate the cultural and linguistic competence, credibility, and capacity to reach, assist, and motivate targeted populations and communities to action. As determined by OCEIA, selected applicants must coordinate closely with the City and other program partners to achieve outcomes that will benefit targeted populations and all San Francisco residents. 2 P a g e

Costs incurred by applicants in responding to this RFP are entirely the responsibility of the applicants and will not be reimbursed. Pre-proposal Workshop: Organizations are encouraged to attend the following pre-proposal session: Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2017 Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m. PST Location: 50 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94102 This is not a required meeting; however, the pre-proposal workshop is intended to assist potential applicants, describe the scope of services sought through this RFP, respond to questions, review RFP requirements and application processes, and explain other administrative requirements. All questions and answers addressed at the workshop or submitted by 5:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, April 27, 2017 will be posted at OCEIA s website www.sfgov.org/oceia, by 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, April 28, 2017. OCEIA will not respond to questions submitted after the above deadline. To ensure that all applicants have access to the same information, OCEIA staff members are not permitted to answer RFP content questions via telephone or in person. All proposals must be submitted electronically in MSWORD or PDF format to civic.engagement@sfgov.org and received by OCEIA no later than 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, May 5, 2017. An email response will be sent within 24 hours to confirm receipt of completed proposals submitted on time. Applicants to this program bear the sole responsibility for ensuring that all submitted proposals, including attachments and application forms, are complete, accurate and received on time. Incomplete proposals or proposals sent after 5:00 p.m. PST on the due date or thereafter will not be accepted no exceptions. 3 P a g e

II. NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 4 P a g e

III. SCHEDULE R E Q U E S T F O R P R O P O S A L S S C H E D U L E S A N F R A N C I S C O L A N G U A G E A C C E S S C O M M U N I T Y G R A N T S P R O G R A M RFP# 2017-01 Contact: Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs Email: civic.engagement@sfgov.org telephone: 415.581.2360 SCHEDULE* Notice of Funding Availability April 14, 2017 RFP Available Online April 18, 2017 12:00 noon, PST RFP Pre-Proposal Information & Technical Assistance Workshop Deadline to Submit RFP Questions to OCEIA Answers to RFP Questions Posted Online April 25, 2017 1-2:30 p.m. PST April 27, 2017 5:00 p.m. PST April 28, 2017 5:00 p.m. PST Proposal Due Date May 5, 2017 5:00 p.m. PST Proposal Review Period May 8-10, 2017 CITY-APPLICANT COMMUNICATIONS One pre-proposal information session will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 50 Van Ness Avenue, 2 nd Floor Conference Room from 1:00pm 2:30 p.m. PST. The Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA), under Executive Director Adrienne Pon, is the authorized Department overseeing Language Access programs and grants. Applicants are directed not to contact officials of the city or any other employees outside of OCEIA regarding this grant program. Unauthorized contact may be cause for rejection of proposals at the city s sole and absolute discretion. Contract Award Intent Notification May 11, 2017 Final Grant Agreements/Work Plans Due June 1, 2017 Service Implementation Begins July 1, 2017 End of Grant Cycle June 30, 2019 *All dates are subject to change at the discretion of OCEIA. Please check the OCEIA website for the latest schedule. 5 P a g e

IV. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS #2017-01 FOR LANGUAGE ACCESS General terms used in this RFP: Applicant refers to any entity submitting a proposal to this Request for Proposals ( RFP ). Grantee refers to the applicant awarded an agreement for services under this RFP. City refers to the City and County of San Francisco. The Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs ( OCEIA ), a division of the City Administrator s Office/General Services Agency ( CAO/GSA ), is the authorized City department responsible for overseeing all Language Access programs and grants. A. INTRODUCTION Navigating the public process and obtaining critical, timely information are often difficult, even for longtime City residents. Imagine the additional challenges faced by newcomers who speak little or no English routine activities such as obtaining a driver s license, seeking services and information, taking public transportation, or enrolling children in school can become extremely difficult and confusing. During crisis or emergencies situations, effective communication between local government agencies and residents, regardless of the languages they speak, is absolutely critical to ensuring public safety and saving lives. Approximately one third of San Francisco s estimated 840,763 residents are immigrants. 1 Of all San Franciscans over the age of five, 44.2% percent speak a language other than English at home, with the largest language groups being Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, Russian, and Vietnamese. More than 12% of San Francisco households are linguistically isolated with no one over the age of 14 indicating that they speak English well or very well. 2 Since 2009, OCEIA has been charged with overseeing citywide compliance with the San Francisco Language Access Ordinance (LAO), a voluntary law and one of the most comprehensive in the nation. For many immigrant and newcomer communities, language access is a core civil right and one of the essential keys to full and meaningful participation in a democracy. Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Non-English Proficient (NEP) persons face significant challenges in accessing timely and relevant information in languages other than English. Despite multiple laws at every level of government that ensure linguistic rights, the compliance and provisioning of services in a diversity of languages remain challenging. 1 ACS 2011-2015, 5 year Estimate 2 As cited on sfhip.org, Population Reference Bureau, analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey microdata files (Jan. 2014). A linguistically isolated household is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as one in which no member 14 years old and over (1) speaks only English or (2) speaks a non-english language and speaks English "very well." In other words, all members 14 years old and over have at least some difficulty with English. 6 P a g e

