Mishmash RFP

Mishmash Impact Grant Initiatives Program Announcement Calling all creative and entrepreneurial minds: Mishmash Philanthropy Group (MPG) under the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties (JCF) requests proposals for its new Russian-speaking Community Impact Grant Initiatives (IGI) focused on innovative and creative ideas for engaging Russian-speaking Jews of San Francisco and the Bay Area in Jewish life.

The IGI will award grants of up to $5,000 for initiatives (such as programs, projects, business and non-profit developments, etc.) to be executed between August 2012 and July 2013 . Once initial grants are awarded in August 2012, grantees will get consultative support from MPG to ensure successful completion of the project.

Organizations and individuals receiving grants through this grant program will be asked to participate in: Background This RFP is being generated by Mishmash Philanthropy Group IGI 2012, comprised of a group of thirteen Mishmash representatives who will collectively execute this grant cycle. Mishmash is a Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund program supported by Jewish Agency for Israel and Genesis Philanthropy Group.

The mission of Mishmash Philanthropy Group is to seek and support organizations and projects that inspire and engage Russian-Speaking Jews in the Bay Area to build a sustainable connection to Jewish culture, tradition and peoplehood. MPG aims to provide financial support, tools, and expertise to such people, projects and organizations to help them succeed in realizing their vision.

Focus of Mini-Grant Program The MPG has structured this mini-grant program to nurture and expand engagement of Russian-Speaking Jewish community in Jewish life. We encourage applicants to explore various engagement opportunities in different aspects of Jewish life, including, but not limited to history, culture, ethics, education, religion, and community.

We are looking to support applicants that aim to grow the capacity of an existing organization, an existing project, or an entirely new effort that address the mission and goals of this grant opportunity. We encourage applicants to share their definitions and rationale for investing time and resources in creating ‘opportunities’ for such engagement.

A successful application submitted under this MPG round should demonstrate: ● Commitment to engaging Russian-speaking Jews in one or more aspects of Jewish life; ● Clear vision of the project/program’s organizational impact and scalability; We are looking to identify organizations with interest, potential and determination to invest in the growth of the Russian-speaking Jewish community in the Bay Area.

The MPG group is looking to receive proposals that address one or more of the following areas: ● Proposals that identify gaps in the current approach to engaging Russian-Speaking Jews in the life of the Jewish community of the Bay Area - and recommendations on bridging one or more of these gaps; ● Projects that use existing technology in a new way, remix or deploy existing technology, or develop a new digital technology with the end result of engaging the target group; ● Efforts that provide experiential, immersing, service-oriented, arts-driven, tech-centric or learning opportunities that can ignite greater engagement and sense of connection by those in the target population; or ● Projects that will result in the adoption and spread of a new practice or product that has the potential for re-imagining the way the target group participates in Jewish life.

Eligibility Any individual with fiscal sponsorship or organization may apply for the grant. Decisions will be made based solely on the merit of the proposal. For individual projects, MPG will work with applicants to connect them with a relevant organization that would serve as a fiscal liaison for the project.

Below is the list of activities that MPG grants may not be applied for: ● Conference support (as the sole or primary focus of the grant); ● Media or marketing campaigns (as the sole or primary focus of the grant); ● Basic research; ● Replacement funds; or ● Capital projects.

How to Apply MPG grant round will consist of two stages. Each stage will require a separate application form: all applicants must submit the letter of intent; only applicants selected for the second stage will be asked to complete the detailed application form.

For stage one, the JCF requests that applicants complete a 1 page narrative discussing the project, using the points below as framing; and provide an initial budget for the project PLEASE submit these two documents as an attachment by using our online application system.

The online application form and portal for submitting the narrative and other documents can be accessed at: https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_364?SA=SNA&FID=35071.

For stage two, we will communicate with applicants for a more detailed description of a project and its anticipated impact.

Timeline The table below summarizes key dates related to this MPG round. The JCF will also host one technical assistance conference call for potential applicants on June 14th, 4PM. Specific call-in instructions for the calls will be posted on the JCF website at http://www.jewishfed.org/grants.

Date May 24th – RFP announcement June 7th – technical assistance conference call June 25th– MPG stage 1 application deadline June 21st- July 9th Due Diligence and secondary request July 9th MPG Stage 2 application deadline

Action MPG grant guidelines available on JCF website Open discussion Q & A on grant requirements Complete grant submissions due by 5:00 PM RFP reviews; selected site-visits

July 2012 – JCF awards MPG grants

Selected applicants will be asked to provide additional details on their initiatives Grantees confirmed by JCF

August 2012 - Grant year begins

JCF agreement is executed with grantees

Application Format and Instructions Please fully complete the online application and provide the supplemental materials by 5:00PM PST on July 9th. (No late or partial submissions will be reviewed.)

Proposal Evaluation Criteria MPG will award grants to one of two types of projects. On one hand, we are seeking to find compelling models for engaging Russian-speaking Jews that are working and ready to scale; on the other, we welcome individuals or organizations with a new, innovative idea that is still in proof-of-concept stage and can be initiated through our mini-grant.

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Funds may be requested for any purpose that fits the criteria described below.

For the application questions detailed below, we refer to the purpose of your grant request as your 'project', and we invite you to describe any capacity building effort you seek to complete, along with the goals and milestones that you will achieve.

Selected grant recipients will demonstrate that they: ● Can describe the specific program/service(s) that they plan to expand for the Russianspeaking Jews, and how they plan to grow the engagement; if the initiative will target a specific segment of the target population -- describe the criteria of that segment; ● Have a strong philosophy and model for attracting and serving Russian-speaking Jewish participants; ● Are poised to grow and strengthen their operations in order to make a significant longterm impact on the community and the Jewish group they serve;

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Have a plan to measure results and evaluate their programs with JFC and MPG for potential follow up programs; ● Have strong leadership, a track record of success (or the ability to describe what success will look like for this grant), and visionary ideas; and ● Bring content area knowledge and a spirit of collaboration to the work with MPG Committee members.

Activities must clearly support the project goals, objectives, and expected outcomes and reflect the MPG goals and rationale.

Please limit your narrative to answering the questions on one page.

Appendices 1. A line-item budget form for this MPG grant application; and 2. If applicable, overall organizational budget (for the current fiscal year).

Please explain if you are unable to submit any of these supplemental documents. As a rule, the Federation will not review proposals that do not include the above materials.

In the event MPG approves an award, the amount of funding granted will vary by circumstances, need, and program model and may differ from the amount requested.

Submission of a grant application, even one that meets all grant requirements, does not guarantee receipt of an award.

For questions about this RFP, please contact Irin Kutman Levy at irinkl@sfjcf.org, (415)512-6285 For technical questions about the application form, please contact Henry Velasco, Grants Administrator, at henryv@sfjcf.org, (415)512-6272.