2021-2023 Request for Proposal

Community Impact Partner Fund

Financial Stability

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Our mission: Unite the caring power of communities to invest in effective solutions that improve people’s lives.

United Way of East Central Iowa invites non-profit organizations to apply for a

competitive grant opportunity. This grant provides funding for programming that aligns

with United Way’s three pillars; Education, Financial Stability and Health. Each pillar has

goals rooted in an understanding of community conditions, supported by purposeful

interventions, and attained through a collaborative process.

This is a renewable three-year grant process, with funding and performance reviewed and renewed annually during the cycle.

As we work to build thriving communities,

we are aware we can’t do it alone; no one

can. That’s why we partner with

community stakeholders, organizations,

donors, and area nonprofits to pull

together the resources needed to support

individuals and families during some of

their greatest challenges. We invest in

programs that are necessary to build a

thriving community.

Introduction

Building a

Thriving Community

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UWECI is committed to create lasting change with measurable improvements for people

in Iowa, Jones, Linn, Benton and Cedar counties. As a convener, collaborator, activator

and connector for change, our vision is to create a thriving community where individuals

have access to education, financial stability, and health in order to provide for self-

sufficiency and a high quality of life.

• Convene: The community around shared goals

• Collaborate: To obtain and share information and design solutions

• Activate: To set knowledge into action and mobilize our resources

• Connect: UWECI’s mission to all our work

Thriving communities are built when available resources meet needs. We focus on

equity, diversity and inclusion, collaboration and care coordination. Approaches that

include addressing multi-generational problems, being trauma informed and being

innovative are essential to make the greatest impact in changing people’s lives and

strengthening communities.

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Components of Thriving Communities

Element Purpose How it helps

Diversity & Inclusion

To appreciate & respect the diverse communities and bring together unique individuals.

Effectively addresses key social issues facing communities.

Collaboration & Care Coordination

To enhance potential for integration and improvement of services to meet the needs of the community.

Develops solutions and connects resources to create a thriving community. Addresses challenges to develop solutions to changing communities.

Multi-Generational Services

To support whole families with education, economic support, social capital, and health needs.

Builds resiliency in our families and supports skill building to break the cycle of poverty.

Trauma-Informed Care

To promote trauma-informed care services throughout communities.

Creates strategies to prevent or address ACEs in communities. Promotes healing and recovery with the community.

Community Innovation

To enhance the efficiency of intervention strategies used by community members and agencies working together.

Create capacity building and infrastructure development throughout communities.

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United Way of East Central Iowa presents an intersecting set of investment areas where

programs can contribute to significant outcomes. These goals create conditions for

lasting change by bridging critical gaps, enhancing programs, building awareness, and

fostering collaboration. United Way’s funded partners are key in making an impact in

communities. These programs and services provide expansive work and critical

collaboration needed to meet our community goals. In addition, it is not just the

services provided, but how services are provided, that makes a critical difference. Our

partners work to meet people’s needs on a day-to-day basis and make a difference in

the quality of people’s lives in order to create a thriving community.

The Impact of Our Partners

More Healthy People • Access to timely and appropriate health care • Healthy independent community living for older

adults and people with disabilities • Social-emotional and physical well being • Education and prevention

More Financially Stable People • The ability to pursue education, employment, and

training that grows income • Develop skills to increase or retain employment,

stabilization of housing and income • Resiliency through education and empowerment • Availability and access safety net services to address

critical needs

More Kids on Track to Succeed in School, Work, & Life • Caregiver engagement and support • Social-emotional health during out of school time • Exploration and preparation for success after school • Quality early childcare and education

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• Use a strength-based approach that draws upon the strengths, resourcefulness, and resiliency of people and communities in its policies, practice and strategies.

• Intentionally incorporate evidence-based programming, best practices from the field, and community input in their programming.

• Demonstrate they are consistently learning best practices and are incorporating methods to encourage a growth mindset

• Demonstrate cultural competence, as evidenced by practices that reflect respect for and understanding of specific cultural nuances among those served.

• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement by identifying areas for improvement, through on-going data collection and analysis that informs practice change

• Demonstrate a higher level of coordination and collaboration by encompassing strategies to serve populations on varying levels of need and intensity.

UWECI Seeks to Fund Organizations

That Demonstrate the Following:

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To be eligible for United Way funding through the Community Impact Partner

Fund, organizations must demonstrate they are able to meet all the following

requirements. The entity must:

• Be an entity that operates for charitable purposes in the area of health and human

services;

• Be incorporated and actively conducting business for at least two years at the time

of application and serving residents of one of the five counties in United Way of East

Central Iowa’s service area (Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones, Linn);

• Be governed by an active, nonsectarian, voluntary board of directors or its

equivalent, consisting of members of the general community;

• Maintain at least one half-time FTE staff (20 hours per week);

• Receive a positive review by United Way Accountability Review Team;

• Submit all application materials complete and on time.