San Francisco is considered a language access leader and one of the most welcoming places for immigrants, but more can be done to fully meet the needs of LEP residents. With nearly half of the City s residents speaking a language other than English at home, language access must remain a priority for the City and especially for departments that directly serve the public. This should be reflected in all aspects of normal operations and planning, including budgets, signage, and public notices. As noted in OCEIA s annual LAO Compliance reports, a lack of funding and competing priorities are no excuse for not meeting the language needs of residents who speak languages other than English. The City seeks to partner with the community and other sectors to leverage limited resources, develop creative solutions, and ensure equal access to information and services. By taking intentional steps to honor the spirit and intention of the Language Access Ordinance, the City and its partners can better engage, inform, and serve all residents. B. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY The San Francisco Language Access Ordinance (LAO), one of the most far reaching in the nation, was enacted in 2001 to ensure equal access to City services for all San Franciscans, including those with limited proficiency in English. The LAO was amended in 2009 and again in 2015 to strengthen its efficacy and expand compliance requirements. The LAO requires all City departments to use sufficient numbers of bilingual employees in public contact positions to provide the same level of information and services to LEP persons as they provide to English speakers in each language that meets certain language thresholds. 3 All City departments that provide information or services directly to the public must meet minimum requirements of the law, including provisions for translated documents, interpreter services, posting of language access rights and complaint procedures. Fifty one City departments must file annual compliance plans in addition to complying with the full extent of the law. Since May 2012, the Board of Supervisor s Government Audit & Oversight Committee has held annual Language Access hearings with testimony from community members and City departments. Community advocates and LEP residents have shared the difficulties of accessing services and timely information in language, particularly during crisis or emergency situations. C. LANGUAGE ACCESS COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM 3 Departments must provide information and services in each language spoken by either a Concentrated or Substantial number of Limited English Speaking Persons. Concentrated Number of Limited English Speaking Persons means either five percent of the population of the district in which a covered department facility is located or five percent of those persons who use the services provided by the facility. Section 91.2(e). Substantial Number of Limited English Speaking Persons means either 10,000 city residents or five percent of those persons who use the department s services. Section 91.2(k). Currently, three languages meet this threshold: Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino. 7 P a g e

PURPOSE AND PRIORITIES The Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) is seeking to fund efforts that will address challenges and gaps in meeting the language access needs of San Francisco residents, in particular, underserved immigrant communities and monolingual or Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals who live or work in San Francisco. This grant program will continue the efforts developed in 2012 to increase community and citywide capacity. Emphasis will be placed on 1) building community-based language access leadership and capacity through community outreach and education, 2) working with OCEIA to assess, evaluate, and document language access needs in the community and ensure City departments are effectively communicating with, and delivering services to, residents who speak languages other than English, and 3) building community capacity to deliver community based interpretation and translation services, and enhancing existing language service programs. 1. Building community-based language access leadership and capacity- This work will involve organizing community-based organizations that primarily serve immigrant, LEP, monolingual and linguistically vulnerable populations around community outreach, education, and advocacy. Expected tasks include 1) conducting in-language Know Your Rights trainings, and 2) participating in community outreach and education activities, including citizenship workshops, and departmental trainings and workshops. 2. Assessing and addressing language access needs in the community- The scope of this work includes identifying barriers and gaps in meeting the language access needs of communities for which English is not a first language and working collaboratively with the City to develop solutions and innovative approaches to ensure that city departments and public institutions are responding appropriately and adequately to language access needs in targeted communities. This work will involve 1) providing useful information and materials to OCEIA and City departments on cultural/linguistic best practices for specific language groups, 2) developing both qualitative and quantitative documentation of cases where City departments and other institutions serving the public have not adequately provided information and services in language to individuals for which English is not a first language through department spot checks, 3) working with OCEIA to assess the City s provisioning of culturally and linguistically appropriate language services and providing technical assistance to city departments to more effectively reach and serve targeted and emerging populations, and 4) assisting OCEIA with identifying, reporting, and resolving LAO violations among City agencies. 3. Building community capacity to deliver centralized interpretation and translation services - This priority involves working with OCEIA to continue building community-driven leadership and capacity to develop a citywide language bank and enhance current language services. Based on OCEIA s Phase I work that recruited, trained and certified community-based interpreters, this work will help develop mechanisms to replicate across different communities and neighborhoods in order to develop cultural and linguistic competency standards, language resources and 8 P a g e

