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Welcome > What We Fund > Community Mental Health > RWJF - Local Funding Partnerships Request for Proposals > 2011 Local Funding Partnerships RFP

2011 Local Funding Partnerships Request for Proposals

*** The Local Funding Partnerships Request for Proposals for 2011 is now closed. ***

PDF Download the PDF Version (77K)

The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation seeks applications for community-based projects to be considered for funding via the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Local Funding Partnerships (LFP) program. Through LFP, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation offers matching grants to projects intended to deliver health-related services to vulnerable populations using new and innovative methods.

Vulnerable populations identified by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in which the Tower Foundation is interested include children and adolescents with severe mental illness, children and adolescents with substance abuse issues, and children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. The Tower Foundation is particularly interested in projects that provide direct services to populations not served by traditional mental health or social services.
 
The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation is interested in acting as a nominating funder for projects that meet both its and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LFP criteria. The Tower Foundation is excited by the possibility of working with community organizations and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to bring needed services to the community and to amplify the impact of locally-available funds.

Timeline Summary 
 

 
Deadline
Expect response by
Arrange pre-screening
telephone call*
February 5, 2010
n/a
Pre-screening telephone call
February 12, 2010
February 19, 2010
Concept paper due
(if requested)
March 19, 2010
5:00 p.m.
June 4, 2010
 
*    Arrangements for pre-screening telephone calls may be made any time before February 5, 2010.

Project Description 

Since 1988, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has awarded over $100 million in matching funds through the Local Funding Partnerships (LFP) program (formerly known as Local Initiative Funding Partners). Projects funded through LFP have demonstrated new or innovative approaches to addressing the health needs of society’s most vulnerable populations through community-based programs.
 
The Tower Foundation views LFP as an opportunity to effect community-level change and to augment the impact of its resources. In soliciting proposals for community-based projects in these areas, the Foundation hopes to join with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to identify and fund projects that will benefit vulnerable populations (specifically, children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, children and adolescents with substance abuse issues, and children and adolescents with severe mental illness) in the communities in which it funds. 

Eligibility Requirements 

  1. The Foundation makes grants to tax-exempt organizations with 501(c)(3) classifications from the Internal Revenue Service that are not private foundations or described as 509(a)(3) organizations; diocesan or public school districts; private or charter schools; and public benefit corporations.
  2. Organizations applying for funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LFP program through the Tower Foundation must focus their services on children and adolescents with severe mental illness, children and adolescents with substance abuse issues, or children and adolescents with developmental disabilities.
  3. Organizations must be located within or serve primarily residents of:
    • Erie or Niagara Counties in New York State;
    • Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, or Nantucket Counties in Massachusetts.
  4. Projects to be funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LFP program generally must be new projects. Significant expansions into new geographic areas or to new populations are also eligible.
  5. Projects funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LFP program must be three or four years in duration.
  6. Agencies that have received funds from any Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative previously may not apply for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation LFP program grant unless they can demonstrate that the new project differs substantially from the project for which funds were previously awarded.

Grant Awards and Use of Grant Funds

Grant awards will be made for a period of three or four years.
  1. The Tower Foundation will provide a dollar-for-dollar match up to $500,000 over three or four years for projects that are successful in obtaining funding through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Local Funding Partnerships program.
  2. Grant money may not be used:
    • for the private benefit of any grant recipient or affiliated person
    • to subsidize individuals for the cost of care (e.g., scholarships, copayments)
    • to attempt to influence legislation
    • to attempt to influence or intervene in any political campaign
    • for capital projects or campaigns
    • for research
    • for existing operating expenses

Application Procedure

This RFP has a two-step application process at the local level:
  1. Completing a pre-screening telephone call with Tower Foundation staff to determine whether a project could be a fit for both the Tower Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LFP program.
  2. Submission of a concept paper and preliminary project budget, if requested.
The first step in this process is a telephone call. This call will provide an opportunity to clarify the intent, scope, details, and appropriateness of the project for the LFP program; to establish an organization’s eligibility for the initiative; and to discuss an agency’s capacity and readiness to undertake the project. Based on this telephone call, the Foundation will determine whether or not it wishes to request a concept paper from the agency. Arrangements for this pre-screening telephone call must be made by February 5, 2010. Screening calls must be completed by February 12, 2010.
Note: A request for a concept paper should not be interpreted as an indication of likely support.
 
The Foundation accepts only one concept paper, no more than 10 pages in length, from each eligible organization. The concept paper must be accompanied by the attached face sheet, which must be signed by the organization’s Executive Director/CEO and board chair. To be considered for this RFP, your concept paper must be received by 5:00 p.m. on March 19, 2010. E-mailed or faxed copies are not accepted.

Concept papers should:
  • include a brief statement of the organization’s or collaborative’s history, mission, and services;
  • identify the vulnerable population(s) to be served;
  • identify the service delivery problem to be addressed;
  • describe the project and how it will assist the vulnerable population(s) in addressing the identified service delivery problem in a new or innovative way;
  • describe how potential stakeholders have been involved in the conceptualization and design of the proposed project;
  • include a brief discussion of other sources of support you are pursuing for this project (specify what funds have been committed, requested, or will be requested from each funding source); and
  • include a one-page preliminary budget for the project to be funded through LFP. This budget does not count against the ten page total for the concept paper.
Final decisions on whether concept papers will be submitted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LFP program are made by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. You will be informed of the Board’s decision by June 4, 2010.
 
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited concept papers.

The national competition consists of three stages.  
  1. Concept papers are selected locally for submission to the national LFP competition. These concept papers and accompanying nomination letters from local funders will be due at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in July 2010.
  2. If the project advances to the second stage, a full proposal will be developed, including a complete description of the project, measurable objectives, an evaluation plan, a discussion of the project’s anticipated impact, and plans for long-term sustainability. This full proposal will be due in November 2010.
  3.  Applicants advancing to the third stage will be scheduled for a site visit in March or April of 2011. Award notifications will be sent by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in July 2011. 

Concept Paper Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used to evaluate concept papers submitted to the Tower Foundation to be nominated for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LFP program:
  • clarity of project goals and anticipated impact;
  • alignment among the proposed projects goals, the Tower Foundation’s funding interests, and the Robert Wood Johnson’s funding interests;
  • strength of the proposed project concept;
  • degree of input from potential stakeholders;
  • capacity of the organization or coalition to implement and oversee the project; and
  • likelihood that the project will be sustained after grant funding terminates.

Evaluation and Monitoring

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation relies on local funders to take the lead in monitoring funded projects. Grantees are expected to meet the Tower Foundation’s requirements for the submission of narrative and financial reports and will be required to submit periodic information regarding overall project performance, monitoring and management. Grantees are also expected to comply with any grant monitoring requirements outlined by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Resources

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Local Funding Partnerships web site:
http://www.localfundingpartnerships.org
 
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation web site:
http://www.rwjf.org 

RFP Contact Information

For more information about this RFP, please contact:
 
Donald Matteson
Senior Program Officer
(716) 689-0370 Ext. 207
dwm@thetowerfoundation.org