All applicants must read, agree to sign, and meet all applicable provisions of the partner

agency agreement and standards including Accountability Review requirements. If an

entity is currently funded by United Way, they must follow all Partner Agency Standards

and Reporting Requirements at the time of submitting their new application.

Applicants who do not meet all but do meet most of the requirements are still

encouraged to apply. For additional expectations for being a United Way of East Central

Partner please refer to:

uweci.org/partnerresources

Eligibility

Requirements

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Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria, which will inform United

Way’s investment decisions:

• Evidence of Need for Service

o Demonstrate a strong fit with the goals of the Focus Area and a strong connection between community need and proposed strategies.

• Evidence of success/performance measures achieved in prior cycle

o Demonstrate strong performance in improving the well-being of

client populations aligned with the desired community outcome.

• Evidence of Coordination and Collaboration

o Integrate promising and best practices, and leverage resources and

collaborative opportunities. The organization has value in the community

and develops relationships to effect community change.

• Research and/or evaluation supports the service delivery model

o Program Improvement and Staffing: Organizations should demonstrate

use of validated assessment tools designed to evaluate program quality,

identify staff training needs, and create customized action plans to

enhance programming.

• Alignment with one or more priority population

o Demonstrate an understanding of client populations and communities you

serve, their challenges and used to help clients achieve positive

outcomes.

• Accountability and Review

o The organization must be in good financial standing, have staff and

resource capacity to successfully apply for funding, regularly report on

outcomes, and work with UWECI to improve issue area and community

outcomes.

Proposal

Review Criteria

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The entire community benefits when all families and individuals achieve financial

stability. Financial instability and living in poverty have a multigenerational impact. There

are often long-term negative consequences for adults, children, and our community.

United Way’s Financial Stability goal is set at 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

The FPL accounts for varying family sizes and average household spending patterns

across the nation. For instance, one third of a family’s budget is expected to go towards

food. Today, housing and transportation are the largest expenses in a family budget.

For families with children, childcare is also a significant expense that is not factored into

the FPL1 calculation at all. Given these differences, the Iowa Policy Project has

determined that families require an annual income comparable to 250% FPL in order to

meet a family’s basic needs on a frugal budget. We focus on income because we know

that living in poverty had long-term negative consequences for adults, children, and our

community.

Financial Stability

Priorities

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More than half (59.1%) of single parent households are not able to reach this break-

even level of income within United Way of East Central Iowa’s Five-County Region.

There are a number of factors that go into families struggling to make incomes over

250% FPL. A few of the main factors are education level and household make-up.

Families with low educational attainment struggle to access higher wage jobs that also

offer a benefits package such as health insurance and a retirement savings plan

because they do not have the skills and qualifications to meet the demands of those

jobs. Moreover, individuals without a high school diploma are more likely to be in

poverty.

When families make less than the basic needs budget (250% of the federal poverty line)

they often cannot meet their basic needs without the help of public benefits such as

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP (formerly known as food stamps)

or childcare assistance. Relying on public benefits to get by puts low-income families at

risk for added instability because of the effort needed to document eligibility and

maintain enrollment.

1The Federal Poverty Guideline, a measure provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, is widely used to quantify

the number of individuals and households living in poverty and to determine eligibility for public benefits and other programs and services.

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The effects from the benefits cliff occur when benefits for low-income families drop off

as they make more money, but not enough money to meet their basic needs. The result

is that low-income families are stuck still not meeting their basic needs, but it is the best

they can do unless they get a significant wage increase. Therefore filling gaps in

services and needs are critically important to help smooth the volatility created when

families “fall off” the cliff and no longer qualify for critical basic needs.

To combat the benefits cliff, we have developed a “stair-step” model that outlines the

elements necessary to achieve Financial Stability. By creating an integrated network of

financial and basic need providers, using collaborative strategies and addressing

obstacles, we will move families along the continuum toward thriving. When basic needs

are met, such as stable housing, families will gain the financial capability to increase

their incomes and savings, access to financial services and achieve long term financial

goals. Employment programs will aid unemployed and under employed workers access

training and employment pathways

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Meeting Basic Needs

When basic needs are not met, planning for the future is nearly impossible. To counter

this variability, we focus on funding strategies that fill the gaps and smooth transitions to

help families successfully reach financial stability. Some of these gaps include housing,

access to food, and transportation.

