Issued by: Family Promise, Inc.
Website: www.familypromise.org
RFP Issue Date: Monday, June 9th, 2025
Submission Deadline: Friday, June 27th, 2025, 1 PM EST
Anticipated Award Date: Monday, July 14th, 2025
Contact: Carolyn Gordon, Chief Program Officer, Family Promise cgordon@familypromise.org, 908-273-1690
I. INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW
Family Promise is the nation’s foremost organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness for families with children, helping them achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. With a presence in nearly every state and a network that serves over a quarter of a million people annually, Family Promise leverages local partnerships, innovative solutions, and the voices of families with lived experience to address the complex crisis of family homelessness.
As part of our ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion, Family Promise seeks proposals from qualified consultants or firms to design and deliver a comprehensive Cultural Competency program. Our goal is to strengthen our capacity to interact effectively, respectfully, and equitably with people of all backgrounds––both internally and in the communities we serve.
This engagement will:
- Provide an interactive training to staff
- Provide an interactive training to volunteers, including board members, stakeholders, and community partners.
- Review existing policies, procedures, and workflows through a cultural competency lens, recommend improvements, and provide updates as appropriate.
This work will be funded in whole, or in part, through the State of New Jersey FamilyCare Housing Supports Provider Readiness Program (HSPRP), requiring adherence to all relevant administrative, financial, and reporting requirements, including 2 CFR Part 200-Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Award.
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II. DEFINITION OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY
Cultural Competency is the ongoing process by which individuals and organizations develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to:
- Recognize and value the cultural identities and lived experiences of others.
- Communicate and engage respectfully across differences of race, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, and other dimensions of diversity.
- Identify and address systemic power dynamics, implicit bias, and barriers to inclusion.
- Adapt policies, procedures, and workflows to ensure equitable access, participation, and outcomes for all stakeholders.
Project Scope & Objectives
A. Training & Capacity Building
- Audience:
- Training Session #1: All Family Promise, Inc. staff, including its embedded Union County team and invited New Jersey based affiliates
- Training Session #2: Volunteers, including board members, stakeholders, and community partners
- Format: Two separate training sessions (can include same content) for the different audiences:
- Staff Training format can be virtual (e.g. 90–120-minute zoom), in-person (e.g., 90-120-minute workshop), and/or via self-paced online modules.
- The preferred format for volunteer, stakeholder, and community partner training is an in-person workshop. However, the organization welcomes innovative proposals for alternative delivery methods that clearly demonstrate effectiveness and engagement.
- Content Areas:
- Cover the definition of cultural competency and how to apply it to work at/with Family Promise:
- A) Recognize and value the cultural identities and lived experiences of others. Highlight the intersectionality of various cultural identities and lived experiences.
- B) Communicate and engage respectfully across differences of race, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, and other dimensions of diversity. Identify and address systemic power dynamics, implicit bias, and barriers to communication and engagement.
- Engagement Best Practices and Practical Applications to help families at risk of and experiencing homelessness based upon understanding of cultural competency.
- Cover the definition of cultural competency and how to apply it to work at/with Family Promise:
B. Policy, Public-Facing Content, & Workflow Review
- Conduct an audit of up to approximately 20 core policies, procedures, public-facing content, and client-facing workflows. Policies are being created simultaneously with this project timeline.
- Policies include whistleblower, conflict of interest, social media.
- Procedures include programming guidelines for prevention and shelter.
- Public-facing content includes website, marketing and outreach materials.
- Client-facing workflows encompass the process by which families secure services, including intake, program enrollment, and program exit.
- The consultant will help to identify any gaps and issues in policies, procedures, content, and workflows. This will be accomplished through document review, stakeholder interviews, and/or focus groups.
- The consultant will deliver a set of prioritized, actionable recommendations for any revisions or new resources.
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III FUNDING & COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
Family Promise has tentatively allocated a budget of $20,000 for this project, inclusive of all planning, content creation, and travel. Proposals for both in-person and virtual support will be entertained. This budget allocation is based on an environmental review of comparable projects; however, we recognize that market conditions may influence actual costs. We encourage all prospective consultants to submit proposals that reflect current industry standards and fair market value, even if they differ from the tentative budget.
Proposers must submit a total all-inclusive “not to exceed” price for the entire scope of services described in this RFP. This not-to-exceed price shall represent the maximum amount Family Promise will pay for all work performed under the resulting contract and must be inclusive of all direct and indirect costs, including but not limited to labor, materials, travel, administrative expenses, subcontractor fees, and any out-of-pocket or incidental costs. No additional compensation will be provided beyond this amount, and the proposer is responsible for ensuring that all anticipated expenses are accounted for in the submitted price. The not-to-exceed price provides a financial cap that ensures transparency, accountability, and budgetary control for both parties, in accordance with federal and State of New Jersey funding requirements.
