Community Change Funds RFP

Best Start Central Long Beach (BSCLB) supports community projects that align with BSCLB’s community change priorities, in order to create social change for children and their families.

Community Change RFP Fund Recipients 2023

Central Long Beach Neighborhood Tenant Council (Long Beach Residents Empowered): LiBRE plans to expand their tenant organizing efforts by creating neighborhood-based tenant councils, including renters in small buildings and single-family homes, to advocate for housing justice policies and empower communities of color.
Dive into Learning (LB Public Library Foundation): Dive into Learning will support early childhood education holistically through workshops, resources, and activities that address the need for increased childhood literacy, engage parents in positive parenting practices, and prepare children for kindergarten by providing essential academic, practical, and social skills.
Long Beach Food Distribution (LB Community Table): LBCT will support vulnerable individuals through their core Food Distribution Programs, which include a Food Pantry, Parks Program, and Homebound Delivery – emphasizing the importance of economic security for community and seek funds to ensure the continuity of their services, which not only provides 6,000 pounds of food each week but also create jobs and a connected community.
Motherhood Together (M.O.R.E. Mothers): Mothers and their children in Central Long Beach will be provided with free monthly deliveries of essential items like feminine hygiene products, diapers, wipes, etc, that will address economic challenges and systemic inequities. The program also offers educational materials, regular check-ins, and monthly workshops to empower mothers and help them thrive.

Check out the press release here.

Community Change RFP

Background

Best Start Central Long Beach (BSCLB) launched a request for proposals on April 1, 2023, seeking out community project proposals that aligned with BSCLB’s community change priorities, in order to create social change for children and their families.

Voting

The BSCLB community will vote on the project proposals between May 13 – 26.

Project Decisions

Those who submitted proposals will be notified by email with confirmation of the project’s approval or denial after the voting period ends.

CONTACT

Contact Lidia Flores

Questions & Answers

RFP
What is an RFP – An RFP is a request for proposal. An RFP is a document that an organization/group creates to outline the requirements for a specific project (BSCLB).

¿Qué es una RFP? Una RFP es una solicitud de propuesta. Una RFP es un documento que crea una organización/grupo para delinear los requisitos para un proyecto específico (BSCLB).

A RFP process helps us:

Solicit projects from different parts of the community and groups that support the focus of work in the community change agenda.
Understand options
Assess the background and story of the community groups applying.

El proceso de RFP nos ayuda a:

Solicite proyectos de diferentes partes de la comunidad y grupos que apoyan el enfoque del trabajo en la agenda de cambio de la comunidad.
Comprender las opciones
Evaluar los antecedentes y la historia de los grupos comunitarios que solicitan.

The RFP Process is Now Closed

Best Start Central Long Beach (BSCLB) is an initiative funded by First 5 LA working to create the best possible community for young children and their families. BSCLB brings together parents, community organizations, institutions, and others in Long Beach to improve policies and resources to better support parents and create a community where children and families can thrive. BSCLB also provides skill-building and leadership training to help the group achieve its goals and ensure that children are safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

The purpose of the BSCLB community change funds is to advance the BSCLB community change agenda priorities that were identified by parents, caregivers, and organizations within the BSCLB network. These priorities seek to improve the lives of children prenatal to age five and their families in Long Beach through education, community building, and policy and systems change. Proposals for this opportunity will be voted on by the BSCLB community partnership in May and projects will be funded by June 2023. All project proposals must align with a minimum of one community change priority.

BSCLB Community Change Priorities:

Build community knowledge on child development and parenting skills
Prevent child abuse and neglect
Increase access to quality and affordable childcare
Increase access to quality and affordable housing and economic security

GRANT TIMELINE

Requests for Proposals were made available: April 1, 2023
Requests for Proposals were due: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 midnight
Community voting period: Saturday, May 13 to Friday, May 26 by 11:59pm
You will be informed by email if your project has been approved or declined.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must have programs or projects operating within the Long Beach community.
Applicants must operate without illegal discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability.
Events that have a religious or political focus are not eligible.
All projects will be required to participate in The Nonprofit Partnership’s systems change evaluation process.

Grant Info Sessions

Watch the Info Session

Long Beach Forward hosted information sessions on Zoom for potential applicants to learn more and ask questions about the process and opportunity. Click the video to watch the recorded session.

4 Tips to Apply

Watch the info session to learn more about the application, process, and timeline.
Download the grant application from this web page.
Complete your application.
Email your application to lidia@lbforward.org by Tuesday, May 2nd at 11:59pm PST..

QUESTIONS?

Any questions about this grant can be sent to Lidia Flores at: Lidia@lbforward.org.

Previous projects funded by BSCLB have included:

Keeping Long Beach Tenants in their Homes:

Long Beach tenants participated in community workshops that informed them of their rights as renters, helped them build leadership skills, and expanded their civic engagement awareness on how to bring about change in the community.

Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives:

Attendees participated in interactive and virtual workshops focused on positive parenting and self care across the family structure, in addition to curriculum on mental wellness for parents and children.

Fathers First:

Participating fathers developed skills and awareness around forming and maintaining healthy father-child relationships, as well as how to cultivate positive change in their community.

Social Media Safety, Preventing Online Child Abuse:

Community members, parents, families and caregivers of children attended a series of online and in-person workshops that featured experts on topics related to the dangers of social media, cyberbullying, online predators, human trafficking, internet safety, healthy online behavior, digital games and apps, and digital safety do’s and don’ts.