Housing Justice: Request for Proposal

 

UWBA Overview

 

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) mobilizes the Bay Area to dismantle the root causes of poverty and build equitable pathways to prosperity. Through initiatives and policy change, we provide immediate support and long-term solutions for employment, housing, financial stability, and meeting basic needs.
We believe housing is a fundamental human right. Historical disparities and inequitable access to housing, paired with the Bay Area’s immense racial wealth gap, have resulted in Black and Latinx residents being half as likely to own homes as white residents and twice as likely to live in poverty. The racial wealth gap has also resulted in historically marginalized communities experiencing homelessness disproportionally.
In short, fighting for housing stability and affordability requires putting equity front and center. Housing Justice is a social justice issue.

 

1. Housing Justice grantmaking

 

UWBA launched our Housing Justice Initiative in 2021. Our goals are to increase access to stable and affordable housing, prevent homelessness, and address the racial wealth gap through programming, grantmaking, partnerships, and policy advocacy. We also plan to raise awareness of housing issues and solutions through a public will-building campaign. For more information, visit our housing justice program page
.
UWBA Ambassadors are committed community members and clients of our various programs, including SparkPoint, Free Tax Help, 211, and Housing Justice among others. Ambassadors provide valuable feedback on UWBA programming, attend advocacy days, and speak to media and at fundraising events.
This RFP has been thoughtfully crafted by a group of UWBA Ambassadors who will also read, review, score, and make decisions on these grants.

 

2. Goals of this RFP

 

UWBA Ambassadors are currently accepting proposals from Bay Area organizations and programs that
provide services to keep people housed. Our goal is to fund organizations that work in at least one of these
funding areas:
• Tenants Rights, Eviction Prevention and Housing Education. This includes directly supporting
residents with legal support and advocacy.
• Provide homeownership support including financial coaching and planning to successfully manage
a mortgage and workshops to prepare for homeownership.
• Provide community organizing and housing advocacy projects that support tenants’ rights and eviction prevention ordinances and policies. Organizations can also work on policy change for more.

 

3. Geography

 

We are seeking proposals that advance housing justice in one or more of the following Bay Area counties:
Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano.

 

4. Number of grantees and funding amounts

 

Grant amounts range from $5,000 – $25,000. Total amount of funding available: $150,000.

 

5. Eligibility

 

Organizations must be a 501c3 community-based organization to apply. Organizations must serve one or more of the following Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano. The grant application will be open to all organizations, including those who received UWBA funding in 2023. However, we will prioritize grassroots organizations with organization budgets of $1 million and under.

 

6. Selection Criteria

 

All proposals that meet the requirements of this Request for Proposals and are submitted by the deadline will be considered based upon the materials provided. UWBA Ambassadors will select applicants who best fit the priorities outlined in the opportunities above and make selections based on the criteria below:
a. The proposal’s alignment with one or more of the three focus areas of the RFP
b. The experiences and expertise of the organization
c. The project’s likelihood of achieving the desired outcome of the project with the budgeted costs
d. The project’s ability to address disparities for BIPOC populations.

 

7. Application

 

The proposal should be submitted via this online application form by March 22, 2024 and should include the following:
a. Contact Information. Provide your name, title, phone number, and email for the best contact person for follow up questions and/or to notify grant status. Also provide your organization name, EIN#, website, address, and the name and contact information of your Executive Director or Organization Leader who is authorized to sign on behalf of the agency.
b. Organization Summary & History. Provide a brief summary of your organization and an example of a recent success story. You can use a pseudonym for your story. What are the results of the individuals your organization has helped?
c. Program Description and Plan. Describe the project for which you seek funding and detail your plan for how you would use the funds by responding to the following: What is your vision for this project? How will you use the funds? What steps or measures will you implement to realize your vision?
d. Impact and Results. Describe the outcomes you hope to achieve and how your organization will keep families housed this year.
e. Budget and Costs. Provide a breakdown of anticipated program and project expenses. Indirect costs will be capped at 20%.
f. IRS 501c3 determination letter
g. IRS Form 990

 

8. Deliverables and Reporting

 

Organizations awarded an Ambassador Housing grant must use the funds for housing-related activities to help individuals and families. UWBA will provide a template for a mid-year and final report that includes responses to the following questions:
• How did the funding benefit families? Please also share stories or testimonies from individuals or
families who benefited from the funding.
• How was the funding used? Please submit expenses incurred to date.
• How many people did you serve? Provide numbers of families and individuals served and other
demographic information if collected.
• What outcomes were achieved? How does it compare to your original plans?
• Share any challenges experienced during the process.

 

9. Timeline

February 28:	Informational webinar at 4:00PM PST https://uwba.zoom.us/j/89073717539 Meeting ID: 890 7371 7539 Passcode: 1234
February 22:	RFP released
March 22:	Proposals are due to UWBA. Proposals will be accepted until 11:59 PM PST on March 22. All proposals should be sent via the online form. Any proposals received after this date and time will not be considered.
March – April: Review of proposals	Ambassador grant committee and staff review and assess grants. Terms and conditions will be negotiated upon selection of the proposals and subject to review by United Way Bay Area, including scope, costs, timeline, and anything else applicable to the project.
April 30. Notification of grantees.	Applicants that were not selected will be notified by May 10, 2024.
Grant period:	The grant period for selected projects/organizations will be June1, 2024, through May 30, 2025.

 

10. How to  apply

Step 1. Fill out the online application form.
Step 2. Us this email address – housingjustice@uwba.org to send the required documents requested in the the online application form
Questions: contact Karen Nemsick, Director Housing Justice, or 415-808-4313