Esperanza ACF Evaluator

Hispanic Federation (HF) is the nation's premier Latino nonprofit membership organization. Founded in 1990, HF supports Hispanic families and strengthens Latino institutions through grant making and direct services in the areas of education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment, and the environment. Since its inception, HF has focused on supporting and strengthening Latine-led community-based nonprofit organizations as a key instrument for social justice and economic empowerment.

Program Overview

With the support of New York State Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, HF is launching Project Esperanza to connect individuals and families to programs and services that tackle the challenges faced by New York’s most vulnerable populations. Running from August 30, 2024, through September 30, 2025, the program will guide community members toward pathways that provide access to employment training programs, housing, health insurance, older adult services, economic resources, and other services offered by HF and our network of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). The emergency assistance provided through this initiative will additionally increase the community’s access to essential needs such as food and clothing. This support will help individuals achieve positive health and financial outcomes, further addressing the social determinants of health and well-being within the Latino community, including poverty reduction, promoting economic recovery, and enhancing community well-being.

To achieve its goals, HF will launch a multilingual, multimodal statewide campaign to challenge myths about poverty, mental health, homelessness, and immigration, promoting HF’s hotline to connect community members to vital support and counseling resources. Additionally, HF, in collaboration with CBO partners, will address immediate needs by distributing emergency assistance such as housing support, healthcare access, hunger relief, and basic needs items. These efforts aim to empower communities, reduce social stigma, and ensure access to essential services across New York State.

Project Scope

HF seeks an evaluator to develop a comprehensive evaluation plan, outlining the scope, activities, tools, and materials needed to monitor and assess the design and effectiveness of the Project Esperanza initiative. This evaluation will gather data on HF's coordinated processes, events, and initiatives using focus groups, questionnaires, satisfaction surveys, and needs assessments. Findings will be shared with key stakeholders including CBOs, government agencies, and elected officials to inform policy and resource allocation, addressing gaps in public services for vulnerable communities. Additionally, this project will not only inform future HF program design to ensure alignment with statewide needs and objectives but will drive resource distribution to most in-need communities.

The evaluation will be completed as the program is being implemented and will include an impact assessment of the project, an analysis of how it addresses social determinants of health, and an overview of regional needs across New York State.

Performance Period

April 1, 2025 through November 30, 2025.

Total Funds Available: Up to $25,000.

Payments and Reporting

Consultants will submit monthly invoices using a template provided by HF. All payments must be aligned with the progress toward deliverables.

Scope

Consultant will:

• Work with HF to create evaluation plan, including scope, activities, tools and materials to monitor and assess design, and effectiveness of Project Esperanza.
• Design data collection tools and adjust as needed.
• Train HF staff and/or subawardees/subcontractors on data collection (HF partners). Partners are expected to participate in evaluation activities, be trained by the Evaluator, and collect data using the tools provided by the Evaluator.
• Aggregate and analyze all collected data. Data collection methods may include but are not limited to surveys, focus groups, or interviews with subrecipient staff/subcontractor staff, participants, and HF staff supporting the initiative.
• Have periodic meetings with HF staff to discuss progress and findings.
• Write final evaluation report including findings and recommendations.

Deliverables

Evaluation deliverables will include, but are not limited to:

• An evaluation plan, including key questions to be answered by the evaluation, planned activities, outputs and outcomes, roles and responsibilities, and timeline.
• Data collection training for HF staff and partners.
• Data collection tools.
• Agendas and notes from periodic meetings with HF, using a form provided by HF.
• Draft evaluation report.
• Final evaluation report.

Requirements and Preferences

Consultants must demonstrate:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in public/non-profit program evaluation.
• Strong analytical skills, with expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods and data collection.
• Direct experience working with community-of-color-led nonprofits.
• Cultural and community competence.
• Alignment with HF values.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Ability to adhere to project timelines and deliver high-quality work on schedule.
• Strong collaborative skills.
• Ability to meet all federal contractor requirements, including the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200) and other federal requirements as relevant.

Consultants should preferably possess:

• Master of Public Administration and/or Public Policy.
• Knowledge of evaluation frameworks; familiarity with different evaluation models (e.g., Logic Models, Theory of Change, or the Kirkpatrick Model) and when to apply them.
• Ability to design bilingual tools and guides in English and Spanish, and collect, aggregate, and analyze data in both languages.
• Understanding of how to design a solid research methodology, develop surveys or interviews, and collect data in a valid and reliable way.

Due Date and Submission

No later than Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Late applications will not be reviewed.

Proposal

To apply, applicants must submit all required documents outlined below to esperanzarfp@hispanicfederation.org.

The proposal must include the following:

• Document answering the questions in the application included in pages 4-5 below.
• Resume for each person who will be involved in project evaluation.
  • Note: HF does not allow subcontracting; please do not suggest the use of consultants.
• Writing samples
  • Evaluation Report: Submit a sample evaluation report (a portion of a report is acceptable) that demonstrates the evaluator’s abilities in detail.
  • Evaluation Tool: Provide a sample of an evaluation tool. HF will use this sample solely for application evaluation purposes.
• Estimated number of hours and total cost, provided the evaluation is conducted between April 1, 2025, through November 2025.
• If chosen, consultants will also need to provide:
  • W-9, signed and dated in 2025 (must be the updated W-9 form).
  • Voided check or bank letter.
  • A document of a staff training agenda or outline used in the past.
  • Detailed budget breakdown with calculation of hourly rate. Please note, subcontracting is not allowed.

For questions on the RFP or the proposal submission process, please contact: esperanzarfp@hispanicfederation.org

Application

Project Esperanza Evaluation Services

For questions about this RFP, please contact esperanzarfp@hispanicfederation.org.

I. Contact Information

Applicant name (individual or entity)

Name of individual completing the application

Title of individual completing this form (if entity)

Email

Phone number

Street Address City, State and Zip Code

If the entity is registered in SAM.gov, please provide the entity's Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

Is the entity MWBE certified in New York State? [YES/NO/N/A]

II. Certifications

I understand and certify the following:

I am authorized to make any commitments on behalf of the entity that are inherent in the proposed services and rates included in this application. [YES/NO]

I/the entity meet(s) all federal contractor requirements, including the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200) and any other applicable federal, state, and local requirements. [YES/NO]

I/the entity/all of the proposed staff are not debarred or suspended by the Federal or New York State Government. [YES/NO]

If you answered NO to any of the certification questions, please explain.

III. Scope of Work

Scope of Work: Please describe how you will approach the assignment as it is described in this RFP, including process, methods, etc.

IV. Experience

Summary of Experience: Please concisely summarize your/the entity’s experience and capacity to provide the proposed consulting services.

Experience working with community of color-led organizations: Please describe your experience in evaluating public or nonprofit programs. Please provide examples of how you applied both qualitative and quantitative research methods to measure program outcomes and address community-specific needs.

Experience meeting public sector requirements: Please provide examples of the situations where you were required to meet public-sector requirements and how you managed them.

Experience working with and training staff and subawardees: Please provide a concise summary, including specific examples.

V. References

Please list three (3) previous clients who can serve as a reference relevant to the proposed project. Provide information on three prior related assignments, including client’s name if applicable, email and phone number, period of performance and a brief description of the work, including how it prepares you for this assignment.

To apply, applicants must submit this, and all other required documents outlined in the RFP, no later than Wednesday, March 19, 2025 to esperanzarfp@hispanicfederation.org.