Request for Proposals for Green Business Recruitment and Pre-bate Program
SF Environment will award one grant to a non-profit.
· Green Business Recruitment: One grant will be given to a community-based organization to engage and recruit businesses in historically underserved communities into the Green Business Program.
TIMELINE FOR PROJECT SELECTION
o Request for Proposal released: Friday, August 13th, 2021
o Final day for questions (email only; no phone calls): Thursday, August 19th, 2021
o Applications due: Friday, August 20th, 2021 by 5:00pm
o Projects Begin: September 2021
For more information: Contact David Kashani via email at [email protected].
The San Francisco Department of the Environment
The mission of the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) is to provide solutions that advance climate protection and enhance quality of life for all San Franciscans.
Our environmental vision is expressed simply as “0-80-100 Roots”— we must achieve 0 waste and 0 toxic chemicals, take at least 80% of our trips sustainably, and use 100% renewable energy, while reducing consumption. While those goals are about being less harmful to the planet, our “Roots” goal is about healing the planet by protecting nature’s diversity, planting trees and promoting soil health to absorb carbon and restore natural systems.
We have set an ambitious agenda to guide us in achieving this vision, ensuring we are meeting the needs of all San Franciscans and providing in-depth programs to neighborhoods throughout the city. We will:
· Promote Healthy Communities and Ecosystems
· Achieve a carbon-free future
· Strengthen Community Resilience
· Eliminate Waste and Toxics
· Amplify Community Action
The values driving this agenda and all SF Environment initiatives include:
· Credibility: We are a trusted source of information about environmental challenges, drawing on deep expertise to create solutions that make a measurable difference.
· Innovation: We experiment and prototype to identify the best solutions to address environmental challenges, setting examples for other cities to follow.
· Collaboration: We understand that working with a range of partners is critical to our success. We are an engaged member of the San Francisco city family and passionately work with business and community stakeholders to advance shared civic goals.
· Equity: Our initiatives are underpinned by a commitment to inclusiveness and accessibility, benefit all San Francisco residents and businesses and focus on supporting those communities most in need.
· Impact: We know that the condition of San Francisco’s environment is critically important to the quality of life of all residents, and our programs clearly demonstrate a resilient environment is possible.
In keeping with our values SF Environment is releasing grant funds for a non-profit organization to engage and help recruit businesses in communities historically underserved communities in San Francisco.
Projects should exemplify Department values of Credibility, Innovation, Collaboration, Equity, and Impact.
Green Business Recruitment Grants
Since 2006, the San Francisco Green Business Program has worked with small and medium-sized businesses to help them green their operations and receive recognition for their accomplishments. To date, San Francisco is home to 331 Recognized Green Businesses.
To meet the Green Business Program’s equity and inclusion goals, SF Environment seeks to increase the number of Green Businesses in historically underserved communities in San Francisco.
The Green Business Program is seeking one community-based organization (CBO) partner with strong ties to the small business community to conduct outreach and recruitment to businesses in historically underserved communities. The goal for the CBO will be to recruit a minimum of 10 businesses into the Green Business Program and assist at minimum 5 of those businesses to achieve Green Business recognition. Activities should include tapping into existing network of business contacts to promote the Green Business Program through webinars, one-on-one calls, door-to-door outreach, and/or other forms of engagement. The grantee will promote the $500 pre-bate and the cost-saving opportunities of going green.
The proposed Green Business Recruitment project proposals should address:
1. History working with small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in San Francisco
2. History of working with businesses in historically underserved communities
3. Dedicated staff person assigned to the project
4. Strategy to recruit 10 businesses into the SF Green Business Program
SFGBP will train grantee on program requirements, and incentives. The primary role of the CBO will be to recruit businesses and enroll them through the SF Green Business website and to periodically send reminders to the enrolled businesses to complete the Green Business process.
GRANT PROCEDURES & GUIDELINES
Who can Apply – Only non-profit 501c3 organizations are eligible to apply.
Grant Types and Sizes – Green Business Recruitment: A one-year grant of $10,000 for a community-based organization to engage and recruit businesses in historically underserved communities. Awardee will receive $5,000 for the first 4 months of the project, with an additional $5,000 in the second four months contingent upon performance.
Geographic Focus – City and County of San Francisco
Application Format and submission– Proposals should be no more than 4 pages in length, in 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. Responses to RFP questions must follow the format as it is presented.
APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY
FRIDAY, August 20, 2021, at 5:00 PM
Applications must be emailed as pdf. documents to: [email protected] with “Grants Program” in subject line. Files should be labeled “Name of Applicant.DocumentName”. If an email application is not feasible, contact [email protected].
LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED!
Funding Limitations, Grant Agreement/Contract Requirement, and Payment Process - Before the City can award funding, the grantee must become an approved city vendor and meet Human Rights Commission requirements. This process should be started as early as possible or risk grant awards delayed. Required forms may be downloaded from http://www.sfgov.org/oca/purchasing/forms.htm. For more information, please contact 415-252-2500. For insurance requirements and copies of sample insurance certification forms visit
http://sfgov.org/oca/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/729-insurance_requirements.pdf
All responses and submittals in response to this RFP are public information and shall be the property of the City and County of San Francisco. The City may use such submissions for any purpose whatsoever, without compensation to the provider or any other person or entity and shall not be liable for any use or disclosure of any submissions.
