GEAR UP FOR GROWTH

FOR FUNDING TIMELINE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2025 to JUNE 30, 2026

Issue Date: SEPTEMBER 2025

Contract Amount: $453,372.15 

Deadline for Submission of Proposals: JULY 28, 2025  11:59 PM. No submissions will be accepted after this date and time. 

Organizational Overview 

Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families, Inc. 

The Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families, Inc. (Collaboration Council) is a quasi-public nonprofit organization, with a 21-member Board of Directors appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council. The Collaboration Council works to advance its Community Needs Assessment Priorities, a consensus reached by Montgomery County residents and concerned public agencies, community-based organizations, service providers, and businesses on the vision of well-being for children and families in the County. For further information: collaborationcouncil.org 

Integrity Framework The Montgomery Collaboration Council’s Integrity Framework is the foundation for our commitment to equity, accountability, and community-driven impact. We prioritize:

• Affirmation & Agency – Empowering individuals to have control over their lives, ensuring their basic needs are met, and affirming their full humanity.
• Interdependence, Connection & Belonging – Fostering meaningful relationships, shared responsibility, and a culture that promotes inclusion and collective well-being.
• Community-Aligned Systems – Ensuring organizations engage and remain accountable to the communities they serve, with systems that are responsive, equitable, and driven by lived experiences.
• Guiding Perspectives – Centering anti-racist, trauma-informed, and community-driven approaches to transform structures and uplift voices that have historically been marginalized.
• Strategic Approaches – Supporting collaboration, advocacy, and capacity-building to create sustainable, community-led solutions.
• Behavioral Commitments – Upholding values of empathy, dignity, integrity, collaboration, innovation, and continuous growth in all programmatic efforts.

Applicants should demonstrate alignment with these principles through program design, engagement strategies, and operational practices. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion The Collaboration Council values work that centers diversity, inclusivity, and equity where all recipients of services, irrespective of their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability, feel valued and respected. The Collaboration Council is committed to ensuring that we work to achieve a sense of belonging for all residents of Montgomery County, and call upon all whom we fund or partner with to ensure they carry out practices to create and maintain an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all. 

Project Purpose & Goals

• The Gear Up for Growth Program will be established in response to the need for an alternative to detention located within the community to effectively serve youth who have been identified as having been charged with a motor vehicle theft offense.
• The proposed after-school program aims to engage youth aged 14-18 in Montgomery County, MD, specifically in the communities of Wheaton, White Oak, Aspen Hill, and Montgomery Village. The program will focus on workforce development, mental health and wellness, social emotional learning, community engagement, restorative justice, and wraparound services for youth and their families.
• The Department of Juvenile Services, with the consent of the State Attorney's Office, will place youth with an infraction of motor vehicle theft, who do not pose a threat to public safety and who are not at risk of fleeing the court’s jurisdiction. The program provides an alternative to secure detention for youth who are eligible and can benefit from the services provided through Gear Up for Growth.

Scope of Work

Program Delivery Model 

The selected provider shall implement a community-based program delivery model, ensuring that services are accessible within the neighborhoods where youth reside. Rather than requiring participants to travel to a central location, programming should be delivered directly within the communities of Wheaton, White Oak, Aspen Hill, and Montgomery Village in Montgomery County, MD. Programming must be provided five (5) days per week, with flexibility for the provider to propose a schedule that serves different neighborhoods on different days. Proposals should outline:

• A weekly schedule specifying which neighborhoods will be served on which days.
• The specific locations or types of venues (e.g., community centers, schools, libraries, parks) where programming will take place;
• Plans for coordinating with local stakeholders to maximize community participation.

Proposals will be evaluated based on their ability to provide consistent, high-quality, and accessible programming within these communities, ensuring equitable access to services for youth in each neighborhood.

Target Population 

This program will be available to youth as an alternative to prosecution and as part of a pre-court supervision agreement. Youth who meet the target criteria will be referred by DJS intake and pre-adjudication staff with the consent of the State's Attorney's Office. Youth specifically aged 14-18 in Montgomery County, MD, in the communities of Wheaton, White Oak, Aspen Hill, and Montgomery Village, who have incurred a referral for motor vehicle theft are prioritized.

