REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY HARBOR & ESTUARY PROGRAM

Public Workshops to Inform HEP’s 5-year Action Agenda

February 24, 2016

The New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) is requesting proposals from

stewardship and community based organizations to host workshops to gather input for the revision

of HEP’s 5-year action agenda. To be held in late Spring and Summer 2016, the workshops are

intended to identify the public and local stakeholder’s priorities with respect to HEP’s Mission and

Five Goals (water quality, habitat, access, sediment management, and education), and to assess the

relative vulnerability of these priorities to climate change. Up to $ 1000 is available for each of the

anticipated 10-20 sessions held in watersheds across the estuary in New York and New Jersey.

This request for proposals includes the following information:

I. Background ........................................................................................................................................................... 2

II. Project Objectives ................................................................................................................................................. 2

III. Geographic Scope .................................................................................................................................................. 3

IV. General Guidelines for Applicants ........................................................................................................................ 4

V. Roles of Partners ................................................................................................................................................... 5

V. Questions about the RFP and Proposal Content .................................................................................................... 5

APPENDIX A: ELIGIBLE AREAS ................................................................................................................................. 8

APPENDIX B: DRAFT WORKSHOP AGENDA ............................................................................................................ 9

APPENDIX C: EVALUATION CRITERIA ................................................................................................................... 10

APPENDIX D: TITLE PAGE FORMAT ....................................................................................................................... 10

APPENDIX E: BUDGET FORM ................................................................................................................................... 11

APPENDIX F: OTHER INTEREST IN HAVING HEP MAKE A BRIEF PRESENTATION ..................................... 12

I. Background

Designated as an Estuary of National Significance under the Clean Water Act, the New York -New

Jersey Harbor Estuary is a complex ecological system in the midst of a major urban center. The NY-NJ

HEP was authorized in 1987 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is one of 28 National

Estuary Programs in the country. HEP is an ongoing effort to protect, conserve, and restore the

estuary though a management conference composed of representatives from local, state, and

federal government; scientists; business; and civic organizations.

The Hudson River Foundation (HRF) seeks to make science integral to decision-making with regard

to the Hudson River and its watershed and to support competent stewardship of this extraordinary

resource. This purpose is pursued through support of scientific research; communication to expand

knowledge about the river among the scientific community, policy makers, and the public at large;

initiatives to enhance management of the Hudson ecosystem; education about the River; and

physical improvements to the riverfront. The Hudson River Foundation is the host of HEP and the

Foundation will be the contracting entity for this RFP.

II. Project Objectives

HEP is engaging in a public participation process in anticipation of the release of its 5-year action

agenda. HEP’s 5-year action agenda will guide the government agencies, utilities, civic organizations,

and scientists that comprise HEP to establish common programmatic, research, and funding

priorities. The goal of the public participation process, which includes these workshops in addition to

web-based survey tools and outreach at public events, is to ensure that HEP’s programmatic

priorities for the Harbor Estuary are aligned with the needs of watershed communities.

HEP is seeking partners to co-host public workshops designed to identify the priorities of the public,

local government, community organizations and other stakeholders throughout the estuary. Each

workshop will be approximately 2 hours in duration (see overview below) with the final agenda to be

determined by the selected grantees and HEP. Responsibilities for the workshop will be shared (see

below) but the grantee will be specifically responsible for securing the workshop space, attracting

participants, and compiling notes from the workshop into a standard format.

If your organization is not interested in hosting a two-hour workshop, but still wants to participate

and help bring its constituency into the HEP decision making process, HEP welcomes the opportunity

to run a shortened version of the public workshops, as part of the agenda at another meeting. To

arrange for HEP to make an approximately 20- 30 minute presentation at such a meeting, please fill

out the form in Appendix F and email to Sarah Lerman-Sinkoff, HEP’s Outreach Coordinator,

Sarah@hudsonriver.org

Overview of Proposed 2-Hour Workshops

Target audiences: Engaged community leadership, local government staff, and the interested public.

Objective: For the public to learn briefly about HEP’s mission and goals, priority-setting process, and

the status of local and estuary-wide resources relative to its goals. The public will identify gaps in

HEP’s understanding, especially of local watershed needs, propose priorities for HEP’s upcoming

Action Agenda, and provide perspective on the relative vulnerability of these priorities to climate

change.

Format: The following brief description is an overview of the content that each workshop should

cover; the presentation format for the workshops should be tailored to best engage local

participants based on their professional and lived experiences. A full draft agenda geared towards

assessing HEP’s priorities with respect to community needs can be found in Appendix B. Hosts may

use this draft format as is, or submit an alternate agenda as part of their proposal.

The workshops will be hosted by local community-based organizations. At the workshops, the host

organization will welcome participants and provide an introduction to issues important to the local

watershed. A HEP staff member will present on HEP’s mission and five goals (water quality, habitat,

access, sediment management/port, and education), HEP’s current priorities and priority setting

process, and potential climate risk. Following the presentation, participants will discuss these issues

in the local context. Depending on size of the workshop, this discussion can involve breaking into

smaller groups based on each of the five goals.

Continued engagement: Following the workshops, hosts and participants are encouraged to continue

overseeing the implementation of the action agenda through participation in HEP’s Citizen Advisory

Committee.

III. Geographic Scope

To be eligible for this RFP, the host organization must be located or operating within one of the five

planning areas of the Hudson River Estuary study area. See Appendix A for a map of eligible listening

session locations.

IV. General Guidelines for Applicants

Eligibility

Environmental and/or community organizations with 501(c)(3) status are eligible. Local

governments, environmental commissions, community boards, or environmental and/or community

organizations without 501(c)(3) status may apply, but they must partner with another organization

with 501(c)(3) status that can serve as a fiscal agent. Current members of NY/NJ HEP Citizen Advisory

Committee are encouraged to apply.

Funding Available

Up to $ 1000 is available for each of the anticipated 10-20 sessions held in watersheds across the

estuary in New York and New Jersey. Available funds may be used for expenses directly related to

the project including:

Securing access to a workshop space and workshop supplies

Production and distribution of workshop materials such as invitations and agendas

Staff time

Please note that this is partially a reimbursement grant. Once an agreement is signed, grantees will

receive an advance of 50 % of the total grant. The final 50 % payment will be due upon completion of

the workshop, receipt of the final report summarizing the workshop, and brief financial report.

Processing time is approximately 30 days, provided that financial and final reports have been

submitted.

Estimated Timeline

The estimated timeline for this RFP is shown below.

Announcement of request for proposals February 23rd, 2016

Deadline for questions March 2nd, 2016 FAQ Posted March 7th, 2016

Proposals due March 18th, 2016

Announcement of awards April 6th, 2016

Format finalized and materials created Mid-April, 2016

Workshops held April through July, 2016

Deliverables

Final Workshop Agenda

Workshop notice/invitations

Contact list of attendees

Depending on format, provide notes from breakout sessions

Final report/workshop summary?

V. Roles of Partners

NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program

Draft workshop presentation and materials

Revise presentation and materials based on feedback from grantee

Publicize event to HEP partners, mailing list and media

Deliver presentation at workshop

Provide format for workshop notes

As needed, provide electronic polling equipment

Contract management, receipt and payment of invoices, review and approval of all deliverables.

Grantee

Revise workshop format and materials with HEP staff in order to best target the audience

Acquire appropriate workshop location

Publicize event to grantee’s membership, organizational network, and local media

Depending on format, present for part of the workshop, facilitate conversation, a nd staff

breakout tables as necessary

Acquire or produce materials for workshop

Summarize workshop per HEP’s standard format

Prepare financial report

V. Questions about the RFP and Proposal Content

Questions about the RFP (optional, due February 29th, 2016)

Please either submit any questions about the RFP via email to proposal@hudsonriver.org, or call

Sarah Lerman-Sinkoff, HEP’s Outreach Coordinator at (212) 483-7667 x1002. Answers to questions will

be posted in the form of an FAQ on HEP’s website by March 4th, 2016.

Proposal Content (due March 18th, 2016)

The proposal must address all of the information requested in this section of the RFP. In addition,

applicants are strongly advised to read and address the evaluation and scoring criteria in Appendix C.

1. Cover letter Please include a cover letter, printed on official letterhead and signed by an

authorized representative of the lead organization that is applying

2. Title Page The title page must adhere to the format provided in Appendix D and include all of

the following information, using a maximum of one page

Organization Name and Contact Information Please provide the complete contact information for your organization including mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email address

CAC Member Please indicate yes or no whether your organization is a member of HEP’s Citizen Advisory Committee

Workshop Point Person: Provide the name, title, affiliation and complete contact information (mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email address) of the point of contact for the workshop within your organization

Project Support: Provide the names, titles, affiliations, and complete contact information for support staff who will significantly contribute to the project.

Project Cost: Provide the total funding requested from HEP Previous Funding: Indicate whether you have received funding from HEP in the

previous five years, and from which grant program. No points will be added or deducted for previous funding.

Federal Tax Identification Number (FID): If the applicant will work with a fiscal sponsor, provide the sponsor’s FID.

DUNS number: A DUNS number is a unique, non-indicative 9-digit identifier that verifies the existence of a business entity globally. If you will partner with a fiscal sponsor, provide the sponsor’s DUNS number. If you do not have a DUNS number at the time of applying, please indicate if you are in the process of obtaining one.

3. Proposal Narrative Please start the proposal narrative on a new page. Please provide short

answers to the following questions. The total length should be about one page:

a. Organizational focus. What are your organization’s main program areas and/or

campaigns? What are key connections to these areas and HEP’s mission and five

goals?

b. Capacity. What is your organization’s capacity to turn out members and the public to

a priority-setting event? Has your organization hosted similar events in the last 5

years? How large is your organization’s mailing list? Indicate relative organization and

staff experience in producing and facilitating public workshops?

c. Composition of attendees. Whom does your organization primarily serve and would

be able to attract to the workshop (e.g. youth, paddlers, neighborhood residents,

park stewards, environmental professionals)?

d. Preliminary Preferences for Workshop Format and Timing. Let us know of any initial

preferences in terms of the workshop format (e.g. plenary discussion or breakout

tables, comfort with using phones for electronic voting) and timing (e.g. weekend or

evening workshop, proposed dates, any connection to scheduled events)

e. Relationship to HEP. In what capacities has your organization interfaced with NY/NJ

HEP in the past 5 years? Has your organization received HEP funding? Do members of

your staff and/or membership serve on or plan to join HEP’s Citizen Advisory

Committee?

f. Workshop budget. Please provide here any relevant details supplementing the

information on the budget form in Appendix E.

VI. Submission Process

Proposals must be submitted by no later than 5:00 PM EST March 18th, 2016. Applicants must submit

their proposals electronically to proposal@hudsonriver.org as a single PDF document. The file name

should be in the following format: “NY-NJ HEP PUBWORKSHOPS_NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION”.

You will receive an email confirming your submission with the subject line “RFP Submission

Confirmation.”

VII. Contact

If an applicant has any questions about the contents of this RFP, please contact Ms. Sarah Lerman-

Sinkoff (212-483-7667 or Sarah@harborestuary.org). Answers to frequently asked questions will be

posted on the HEP website on or about March 4th, 2016.

APPENDIX A: ELIGIBLE AREAS

Workshops must be held by organizations that are either members of HEP’s CAC, or are based within the Hudson River Estuary study area as shown below:

Map source: Hudson-Raritan Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan. Volume I, March, 2009

APPENDIX B: DRAFT WORKSHOP AGENDA

Draft Two Hour Workshop Agenda (to be modified as needed in discussion with grant recipient)

Welcome from Host (10 minutes)

o Reflection on issues important to the local watershed/community

o Depending on size of workshop, recognition of key participants or self-introductions

Presentation: State of the Estuary and Program Priorities (30 minutes plus 10 minutes Q/A)

o HEP Mission and Five goals (Water quality, habitat, access, sediment/port, education)

o Timeline for Creating and Public Review of Draft Report

o Current status of estuary as a whole and local resources relative to HEP goals

o Current HEP priorities for each goal

o Climate Change Projections and Stressors

Potential risks/risk pathways relative to five goals/priorities for the estuary

o Overview of other challenges/opportunities

o Q/A

Plenary Discussion with Electronic Voting or Break out tables (60 minutes)

o Priorities for Each of the Five Goals

Which Priorities are Especially Important to You/Your Organization?

What Priorities are Missing in Your Watershed? Estuary-wide?

o Relative Consequence of Climate Change Risks for These Priorities

Are there Additional Risk Paths Associated with the Climate Change Stressors?

What is the Relative Consequence of the Risk (high, medium, low)? In Your Watershed?

Estuary-wide?

o Other Key Challenges/Opportunities for Addressing These Priorities

Water Quality?

Development/Land Use Change?

Funding

Other?

o Important Specific Places, Programs, Organizations, Projects,

ID and Locate Specific Places, Communities, Projects, Programs, Organizations, Projects,

that are Addressing These Challenges/Opportunities in Your Watershed/Reach

Collect Relevant Contact Information

Summary by Table Leader (if needed – 5 minutes)

Next Steps (5 minutes)

o On-Line Portal for Additional Comments

o Timeline for Draft Action Agenda

o Encourage Participation in CAC

APPENDIX C: EVALUATION CRITERIA

Capacity Organization is able to secure a location, has experience in holding, publicizing, and generating turnout for similar events.

30%

Geographic coverage Organization’s connections and partnerships with stakeholders in a specific watershed or waterfront area.

30%

Engagement with HEP and the CAC Organization is either currently involved in HEP’s Citizen Advisory Committee, or is planning to join.

20%

Diversity of attendees Organization has a demonstrated capacity to reach a cross-cutting public and professional audience

10%

Represents an underserved population Organization represents an environmental justice community and/or coalition

10%

APPENDIX D: TITLE PAGE FORMAT

Organization name:

Point person:

Project support:

Contact Information:

CAC member: Y/N

Total Funds Requested from HEP: $

Previous Funding:

Federal Tax Identification Number:

DUNS Number: If you do not yet have a DUNS number, please indicate if you are in the process of obtaining one.

APPENDIX E: BUDGET FORM

BUDGET CATEGORY (Add/remove itemizing lines below major categories as necessary, but please do NOT delete major categories)

FUNDS REQUESTED FROM HEP

FUNDS FROM OTHER SOURCES*

TOTAL BUDGET

A. PERSONNEL (list individual staff member, task, and hours or % time) TOTAL:

$

$

$

$ $ $ $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

$ $ $

B. FRINGE BENEFITS % of (e.g., 10% of total personnel costs) TOTAL:

$

$

$

C. TRAVEL (estimate number/purpose of trips below) TOTAL: $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

$ $ $

$ $ $

D. EQUIPMENT** (itemize below) TOTAL: $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

$ $ $

E. SUPPLIES (itemize below) TOTAL: $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

$ $ $

$ $ $

F. CONTRACTS (identify & itemize below) TOTAL: $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

G. OTHER (identify & itemize below) TOTAL: $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $ $

$ $ $

$ $ $

$ $ $

H. TOTAL DIRECT COSTS (SUM OF A-G) $ $ $

I. INDIRECT COSTS % of (e.g., 10% of total direct costs) TOTAL:

$

$

$

J. TOTAL PROJECT COST (SUM OF H+I) $ $ $

APPENDIX F: OTHER INTEREST IN HAVING HEP MAKE A BRIEF PRESENTATION

Please complete and submit this form if you are only interested in a HEP staff person making a

presentation and possibly leading a shorter discussion about estuary priorities. This approximately 30

minute agenda item could take place at a regularly scheduled meeting or event. You do not need to

complete the form if you are responding to the RFP.

Organization name:

Point person:

Project support:

Contact Information:

CAC member: Y/N

Meeting date:

Please describe the audience of your meeting:

How many people do you expect to attend?

Who does your organization primarily serve in its programmatic capacities (e.g. youth,

paddlers, an environmental justice neighborhood, stewards of a local environmental

resource, environmental professionals, government, academic community)?