Submit to Call for Submissions for Community Needs Assessment Evaluation Partner

 

 Call for Submissions to support a Community Needs Assessment Research and Evaluation Project: 

 Purpose and Goal   The Collaboration Council seeks an experienced evaluation partner to contribute to its Community Needs Assessment, which helps us understand the changing needs of our community, shapes our priorities, and ensures that as the community changes, we are responsive to its emerging and evolving needs. The Collaboration Council partners with system-builders in this effort, including the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, Community Action Agency, and WorkSource Montgomery.  The system-builders and selected evaluator will serve as the strategic planning group, which will engage with additional grassroots organizations embedded in communities to implement the community engagement plan. 

 Priority Neighborhoods   Priority areas include "Up County" neighborhoods in Montgomery County, including Damascus, Germantown, Clarksburg, and Poolesville. 

 Timeframe: 3 months for initial deliverables with expectation for continued engagement throughout the next fiscal year (Fiscal Year starts July 1) 

Budget: Up to $30,000, depending on deliverables and timetable articulated in the plan 

Contractor will: 

  • In consultation with the Collaboration Council, gather available quantitative data on the priority areas 
  • Develop an asset map or landscape of priority areas 
  • Help develop a strategy for gathering qualitative data in consultation with community partners and Collaboration Council staff 
  • Co-facilitate community conversations with Collaboration Council staff or community partners 
  • Collate, synthesize, and report on the data collected through surveys and group conversations
  • Create a presentation on the data analysis of the findings that is engaging and informative  

 The Collaboration Council, through its Community Engagement Department, will support the project by:  

  • Through our existing relationships with community members and community-based organizations, Collaboration Council will identify and convene several groups of residents from the priority areas who will be compensated for their time and expertise participating in a series of community conversations
  • Provide input into the development of surveys and co-design community conversations 
  • Participate in regular planning and design meetings with Contractor 
  • Provide timely feedback to Contractor 

 

Contractor Competencies: 

  • Experience with asset mapping and landscape analysis using a strength-based lens  
  • Experience co-creating evaluation outcomes and methodologies with all groups who will be affected by the evaluation approach and results, including sponsoring agency, community partners, and evaluation participants/community members 
  • Demonstrated experience with intentional evaluation approaches that focus on empowerment of and accountability to the community and align with the Collaboration Council’s Behavioral Commitments as stated in our Integrity Framework 
  • Experience creating culturally competent, multilingual, objective surveys 
  • Ability to facilitate multi-lingual community conversations 
  • Experience analyzing survey and group conversation data
  • Excellent data visualization methods 
  • History of completing projects by deadline 

 To be considered:   Submit a letter of interest (LOI) detailing (1) experience and expertise along with at least two samples of relevant projects completed by the applicant, (2) your approach to research and evaluation, and why it matters, and (3) a proposed budget. Please indicate if the firm or consultant is certified as a minority, female, or disabled-owned business by the Small Business Administration. 

 All submissions must be received no later than April 15, 2026, at 5 pm in order to be considered. 

Submit to Youth & Young Adults Reporting
Submit to Excel Beyond the Bell Program Open Solicitation

The Collaboration Council seeks Letters of Interest from organizations and qualified individuals to serve as a pre-approved pool of potential out-of-school time vendors to serve in our Outcomes-based Out-of-School Time program for students at a particular school or schools within the Excel Beyond the Bell Middle School system. Vendors are strongly encouraged to consider operating at more than one location. Qualified applicants will be selected for the Open Solicitation Vendor List and remain on the list for a period of three years. Selection for the Open Solicitation Vendor List is not a commitment by the Collaboration Council to contract with each vendor for these services. Accepted Vendors who are scheduled to be contracted by the Collaboration Council will receive a cost-reimbursable contract and are responsible for submitting monthly invoices to be reimbursed for allowable expenses. The Open Solicitation process allows the Collaboration Council the flexibility to secure specific services on a short-term or continuing basis from vendors who meet pre-established requirements.

Eligible Providers can be:

  • Nonprofit organizations with certification of their 501 (c) (3) status
  • Individual proprietors with a license to do business in the state of MD
  • For-profit organizations

Mission & Purpose 

EBB’s Mission is to provide quality afterschool opportunities while allowing sufficient time for youth to explore new interests and build relationships leading to a sense of belonging. Excel Beyond the Bell enables middle school students to succeed and thrive by providing high quality, coordinated out-of-school time programs that promote positive social development. 

EBB’s purpose is to provide opportunities to middle school youth for exposure and engagement to a variety of experiences in a safe and supportive environment so that every student will have the social and emotional skills to be successful. 

EBB Youth Focused Outcomes: The EBB partnership collective has identified the following five outcomes our program will lead youth people to through the activities facilitated by our contracted providers.

  • Safety: Participant feels safe at home, at school/in program, and in his or her neighborhood
  • Constructive Use of Time - Youth Programs: Participants participate two or more times per week in cocurricular school activities or structure community programs for children
  • Positive Identity - Personal Power: Participant feel he or she has some influence over things that happen in her or his life.
  • Boundaries and Expectations - Adult Role Models: Parent(s) and other adults in the participants family, as well as, non-family adults, model positive, responsible behavior.
  • Support: Caring School/Program Climate - Relationships with teachers/program staff and peers provide a caring, encouraging environment.

Programming Timeline: 

Open Solicitation for Participation: Ongoing

EBB Programming is provided across various MCPS middle school campuses during the school year. Programming is not provided during Spring, Winter or Summer Breaks. The programming year is split into two sessions - Session 1 (Fall) and Session 2 (Spring) and contracts are administered per session.

The following criteria will be considered in determining eligibility for a contract award and award amount:

1. Demonstrated and authentic connections to the proposed target community for programming

2. Program approaches and models rooted in Positive Youth Development and effective community engagement principles

3. Number of youth/families to be served,

4. Level of services, e.g., frequency, duration, and length of session,

5. Program focus and scope,

6. Geographic location of the program

7. Reasonableness of budget/cost items

8. Programming needs of EBB campuses and;

9. Alignment with the EBB Youth Focused Outcomes

Eligible Providers can be: 

Contracted Provider Expectations:

During an active contracting year in EBB, providers are required to: 

  • Demonstrate and use a positive youth development approach 
  • Participate in free training, networking and coaching provided through the Collaboration Council
  • Maintain a 1:10 staff to student ratio and accept up to 25 participants in each class.
  • Prioritize consistent and intentional professional development and supervision of all program staff
  • Assist in participant recruitment at each school location through active involvement in school events
  • Submit timely monthly fiscal reports and invoices 
  • Identify and utilize strategies to include and meet the needs of all young people, including those who are newcomers, English language learners and youth with special needs.
  • Deliver one or more out-of-school time programs that focus on one or more of the following areas: 

  STEM - Mentoring  - Language and Culture - Cooking and Nutrition - Workplace and Career Exploration - Creative and Performing Arts - Leadership and Civic Engagement - Fitness and Physical Activity - Other  

To learn more about the history and background of EBB, please visit: www.excelbeyondthebell.org

Montgomery County Collaboration Council