LMF: Education RFP Grant

LMF: Education RFP Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Liberty Mutual Foundation
Last Updated: April 23, 2025

Summary

The Liberty Mutual Foundation's Education Initiative aims to enhance educational opportunities for underserved youth, focusing on innovative programs that address learning loss, especially among students of color and those with disabilities. The initiative supports nonprofits that provide educational services at all levels, emphasizing pathways to postsecondary education and career training. By fostering school readiness and expanding access to resources, the Foundation seeks to empower youth in Greater Boston, Greater Puget Sound, and select areas in Washington State.

Overview

Liberty Mutual Foundation Established in 2003, Liberty Mutual Foundation supports the communities in which Liberty Mutual employees live and work. In conjunction with our nonprofit partners, our common purpose is to invest in the expertise, leadership and financial strength of Liberty Mutual Insurance and our employees to advance security and build resiliency for people and communities in vulnerable situations. To further this purpose, we are launching Climate Resiliency as a new priority area of funding. Building on its efforts to strengthen communities, Liberty Mutual Foundation believes philanthropy can play an important role in increasing climate resiliency in vulnerable communities. These efforts can bridge the divide between mitigation and adaptation approaches to climate change. Philanthropy can support innovative solutions, scale-proven strategies, support nature-based climate solutions, strengthen grassroots efforts, and more. Our grants help nonprofits that work to empower families and individuals who are struggling to thrive amid challenging situations. To that end, our grant-making priorities focus on organizations and programs in Greater Boston, Greater Puget Sound, and select counties of Washington State (defined below) to provide advanced security and resilience for people and communities. We seek to accomplish this through our three strategic goals by: Creating a safe and secure place Providing access to workforce and educational opportunity Creating climate resilient communities Education RFP The goal of the Liberty Mutual Foundation Education Initiative is to improve the educational achievement of underserved youth. Programs and services must expand educational opportunities for children and youth using vetted solutions developed with input from experienced staff, instructors, and educators. Furthermore, the Education Initiative will support educational programs at all grade levels that build on prior academic success. Programs and services must also highlight a path to postsecondary education and/or certified career training. The Liberty Mutual Foundation aims to achieve these goals by funding catalytic nonprofits to: Create programs and initiatives to accelerate learning, especially for students of color and students with disabilities who came into the pandemic with the fewest opportunities and have experienced the greatest learning loss. This includes programs serving early education and K-12 aimed at Social and Emotional Learning, mental health issues, individualized tutoring, and efforts to deepen and broaden access to learning.Expand academic opportunities for low-income and limited English-proficient (LEP) students by increasing instruction by bi-lingual educators and those with knowledge of cultural values. This funding will promote learning in out-of-school-time and during extended learning programs. It should increase programs that ensure a successful transition to high school, programs that emphasize and highlight the path to college success, and programs that offer early college learning.Implement programs that foster school readiness, as well as elementary and middle school programs that seek to prevent the achievement gap by employing results-based curricula and focusing on competency-based learning, literacy and/or numeracy.Support programs that create pathways for older youth and young adults ages 16 to 24 to re-engage with the educational system. This includes youth who have abandoned school prior to completion and youth who have attained a high school diploma/GED but have not progressed to higher education or training.

Eligibility

We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Application Details

2025-2027 EDUCATION INITIATIVE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Liberty Mutual Foundation

