2023 Nonprofit VOTE Field Program RFP
Voter Engagement Capacity Building and Funding Opportunity
Are you a nonprofit network interested in promoting and supporting nonpartisan voter engagement among the nonprofits in your community? Over the last ten years, Nonprofit VOTE has partnered with hundreds of organizations to reach voters typically underrepresented in the electorate. Working with state and regional nonprofits, we build tools and infrastructure to activate community-based organizations to encourage the people they serve to vote. Our goal is to build the capacity of these “anchors” and “sites” respectively to engage voters annually.
Anchors are regional or state networks that receive funding, training, technical assistance, voter education materials, and digital tools to support member organizations. In the first year of participation, anchors are expected to recruit 4-8 sites, i.e. local nonprofits in your network, to participate in voter outreach activities and maintain ongoing check-ins and support through the election cycle. The anchor and site staff will be included in our evaluation and data collection methods to measure program impact and tell the story of nonprofit voter engagement. Read our 2020 program report here.
In the summer of 2023, Nonprofit VOTE is seeking 3-5 new anchors to join the program. This year’s participants will receive priority consideration in the 2024 election cycle program.
Program objectives:
- To educate and empower voters in underserved and disengaged communities
- To build the capacity of local nonprofits and their staff to reach these voters
- To identify and share best practices for voter outreach based on the experience of these nonprofits
Who should apply?
Nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) membership-based organizations (such as nonprofit associations, issue-based alliances, or state affiliates of national entities) and large, multi-location nonprofit organizations who…
- Hold strong relationships across their state or region with human service agency nonprofits to recruit from.
- Believe that nonprofits are uniquely positioned to engage the people they serve as voters due to the trust and relationships they share.
- Have sufficient staff capacity to implement the program as outlined in the project scope.
We prioritize groups that are new to or have limited experience with voter engagement work, as well as BIPOC-led and serving organizations. Current and former anchors include Community Resource Center (CO), Michigan Nonprofit Association, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, and BakerRipley (TX), among others.
Applications should focus on a single state or region within a state. Contact Caitlin Donnelly at caitlin@nonprofitvote.org if you are a national entity interested in capacity-building programs or if you have questions about eligibility.
Funding:
In addition to in-kind support and materials valued at over $2,500, funding is provided to cover anchor staff time spent working with Nonprofit VOTE staff and supporting sites. Grants will be paid in August after recruited sites participate in onboarding training.
Projects supporting 4-6 sites are eligible for a grant of $5,000. Projects supporting 7 or more sites are eligible for a grant of $7,000.
In-Kind:
- Technical assistance: On-call support throughout the program cycle, with monthly check-ins to track progress and troubleshoot.
- Training: Nonprofit VOTE can provide virtual or in-person training for sites on voter engagement best practices and staying nonpartisan.
- Materials: Printed handouts, digital tools, and customizable templates to make interactions with voters informative and easy. Translations available for most materials.
- Evaluation: Our tools provide insights into your network’s impact on voters and sites’ experience running voter engagement programming.
Project Scope and Timeline:
Anchor staff should anticipate dedicating 4-6 hours monthly to meeting with the Nonprofit VOTE team, program implementation, and check-ins with sites.
Anchor Expectations
- Sign partner agreement
- Begin promotions to your network
Anchor Expectations
- Recruit sites to participate
- Help sites complete work plan and materials requests*
- Attend the virtual anchor convening
Site Expectations
- Sign up to participate in the project*
- Work with anchor on work plan and materials request
Anchor Expectations
- Host a VE training (virtual or in-person) for site staff/volunteers
- Receive funding from Nonprofit VOTE
Site Expectations
- Attend training about VE planning, materials, tools
- Launch VE activities
Anchor Expectations
- 1-1 check in with NpV
- 1-1 or cohort calls with sites*
Site Expectations
- Engage voters, track outreach
- Check in with anchor
Anchor Expectations
- 1-1 check in with NpV
- 1-1 or cohort calls with sites*
Site Expectations
- Engage voters, track outreach
- Check in with anchor
Anchor Expectations
- Survey and debrief with sites
- Complete anchor survey, attend debrief*
Site Expectations
- Complete post-election survey*
*Indicates an evaluation/data collection point
How to apply:
Please send completed applications in .doc, .pdf, or Google doc file (with permissions set to “anyone with link can view”) to Caitlin Donnelly at caitlin@nonprofitvote.org. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a final deadline of June 9th. Within a week of receiving your application, we will be in touch with information about next steps, including an intro phone call.
Application questions:
Primary contact name:
Primary contact email:
Primary contact phone number:
Organization name:
Organization address:
Narrative questions (please limit answers to 250 words or fewer per prompt)
- Describe your organization’s mission.
- Describe your network’s members, including the number of affiliated organizations and an example of a campaign or project you’ve coordinated with them in the past.
- What prompted your interest in voter engagement work? Describe any experience with voter engagement work in the past.
- What are your greatest needs regarding voter engagement?
- What do you hope to gain from participating in the Nonprofit VOTE Field Program?
