General work description:

The County of Sacramento (County) is a political subdivision of the State of California (State) that covers 994 square miles and consists of over 1.5 million residents. A five-member Board of Supervisors (Board) elected on a non-partisan basis serves as the county legislature. Other elected officials include the Assessor, District Attorney, and Sheriff. A County Executive appointed by the Board oversees the County's day-to-day business operations.

Throughout the County, non-profit community-based organizations (CBOs) improve the quality of life by providing educational, health, and social services to citizens in need of support, beyond the services generally provided by local governments. Through their unique connectivity to the communities they serve, CBOs can impact hard-to-reach and traditionally underserved populations in a culturally responsive and equitable manner. The County recognizes the value of partnering with CBOs to support local residents and foster an environment in which the community can thrive and recover from the health, economic, and other negative impacts suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, in 2020, the County declared racism as a public health crisis and since that time has begun to strategically invest in a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

The County is soliciting proposals to select an organization that can build capacity in the network of local CBOs focused on providing services to a variety of underserved populations, including Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) who experience disproportionately negative health and social outcomes, unhoused individuals and families, individuals with behavioral health needs, individuals with involvement in the child welfare or criminal justice system, refugees/immigrants, and other marginalized communities which were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The primary focus of this funding is to help CBOs develop core infrastructure to:

1. Effectively expand services and deepen their impact for underserved communities;

2. Build and strengthen the capacity for CBOs to more easily access and better manage government funds and contracts;

3. Support the integration and elevation of BIPOC-centered and serving CBOs;

4. Evaluate services and programs and improve equitable access and outcomes to underserved populations; and

5. Enhance the cultural responsiveness of service provision to traditionally underserved populations.

This project will be funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds. The intention of ARPA funding is to assist state, local and Tribal governments across the country and support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

A maximum amount of $7,250,000 is allocated for this project. A portion of the funding will be directed towards capacity building in response to the pandemic and the remaining funds will be awarded as grants to individual CBOs impacted by the pandemic. Grant funds will only be awarded to CBOs following their participation in the capacity building program and upon determination that they have the structural foundation to successfully strengthen their capacity and/or expand services in alignment with their core mission.