General Information
Background
Liberty Mutual Foundation launched its first Education Initiative in Boston in 2007. Since then, through this
initiative, the Foundation has awarded over $53 million nationally to 302 nonprofit organizations that offer
proven and positive results that create and expand academic opportunities for young people to graduate high
school and achieve post-secondary success.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is intended for nonprofit partners that offer programs and services to
underserved young people in economically challenged neighborhoods located in:
Greater Boston, defined as:
• Boston
• Brockton
• Cambridge
• Chelsea
• Quincy
• Randolph
• Somerville
Greater Puget Sound and select counties of Washington State, defined as:
• King County
• Kitsap County
• Pierce County
• Snohomish County
• Spokane County
• Thurston County
In our continued efforts to produce larger and longer-term grants for our partners and increase intentional
opportunities for connection with our partners, this will now be a three-year initiative.
Initiative Timeline
Release Date: March 17, 2025
Proposal Deadline: April 18, 2025
Metrics Verification Report Due: Within 30 days of grant approval
Interim Report (year 1) Due: May 1, 2026
Interim Report (year 2) Due: May 1, 2027
Final Report Due: May 1, 2028
Goals of the Education Initiative
The goal of the Liberty Mutual Foundation Education Initiative is to improve the educational achievement of
underserved youth. Programs and services must expand educational opportunities for youth using vetted
solutions developed with input from experienced staff, instructors, and educators. Furthermore, the Education
Initiative will support educational programs for young people grades 9 and up that focus on academic success,
college access, and/or certified career training. The Liberty Mutual Foundation aims to achieve these goals by
funding catalytic nonprofits to:
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1. Create programs and initiatives to accelerate learning for underrepresented students who are at the
greatest risk of experiencing learning loss. These efforts may include programs offering individualized
tutoring, internship opportunities, and/or efforts to deepen and broaden access to learning.
2. Expand academic opportunities for underserved students. This funding will promote learning in out-of-
school-time and during extended learning programs that focus on academic success, post-secondary
success, and college access. Ideal programs will support students graduating high school, emphasize and
highlight the path to college, offer early college learning opportunities, and/or offer post-secondary
preparation.
3. Support programs that create pathways for older youth and young adults to re-engage with the
educational system. This includes youth who have abandoned school prior to completion and youth who
have attained a high school diploma/GED but have not progressed to higher education or training.
Grant Eligibility
The Liberty Mutual Foundation will award grants through this initiative to:
1. Organizations that seek to promote equitable educational opportunities through in-school, after-school,
or summer programming. Grants will also be awarded to those that deliver educational and academic
opportunities during non-traditional hours, or by offering individualized programs or activities outside
of school settings.
2. Organizations whose intent is to assist economically challenged students in grades 9+ and to help high
school graduates attain post-secondary success—which may include vocational or technical training.
Preference will be given to organizations that also ensure that students successfully complete post-
secondary education or training.
3. Organizations that focus on literacy proficiency, including English language-learning programs, to
bolster academic performance, and social opportunities for youth and adolescents.
4. Organizations serving students who reside in the communities as defined above.
5. Not-for-profit organizations with current 501(c)(3) status.
6. Organizations that are current recipients of a grant through the 2023 Education Initiative, organizations
who have previously received discretionary funding before June 2024, and organizations that are not
currently in an active grant are eligible to apply.
If you have questions regarding your eligibility, please contact Foundation@LibertyMutual.com.
Funding Availability and Grant Size
The amount of funding Liberty Mutual Foundation will budget for this initiative, or to specific program models
within the initiative, has not yet been decided. Funding levels will be competitive, determined by the type,
number and quality of proposals submitted.
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Funding Cycle
The Liberty Mutual Foundation Education Initiative operates on a three-year cycle. Organizations selected
through this RFP will receive a commitment for three years of funding, pending availability of funds and our
successful review of your interim reports. Interim reports, due May 1, 2026, and May 1, 2027, will be
required to access second-year and third-year funding. We would also ask to be informed of any material
changes related to program budget, personnel, or programs.
New Education Initiative grant proposals will not be accepted in 2026-2027. The next Education Initiative RFP
will be dependent upon board approval and would not occur before 2028.
Grant Awards
Grant awards will be distributed based upon the following criteria:
