Deadline: 16-May-22
The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) is excited to invite applications from community-based organizations and sole proprietors for DEEL’s Equitable Communities Initiative (ECI) Youth Leadership & Cultural Education Request for Investment (RFI).
DEEL’s Youth Leadership and Cultural Education RFI will invest up to $1.5 million in community-based leadership and cultural education opportunities to improve academic outcomes for historically underserved youth of color, immigrant and refugee youth disproportionately affected by systemic inequities.
Areas
This grant will fund programs to improve academic outcomes for Black, Indigenous, immigrant and refugee youth of color through one or more of the following areas:
- Identity & belonging: Youth are provided culturally-relevant education and supportive, identity-affirming relationships with peers and adults.
- Learning & agency: Youth gain leadership skills including critical thinking analysis, strategy development, and systems-level thinking.
- Social-emotional well-being: Youth have access to identity-affirming safe spaces and opportunities to increase social-emotional skills including self-advocacy, self-efficacy, and self- and social awareness.
Funding Information
- This funding opportunity was established as part of DEEL’s 2022 budget, and allocates up to $1,500,000 to support youth impacted by systemic inequities, prioritizing Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), immigrant, and refugee youth.
- Eligible applicants may submit an application that funds a proposal up to a maximum of $150,000.
Eligibility Criteria
DEEL is seeking applications from community-based organizations and sole-proprietors supporting youth impacted by systemic inequities, prioritizing BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee youth. Provider criteria for these investments include:
- Commitment to racial equity and directing resources to youth populations based on the unique needs of historically underserved communities
- Demonstrated history of serving BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee youth.
- Systems that foster partnership with youth and families using culturally responsive communication, practices, and multiple opportunities and mechanisms for youth and families to engage in decisionmaking processes
- Systems and structures in place to collect, analyze, and evaluate data; data is used to recruit students, assess students’ needs, identify appropriate interventions, track student progress toward outcomes, and adjust instructional and programmatic practices
- Governance structure that provides oversight on organizational budget, operations, and values the use of data
- Experience achieving positive outcomes for BIPOC, and/or immigrant and refugee youth and/or young adults (ages 11-24).
For more information, visit https://www.seattle.gov/education/for-providers/funding-opportunities/youth-leadership-and-cultural-education