Request for Qualifications

Developing models for equitable community-led strategies to reduce emissions causing climate change

Issued: February 17, 2023
Deadline for Response: 5:00pm, March 6, 2023
Send responses to: jherb@ejb.rutgers.edu with Transformative Climate Communities in the subject line

Background

With support from The Energy Foundation, the New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers University is collaborating with the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance to provide individual grants of $25,000 to five community-based organizations in locations in New Jersey with overburdened communities for the purpose of demonstrating replicable strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide economic, health and/or environmental benefit to those communities. This effort is inspired by the California Transformative Climate Communities Program which “empowers the communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.”

Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Qualifications is to identify five organizations to which the Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers University will provide $25,000 individual subawards. The overall goal of these awards is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through community-driven projects that are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly over time, leverage additional funding sources, and provide health, environmental and/or economic benefits to the community.

The anticipated start date for the awards is April 3, 2023, with an end date of August 31, 2023.

The $25,000 awards are considered planning grants that are intended to support the design and strategic development of initiatives that achieve the initiative’s overall goal and that increase the capacity of the organization to advance ongoing and sustainable climate change actions. A priority for this effort is to ensure benefit to overburdened communities as defined by New Jersey’s environmental justice law (N.J.S.A. 13:1D-157) and as identified by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection at: https://dep.nj.gov/ej/communities/. The New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center will make every effort to provide necessary assistance that will benefit the grantees’ initiatives such as data analysis, meeting facilitation, and research.

Focus areas for these grants include but are not limited to efforts related to:

Affordable and sustainable housing;
Access to affordable transit;
Electric bicycle and ride share programs;
Solar installation and energy efficiency;
Water-energy efficiency installations;
Urban greening and green infrastructure;
Bicycle and pedestrian facilities; and
Waste reduction and recycling, including food waste.

Eligible organizations include:

Community-based organizations;
Nonprofit organizations;
Faith-based organizations;
Coalitions or associations of nonprofits;
Community development finance institutions; and
Community development corporations.

Organizations that receive the funding must agree to the following:

- To prepare a brief monthly progress report on a survey form provided by Rutgers University and to participate in a monthly virtual meeting with the Rutgers program manager(s) to discuss progress;
- To prepare two blog posts that will be posted on the Climate Change Resource Center and New Jersey Climate Change Alliance websites; one in the first two months of the grant and one in the last month of the grant.

To respond to this Request for Qualifications

Qualifications (RFQ) is being sent to several New Jersey organizations that are known to be involved in community-based climate change efforts. Other organizations may apply. Questions regarding this RFQ may be sent by 5:00 PM on March 2, 2023, via email with the subject line Questions about TCC RFQ to: jherb@ejb.rutgers.edu. All questions and answers will be posted within 48 hours on this web page (njclimateresourcecenter.rutgers.edu/request-for-qualifications)

To apply in response to this RFQ, the organization should complete the attached form and email it to jherb@ejb.rutgers.edu with Transformative Climate Communities in the subject line by 5:00 pm EST on Monday, March 6.

Selection criteria

Five organizations will be chosen to receive the $25,000 awards for purposes of undertaking initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly over time, leverage additional funding sources, and provide health, environmental and/or economic benefits to the community. Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

1. 25% – Demonstration of the organization’s effective and impactful past and current work regarding engaging overburdened communities on climate change, sustainability, environmental justice and other related issues.

2. 60% – Demonstration of a clear and organized statement of work that includes:

The problem or challenge facing the community.
The approach, steps, and/or tasks that will be undertaken and a timeline for implementation.
The outputs/outcomes that are anticipated at the end of the initiative.

3. 15% – Inclusion of a clear and efficient budget.