REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Opportunity Youth Participatory Grantmaking Fund Consultant

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Opportunity Youth Participatory Grantmaking Fund Consultant

The Foundation for Louisiana (FFL) invites qualified consultants to submit proposals to support the youth-led development and execution of a participatory grantmaking fund in the area of economic justice.  The fund is made possible through a generous  grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support FFL’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic which includes supporting children and youth who have experienced  substantial disruptions in their daily lives (via the impacts on school, work, and recreation) and threats to their quality of life (such as evictions, loss of employment for themselves and/or family members, loss of loved ones, etc.).  The fund will specifically engage, develop, and advance the needs and vision of BIPOC youth who have experienced or may, during the course of the fund, be experiencing disconnection from school, employment, volunteer service, and/or employment training. 

We envision the opportunity youth participatory grantmaking fund as a generative forum that will empower youth and amplify their voices. Depending on the vision of the young people/youth leaders engaged in the process of creating the fund, possible in-roads for the development of the strategy may include the following: 

  • Youth re-imagine work in the overlap of systemic racism and the coronavirus pandemic and explore alternative economic structures
  • Youth foreground entrepreneurship both as resistance to the limiting/recuperative narratives around workforce readiness that often go un-interrogated in youth development initiatives 
  • Youth recognize BIPOC entrepreneurship as an essential component of closing the race-based wealth gap 

We invite applications from individuals and/or agencies with diverse professional and personal backgrounds to serve as a “first step” partner.  This structure is being used to ensure that youth participants are given as much decision-making power as possible; therefore, while we acknowledge the need for such a “first step” partner to launch the initiative, we also acknowledge the need for youth participants to have decision-making power when it comes to  the consultants who will be essential to their success in this endeavor.  What this means: FFL is asking applicants to submit the proposal as outlined in the following paragraph while acknowledging that the contract will only be secured for the first phase of the work outlined in the section titled “compensation and timeline” as months one – four.  The remainder of the contract will be provisionally approved pending confirmation by youth participants. 

A draft timeline for the project is provided below in the section titled “compensation and timeline”.  While this timeline is provisional, pending the vision and design of youth participants, applicants are welcome to use it as an outline for developing the proposal narrative.  Please include a resume/CV and/or descriptions of key staff members (if applying as an organization) as an attachment to the proposal.  Proposal materials, including relevant attachments, should not exceed 12 pages. 

 

Desired Competencies

We anticipate the successful applicant will demonstrate a significant number of the following competencies and skills: 

  • The ability to connect with BIPOC youth and young adults authentically and in a way that uncompromisingly centers their knowledge, needs, and aspirations
  • An active awareness of the many identities young people live in and across including race, gender and gender expression, sexuality, socioeconomic status, national origin, documentation status, and/or disability
  • An equally active awareness of the many systems and issues that young people live in and across including education, juvenile justice, healthcare, climate change, and the economy
  • Demonstrated content knowledge and expertise in the following:
    • positive youth development broadly and opportunity youth and youth voice/empowerment/participation specifically
    • youth entrepreneurship/workforce readiness/employability programs and programming
    • participatory grantmaking  
    • program evaluation, especially youth participatory action research and/or youth participatory evaluation
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills that are responsive to the needs of varied audiences
  • Able to effectively facilitate online and, conditions allowing, in-person meetings, convenings, and other gatherings of diverse stakeholders in such a way to ensure equity and inclusion for all participants and attendees 
  • Commitment to FFL’s values and vision

Compensation and Provisional Timeline 

Remuneration for the 12-month contract (January – December  2022) is set at $35,000.00.  The provisional project timeline is as follows:

  • Month 1: January 2021
    • Contracting and refinement of SOW with FFL 
    • Planning and outreach 
  • Months 2 – 4:  February – April 2022
    • Initial convening of youth, establishment of vision, norms, etc.
    • Formative/developmental evaluation questions identified
    • Development of grants strategy 
    • Confirmation of consultant
  • Months 5: May 2022  
    • Execution of grantmaking strategy 
  • Months 6 – 10: June – October 2022
    • Grants management
  • Months 11 - 12: November – December 2022
    • Grants close-out/evaluation; project evaluation

About Foundation for Louisiana

Foundation for Louisiana (FFL) is a social justice philanthropic intermediary founded in 2005 as the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation to invest in the immediate recovery of Louisiana’s communities after Hurricane Katrina. While FFL was established in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, our founders recognized the need to address the longstanding inequities that have shaped life outcomes for the most marginalized of Louisianans. Our programs grew in response to these needs, and today FFL focuses on racial justice, climate justice, criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, LGBTQ organizing, and support for Louisiana's vibrant arts and culture.

Since inception, FFL has invested $55 million in more than 250 mission-critical nonprofit organizations working across the state towards building a more just Louisiana. As a social justice philanthropic intermediary, FFL’s work unapologetically advances racial justice while moving Louisiana forward. The foundation engages communities in both program co-design as well as its grant-making process, in order to expand opportunities and move communities towards a more just future.

Equal Opportunity Employment Policy

Foundation for Louisiana follows an equal opportunity employment policy and employs personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, criminal justice background, and marital status.

This policy also applies to internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, outside vendors, members and customers, service clients, use of contractors and consultants, grantees, board members and dealings with the general public.

To Apply

Please send application materials to Jamie Schmill, Vice President of Programs, via email at jobs@foundationforlouisiana.org  Priority will be given to applications received by 5pm CT on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. 

We encourage applications from people with disabilities and are available to discuss reasonable accommodations for any applicant who may need them.   To inquire about accommodations, please email cgaulden@foundationforlouisiana.org or call FFL at (225) 383-1672.  Please refrain from making phone calls for any reason other than to request application accommodations.