Program Contact
C&P Leslie Miller - lemiller@kingcounty.gov (Send Email)

Creating a New Application to Submit
The ‘Saving’ screen is still flashing…now what?
Missed Deadline FAQs

This RFP is open to nonprofit organizations, Community Based Organizations (CBO), tribes and tribal organizations, for-profit entities, and public or governmental agencies serving communities in King County. Small nonprofits and community-based organizations are encouraged to submit Proposals.

Pre-Proposals: Pre-Proposals are mandatory and will be reviewed for project eligibility and alignment with minimum qualifications below to determine if the project will be moved to the Proposal round.

Minimum Qualifications:

     All Proposals must meet all of the following minimum qualifications in order to be considered for         an award:

1. 1. Applicant is completing New Construction or Renovation.
   2. Project is a Child Care or Early Learning Facility. No other project types are eligible. Please refer to Glossary definitions of facility types.
   3. Request does not exceed $1,000,000.
   4. Project site is owned or leased* by applicant organization.

     *If leased, organization must have owner support of proposed construction activities.

1. 1. Facility is located in, and serves communities in, King County.
   2. Applicant serves Low-Income children, youth, and families. The program will prioritize for those serving BIPOC communities, Rural areas and/or areas Without Physical Access to similar facilities.

Desired Qualifications:

1. 1. Applicant runs or proposes to run a facility that is:
      
      1.  Multi-Use;
      2. Intergenerational; and/or
      3. Has outdoor covered space
   2. Applicant can assemble a design, architecture, engineering and/or contractor team.
   3. Applicant can manage a construction project.
   4. Applicant has financial systems that can track income and expenditures.
   5. Prior experience reporting performance measurements.
   6. Applicant is leveraging other capital investments, i.e. County PSTAA funds.
   7. Applicant hosts Culturally Responsive programming and/or permanent low-cost or free programming for Low-Income households, consistent with recommendations from the CYAB.
2.  

Ineligible Activities – this funding will not cover the following costs:

1. 1. Non-construction materials and equipment.
   2. Retroactive funding (payment for goods, work, or services that have already been delivered or performed).
      
      1. Transportation/Travel.
      2. Staffing costs or other salaries.
      3. Emergency funding.
      4. Mortgage or utility bills.

Application Assistance is Available!

Application Assistance

Application assistance (also known as technical assistance, or TA) is available to support organizations in applying to this RFP. The main purpose of this opportunity is to eliminate linguistic, cultural, and other barriers that might prevent organizations from seeking government funding. Application assistance is free of charge.

Application assistance consultants can:

1. Assist in determining appropriate fit between your application and this funding opportunity.
2. Provide guidance on how best to answer questions.
3. Support your application development, including editing and budget review.
4. Consultants are not grant writers but can support you in explaining your application in the most clear and concise way.

You can find a list of TA consultants and their contact information in Attachment E (Library tab). Organizations wishing to access application assistance should email the consultants directly. We encourage you to reach out to a TA consultant as early as possible. We cannot guarantee TA consultant availability within 5 business days of the deadline (the RFP’s closing date). Assistance in languages other than English is available; let a TA consultant know your language need and Best Starts will try to accommodate that.

We encourage you to only contact one TA consultant at a time and allow them 24 hours to respond before contacting any other consultants.

Best Starts for Kids Capacity Building Services

Once the contract is finalized, Best Starts grantees may receive free capacity building services from Best Starts-contracted consultants. The goal of Best Starts capacity building is to support grantees' program and organizational development, implementation, and sustainability while being rooted in community strengths, needs, and values. Consultants provide resources and training along with individualized, responsive, and ongoing coaching and support. Best Starts capacity building consultants can also help Best Starts grantees create tools and build skills needed to meet Best Starts contract requirements. Categories of Best Starts capacity building support include board development, data and evaluation, equity and social justice, finance, human resources, IT, legal, marketing, needs assessment, and organizational development.