RFP: Assessment of Narrative Change Infrastructure in Louisiana

Project Title: Assessment of Narrative Change Infrastructure in Louisiana

Proposal Due Date: June 20, 2025

About Foundation for Louisiana

Foundation for Louisiana (FFL) is a social justice philanthropic intermediary founded in 2005 as the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation to invest in the immediate recovery of Louisiana’s communities after Hurricane Katrina. While FFL was established in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, our founders recognized the need to address the longstanding inequities that have shaped life outcomes for the most marginalized of Louisianans. Our programs grew in response to these needs, and today FFL focuses on racial justice, climate justice, criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, LGBTQ organizing, and support for Louisiana's vibrant arts and culture.

Since inception, FFL has invested $55 million in more than 250 mission-critical nonprofit organizations working across the state towards building a more just Louisiana. As a social justice philanthropic intermediary, FFL’s work unapologetically advances racial justice while moving Louisiana forward. The foundation engages communities in both program co-design as well as its grant-making process, in order to expand opportunities and move communities towards a more just future.

Background

The Louisiana Justice Fund (LJF), a pooled fund at Foundation for Louisiana, is dedicated to a Louisiana that champions equitable and restorative practices, promoting safe communities and economic opportunities for all. To achieve this vision, the fund supports organizations engaged in reducing and transforming the criminal legal system through advocacy, narrative change, and economic mobility for system-impacted people.

LJF aims to create an environment for legal system policy and social change by building partner capacity to shift narratives on safety, crime, and accountability to prevention, restoration, and racial equity. Our investments in this area will include counternarrative development and messaging, coordination of message deployment, and dissemination amplification of messages. By reshaping narratives around justice and what policies, programs, and investments really deliver safety, we aim to facilitate systemic change that benefits individuals and communities impacted by the criminal legal system.

Goals

We are seeking a qualified consultant or organization to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing narrative change infrastructure throughout Louisiana, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities within the current landscape.The assessment will be used to support future funding initiatives focused on narrative change.

Scope of Work

We are seeking a consultant/organization to do the following:

1. Conduct assessments: Analyze the current landscape of nonprofit communications capacity and narrative change efforts, resources, and stakeholders active in Louisiana, specifically around criminal legal reform and prevention-based approaches to community safety.
2. Identify gaps: Highlight specific areas where communications capacity and narrative change initiatives are lacking and where opportunities are being missed and propose actionable recommendations for future investments and strategies.
3. Conduct a media scan of related issues identifying the core narrative themes in major state media markets, providing a rough comparison of the level of attention and mention provided to the various themes and identifying the key constituents/individuals driving core narratives in state and local media.

Project Deliverables

1. Assessment Report: Detailed report identifying existing narrative change resources, initiatives, and gaps in infrastructure, and medial landscape analysis..
2. Presentation of Findings: A comprehensive presentation of findings to key stakeholders, including recommendations for enhancing narrative change efforts.

Desired Competencies & Qualifications

Expertise in Nonprofit Communications & Narrative Change

• Demonstrated experience in assessing and strengthening communications capacity within nonprofit organizations, particularly in advocacy, social justice, or policy-related fields.
• Strong background in narrative change strategies, including framing, messaging, and storytelling to shift public discourse.
• Familiarity with criminal legal reform, community safety, and prevention-based approaches is highly preferred.

Research & Analytical Skills

• Proven ability to conduct landscape analyses, including stakeholder mapping, resource assessments, and gap identification in advocacy spaces.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including media analysis, surveys, interviews, and focus groups.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable findings and recommendations.

Media & Narrative Analysis

• Strong competency in media scanning, including tracking narrative themes, frequency of coverage, and key influencers in state and local media markets.
• Experience analyzing media bias, framing, and representation of social justice issues.
• Knowledge of Louisiana’s media landscape (major outlets, regional differences, key journalists, and commentators) is a plus.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders, including small nonprofits, grassroots organizations, advocacy groups, funders, and directly impacted communities.
• Experience facilitating discussions or workshops to gather insights and validate findings.
• Competency in working with communities affected by the criminal legal system.

Strategic Recommendations & Reporting

• Track record of developing actionable, investment-worthy recommendations for narrative and communications capacity building.
• Strong written and visual presentation skills, with the ability to produce clear, compelling reports and presentations for diverse audiences.

Project Management & Statewide Knowledge

• Ability to deliver high-quality work within agreed timelines and budgets.
• Demonstrated experience conducting work state-wide.
• Familiarity with Louisiana’s political and media landscape is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with funders or philanthropic organizations is a plus.

Budget

Remuneration for the four-month contract (July - October 2025) is up to $25,000.

Proposed Timeline

A proposed timeline is as follows:

• July 7, 2025–Project Kickoff: Contracting and SOW refinement with LJF Director
• September 2,, 2025–Landscape assessment complete with gaps identified
• October 1, 2025–Media scan with theme identification, comparative analysis, and narrative drivers complete
• November 3, 2025–Final report and presentation delivered to LJF program team