Deadline: 14-Jan-22
Through the Promise, the United Way is pleased to launch its next Community Challenge centered on record sealing and employment access to conduct one of the largest, if not the largest, record sealing and clearing initiatives this city has ever seen.
At a time when employment levels remain low despite many industries in dire need of workers, this effort could be game-changing for citizens and businesses across Philadelphia communities.
The Promise is inviting organizations with legal expertise and/or deep community reach to a collaborative process that includes:
- Conducting outreach and engagement to make Philadelphians aware of record sealing opportunities through Clean Slate and follow-up petitioning for expungement or pardons
- Hosting record sealing and clearing clinics at trusted community hubs across the city
- Providing direct services to Philadelphia residents including:
- Running their criminal history checks to make residents aware of their arrest and conviction records and the impacts of Clean Slate laws on sealing some/all of those records;
- Identifying records that may be eligible for sealing or expungement through a petition process or pardon through a pardon application
- Filing petitions and following up with residents to help further seal and/or clear past records
- As available, provide access to other employment and income supports including job search, resume development, interview preparation, benefits access, basic needs, and/or other on-site services.
Recognizing that removing barriers to employment is an effective strategy for combating poverty, this Community Challenge seeks to support:
- Expanding capacity at trusted community organizations to outreach and engage residents who could benefit from record awareness and sealing, host clinics at their site, and leverage additional resources and services to support employment and stability
- Expanding capacity at legal services organizations to run record sealing clinics and follow-up with experienced staff and volunteers
Grant Opportunities
The Record Sealing & Employment Access Community Challenge is made up of two unique but mutually reliant grant opportunities, each with distinct goals, deliverables, and expectations.
- Community Hubs: The Promise is seeking proposals from nonprofits that can:
- provide outreach to community members and
- to host record sealing clinics that double as community events.
- Legal Services: The Promise is seeking proposals from nonprofits to provide the personnel and legal expertise necessary to execute effective record sealing and expungement clinics. Selected grantees will work closely with local community organizations and host sites to coordinate and deliver services to community members.
Funding Information
- Community Hubs
- Amount: $35,000 – $55,000.
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 15-30
- Legal Services
- Amount: $200,000 – $400,000.
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 2-5
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible to apply, applicants must have these core elements in place:
- Must serve low-income communities and the mission must align with advancing individuals and families economically
- Ability to offer services at significant scale
- Demonstrated success in convening partners and bundling resource to maximize outcomes and increase access for community members
- Ability to track and report outcomes, including total financial and nonfinancial resources accessed, and participate in comprehensive evaluation
- Must be able to implement and operate the program between March 2022 and March 2023
- Applicant must have had an independent review or audit of their finances within the last two years
- Applicant must be a non-profit or educational institution with IRS code Section 501(c) (3) and 509(a) (1), (2) or (3), or Section 170(c); or a public entity
- Special consideration and priority will be given to applicants that exhibit the following characteristics:
- An organizational commitment to diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion that is clearly reflected across all administrative and programmatic aspects of the service model
- Deep community reach, access, and trust in a defined geographic area or among a defined population which is challenged with high rates of poverty and unemployment
- Experience working with evaluation partners and conducting rigorous assessments
- Thoughtful integration of the following offerings/services:
- Employment services
- Job training & placement opportunities
- Career counseling and coaching
- Education and certification
- Housing subsidies and/or rental support
- Food and basic needs referrals
- Financial literacy
- A well-constructed and vetted plan for delivering services during and following the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring the health and safety of clients and program staff.
- The Call for Proposals seeks leading organizations serving Philadelphia?to implement strategies to scale and deliver evidence-based approaches to maximize resources and benefits for Philadelphia residents.
For more information, visit https://thepromisephl.org/grantee-application/