RACE AND EQUITY CONSULTANT

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Job location
615 Second Ave.
Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98104
United States
Organization information
Organization name: 
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Street address: 
615 Second Ave., Suite 400
City: 
Seattle
State: 
Washington
ZIP: 
98104
Job type: 
Other
Position Description: 

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
RACE AND EQUITY CONSULTANT

OVERVIEW
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) seeks the services of a consultant with robust experience in the race and equity, diversity, and inclusion field to assist with the implementation of short and long-term goals surrounding race and equity at NWIRP, as set forth in NWIRP’s 2019-2021 Strategic Framework. Our goals with this RFP are to:
▪ Provide general background on NWIRP and NWIRP’s Strategic Plan as it relates to race and equity
▪ Accurately describe the services sought by NWIRP (Scope of Work)
▪ Select a consultant with a demonstrated capability of producing sophisticated race and equity assessments for nonprofit organizations
▪ Select a consultant with a track record of effectively improving race and equity in nonprofit organizations.
▪ Obtain competitive pricing for these services
▪ Provide a selection process fair to all interested consultants

BACKGROUND
Founded in 1984, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project is a nationally recognized legal services organization on the front lines of defending and advancing the rights of immigrants. Each year, NWIRP provides direct legal representation and assistance in immigration matters to thousands of people with low incomes who come from 165 countries and speak over 60 different languages. NWIRP challenges unjust policies through high-impact lawsuits and advocates for laws and policies that respect the rights of immigrants. NWIRP is also a trusted provider of immigration-related community education for immigrant communities and social service providers. NWIRP has a staff of 120+, an annual budget of over $13 million, and serves the community out of four offices in Washington State (Granger, Seattle, Tacoma, and Wenatchee). Due to the changing political landscape and its impact on immigrant rights, at this time NWIRP is experiencing heightened visibility, substantial growth, and a shifting internal culture.
In 2018 NWIRP’s board and staff embarked on a rigorous strategic planning process, eventually developing a 3-year framework that placed Addressing Race and Equity as one of four core goals for the organization. Through this plan the board and staff asserted that issues of race and equity have always played a critical role in this country’s immigration policies, and as such a deep understanding of how they operated was integral to our work. Therefore, the Board and Staff agreed that NWIRP would
▪ Explicitly acknowledge the role of race and equity in the immigration system
▪ Analyze and address race and equity more deeply and specifically both internally (staff, board, and workplace culture) and externally (clients, partners, donors, and program services)
The Strategic Framework eventually agreed upon also laid out several specific objectives having to do with Race and Equity, objectives we now seek expertise to help implement.

SCOPE OF WORK

RACE AND EQUITY ASSESSMENT WITH PRESENTATION
▪ Design and execute an organization-wide race and equity assessment.
▪ Analyze, consolidate, and present assessment findings to the NWIRP Board and Staff.

RACE AND EQUITY WORK PLAN WITH PRESENTATION
▪ Assist the Race and Equity Committee in drafting a 1-2 year work plan based on the assessment findings, to include:
o Identification of and recommendations to address specific internal race and equity opportunity gaps in areas such as governance, human resources, finance, organizational culture, etc.
o Identification of and recommendations to address external race and equity gaps in the three pillars of our work (legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education).
▪ With the Race and Equity Committee, present workplan and recommendations to NWIRP Board and Staff.

TRAINING
▪ Deliver an organization-wide training on race, equity, diversity, and inclusion via one or more virtual training sessions with all NWIRP staff and board members.
▪ Develop, in partnership with the Race and Equity Committee, a NWIRP-specific training program on race and equity that could be run and led by select NWIRP team members in the future.

TIMELINE
We anticipate the timeline for this scope of work to be 9-12 Months, beginning in October of 2020 and concluding on or around June 2021. This timeline is flexible dependent on availability of the preferred candidate.

COMMUNICATION EXPECTATIONS
▪ Communicate effectively in writing and in verbal conversation
▪ Establish and maintain an effective working relationship with all persons encountered during the performance of these duties.
▪ Track NWIRP’s direction and feedback with utmost attention to detail
▪ Respond to NWIRP communications within 48 hours (with the caveat that responses need only be during regular business hours)
▪ Track hours effectively and bill accurately

HOW TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS
Proposals must be received on or before the deadline noted below and submittal must be by email to [email protected] with the subject line “Racial Equity Proposal _ Your Name”
Only electronic submissions will be accepted.

PROPOSAL ELEMENTS
Proposal must include:
Contact information, including mailing address, email address, and phone number
A statement of your qualifications and ability to perform the work requested, including the extent of your experience/history providing the services required in this RFP, the qualifications of personnel to be assigned to this project, and any other information called for by this request for proposal which the consultant deems relevant.
3 current or recent client references
All candidates must submit an estimate based on the work outlined in this RFP. An additional hourly rate for services that may be needed over and above the scope of work indicated may also be included.

EVALUATION CRITERIA
25% Proposal
35% Interview
25% Client References
15% Cost (Please note that NWIRP is not bound to select the lowest bid, or any bid, during this process. The final decision will attempt to balance the estimated cost with the candidate’s experience and ability to handle the organization’s needs.)

ANTICIPATED SELECTION SCHEDULE
August 31, 2020 RFP Released
September 18, 2020 RFP acceptance period closes; RFP’s will be reviewed on a rolling basis
September 21, 2020 – September 25, 2020- Interviews of top 3 candidates, reference checks
October 2, 2020- Decision made and candidates informed of decision
October 9, 2020 Kickoff Meeting with NWIRP Race and Equity Committee from 9:00 AM- 10:00 AM. 
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity. We strongly encourage proposals from people of color, immigrants (including individuals who were formerly detained, undocumented, or who have navigated the immigration legal system), women, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA community, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.

Our goal is to have a diverse Board, Staff, and Volunteer base that is reflective of the communities we serve. We believe having a Board, Staff and Volunteer base with diverse personal and professional backgrounds enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates a vibrant environment where all members of the NWIRP community thrive.

It is the policy of NWIRP to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. NWIRP is committed to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment of any kind. NWIRP does not discriminate on the basis of class, race, color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, political ideology, age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability.

Requirements: 

See above.

To apply: 

See above.

Notes: 
Equal Opportunity Employer
Salary range: 
See above.
Submission deadline: 
Friday, September 18, 2020