Deadline: 09-Sep-20
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) seeks an organization (or up to three collaborating organizations) to plan an initiative, which, by influencing policy and systems change, rectifies the inequitable distribution of parks and green spaces in low-income communities and communities of color in urban regions, including small and midsize cities (pop. 50,000–500,000). This work will build on the Foundation’s several years of field learning.
They seek applicants that have experience, expertise, and missions related to elevating equity in decisions, plans, and programs that affect the community conditions in which low income people and people of color live. This includes organizations with experience in community power building, community-led planning and programming, and community-driven decision-making.
They also expect that the applicant team (not necessarily the lead applicant) will possess content knowledge about parks and green spaces and related topics, such as climate resilience. Applicants should have the capacity to implement the planned effort, which will be funded separately.
Funding Information
- RWJF expects to award one planning grant of up to $400,000.
- Planning project will be six months in duration.
- Planning grant will begin in December 2020.
- This initial award will be for a planning grant with the expectation that the selected organization(s) will apply for a significantly larger grant to implement the planned effort or program.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants may include nonprofit organizations and nongovernmental organizations.
- Preference will be given to applicants that are either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations.
- Awards will be made to organizations, not to individuals.
- Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories.
- The successful applicant could be one organization or a partnership between up to three organizations. In the case of a partnership between organizations, one organization must be the lead applicant and will be responsible for administrative oversight of the grant.
Selection Criteria
A team of external and internal reviewers will evaluate all proposals. The review process will consider the applicant’s responses to the program elements described above, as well as the degree to which the applicant organization(s) meet the following selection criteria:
- Vision for the proposed project and alignment with the call for proposals (CFP) purpose and focus.
- The proposal describes how the applicant would design a plan that would successfully advance a policy or systems approach that attends to key equity principles (e.g., builds trust and shared decision-making between community members and municipal governmental entities.)
- The proposal suggests how the plan for the design will meaningfully contribute to the field’s understanding of the range of innovative and effective policy, financing, and practices being applied across the country that result in equitable access to parks and urban green spaces.
- The proposal acknowledges and supports program co-creation with RWJF.
- Quality and feasibility of the proposed program.
- The proposal clearly describes the key components of the planning period and how they will be carried out.
- The proposed approach is well-matched to the CFP purpose and is feasible within the allotted time frame and budget
- Focus, qualifications, and experience of applicant organization(s), and key personnel.
- Applicant demonstrates program development experience, including in collaboration with philanthropic organizations.
- Applicant team clearly demonstrates the ability to understand, conceive of, and implement an effort that works concurrently on both local and national scale, including deep expertise in supporting community based building organizations and other grassroots organizations; expertise in disciplines relevant to parks and urban greening (e.g., planning, parks and recreation, public health, storm water management, climate resilience); expertise and experience in fostering trust and collaborations between community-based organizations and municipal government entities; and a deep understanding, mission alignment, and significant experience advancing health and social equity.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Appropriateness of the proposed budget and management structure for the project.
- The proposed budget appears reasonable to accomplish the plan of work.
- If applicant is a collaboration of more than one organization, the applicant describes the roles and management structure for the collaboration.
- The applicant describes clear and regular points for RWJF’s engagement in the planning
For more information, visit https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/funding-opportunities/2020/equitable-parks-and-green-spaces-in-small-and-midsize-cities-planning-grant.html