1. The ability of the organization to define clear measures of success, and to document and provide
relevant data and evidence regarding the educational impact of the grant.
2. The level of innovation and commitment of the applicant organization and proposed program/project.
3. The estimated scope of the program and the number of youth reached through the grant.
4. The anticipated organizational and community impact of the grant.
5. Other organizational factors will also be considered such as:
• Clear budget and financial data
• Experienced personnel
• Organizational capacity, diversity, governance, history, and reputation
• Other ancillary and complementary programs sponsored by the organization
• Other program funding sources or a diversified funding base
Selection Criteria
Applicants for grants through the Liberty Mutual Foundation Education Initiative will be evaluated on the
following criteria (in no specific order):
1. Relevance: The grant applicant’s mission and intent must closely follow the guidelines set forth in this
RFP, and the work must align with our top-level metric for the Education Initiative:
• # of people supported to enter college and/or vocational programs
While this metric is our primary focus, we acknowledge the many efforts that contribute to achieving
this goal. We are committed to supporting organizations and programs that can clearly demonstrate how
their work aligns with and drives progress toward our top-level metric.
2. Program Quality and Past Performance: Applicants must thoroughly demonstrate the effectiveness of
their program(s) in assisting low-income youth, youth with disabilities and/or underserved youth. The
Foundation is also interested in the skills and training of program staff. Liberty Mutual Foundation
supports organizations with a demonstrated track record of improving educational opportunities for
young people.
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3. Organizational Capacity: The Liberty Mutual Foundation Education Initiative aims to support high
quality, direct services to youth through education-focused nonprofits. To that end, preference will be
given to applicants that can demonstrate an established capacity for reaching underserved youth.
4. Cost-effectiveness: A budget for the program that demonstrates a cost-effective use of resources. The
budget should clearly illustrate how grant funds will be used to reach the target number of students.
Funding decisions will be made at the sole discretion of Liberty Mutual Foundation, and all decisions will be
final. Liberty Mutual Foundation gives preference to organizations and programs with varied funding streams. It
is not intended that this funding should be the sole support of any proposed program.
Accessibility
Liberty Mutual invests in community initiatives dedicated to advancing access for people with disabilities. To
that end, the Foundation gives preference to organizations and programs with thoughtful and clearly articulated
plans for the inclusion of people at all levels of physical, cognitive, and emotional abilities.
Reporting Requirements
1) A brief Metrics Verification Report (MVR), due within 30 days of grant approval, that will let
organizations “level-set” by matching available funding, activity, and project data. MVRs are utilized to
validate the metrics that will assess the impact of the grant once the awards have been distributed.
2) Interim Reports, due May 1, 2026 and May 1, 2027, required to access subsequent years’ funding.
3) A Final Report, due May 1, 2028, that specifically details the achievements, outcomes and opportunities
made possible by this grant.
Funded organizations will receive instruction on when and how to access the online impact reports
approximately six weeks prior to the reports’ due dates. Reports will cover:
• Accomplishments achieved during the reporting period, including specific, measurable activities and
outcomes as outlined in the initial grant proposal, and the number of children and youth served by the
program (interim and final reports). Interim Reports will also require up to date financial reporting
upon submission.
• Challenges or setbacks experienced during the administration of the program, and how they were
addressed by the organization (final report only).
• Unexpected results or key insights that were learned during the reporting period. Please take this
section seriously as we hope to learn together. (final report only).
See the Appendix to this document for an example of an interim report.
Proposal Deadline and Grant Announcements
Proposals for the Liberty Mutual Foundation Education Initiative should be electronically submitted by
11:59 p.m. on April 18, 2025. Late applications, incomplete applications, missing financial documents, and
applications not appropriately completed will not be considered.
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Grant awards will be announced in June 2025.
Conference Call
Applicants are invited to participate in a Zoom webinar on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
EDT/10:00 a.m. PDT to answer questions related to the RFP requirements and process. This webinar is
strongly recommended for new applicants but is not required to apply. The webinar will be recorded.
Register in advance for this webinar:
Education RFP Webinar Registration Link
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Questions
Questions about this request for proposals should be directed to Foundation@LibertyMutual.com.
Proposal Questions, Format and Procedures