Stabilization

When a family or individual can meet their basic needs on a consistent basis, continued

support such as benefits are used to provide stabilization. Some of these benefits

include health screening and enrollment, access to tax preparation, credits, refunds, as

well as legal services that stabilize housing.

Skill Building

Basic and soft skills allow individuals to enter the workforce, develop financial literacy

and capabilities, and build a resume and professional network.

Growing income

Creating access to career pathways and supports to enter and complete post-

secondary education in a field that has local demand leading to employment helps put a

household on track to achieve 250% FPL.

In 2017 more than 25,048 households (with at least one child under the age of 18) in

the five-county region (Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones, Linn) were unable to consistently

provide for their families. These household incomes were under the 250% Federal

Poverty Line. In order to impact this number, the basic needs of individuals must be met

as well as providing a pathway (continuum) from poverty to financial stability. As you

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can see on the following graphs, the trend lines illustrate progress over the past nine

years.

Target Population

Individuals and families at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guideline within United

Way’s five county service area (Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones, and Linn Counties).

Priority is given to the following subpopulations in greatest need:

• Single female-headed households

• Families with children

• Individuals with low educational attainment

Priorities 1. Critical basic needs must be met. Families must have access to safe, affordable,

and reliable housing; food; and transportation.

2. Families need stabilization. One keyway for families to do this is to access all benefits for which they are eligible.

3. Families access basic and soft skills that allow them to get into the workforce, start to build skills, develop financial literacy skills, and build a resume and professional connections.

4. Families enter and complete post-secondary education in a field that has local demand and obtain employment that puts their household more than 250% FPL.

Goal: By 2030, increase the number of financially stable

households by 15%.

UWECI recognizes the importance of collecting and utilizing data to help us in our

impact efforts and in articulating how the work you do translates into a valuable return

on investment and a positive impact within our communities.

Financial Stability measures should come from the list of measures below that

corresponds with the area or program focus which you are applying for. Please select at

least, but not limited to one, area of measurement from each indicator category.

Acknowledging that you may already collect data and report on other outcome

measures not included in our list, you may report up to three (3) additional measures of

your own if you so desire.

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Basic needs How much did we do?

• # of individuals receiving housing assistance

• # nights sheltered

• # individuals who have program support (case management)

• # of individuals

• # of individuals served with transportation

• # individuals accessed food How well did we do it?

• % individuals who were diverted from shelter

• %individuals who maintain housing (3 months post, no recidivism to shelter)

Is anyone better off?:

• # change in housing status Is anyone better off?%:

• % decrease the number of chronically homeless

• % access to affordable housing with support services

Financial Education

How much did we do?:

• # of individuals served

• # of individual who created a budget

• # of participants that attended a financial course/education or training How well did we do it?:

• % of individuals who became banked

• % of individuals who completed the course or training Is anyone better off?:

• # individuals with increased credit scores

• # of individuals who opened a savings account

• # of individuals who have reduced debt Is anyone better off?%:

• % of individuals or families whose financial position changed

Employment How much did we do?:

• # of job trainings offered

• # individuals enrolled in job training

• # individuals offered continuing education

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How well did we do it?:

• % completed job trainings

• % gained recognized skills or credentials

• % who obtained education Is anyone better off?:

• # change in position

• # who had an increase in pay

• # who had a new job

• # who had an increase in hours Is anyone better off? %:

• % individuals who retained, gained, or advanced in employment

• % households who increased their income

**All applicants are required to report on demographic information. Demographic information includes age, race/ethnicity, household, income level, county and city.

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Program Information Evidence of need of Service

1. Please describe how you determine that participants experience better

outcomes by participating in your program, compared to people who are

not in your program:

a. How the program examined local data and engaged with people who have

relevant experience and expertise, including members of the population of

concern, in selecting the strategy and developing approaches to

implementing it based on local conditions and assets.

b. What is the root systemic issue(s) that your program addresses?

c. Please describe what part of the continuum of service (prevention, crisis,

education, treatment) etc.) your program is best suited to address and how

it interacts with other strategies on other levels of the continuum.

Evidence of Success/Performance Achievement in prior Cycles

2. What evidence can you provide of the effectiveness of your strategy (please cite

research, evidence-based best practices, and other evidence-based work that

strongly supports your strategies)?

3. Describe the Quality Assurance or Quality Improvement methods employed and

their uses within your organization.

a. What’s changed in our environment that’s impacted the service and how

have you coped with those changes?

Evidence of Coordination and Collaboration

4. Please describe any system-level or community-level collaborations of cross-

sector partners.

a. How does the program align with local efforts related to issues in the

community? How does your work complement community work?

b. How does your strategy continue to engage the community and clients in

meaningful ways and demonstrate a diversity of stakeholders including

client perspectives?

