Business Development Consultant

Government Funding Scoping

Request for Proposals

A.Project Overview

Community Catalyst is a national organization dedicated to building the power of

people to create a health system rooted in race equity and health justice and a

society where health is a right for all. Through a mix of rigorous policy analysis and

research, multi-state advocacy campaigns, strategic communications, organizing,

coalition building, and provision of consulting services to clients such as the federal

government, state agencies, hospital systems, and health plans in areas such as

community engagement, we work towards change grounded in community leadership.

We're an experienced, trusted partner to organizations across the country, a change

agent to policymakers at the local, state, and national level, and both adversary and

collaborator to health systems in our efforts to advance health justice. Read about our

2021-2025 strategic plan here.

Community Catalyst seeks an experienced business development consultant to

explore its potential as a recipient of federal government funding (grants,

cooperative agreements, and contracts). We currently manage two federal

cooperative agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and

Administration for Community Living totaling more than $40 million and have served as

a subcontractor on multiple closed and active federal contracts with agencies such as

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). These projects ultimately help us

translate community voice and equity-centered research into policy that advances

health justice. The consultant will support Community Catalyst to develop a full

understanding of the federal funding landscape as well as our unique value proposition

within that landscape.

B. Project Objectives

1. Federal Funding Landscape Assessment: Conduct a comprehensive analysis of

potential federal funding opportunities relevant to Community Catalyst’s mission,

vision, and strategic initiatives and leverages our unique value proposition. This

should include a market analysis, risk assessment, and any potential for conflicts

of interest.

2. Capacity Building Recommendations & Timeline: Review internal resources,

staffing, expertise, systems, and processes to identify gaps and investments

required to successfully bid on and manage government awards.

3. Decision-Making Framework: Develop a framework for Community Catalyst’s

internal use in determining which federal funding opportunities to pursue.

C. Scope of Work

- Conduct a comprehensive review of the potential scale of opportunity for

federal awards (grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, etc.) at Community

Catalyst. This will include reviewing our current and past government awards

and gaining familiarity with our mission, strategic initiatives, programs, and

capacity.

- Research federal funding agencies, programs, and upcoming and current

opportunities to identify those that align with Community Catalyst’s mission,

vision, strategic initiatives, programs, current and potential consulting service

offering, and organizational capacity. Identify relevant market trends and

evaluate the impact of a potential change in federal administration.

- Assess Community Catalyst’s current competitiveness for federal funding and

articulate our unique value proposition and competitive advantage as both a

prime and sub. Benchmark Community Catalyst among similar nonprofit

organizations in the competitive landscape of federal funding. Review internal

capabilities and capacity for growth within the organization.

- Make recommendations for changes to and investments in organizational

capacity, resources, processes, and infrastructure required to effectively bid

on and manage federal grants, co-operative agreements, and contracts,

including our capacity to meet compliance requirements. This should include a

timeline and identify benchmarks for carrying out these recommendations.

- Decision-Making Framework: Develop a framework for Community Catalyst’s

internal use in determining which federal funding opportunities to pursue.

D. Deliverables

During the project period, the consultant will create and present a detailed report that answers the following guiding questions:

- What is the scale of government funding opportunity available to Community

Catalyst? Provide a list of live and upcoming opportunities as well as key federal agencies and their relevant programs, including critical information such as key dates, funding duration, federal contacts, bidding type, procurement vehicles, single or multiple award contracts, information on current contract holders, and funding levels. This will also include insights on which mechanisms and partnering strategies make the most sense for Community Catalyst based on an analysis of our existing capacity and potential to apply for and manage federal awards.

- What is Community Catalyst’s unique value proposition in the government funding landscape?How do we compare to peer organizations? What is our unique value proposition and competitive advantage as a health advocacy organization?

- What are the capacities we need to build in order to competitively bid on and manage government awards? What are our current gaps? What organizational resources (staffing, systems, etc.) do we need to support that effort? Propose a timeline for implementing these recommendations with measurable benchmarks of similar nonprofits to project potential growth. Throughout the project period, we intend to keep channels of communication open for ongoing thought partnership and encourage regular updates to the internal project team via email or video conference.

Final Presentation: A presentation to senior Community Catalyst leadership to summarize findings and recommendations.

E. Timeline

March 15 – Request for proposals published

April 12 – Proposals due

Ongoing – Review of proposals, select applicants contacted

TBD – Notification of decision

TBD – Project start date

July 1 – Final deliverable due date

F. Consultant Qualifications

Applicants should have demonstrable experience with:

- Federal U.S. health funding landscape, including knowledge of relevant agencies and funding mechanisms.

- Business development and award management for national nonprofit organizations.

- Funding landscape analysis and strategic recommendations for national nonprofit organizations.

G. Proposal Process

Applicants should submit a proposal package as one PDF, email attachment to Ray

Wentworth at rwentworth@communitycatalyst.org. Proposal packages should include

the following items, in order:

- A short proposal (1-2 pages) explaining your experience, proposed approach,

and the project’s estimated cost.

- Your CV or resume and a link to your website and/or LinkedIn.

- Deliverable from previous consultancy or other work sample demonstrating your

ability to meet the project objectives.

H. Frequently Asked Questions

Questions regarding this RFP should be sent to Ray Wentworth at

rwentworth@communitycatalyst.org. Questions will be answered here in the order they are received.

Q: What is the budget for this project?

A: Community Catalyst has budgeted $50,000 for this consultancy.