Program Services and Deliverables 

The program will provide after-school/early evening programming 5 days a week and needs to be able to serve 15 youth at a time. The maximum length of the program will be 180 days, which is the maximum amount of time permitted by law for a pre-court supervision agreement. Key output measures will include youth participation in and completion of the program, and recidivism for all offenses and for motor vehicle theft during the program and during a follow-up period after completion

Healthy & Safe Environment

• Program environment will ensure physical and emotional safety.
• Program space will be free of health hazards.
• Procedures will be in place to respond to physical and behavioral health emergencies.
• At least one staff person who is certified in CPR and First Aid will be present at all times.
• Information regarding youth medical conditions must be readily available to staff (within confidentiality provisions).
• Written policies concerning transportation protocols (incident reports, etc.) will be provided to all staff
• All vehicles must have a copy of Vehicle Safety Requirements and procedure to follow in the event of an accident.

Program Components

• Reduce Recidivism: Provide constructive activities and support to prevent reoffending.
• Workforce Development: Equip young people with job skills and opportunities.
• Mental Health and Wellness: Offer mental health support and promote overall wellness.
• Community Engagement: Foster positive relationships between youth and their communities.
• Restorative Justice: Implement restorative practices to repair harm and build accountability.
• Family Support: Provide comprehensive support services to families
• Recreation and Leisure Time: Provide activities that promote physical activity to expand youths’ skills in constructively using leisure time
• Life and Social Skill building: Through overall program structure and established curricula, improve youths' decision-making ability, interpersonal relationship skills, and practical skills of daily living
• Family Engagement: Reach out and engage parents and other important adult family members regarding program activities and how to better support their young person.

Eligible Applicants

Applicants or “Offerors” must qualify as one of the following:

• Nonprofit corporation with 501(c)3 status,
• For-profit corporation.

Priority consideration will be given to qualified nonprofit corporations. A for-profit corporation will be reimbursed only for the actual expenses of operating the program.

• Applicants must have demonstrated experience in working with youth who have encounters with the youth legal system.
• Applicants whose primary place of business and prior service delivery experience are outside of Montgomery County are eligible to apply.
• Providers must be eligible to be licensed, certified, and registered as required by state law. Providers must adhere to Community Nonresidential Services in COMAR 16.17.05 

Terms & Conditions

Contract Terms

• The actual contract commencement date will be determined during contract negotiations and will continue through June 30, 2026. Direct services to youth are expected to begin in September 2025. The ability of the Offeror to begin direct services with a minimum start-up period will be favorably evaluated.
• Contracts resulting from this RFP can be renewed for additional fiscal years contingent upon satisfactory performance by the Contractor, the availability of funding, and other factors as determined by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services or the Collaboration Council.

Proposal Deadline & Timeline

Deadline for Submission of Proposals

The Collaboration Council must receive proposals by July 28 at 11:59 p.m.  There will be no exceptions to this deadline.

An automatic receipt of submission will be sent to the Offeror via Submittable. If the Offeror does not receive the automatic receipt, the Offeror shall contact the Contract Monitor immediately: Alycia.chuney@collaborationcouncil.org. The Offeror is responsible for ensuring that the deadline is met.

Those persons authorized to represent the Offeror should plan to be available for questions and any needed interviews during August 2025 to enable timely proposal evaluations and contract negotiations to be finalized in September.

Official Contact

The official contact for this Request for Proposals is Alycia Chuney, Youth and Young Adult Program Director, at the Collaboration Council. Questions should not be directed to any Collaboration Council staff or to the Department of Juvenile Services.

Responding to Questions

In order to have a written record of any questions, complete the Proposal Questions Form linked HERE. The identity of the question submitter is kept confidential. All questions will be answered at the preproposal conference. 

Preproposal Conference:

There will be preproposal conferences held on July 10th at 11:00 am- 12:00 pm. and July 17th at 1:00 pm-2:00 pm.  Offerors are encouraged to attend one or both of the conferences to ask questions at that time and have the opportunity to hear the response to all questions submitted. Please register HERE. 

Proposal Budget & Narrative Requirements

To complete the required budget attachment, follow the steps below:

1. Download the Budget Template. Click the link below to make your own editable copy of the budget spreadsheet HERE  (You’ll be prompted to “Make a copy”—click the blue button to proceed.)

2. Fill Out the Budget

• Complete the spreadsheet directly in your Google Drive.
• Rename the file to include your organization name (e.g., “2025 Budget - GreenTree Org”).

3. Submit Your Budget

• When finished, go to File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) to save your completed version.
• Upload your Excel file as part of your application here on question 19 in the Submittable application.

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 middle school students at a particular school or schools within the Excel Beyond the Bell Middle School out-of-school time 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. 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.

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: 

• Nonprofit organizations with certification of their 501c3 status  
• Individual proprietors with a license to do business in the state of MD (information about registering as a small business may be found at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dgs-lbp/home.html/index.html 
• For-profit organizations 

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