Request for Proposals: Promoting Inclusivity Across the Gender Spectrum

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) seeks proposals from organizations or consultants to conduct a one-day workshop on promoting gender equity in the workplace, and best practices for disseminating this work internally and externally.

Background

NEFA is one of six regional arts organizations established with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to strengthen the national arts infrastructure by cultivating the arts on a regional level. NEFA invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation. Today, NEFA’s programs are regional, national, and international in scope, and support artists and communities through grants and other opportunities in dance, music, theater, and public art.

We acknowledge structural inequities that have excluded individuals and communities from opportunity based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography, and strive to counter those inequities in our work.

In 2018, NEFA published a three-year strategic plan, which included a new mission, vision, and values for the organization. Goal 3 of the strategic plan focuses on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA), and charges us to recognize, support, and invest in these values as being essential to building a stronger arts sector, and to all aspects of our internal operations. The objectives under this goal outline pathways to integrate EDIA principles into all of NEFA’s grants, program services, strategic initiatives, and overall organizational culture.

An outcome of that work was the establishment of the EDIA Working Group, which has continued our community’s learning by identifying and working to dismantle organizational inequity. This has thus far included staff-led trainings on Dismantling White Supremacy Culture, as well as ongoing work with artEquity.

An area in which staff desire more knowledge and understanding is the history and continuing legacy of gender inequity and gender inclusivity, particularly as it pertains to transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and otherwise non-cisnormative manifestations and expressions of gender and identity.

Project Scope

NEFA seeks an experienced trainer to conduct a one-day workshop on promoting gender equity and inclusivity in the workplace for approximately 25 staff members on November 12, 2019.

We would like this workshop to be designed as an opportunity for staff to challenge themselves and expand their understanding of inclusivity across the gender spectrum. We hope that staff will come away with practices to recognize and challenge gender-normative structures that create an unsafe and exclusionary culture, as well as tools for creating an environment that is safe and welcoming to people of all gender identities. The training should help staff promote gender inclusivity both internally within the NEFA workplace, and externally through grant-making programs, public meetings, and convenings.

The facilitator will work with members of the EDIA Working Group to plan the training. NEFA staff will coordinate meeting logistics.

Deliverables

• Provide overall guidance for planning the Gender Inclusivity Workshop
• Participate in planning meetings with NEFA’s EDIA Working Group
• Prepare training agenda, curriculum, materials, and resource guides
• Facilitate a one-day training for approximately 25 participants
• Conduct a debrief session with the EDIA Working Group and provide a short report following the training

Timeline

• Request for Proposals Open: August 14, 2019
• Proposal Deadline: September 17, 2019
• Review and Follow-Up for Applications: September 18-October 1, 2019
• Facilitator is Notified of Selection: October 2, 2019
• Materials Due to EDIA Working Group for Review: October 23, 2019
• Workshop Date: November 12, 2019

Desired Skills and Expertise of Consultant

• Deep understanding of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts on a national and regional context
• Demonstrated experience working with transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and other non-cisnormative communities
• Excellent communication, active listening, and facilitation skills

• Demonstrated training experience in diverse teams, and experience with various organizations and senior leadership

• Effectively facilitates power dynamics and difficult conversations in group settings

• People of color, people of all gender identities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, are strongly encouraged to apply

• Individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. The meeting space is accessible for persons using wheelchairs and includes an accessible restroom. Other requests for accommodations are welcome.

Proposal Requirements

• A one-page letter of interest describing your experience and approach to facilitating groups, and any relevant experience working with transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and other non-cisnormative communities
• A proposal, workplan, and budget that includes the deliverables described in the RFP
• 1-2 references

Contact

Please direct questions and submit complete proposals to Rodrigo DelaTorre (617-951-0010 x533) and Sarah Silva (617-951-0010 x536), the points of contact for this project, representing NEFA’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (EDIA) Working Group.

Terms and Conditions

By no means does the RFP process imply any agreement or contractual obligation. The RFP only serves to gauge interest for the project by respective firms. Costs involved in preliminary activities will not be reimbursed by NEFA.

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more about NEFA’s vision, values, and funding.

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