This contract will be reimbursed, with monthly payments based on actual, documented expenses incurred by the contractor. Each invoice must detail the expenses for the billing period and include appropriate supporting documentation in accordance with federal and state requirements. Only allowable costs directly related to the approved scope of work will be reimbursed; no advance payments will be made.
This project is funded by both federal and State of New Jersey sources. All work must comply with:
- 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance):
- Procurement standards, cost principles, and audit requirements must be followed.
- Allowable costs include staff time, training, materials, participant stipends, and reasonable support services (e.g., childcare, transportation).
- The successful awardee must maintain documentation for all expenditures and submit detailed invoices with documentation for the work performed in a timely manner and/or upon demand.
- State of New Jersey HSPRP Requirements:
- Adhere to state-specific contracting, reporting, and audit protocols.
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IV. DELIVERABLES
| Deliverable | Description (To be fully informed by Scope of Work above.) | Proposed Due Date |
| Material Audit | Conduct an audit of policies, procedures, public-facing content (e.g. website), and client-facing workflows (e.g. client intake) through a culturally competent lens. | Not to exceed Month 4 |
| Recommendations based on audit findings | Recommendations and findings from audit presented in a meeting, not to exceed 90 minutes. Findings may include suggestions for improvements, gaps in content, recommendations for language changes, ideas for accessibility improvements, and acknowledgment of any quality materials. | Not to exceed Month 6 |
| Conduct training for staff | This training may be virtual, in person, or self-directed. | Not to exceed Month 6 |
| Conduct training for volunteers including board members, stakeholders, and community partners | Ideally, this training will be provided in person in Plainfield, NJ. Training not to exceed 90 minutes. Refreshments and meeting materials will be provided by Family Promise. Virtual training proposals will be entertained. | Not to exceed Month 8 |
| Final Project Report | Summary of outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations. All deliverables met/in-hand. | End of project Month 8, January 31, 2026 |
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V. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Interested consultants should submit:
- Technical Proposal:
- Cover letter summarizing interest and total all-inclusive “not to exceed” price for the entire scope of services described in this RFP, signed by an authorized organizational representative (AOR) or executive official, affirming the accuracy of the proposal and the organization’s commitment to fulfilling all requirements outlined in this RFP.
- Organizational qualifications and relevant experience.
- Approach to providing cultural competent trainings and materials.
- Work plan and timeline (All work, including receipt of final deliverables, must be completed and invoiced by January 31, 2026.)
- Demonstration of capacity and background to do this work. “Provide key staff resumes and a minimum of two references (not to exceed 4).
- Budget Proposal:
- Detailed line-item budget.
- Budget narrative justifying costs.
- A total all-inclusive “not to exceed” price for the entire scope of services described in this RFP.
- This not-to-exceed price shall represent the maximum amount Family Promise will pay for all work performed under the resulting contract and must be inclusive of all direct and indirect costs, including but not limited to labor, materials, travel, administrative expenses, subcontractor fees, and any out-of-pocket or incidental costs.
- No additional compensation will be provided beyond this amount, and the proposer is responsible for ensuring that all anticipated expenses are accounted for in the submitted price.
- The not-to-exceed price provides a financial cap that ensures transparency, accountability, and budgetary control for both parties, in accordance with federal and State of New Jersey funding requirements.
- Compliance Attachments:
- SAM.gov debarment check documentation
- W-9
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VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
- Demonstrated experience with, and understanding of cultural competency and training delivery
- Quality and practicality of past work
- Creativity and clarity of proposed approach
- Quality and feasibility of work plan and timeline
- Experience working with nonprofits or federated networks
- Cost-effectiveness and value
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VII. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Submit proposals electronically to:
Carolyn Gordon, Chief Program Officer, at cgordon@familypromise.org
Subject line: “Cultural Competency RFP Submission – [Your Organization Name]”
Deadline: Friday, June 27th 1:00 pm EST (Firm)
Questions, to be received by 5:00 pm EST Wednesday, June 25th, 2025, may be directed in writing to cgordon@familypromise.org.
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VIII. ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE
Family Promise is committed to empowering families, fostering community-based solutions, and driving systemic change to end family homelessness. We value the lived experiences of families and seek partners who share our commitment to equity, innovation, and authentic engagement.
Family Promise is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from individuals with lived experience of homelessness and those from historically marginalized communities.
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In response to “Request for Proposals (RFP): Develop Best Practices and Supportive Materials for Engaging People with Lived Homelessness Experience”, Family Promise received three qualified proposals from the following entities:
- Think Tank
- Together Consulting
- Florida Housing Coalition
Family Promise is reviewing proposals and will announce the awardee soon.