5. How does the program go beyond funding direct services to create change in

organizations, associations, systems, services and neighborhood?

a. What tools, methods, practices and analysis are you utilizing to ensure

collaboration and coordination is impacting your clients?

Agency and

Program Information

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Research and or Evaluation supports the service delivery model

6. Please describe the measurement tool you are using including the source of the

tool and the method of choosing this tool. Please also provide any reliability and

validity information you have on the measurement you will be using to collect

your data.

7. Please clearly describe your methodology for calculating indicator measurements

including timing and frequency of measurement.

8. How will you use the outcome data you report to make meaningful adaptations to

your practices, measures, and use of resources?

Alignment with one or more priority populations

9. Describe the client populations and communities you serve, and the challenges

associated with serving these populations and communities.

10. Using data or other supporting information, describe how your program is part of

the solution to addressing their barriers.

a. Describe your outreach techniques used to attract clients (including referral

networks, client engagement, advertising, etc.).

b. Describe your criteria and/or eligibility guidelines used for serving your

targeted population. Please provide a description of the assessment process

used to determine client needs including when you engage in a needs

assessment and how the assessment is completed.

c. Describe how your program incorporates a client-centered and culturally

competent perspective (e.g. has defined policy practices, staff trainings, etc.).

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Impact Strategy Budget Form

Please complete an Impact Strategy Budget Form using the MS Excel form on the

UWECI website. UWECI should not be the only source of income reflected on the

impact strategy budget. The Impact Strategy Budget should reflect all sources of

income and related expenses required to implement the strategy being proposed.

Budget figures should coincide with the grant cycle (July 1-June 30 fiscal year). Funding

requested from UWECI should not exceed 70% of the total strategy budget.

Do not change any line item titles in the budget form.

Impact Strategy Budget Narrative

Provide an explanation that gives additional information about the Impact

Strategy Budget line items including:

• Line item variance greater than $10,000 or greater than 10% between budget

years. Please reference the line item(s) and provide an explanation.

• Complete the schedules as appropriate.

• Budget deficits of any size require both an explanation and an anticipated

resolution.

• Describe key financial opportunities and threats that may affect your strategy

budget in the next three years.

Please reference the applicable line item number and description for each explanation

provided. For example:

Line item 10-Salaries: The variance is a result of a 1 FTE staff position that was not

filled for five months.

Funding Request Justification Form

Please complete a Funding Request Justification Form using the MS Excel form on the

UWECI website. This form shall serve as the primary tool to set context for funding

being requested. Agencies may modify the form to suit their need, however all

information requested must be addressed. If the proposal is requesting funding to

support activities that align with two or more intermediate outcomes, please

complete a “Funding Request Justification Form” for each intermediate outcome.

Financial

Review

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Funding Request Narrative for Intermediate Outcome:

Provide additional information that sets context for the funding requested, including but

not limited to:

• Provide and explain how the agency’s general administrative rate (%) is

calculated applied to services provided.

• Revenue streams that support this strategy and funding restrictions they may

impose.

Leveraged or Matching Funds

Describe the source and amount of dollars that you do or would be able to leverage or

matching funds you would be eligible to receive if you are awarded UWECI funds.

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LATE OR INCOMPLETE SUBMISSIONS

WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING.

Contact Information If you have any questions, please contact:

Karey Chase, Senior Manager, Community Investment

karey.chase@uweci.org

319-398-5372 ext. 828

Accessing the RFP Forms Agencies can find all necessary forms on the UWECI web site: uweci.org/funding

• Letter of Intent is due by October 18th, 2019, emailed to

karey.chase@uweci.org.

• An invitation to apply will be sent from UWECI by November 1st, 2019.

Directions for submitting the RFP on Clear Impact will be given at this time.

• All RFP materials must be submitted electronically by January 14, 2020 at

Noon via Clear Impact.

• In order to be considered, each Funding Proposal should include the items

on checklist in the next page.

Submission

Requirements

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Checklist Submission Method Completed

Letter of Intent karey.chase@uweci.org

Funding Proposal including:

• Cover Page

• Narrative

• Impact Strategy Budget

• Funding Request Justification Form

• Program Process Map

Clear Impact

Logic model Clear Impact (download)

Current roster of organization’s Board of Directors with their affiliations

Clear Impact (download)

Affidavit of non-discrimination Clear Impact (download)

Counterterrorism compliance form Clear Impact (download)

Current partners: Submit Accountability Review documents on your regular schedule

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New applicants only:

1. 501(C)(3) Designation Letter

2. Current Bylaws

3. Audit or Independent

Financial Review

4. IRS Form 990 5. Board approved annual budget

with accompanying narrative

Email all documents together as one PDF that may be duplicated