Request for Proposals for Public Options Initiatives

Geographic Scope: States around the country (US-wide)

Focus Areas:
Public options are options in the marketplace that are provided, authorized, or procured by the government; that can coexist with private options to create positive outcomes such as economic choice and resilience for families; and that are accessible to all.

Priority Sectors:

• Pharmaceuticals
• Social housing
• Banking
• Public power (energy, solar, electric grids)
• Food (grocery stores, rural development interventions like grain elevators)
• Artificial intelligence
• Green energy transition and climate banking

Project Types Supported:

1. Campaigns/Organizing - Support for nascent or early-stage efforts to advance public options, including campaigns bringing community members (especially low-wage workers and communities of color) into conversations; coalitions creating cultural and political conditions receptive to public options; research informing campaigns and organizing strategies; and projects implementing Biden-era public investments (Inflation Reduction Act) through public options
2. Feasibility Research - Rigorous economic, legal, and operational analysis to support government leaders and guide implementation; research to ground and structure public option experiments
3. Technical Assistance - Support to civil society groups, researchers, analysts, and advocates providing technical assistance to governments implementing public options; particularly interested in partnerships with government entities addressing state capacity obstacles; groups leveraging green energy transition and public investments from IRA, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
4. Narrative and Cultural Change - Strategic narrative interventions showcasing the positive role of public options; storytelling campaigns (media, podcasts, events, films, programming) educating the public on public option power and centering beneficiary communities

Eligibility:

• Must be a 501(c)(3) organization
• Project timeline can begin any time in January 2024 and end by December 2024

Funding Sources: Ford Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Omidyar Network, Square One Foundation, and Wallace Global Fund

Application Process

Step 1: Pitch Submission (First Round)

• Submission: 300-400 word pitch via online form
• Deadline: October 12 (noon ET) [PAST - 2023]
• Decision Date: October 25, 2023

Step 2: Full Proposal (Invited Applicants Only)

• Submission: Approximately 1,200-word full proposal with project budget
• Deadline: November 8 (noon ET) [PAST - 2023]
• Feedback Date: November 27, 2023
• Revision Deadline (if needed): December 4 (noon ET) [PAST - 2023]

Step 3: Final Decisions

• Decision Date: December 13, 2023
• Awardees notified and grant due diligence process begins

Required Materials for Full Proposals

Campaign Proposal Questions:

• What community or audience do you aim to activate, mobilize, and organize and toward what goal?
• How does this project aim to bring communities and the public into the formation, implementation, and/or oversight of public options? (300 words or less)

Feasibility Research or Technical Assistance Proposal Questions:

• What government entity and/or community are you working in partnership with?
• What is their interest in public options to date?
• What obstacles do you expect them to encounter? (300 words or less)

Narrative/Culture Shift Proposal Questions:

• What audience do you aim to persuade and toward what goal? (300 words or less)

All Proposals - Required Sections:

1. How are you best positioned to do this work? What challenges do you anticipate and how do you plan on overcoming them? (300 words or less)
2. What need does your project or campaign fill? How does it accelerate the movement for public options? (300 words or less)
3. Project plan including deliverables (with description and justification) and timeline (300 words or less)
4. List of current or prospective funders
5. Project budget

Additional Notes:

• Indicate if your project has a time-sensitive request
• Extensions available upon request
• Grant recipients expected to join the Public Options Community of Practice as active participants