The online application can be accessed through the following link:
2025-2027 Education Initiative
Please follow the onscreen instructions to submit a request.
Note: Only one proposal per agency, submitted through this online platform, will be accepted. The information
below is provided solely as a guide for preparation and does not constitute the application in its entirety.
Proposal Questions
1. Requested Cash Amount
All figures in your proposal (Request amount, budget, number of participants to be served, anticipated
outcomes, etc.) should reflect only ONE year of operations.
2. Project Title/Elevator Pitch
Foundation staff needs to quickly understand your program and be able to succinctly describe your
request to others. If you are requesting funds for operating support, please clearly describe the
organization’s mission, goals, and impact for one year.
3. Community Needs, Target Population and Identifying Program Participants
What issue do you plan to address? What research supports your ideas? Please describe the criteria and
processes that your organization uses to identify promising youth or students who may best benefit from
the proposed services. Be certain to include a description of positive characteristics that you seek in
prospective participants (e.g., high GPA or demonstrated interests in science) and challenges that you
face in identifying and/or reaching your target population. Also share any methodology used that
gathered input from program participants or their families and how you used that input for program
planning.
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4. Description of Project or Program
Please describe your program and how it will address one or more of the goals set forth by the Education
Initiative:
• Creating equitable programs and initiatives to address learning loss
• Expanding academic opportunities for low-income and underserved students
• Train and prepare youth for pathways to college and/or career credentials
Include concrete and clear examples of how the proposed program will address the needs of the
community or target population you identified above. How does your strategy differ from or
complement that of other service providers addressing the same need? Provide information about your
program’s core services and, when appropriate, the service timeline.
5. Monitoring and Evaluation
Please describe your process for monitoring and evaluating your program’s success. Include metrics
showing your results over the past 12-18 months and describe how these results lead toward the
achievement of your stated goals. We encourage thoughtful connections linking the development of
project metrics to monitoring and evaluation.
6. Activities and Outcomes
Please describe one or more specific program activities that address the goals of the Education Initiative.
Construct your description using the following format:
Activity: (What are you doing to achieve program goals?)
Expected Outcome: (What are the benefits or changes over time that you expect to see?)
Baseline: (How did you determine your expected outcomes?)
Measurement: (How are you collecting and measuring your outcomes?)
Please provide estimated outcomes for your program across a set of predefined metrics; preferably
outcomes that can be attributed to the specific dollar amount requested in your proposal.
NOTE: Not all metric fields will be relevant to your program. If needed, you may create one or two of
your own outcome metrics; however, we encourage you to use the Foundation’s prompts when possible.
Usually reporting on four goals per proposal is sufficient.
If your request is funded, you will be asked to provide actual program outcomes when completing your
interim and final impact reports. Also, based upon your award amount you can update your metrics
when you develop the Metrics Verification Report.
See the Appendix for an example of the interim report, including an abbreviated list of predefined
outcomes metrics.
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7. Demographic Information Requested
• Total number served by the organization and by the program for which funds are requested
• Potential number of new participants
• Age and academic level(s) served by the program
• Genders to be served by the program
• Children/Youth/Young Adults with disabilities served by the program
• Race or Ethnicity served by the program (%)
• Average family income of program participants (#) (identify sources used to determine income)
• Percentage of English-Speaking, Limited English-Proficient, and Non-English-Speaking students
8. Financial Review Requirements
All RFP submissions include a financial review. As part of this review applicants will need to submit
their most recent financials, including:
• Balance Sheet
• Statement of Activities (P&L)
• Independent Audit or Review (when required by law)
Additionally, applicants should be prepared to answer the following questions within the RFP, with
responses being consistent with the information provided in the submitted financial documents. Please
keep in mind that the following must be as of the most recent balance sheet.
• Total current assets
• Total current liabilities
• Total liabilities
• Total unrestricted net assets
• Current balance of cash accounts
• Net income for most recently completed fiscal year (provide context for deficit)
• Average cost per participant (based on overall program costs, not just grant request)
• List of other funding sources and grant amounts
• Any other context or financial information to support numbers provided
