The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Cruz City Council invite applications to the Collective of Results and Evidence-based (CORE) Investments Request for Proposals. Potential applicants are encouraged to check this site often throughout the process to ensure use of up-to-date materials and to sign up for events and trainings.
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Click on the question below to find more information:
What is the CORE RFP?
How do I apply?
How may I get more information on the RFP?
How can I pose questions and where will responses be located?
What training and technical assistance is available on the CORE Framework?
How do I sign up for events?
How can I find communications and presentations related to the RFP?
Where do I find the CORE Results Menu?
CORE Investments is a local movement to achieve equitable health and well-being in Santa Cruz County, using a framework that is a collective impact, results-based approach that is responsive to community needs. CORE Investments also refers to specific City and County funding dedicated to improving equitable well-being through the application of the CORE Framework. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and City Council on November 9, 2021, approved the release of an RFP that outlines their intent to collectively award $5.8 million annually for three County/City fiscal years.
Request for Proposals
Applicants are to use the RFP located HERE and dated November 16, 2021.
An on-line application is available for submission of all tiers of funding. A completed CORE Investments budget form, found below, must be uploaded with all applications. Applicants must apply by 5:00 p.m. on February 4, 2022. Late submissions will not be accepted.
To complete your application online, the application portal is available HERE. Please note a free account must be set up with a username and password.
Budget Form
Budget worksheets are called forms and are available in the application portal. Forms(worksheets) below may be used as tools or for alternative format submissions. There are two types of budget forms depending on if you are applying for funds only for your agency or are a fiscal lead of a collaborative proposal. These are not locked to allow for applicants to add rows as needed.
Optional Application Forms
Below, applicants may find application forms for all tiers. These documents may be used as a tool to support preparation of an on-line application and if needed in lieu of the on-line application. The portal is the preferred process however you may check the RFP for alternative submissions instructions.
The County and City will provide information related to the RFP documents and application process through the methods below.
RFP Conference (Bidder’s Conference) Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 2 – 4 PM
The purpose of this virtual optional meeting is to review the RFP, gather questions, and respond to initial questions regarding the RFP document. Questions not answered during the conference will have responses posted according to the “Questions & Responses” posting schedule below. To attend the conference, sign up is required and the link to sign up is found in the calendar below.
Online Portal Overview and Assistance
Friday, December 3, 2021, 10 to 11 AM & January 12, 2022. 2 to 3 PM
An overview of the portal and technical assistance will be provided twice during the application process. Sign up for this is required and links to sign up are found in the calendar below.
After attendance of these events, further assistance may be requested by leaving a voice mail at:
831-454-4816.
Follow up on a request for further assistance may take up to 3 business days. Please plan accordingly to ensure timely submission.
Questions & Responses
Instructions on submitting questions are below. All questions will be collated and responded to on the dates identified. Questions will not be answered individually thus there will not be individual email replies. The purpose of this process is to ensure that consistent, transparent responses are provided to all applicants at the same time.
Applicants are to submit questions related to the RFP process, documents, or application process either orally at the RFP conference or to the following email COREFunding@santacruzcounty.us.
Questions may also be left on the CORE Investments voice mail at 831-454 -4816. Voice mails with questions will not be returned and as stated questions will be answered in the postings detailed below.
The “Questions and Responses” document will be posted to this webpage at least three times in the application period. Questions will be collated and posted along with responses at minimum by 8:30 am on:
All questions submitted by the close of business the Monday prior to these dates will be included in the posting.
Questions may not be submitted later than Monday, January 17, 2022.
To access the “Questions and Responses” document, please check back here.
The CORE consultants (Nicole Young and Nicole Lezin) will provide training and technical assistance (TA) throughout the RFP application period. Training and support will be provided through a combination of virtual group trainings, group office hours, and individual/small group sessions on topics related to the RFP.
The CORE consultants’ role is to provide training, tools, and guidance to help applicants understand key concepts in the RFP, such as collective impact, CORE Conditions for Health & Well-being, the CORE Continuum of Results and Evidence, developing program outcomes, etc. The CORE consultants are unable to provide specific recommendations about applicants’ proposals (i.e., what to apply for, what activities to conduct, etc.) and are unable to assist with writing or editing proposals and budgets. They will not be involved in selecting the review panels or scoring the applications.
Participation in training and TA is encouraged but not required.
