Youth Development Impact Council Attendance Initiative

Request for Proposal Guidelines

Brown County United Way’s Youth Development Impact Council has designated $60,000 to the development of programs to improve student attendance in Brown County. In partnership with the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Partners in Education Attendance Task Force, we are seeking proposals from new or existing private, non-profit, community and school organizations.

How to apply

• Download application (96 KB) or contact Howard Endow at Brown County United Way: howard@browncountyunitedway.org or 432-3393 ext. 8651
• We prefer receiving your application by email whenever possible. Please email completed no later than 4 p.m. Friday, May 25.
• If you are unable to email your application, please mail or hand deliver no later than 4 p.m. Friday, May 25 to:

Brown County United Way

Attn: Youth Development Impact Council

1825 Riverside Drive

PO Box 1593

Green Bay , WI 54305

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

Background Information

Knowing how to make consistent, sound decisions builds self-confidence and helps youth achieve goals and avoid mistakes in life today, tomorrow or even years from now. The Youth Development Impact Council has studied how youths’ choices about school attendance, sexual behaviors, substance abuse and criminal activities have become strong indicators of their quality of life as adults.

Partners in Education, a program of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, formed an Attendance Task Force to build a Yes, School Counts community action plan. 2003-2006 attendance data was collected from eight of ten school districts in Brown County demonstrating youth choices about attendance.

• During the last three school years averaging 176 days of instruction, more than 25% of K-12 students missed ten or more full days of school, and over 9% missed twenty or more days of school each year.
• Attendance declines significantly from grade 6 through grade 9, the transitioning grades.
• According to the 2006 Brown County Quality of Life Survey, almost 25% of adult respondents think it is acceptable for students to miss ten days of school per year.

The Attendance Task Force’s research demonstrates that poor school attendance is a problem that exists across all grade levels, schools and populations. The Youth Development Impact Council is focused on reaching students through programs that result in improved school attendance.

The work of these groups represents a broad cross section of the community – public, private, corporate and non-profit. Collaborating to solve our community’s most pressing needs, we are issuing this request for proposals to improve school attendance in Brown County.

Eligibility Criteria

All qualified applicants must:

• Be located in Brown County and serve Brown County residents.
• Have the capacity to conduct the program and submit semi-annual, fiscal and outcome-data reports.
• Measure program effectiveness according to the following defined outcomes and document the impact on participants. Identify no more than two additional outcomes relating to detentions, bullying/harassment, other behavioral referrals, co-curricular participation, etc. Programs MUST measure the following two outcomes measured by the described indicators:

Outcome #1: Decrease absenteeism among students

Indicator #1: Students with unexcused absences that total more than the equivalent of 10 full days per year.

#2: Students with excused absences that total more than the equivalent of 10 full days per year.

#3: Students with a combination of excused and unexcused absences that total more than the equivalent of 10 full days per year.

Outcome #2: Decrease the number of students who fail classes

Indicator #1: Total percent of students who fail at least one class.

#2: Total number of “F’s” earned by students.

#3: Percent of students with 1 “F.”

#4: Percent of students with 2 “F’s.”

#5: Percent of students with 3 or more “F’s.”

Significant dates to note

• All applications are due no later than 4 p.m. Friday, May 25.
• The grant will be awarded after United Way’s Board of Directors approves it on June 27, 2007 and recipients will be notified by email prior to June 29, 2007.

Proposals must :

• Impact youth choices about school attendance, as demonstrated through positive outcomes.
• Be easily accessible for youth in the geographical area of the program.
• Show a clear mission with objectives and measurable outcomes.

Preferred proposals will:

• Involve youth in decision-making.
• Have a mentoring component.
• Have school and/or community collaboration.
• Include a clear plan for measuring program effectiveness (program outcomes) and documenting the impact the program has on its participants.
• Be implemented during the 2007-2008 school year. Applicants must define the length of the program in their application.
• Be replications/expansions of already existing programs that have demonstrated successful outcomes to bring results to additional audiences
• Show high probability to be self-sustaining once short term funding has ended.
• Include a plan for sharing best practices to allow for expansions/replications.
• Influence a broad population of students.

This grant will not fund:

• Projects that are designed to be a one-time activity with no real impact on the participant.
• Projects that carry an administrative overhead expense (rent, salaries for an Executive Director, a project supervisor, bookkeeping staff, etc.) of more than 15%.
• Equipment purchases in excess of $2,500.00.

Download the application (96 KB)