Definition of Terms:
• Current Liabilities: These are obligations that must be repaid within one year. Examples
include accounts payable, accrued expenses, and short-term loans.
• Noncurrent Liabilities: Long-term obligations that are not due within the next year. Examples
include long-term debt, long-term portion of liabilities, and any other liabilities that are due
beyond 12 months
• Total Liabilities: 100% of the organization’s total liabilities, including both current and
noncurrent.
• Net Assets: The difference between total assets and total liabilities. In the context of nonprofits,
net assets are categorized into unrestricted (funds that can be used at the discretion of the
organization without specific limitations) and restricted net assets (funds designated for specific
purposes or timeframes).
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APPENDIX
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Our organization received funding through the 2023-2024 cycle of the Education
Initiative. Do we need to submit a final report before we can apply through the
RFP?
No. You do not need to submit a final report for your 2023-2024 Education Initiative
grant prior to submitting a proposal through this RFP. A final report for your 2023-2024
grant is due by May 1, 2025, and you will receive instructions on when and how to access
the online impact report via an email from CyberGrants. However, we do encourage prior
Education Initiative grantees to complete their final reports as soon as possible, if they
plan to participate in the current RFP cycle.
2. Our organization received a grant through the Foundation’s discretionary grants
program within the last 12 months. Can we also apply for a grant through the
Education Initiative?
No, we have a 12-month grant cycle rule which allows one grant per organization per 12-
month cycle.
3. Can Massachusetts organizations outside of the City of Boston apply?
In addition to the City of Boston, we are also accepting applications from education
organizations located in or serving residents of Brockton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Quincy,
Somerville, Greater Puget Sound (Seattle), and select counties in Washington State.
4. What is the maximum/minimum amount that our organization can request through
this RFP?
A grant range has not been predetermined. Funding levels will be competitive,
determined by the type, number and quality of proposals submitted.
5. Should our request amount and proposal information cover three full years of
programming?
No, the request amount and proposal information should reflect one year of
programming.
6. We would like to discuss our proposal ideas with someone at the Foundation before
submitting. Is there a number we can call? Can we request a site visit?
Unfortunately, we are unable to speak with every organization interested in applying. We
recommend that you participate in the listed conference call. Preliminary site visits and
interviews will be conducted on an as needed basis. You should submit your questions
via email to Foundation@LibertyMutual.com. Please keep in mind that the RFP is a
competitive process and that we are unable to “pre-vet” applications.
7. Is there an age limit on the young people we can serve through this grant?
The majority of our Education Initiative partners serve young people aged 14-24.
Education Initiative Interim Reports (for years 1 & 2)
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1. Start Report Period / End Report Period
Please enter the start and end dates for the reporting period included in this impact report.
2. Future Operation
Given the current success (or challenges) experienced during the grant period, how likely
is it that the program funded by this Education Initiative grant will continue to operate
over the next 12 months?
3. Cost of Supported Program
Please provide an updated total cost for the program during Year 1 of this grant. If funds
were applied toward operating support, provide an update of your agency's operating
budget.
4. Most Recent Statement of Activities & Balance Sheet
Please provide your organization’s most recent statement of activities and balance sheet.
5. Program Activity (1) Outcomes
Referring to the first Program Activity and Expected Outcomes described in your
application, please provide the Actual Outcomes achieved because of this activity during
the reporting period.
6. Program Activity (2) Outcomes
Referring to the second Program Activity and Expected Outcomes described in your
application (if any), please provide the Actual Outcomes achieved because of this
activity during the reporting period.
7. Program Activity (3) Outcomes
Referring to the third Program Activity and Expected Outcomes described in your
application (if any), please provide the Actual Outcomes achieved because of this
activity during the reporting period.
8. Education Metrics – Outcomes
Referring to the following predefined metrics and your program’s anticipated outcomes,
please update the following metric fields with actual outcomes achieved during the
reporting period.
• # of students supported to enter a 2- or 4-year college
• # of students supported to enter a vocational or technical training program
• # of students graduating college within 6 years
• # of students improving literacy and/or numeracy (measured by standard
assessment tool)
• # of English Language Learner students achieving proficiency (measured by
standardized test)
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