About: The King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is pleased to release this Request for Proposal for Caregiver Community Building for Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities with funding from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services (VSHSL) and guidance from the VSHSL Implementation Plan.

This social engagement strategy (VSHSL Strategy SE 2A) seeks to increase the number of caregivers who can sustain health and social engagement while providing unpaid care to loved ones.

Parents, friends and family of children and adults with disabilities are often called upon to do the essential but difficult work providing unpaid care for a loved one. Government benefits or financial assistance provided directly to a person for being a caregiver are not considered pay within this definition. This strategy funds programs that can recognize caregivers’ unique strengths and burdens, help combat isolation among caregivers, and offer brief but invaluable respite that is necessary for caregiving to be sustainable long-term.

Acknowledging the unique and long-term needs of persons with disabilities and their caregivers, the goal of this strategy is to increase the number of caregivers who can sustain health and community while providing unpaid care to loved ones.

Successful proposals will promote the inclusion, equitable access, advocacy and self-determination of persons with disabilities and their caregivers. This RFP is designed to allow applicants to identify what opportunities for community building are needed and encourages creative and broad solutions. Successful proposals will therefore promote flexibility in order to meet the self-identified needs of caregivers and persons with disabilities. Funded programming will also address the root causes of inequitable access to resources and information and will center and amplify the experiences of marginalized communities. The funding is open to, and encourages supports for, persons with disabilities of all kinds.

Successful applicants will provide programming to support community building for caregivers of persons with disabilities by addressing the following: community building activitities and transportation and accessability needs. 

Please refer to the Library tab for the full RFP and associated attachments.

Available Funding: Up to $998,300 in Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy funds

Investment Period: May 1, 2020 - Dec. 31, 2023 (subject to change)

Bidders Conference:
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, 1 - 2 p.m.   
King County Chinook Building, Room #115 
401 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104

Join by Skype Join by phone: 206-263-8114, Conference ID: 9568917

The meeting room at the King County Chinook Building is wheelchair-accessible. If you need any other accommodations to participate in the bidders conference, please use the Contact Admin tab to put in your request by February 5, 2020.

Questions: Submit questions through the Contact Admin tab. Final day to submit questions is Feb. 28, 2019.

Proposals Due: Proposals must be submitted through ZoomGrants no later than 11:59 p.m. on Mar 9, 2020.

Notifcation of Award Decisions: April 2020

Anticipated Contract Start Date (subject to change): May 1, 2020

The dates listed above are subject to change. The full RFP and associated attachments are available for download under the Library tab. Applicants are advised to review these documents in their entirety for guidance on the purpose, requested program models, application questions and deadlines. Applicants are responsible for regularly checking ZoomGrants for any updates, clarifications, or amendments that may be uploaded.