Organizations Are Eligible to Apply If They Meet the Following Criterion

Organizations Are Eligible to Apply If They Meet the Following Criterion

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley releases this Request for Proposal (RFP) to organizations in the Lehigh Valley working to advance Grade Level Reading.

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV) has an active AmeriCorps VISTA project with the State AmeriCorps VISTA office. The aim of the UWGLV VISTA project is to improve grade level reading rates in the Lehigh Valley through a collective impact approach involving school districts, youth serving organizations, city governments, faith-based community, higher education institutions, students, families and other community partners. This Request for Proposal is an opportunity for organizations to express interest in joining our UWGLV VISTA project to build their own organizational capacity to impact grade level reading. Successful applicants will be eligible to host one or more Full Time AmeriCorps VISTA members for at least one year [CA1]beginning in summer of 2017.

Organizations are eligible to apply if they meet the following criterion:

Active planning or implementation of one or more strategies to support grade level reading in the Lehigh Valley [CA2]Ability to support the $5000 per year cost-share for each AmeriCorps VISTA member hosted

Preference may be given to organizations seeking to build capacity around the following efforts:

  • Kindergarten readiness
  • Every day attendance
  • Summer learning
  • Community Schools
  • Trauma informed care
  • Tutoring/Mentoring

Organizations responding to this RFP must commit to the following to remain eligible:

 Completion of application by 5pm on Thursday November 3rd

 Attendance at one of four (4) VISTA information sessions to learn more about the VISTA program and VISTA project expectations

 Submission of supplemental organizational information by 5pm on December 12th

VISTA information sessions are scheduled for

Monday November 7th 9am-11am or 1pm-3pm and

Wednesday November 9th 9am-11am or 1pm-3pm

RSVP attendance plans to Jen Nicolosi UWGLV VISTA Manager by November 3rd at 5pm

AmeriCorps VISTA members live and serve in some of our nation’s poorest urban and rural areas. With passion, commitment, and hard work, they create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. Find out more by visiting the AmeriCorps VISTA website including the types of activities you can consider as capacity building with your grade level reading efforts.

If you believe your organization is in a position to host one or more AmeriCorps VISTA members to further your grade level reading efforts, please complete the application in this survey link by 5pm on Thursday, November 3rd.

Additional information

The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley will select up to 7 eligible VISTA proposals to include in our UWGLV VISTA project renewal due to the State AmeriCorps VISTA office by the end of December 2016.

By December 31, 2016 all organizations submitting completed RFPs will be notified of whether or not their submission was selected for inclusion in the UWGLV VISTA renewal project.

All organizations included in the UWGLV VISTA renewal project will be notified in mid-March whether or not the VISTA member role/s for which they submitted were approved by the state VISTA office.

All organizations with VISTA member roles approved by the State VISTA office will be expected to participate in the promotion, recruitment, interview and selection processes for the VISTA members who will serve at those host sites. The promotion and recruitment process begins in mid-March. The interview and selection process occurs between April and May. VISTA members begin their year of service in late June or July of 2017 and serve for at least 1 full year. Host organizations must also participate in a 2 hour VISTA Supervision training session, a 2 hour VISTA/Supervisor planning session and other orientation related activities as the VISTA member begins their year and throughout their year of service.

UWGLV Education Team will support overall promotion, recruitment and initial eligibility screening for all VISTA applicants as well as final notification of selected candidates to the state AmeriCorps VISTA office. UWGLV will be responsible to orient host sites to all expectations of hosting AmeriCorps VISTA members and supporting and supervising them throughout their year of service. UWGLV will host quarterly face to face check-ins with VISTA member and host site supervisors. Additionally UWGLV will offer all AmeriCorps VISTA members connected to the UWGLV VISTA project participation in once a month and on-going professional development opportunities.

Please contact Jill Pereira at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley if you have questions that need to be answered prior to completing the application.

Thank you!

Jill Pereira, Senior Director-Education

610-807-5739

1110 American Parkway Suite F-120

Allentown, PA 18109

[CA1]Suggest:

  1. at least one year
  2. one year or more

[CA2]Doesn’t stand out enough. The same layout and bulleting of the sections after it makes

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