Group Trainings & Office Hours
To sign-up for group trainings and office hours, click on the calendar link below to see the full schedule of important dates, topics, and registration links. Registration is required for each person attending a group training or office hours session. Event details, including a link to the virtual meeting, will be sent via email once an applicant has successfully registered for the event.
All group trainings will be conducted in English with Spanish interpretation and translation. Each training will be recorded in both languages and posted on the CORE Investments YouTube channel as well as below on this webpage.
Group office hours will be conducted in English. Spanish interpretation will be provided during group office hours if it’s requested during the registration process.
One-on-One Technical Assistance
One-on-one (or small group) technical assistance is also available for applicants who would like individualized support, after they have attended (or watched) at least one group training. Up to four people from a collaborative that is submitting a joint application may attend a one-on-one TA session together. At least one of the collaborative partners must have already attended a group training and shared the materials with other collaborative members before attending the TA session.
Applicants may sign up for a one-on-one TA session with one of the CORE consultants via this Google Sheet. One of the CORE consultants will confirm the appointment by email and send a meeting invitation with a Zoom link.
At this time, applicants may sign up for one (1) one-on-one TA session per application. This website and the Google Sign-up Sheet will be updated if additional TA appointments become available.
One-on-one TA sessions will not be recorded, and they will be conducted in English. Spanish interpretation will be provided during one-on-one TA sessions if it’s requested during the sign-up process.
Training & TA Questions
If you have a question or need support in signing up for training and TA sessions, please email Nicole Young nicole@opti-solutions.com and Nicole Lezin lezin@mindspring.com with the subject line: CORE TA Support
Event
Bilingual?
Date/Time
Registration Link
Links to Event Recording
Exploring the CORE Conditions of Health & Well-being
Yes
November 16, 2021, 10 - 11:30 AM
This event has passed.
Link will be posted after the event.
Applicant Conference
No
Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 2 – 4 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-RFP-Dec1
Online Portal Technical Assistance Session
Friday, December 3, 2021, 10 – 11 AM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Reviewr-Dec3
Developing a Theory of Change and Logic Model with an Equity Lens
Monday, December 6, 2021, 3 – 5 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Dec6
Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 1 – 3 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Dec8
Group office hours for Small grant applications
By request
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 9 – 10 AM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec9-Grp1-Small
N/A
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 10:30 – 11:30 AM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec9-Grp2-Small
Group office hours for Medium and Large grant applications
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 12 – 1 PM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec9-Grp3-Med-Lg
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 1:30 – 2:30 PM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec9-Grp4-Med-Lg
Group office hours for Targeted Impact grant applications
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec9-Grp5-TI
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 4:30 – 5:30 PM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec9-Grp6-TI
Using CORE Tools to Develop Your Proposal
Tuesday, December 14, 2021, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Dec14
Thursday, December 16, 2021, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Dec16
Group Office Hours
Friday, December 17, 2021, 10:00 – 11:00 AM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec17-Grp1
By Request
Friday, December 17, 2021, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
https://bit.ly/OH-Dec17-Grp2
Refining Program Outcomes and Evaluation Tools with an Equity Lens
Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Jan11
Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 2 – 3 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Reviewr-Jan12n
Thursday, January 13, 2022, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Jan13
Friday, January 14, 2022, 9:00 – 10:00 AM
https://bit.ly/OH-Jan14-Grp1
Friday, January 14, 2022, 10:30 – 11:30 AM
https://bit.ly/OH-Jan14-Grp2
Using Data and Stories for Continuous Learning and Improvement
Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 9:00 – 11:00 AM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Jan18-AM
Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
https://bit.ly/CORE-Training-Jan18-PM
Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 8:00 – 9:00 AM
https://bit.ly/OH-Jan19-Grp1
Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 9:30 – 10:30 AM
https://bit.ly/OH-Jan19-Grp2
Links will be added throughout the application process.
Planning Process
Links to the most recent County and City presentations regarding the planning for the RFP are below.
November 9, 2021 Approval of Proposed RFP
September 28, 2021 Study Session of Stakeholder Engagement and RFP Framework
Several engagement dialogues with community-based agencies were held during the planning process. Recordings are at the link below.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlPSQMv8v5v7L2pJyO3zcd8o64x34Diof.
The CORE Results Menu, is an online tool to explore the CORE Conditions found on DataShare Santa Cruz County (DataShare). While not required to be used in this RFP, the menu is a tool designed to help community members access data on community level indicators that illustrate needs and strengths which are components of this RFP. Applicants can find information on: