Request for Proposals (RFP) SSDN 2019 Peer Learning Charrettes

Small Grants to Support Big Ideas

Contact

All application materials must be emailed directly to Meg Jamison at meg@southeastsdn.org by the deadline. Download 2019 PLC RFP

2019 – 2020 KEY DATES

Launch Date of RFP

July 1, 2019

Due Dates for Proposals

Deadline #1 – August 31, 2019 (5pm Eastern Time)

Deadline #2 – October 31, 2019 (5pm Eastern Time)

Grant Decisions

Deadline #1 – Late September – Early October, 2019

Deadline #2 – Late November – Early December, 2019

FINAL REPORT DEADLINE

March 1, 2020

APPLICATION, BUDGET AND REPORT TEMPLATES

All application materials must be emailed to meg@southeastsdn.org by the deadlines.

Peer Learning Charrette Application Template

Peer Learning Charrette Budget Template

Peer Learning Charrette Report Template

WHAT IS A CHARRETTE?

In design fields, charrettes are intensive planning and design sessions where designers, citizens, and other stakeholders collaborate on a vision for a design or idea. A charrette may also refer to any collaborative session in which a group drafts a solution to a problem. SSDN’s Peer Learning Charrettes provide a forum for ideas and offer a unique advantage of giving and receiving immediate feedback for members as they sort through problems, educate themselves, design solutions, and engage appropriate stakeholders. Charrettes allow everyone who participates to be mutual creators of the solution.

Participants can use Peer Learning Charrette funds for in-person convenings or “charrettes.” SSDN will offer funding to help support travel costs and related activities. Site visits must be conducted by the final deadline and funding is distributed on a reimbursement basis only. See the section on grant distribution below for more information.

PEER LEARNING CHARRETTE PROGRAM GOALS

Building Authentic and Trusting Relationships

To allow members to build trusting relationships among peers working on similar issues

Intimate Exchange, Coaching, and/or Support

To provide members an opportunity for more face-to-face, intimate, and concentrated peer learning opportunities

Capacity Building

To develop and share new capacities toward problem solving

Best Practice Dissemination

To collaborate on learning and implementation projects that have the potential to scale implementation throughout the region

ELIGIBILITY

BASIC PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Who is eligible? Any SSDN member. Minimum participation requirement is two cities or counties. There is no maximum participation limit, but members should be mindful of budget limitations when considering participant lists.

What activities are eligible? Peer Learning Charrettes can include activities that members can access by application for reimbursement of funds. The types of activities that are supported include:

• Intimate peer-led discussions, review, direct mentorship, and/or coaching
• Convenings that are focused on exploring solutions, or taking action together, to address a sustainability challenge

All charrettes must be focused on best practice dissemination, where members focus on sharing best practices with the broader network after the charrette is complete.

Identify a “Lead Applicant,” who must be an SSDN member (applicants can be either a primary or secondary member), and who will take responsibility of the implementation of the activity, sign the grant contract, and submit the reports.

Participants must include at least two SSDN members, though non-SSDN members are permitted to participate.

It is preferred that the charrette physically take place in the nine-state southeastern region (in the states of AL, AR, FL, GA, LA ,MS, NC, SC, or TN). If the charrette is not going to take place in one of these states, please state the reason in your proposal.

Please note that Round Two applications are now due November 30, 2019.

GRANT SIZE AND USES

Peer Learning Charrettes will not consider proposals with budget requests from SSDN for more than $5,000. The intent of the fund is to support member-to-member exchanges, and generally those costs incurred include travel, lodging, and food. Based on SSDN’s experience, these costs range from $500 to $1,000 per person for up to two nights. While there is only one specific guideline for the amount one can request ($5,000 maximum request amount), SSDN anticipates that activities will generally cost around $2,000 to $3,000 to have a robust convening of four to six members.

A limited amount of the budget can be reserved for outside facilitation, where deemed necessary and appropriate for meeting charrette goals.

SSDN encourages participants to be mindful and creative of budget restrictions and incorporate sustainability into the planning of the charrette. SSDN requests that proposals compare costs using GSA per diem rates. If costs are outside of those rates, please submit a justification. SSDN may ask applicants to reduce costs in some cases, where applicable and appropriate.

Eligible Budget Items: Travel expenses (flight, rideshare, mileage, taxi, public transit, etc.), lodging expenses, limited amount of facilitator expenses, meals during the charrette, and other meeting expenses.