glossaries, and language certification tools for the City. This work may also involve enhancing current community-based language service programs for English learners. Each of the priorities described above may apply to one or all of the grant categories described in Section E. Organizations must be ready to begin implementing their activities by July 1, 2017. Grantees are expected to coordinate their efforts with OCEIA, City departments, and other identified partners to leverage resources and address service or policy gaps. D. FUNDING PERIOD Grants will be awarded for work performed by nonprofit and community-based organizations over a twenty-four (24) month period between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2019. Grant term may be extended based on availability of funds by up to one additional year. 9 P a g e

E. PROPOSAL CATEGORIES AND AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS General Funds totaling approximately $600,000 are available for the following categories: CATEGORY ANNUAL RANGE* DESCRIPTION Citywide Language Access Collaborative Up to $400,000 Must address all three priority areas listed in this RFP. Members of this collaborative are required to participate in OCEIA s citywide Language Access Advisory Committee. The lead agency or fiscal sponsor will be responsible for collecting and providing any and all documents as requested by OCEIA, as well as ensuring the performance of the collaborative. Individual collaborative members must fully meet performance objectives and guidelines to receive Emerging or Underserved Communities Filipino Language Community Engagement Dependent on number of proposals, but with minimum of $10,000 per grant Up to $75,000 *All amounts are approximate, depending on available funds. The City, through OCEIA, reserves the right to: their portion of funding. Must propose activities specific to educating, informing, engaging, or enhancing language services for an emerging or underserved language group or demographic (i.e., seniors, LEP victims of consumer scams, new immigrant communities, highly vulnerable populations such as LEP Domestic Violence victims, et cetera). Specific and urgent needs must be clearly outlined. Must propose community engagement activities and programs specific to Filipino LEP needs, including civics training and community organizing, in order to increase the participation of LEP Filipinos in civic life and better access the City s provisioning of services to this community. 1. Not allocate the full amount of available funding, combine, or make adjustments in the number of grants and/or award amounts for this program if insufficient qualified proposals are received; 2. Modify applicant goals and targets of outreach, collaboration, and coordination to avoid duplication and/or increase appropriate outreach to historically hard-to-reach LEP and underserved non-english speaking communities in San Francisco; 3. Award single or multiple agency awards during the review process; and to 4. Reject any and all proposals. 10 P a g e

F. ELIGIBILITY AND USE OF FUNDS The Language Access Community Grants RFP process is open to all San Francisco-based non-profit 501(c) (3) organizations that wish to implement projects as outlined in this RFP. Applicants for the Citywide Language Access Collaborative category must have an existing written agreement or evidence of a prior coalition relationship with collaborative members, in addition to demonstrating a successful track record of organizing a broad-base, diverse, citywide coalition, and experience implementing a major policy or citywide outreach effort, such as the decennial census. A single application from the lead agency or fiscal sponsor must be submitted. OCEIA will require additional documentation and forms from each of the collaborative members at a later time. The lead agency or fiscal sponsor will be responsible for collecting and providing any and all documents as requested by OCEIA as well as ensuring the performance of each collaborative member for this grant. Individual collaborative members may not apply separately for the Emerging or Underserved Communities category, but may apply for the Filipino Language Community Engagement category if qualified. Applicants for the Emerging or Underserved Communities category must provide demographic information outlining the specific language access needs and barriers for the populations served and must currently serve those targeted populations. Applicants should also state clearly and concisely why the language access needs of these communities are urgent, and be willing to assist with collecting demographic data, including conducting a baseline study or survey. Applicants for the Filipino Language Community Engagement category must have prior experience working with the targeted Filipino LEP population living, working or attending schools in San Francisco. Applicants applying as a collaborative must have an existing written agreement or evidence of a prior working relationship with the lead agency. Proposals must clearly describe community language engagement activities specific to Filipino community needs and coordination with local educational, business, community, or government institutions. All applicants must be compliant City Vendors prior to submitting proposals to be eligible for funding. All proposals will be screened before the review process begins, and non-compliant organizations will not be considered. Applicants can obtain the necessary forms from the Office of Contract Administration, Room 430 or online: http://sfgov.org/oca. To determine if an applicant organization or fiscal sponsor is compliant, contact the Controller's Office at (415) 554-6702. To be eligible for a Language Access Community grant, proposed projects must: Be located in San Francisco with all major activities taking place in San Francisco. Serve the targeted populations in San Francisco. 11 P a g e

