Children, Youth & Families Program Spring 2012 RFP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investing in the success of Children, Youth & Families

The Sudbury Foundation is pleased to solicit proposals for the following Children, Youth & Families (CY&F) Program Capacity Building grant initiatives:

Track 1 / Start Strong: Supporting Parents of Young Children

Track 2 / Teen Angst & Beyond: Addressing Depression & Risky Behaviors

(Detailed Track descriptions below.)

Proposal Schedule:

February 10:      Spring Track RFP Released

February 29:      Information Session

March 12:           Concept Papers Due

April 2:                Proposals Due

Mid-June:          Trustee Review and Awards Announcement

Funding Objectives

The CY&F Program is designed to help young people realize their full potential and become caring, productive citizens. The focus is on underserved youth who face economic and/or personal barriers to success. Our 2012 CY&F Program will support Capacity Building projects aimed at strengthening an agency’s long-term sustainability and effectiveness. Projects should address or tie back to enhancements in operations, management and/or governance designed to increase the ability of the agency (or a program within the agency) to better serve children and families. The intent of the program is to build leadership skills and/or management capacity in a way that will help good agencies and programs become stronger and more stable. (Capacity Building generally does not include program development/expansion or capital projects (such as a new facility), unless there is a clear and direct link to enhanced financial stability. For more information on Capacity Building, please visit the Nonprofit Resourcespage of our website.)

Eligible projects may include:

  • Strategic and/or business plan development (i.e. professional services for growth planning, organizational assessment and design, community needs assessment, market studies, etc.)
  • Board and/or staff professional development (i.e. board and leadership training, skill building and/or coaching)
  • Fund development plans and systemS (i.e. professional services for identification of potential donors and structuring of fundraising programs, fundraising systems)
  • Program evaluation (i.e. staffing or outside expertise, software to track results)
  • Financial management and/or IT systems and expertise
  • Communications systems and expertise

Projects should be aligned with the objectives and priorities outlined in your organization’s Strategic Plan or long-term vision and should include clear goals, outcomes and measures of success.

Selection Criteria:

  • Evidence that the organization is meeting a demonstrated need of Children, Youth & Families in the communities served by the Foundation (See Eligibility section for list of towns)
  • Evidence that the organization is financially stable
  • Evidence of experienced leadership at both the staff and board levels
  • Clear explanation of how the proposed project will increase capacity and benefit the organization and, in turn, the constituents/communities it serves
  • Clear explanation of how funds will be used
  • Clear definition of project success including measurement and evaluation of results as they impact the communities served by the Foundation
  • Evidence that the work can be sustained after grant funding has ended, as appropriate

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Spring 2012 Track Descriptions

Track 1/ Start Strong: Supporting Parents of Young Children We know the first five years of life are crucial in the development of a child’s cognitive skills, social competence, physical health and emotional well-being and that children who spend their early years living in poverty without strong supports suffer long-lasting impact. The most successful intervention strategies begin by preparing and supporting new parents so they may develop the dependable, nurturing relationships their children need to get off to a good start in life and to thrive.For this track, we are seeking programs that provide low-income parents with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to be leaders in their children’s healthy development. Program offerings may include home visitation, skills training and classes, peer support groups and other mentoring strategies.  We are most interested in “high touch” programs that build strong relationships and support systems for new and/or isolated parents but will also consider programs that feature short-term supports with proven impact. Applicants should highlight their current program results and statistics and describe how the proposed capacity building project will take a good program/agency and make it stronger.   Track 2/ Teen Angst & Beyond: Addressing Depression & Risky Behaviors The teen years are a challenge for every young person. Pressures to be accepted, to conform, and to excel abound. Those facing mental health and self image issues are less prepared to deal with everyday activities and stressors, and often fall into depression or turn to risky behaviors as a means of coping.We will support programs that help youth from all economic backgrounds address issues of depression, low self esteem, dating violence, drug and alcohol abuse and/or other risky behaviors. Programs may be offered in or out of school, through health care providers or community groups. We envision these programs will serve middle or high school age youth but would be open to other age groups as well.For this track, the Foundation is seeking proven programs that target a broad segment of teens in our catchment area in creative ways. Because these programs often involve limited time frames and group participation (“low touch”), we will be looking for evidence that the program delivery approach has a lasting impact on teens. We will also be interested in the number of teens served and the cost per teen. Applicants should highlight their current program results and statistics and describe how the proposed capacity building project will take a good program/agency and make it stronger. **********************************************************************************************************************

Eligibility

The Foundation’s Children, Youth & Families Program makes grants to public and nonprofit organizations located in Sudbury and the contiguous communities. These include: Acton, Concord, Framingham, Hudson, Lincoln, Marlboro, Maynard, Natick, Stow and Wayland. In addition, grant support is available to organizations based outside of these communities for activities that substantially benefit residents from one or more of the towns listed. Applicants who have received prior funding from the Sudbury Foundation must submit their final grant report before applying for additional support. As we transition to this program, some exceptions may be warranted. Please contact the executive director for a waiver of this requirement, if appropriate.

Application Information

The Foundation will hold an information session on February 29 at 9:30 am at our office at the Grange Hall, 326 Concord Road, Sudbury, MA. This session will include information on developing the Concept Paper, completing the application as well as proposal writing tips and additional information on the Foundation’s initiatives. Please RSVP by email (contact@sudburyfoundation.org) or by phone (978.443.0849) by Feb. 26. Concepts Papers are required and must be submitted via email by March 12, 2012 at 5:00 pm. Staff will provide comments on Concept Papers as quickly as possible. Proposals should be sent by mail and must be postmarked by April 2, 2012. Incomplete or late proposals will not be accepted. Positive Youth Development The Foundation supports the concept of positive youth development, an approach that emphasizes building the positive attributes and support systems young people need to be successful. According to positive youth development practitioners, the best youth programs nurture young people’s strengths rather than focus on negative behaviors. The Foundation encourages its grant partners to enhance their programming through a positive youth development lens. Additional information can be found here. Download the Spring 2012 RFP Download the Concept Paper Outline Download the Spring 2012 Application Watch for details of our Fall 2012 Grant Initiative which will feature different grant tracks. Details will be released in August. Concept papers will be due September 7. Proposals will be due October 1. Photo courtesy of the Boys & Girls Club of MetroWest