In this update:
- NYS and NYC Opportunities
- NYC DOHMH Issues RFP for Community Coalitions to Prevent Substance Use Among LGBTQ+ Youth/BIPOC LGBTQ+ Youth
NYS and NYC Opportunities
NYC DOHMH Issues RFP for Community Coalitions to Prevent Substance Use Among LGBTQ+ Youth/BIPOC LGBTQ+ Youth
On November 4th, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development and coordination of community coalitions that seek to reduce the early initiation of substance use among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) youth and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) LGBTQ+ youth (up to age 35).
DOHMH will provide over $5 million in total funding across five contracts during the six-year project period ($168,000 annually per contract). Contracts are expected to being on July 1, 2025. Awarded contractors will be expected to:
- Schedule, host, and ensure coalition member attendance at 10 coalition meetings per contract year;
- Develop, plan, and conduct an annual community assessment, which will be used to guide community-responsive coalition activities; and
- Create an annual action plan, based on input from coalition members and results from the annual community assessment, to be implemented by the coalition for their specified community.
Eligible contractors must have:
- At least three years of experience providing direct services to LGBTQ+ youth, with greater consideration given to applicants with experience providing direct services to BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth;
- At least two years of experience engaging with and/or providing direct services to LGBTQ+ youth on substance use and reducing associated harms;
- At least two years of experience in the last five years using environmental change strategies in a specific community (geographic or social) to delay the early onset of substance use and reduce the harms associated with substance use among youth; and
- Experience advancing racial equity through agency practice.
Applicants will be expected to identify their target population (either BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth or LGBTQ+ youth). Greater consideration will be given to applicants who propose to target services to BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth. Required staff include one full-time coalition manager and one part-time LGBTQ+ peer youth specialist.
The RFP is available here. Applications are due on December 19th. There will be an optional pre-proposal conference on November 18th from 12:30pm-2pm. Interested parties may RSVP to RFP@health.nyc.gov with “Coalitions PPC Attendee” in the subject line through November 15th. Questions may be submitted to the email address above with “Coalitions RFP Question” in the subject line through November 25th.