Enhance access to information and services for targeted populations for which English is not a first language. Demonstrate a long-term benefit to the identified San Francisco populations and City. Demonstrate cultural and linguistic competency to serve the targeted population. Provide a time bound schedule of when activities will occur. Be within the demonstrated capacity of the applying organization. Propose achievable goals, specific activities, and measurable objectives. All proposed activities must be directly related to language access issues outlined in this RFP. Detailed guidelines as well as terms and conditions will be outlined in the final grant agreement. No funds received through this RFP may be used to provide financial assistance for any program that involves political or religious activities. Applicants must comply with Section 1.126 of the San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Code which limits political activities of City contractors as well as sections of the Administrative Code which outline specific requirements and restrictions for the use of City funds. City departments are not eligible for funds. Funds may be used for printing, equipment or software costs related to the delivery or implementation of language services as outlined in this RFP but may not constitute the majority of the proposed budget. G. REVIEW PROCESS, SCHEDULE AND SELECTION CRITIERIA All submitted proposals will be initially screened by OCEIA staff to determine completeness and eligibility incomplete or ineligible proposals will not be considered. Evaluation and rating of eligible proposals will be conducted by a committee of OCEIA and City staff, and may include local philanthropic foundation partners and grant experts. The OCEIA Executive Team (Executive Director and Deputy Director(s)) will determine the final awardees and amounts. Please see the schedule outlined in Section III for specific dates and times. Applicants selected for contract negotiations are not guaranteed a contract. The selection of any applicant for contract negotiations shall not imply acceptance by the City of all terms of the proposal, which may be subject to further negotiation and approvals before the City may be legally bound. 12 P a g e

Proposal Evaluation Criteria (100 points) Each proposal will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria below. A. Quality of Proposal Does the proposal clearly, directly and specifically relate and respond to the needs and requirements outlined in the RFP? Are the proposed activities culturally and linguistically relevant and appropriate for the targeted LEP populations? Are the proposed goals, objectives and activities measurable and relevant to the RFP? How much evidence is there in the proposal that the applicant thought about and responded with integrity to the requirements of the RFP? 35 points B. Capacity Does the proposal clearly and specifically demonstrate and/or include the applicant s structural capacity, experience, and proven approach delivering activities and services specified in the RFP? Does the Respondent meet standards for delivering services in a quality and timely manner? 25 points C. Staff Qualifications & Experience Does the applicant s staff proposed to perform the work have sufficient qualifications and experience to implement the proposed services, and does the proposal provide proof of this? 20 points D. Costs, Work Efforts and Timeframes Are the costs, work efforts, approaches, and timeframes appropriate and reasonable for the proposed activities? E. Submission Requirements and Proposal Information Does the proposal adhere to the submission requirements set forth in the RFP? Is the information provided complete, accurate, and applicable to the RFP? 10 points 10 points TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 100 points 13 P a g e

V. APPLICATION FORM Applicants must use the attached form (Attachment A) which has been prepared to streamline and make the application process as easy as possible. Applicants are encouraged to be concise and include only essential and specific information as requested. Applicants are directed not to alter, expand, delete, or otherwise change any section in the form. All sections in the form must be completed with the required information. Additional information related to the proposal may be included in an attachment. OCEIA reserves the right to request additional information or documents after the due date if needed. Proposed work plans are subject to final approval by OCEIA during contract negotiations and successful applicants may be asked to change details of their proposed plans. Completed applicants forms should be scanned and prepared as either a single file in MSWORD or PDF (or in a ZIP file) and emailed to civic.engagement@sfgov.org with the subject line: Language Access RFP 2017-01. All proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, May 5, 2017 to be considered. A confirmation and Grant Applicant Identification number will be sent via email within 24 hours of receipt of the proposal by OCEIA. 14 P a g e