ANNOUNCEMENT

**Click here for the full Community Engagement Grants application.

We are pleased to announce the 2021 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Children with Incarcerated Parents (CIP) Community Engagement Grants. Grants are sponsored by the Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative at the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) within the University of Connecticut (UConn) Department of Public Policy.

Proposals will be accepted that meet the criteria outlined below and address the following topic area: Children with Incarcerated Parents in Connecticut. For more information about the topic, and the Initiative, please see the attached addendum.

Proposals should involve partnerships between any campuses of the University of Connecticut (UConn Hartford, Storrs, Avery Point, Stamford, and Waterbury) and community groups or organizations. Proposed activity under the grant should seek to support CIP through direct engagement with the children, support of the child’s family that ultimately benefits the child/ren, research, increasing awareness of the experiences of CIP and their families, policymaking, and/or other means.

The total amount estimated to be available under this RFP is $41,000.00. This is an estimate only and is not to be construed as a guaranteed value for this or subsequent years. Awards will be made available to one or more respondents based on number and quality of proposals and the best interests of IMRP's CIP Initiative. Awarded interventions will not be restricted to any town, city, or region in CT. Funds must be spent prior to the end of the current fiscal year (June 30, 2022). Larger projects with a higher cost and longer duration will be considered in light of the other proposals received.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

Please submit applications as an attachment by e-mail to CTCIP@uconn.edu by Sunday, January 30, 2022. Following the initial review and awarding of funds, this announcement will be an “Open Enrollment” RFP.

IMRP reserves the right to accept or solicit proposals for review and consideration after the original RFP due date if an unmet need is identified or circumstances or conditions warrant, and if doing so is in the best interests of IMRP and the Initiative. Any department or individual that submits proposals under the open enrollment clause (after the proposal due date stated above) shall abide by the same terms and conditions as are stated elsewhere in this RFP, and provide the same information requested.

Proposals will be accepted from affiliates (students, faculty, staff, departments, groups of departments, faculty and students, and groups of faculty members) of all University of Connecticut’s campuses (Hartford, Storrs, Avery Point, Stamford, and Waterbury) in partnership with a community organization(s).

It is recognized that IMRP’s funding for payment under the CIP Community Engagement Grant is dependent upon funding from the Connecticut General Assembly. If there is a reduction in funding or other budgetary rescissions are imposed or required, IMRP reserves the right to, with written notice to awardee(s), terminate or amend any agreement.

Proposal authors must:

• Demonstrate an understanding of IMRP CIP and address a gap or further explore an area of interest for CIP
• Identify a community partner
• Address sustainability at the close of funding
• For faculty/staff led projects, please discuss how students will participate
• Describe how faculty/staff, community partners, and students will work together to successfully complete the project
• Identify proposed outcomes for all parties involved, including the CIP community and students
• Make a presentation of project results and/or submit a final report discussing the project, including outcomes, challenges, and successes
• Consider the CIP Initiative’s Guiding Principles (included in the attached addendum)

Proposal authors are encouraged to:

• Consider interdisciplinary proposals and collaboration between academic departments, other units, offices, or centers (i.e., Community Outreach and Engagement, Student Activities, student organizations, UConn’s cultural centers, Education ).
• Consider proposals that develop new curriculum and courses that focus on and includes CIP
• Consider proposals that develop new initiatives/partnerships to support CIP, and/or add a specific CIP component to existing programs or coursework
• Consider proposals that significantly enhance the visibility of the issue of parental incarceration and its effect on children
• Consider proposals that might lead to long-term and/or broad impact
• Consider the Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights, found here: http://sfonline.barnard.edu/children/SFCIPP_Bill_of_Rights.pdf
• Be creative and think outside of the box! All disciplines, graduate and undergraduate students, are encouraged to apply and project(s) do not need to correlate with the academic
• Attend the virtual proposers’ conference/info session Monday, January 10^th at 11am. For the link to join, please e-mail CTCIP@uconn.edu no later than Friday, January 7^th.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Review of applications will be based on appropriate focus on proposal requirements, and on the responses to the application contents (Abstract/Summary, Significance, Methodology, Outcomes/Impact, and Budget) as described below.

APPLICATION COMPONENTS

Applicant: Name (If this is a group project than provide the name of only one contact person, list co-investigators separately.)

Department:

Title: Give a descriptive title of the proposed activity.

Narrative: 2-5 page description of the project that identifies the activities to be undertaken in a format which addresses the items below:

1. Executive Summary of the Project: (will also serve as 150-200 word abstract)
2. Significance of the Project: Identify the primary goal/s of the project and what question, CIP need, or problem will be Identify any anticipated results for students, faculty/staff, community partners and the CIP community at large. Identify the significance of the project relative to the CIP Initiative’s Guiding Principles (included in the addendum) and University of Connecticut’s Public Engagement and Outreach Standards. List any

relevant experiences (such as previous CIP work) that back up why this project is important.

3. Methods/Activities: Describe major activities of the proposed project and specify time

frame. Identify resources and expenses required for specific activities (including any partners, University resources, and other funding already available to the project including curriculum or faculty development funding). Specify how community partnerships will be developed. How will the project enhance or improve current and future collaboration with the community? How will the project enhance or improve the current and future work of the CIP Initiative? Describe how the project's partnerships will be sustained at the close of the work funded by this grant.

4. Outcomes/Impact/Evaluation: How will students benefit? How will the project enhance or improve faculty/staff and students’ work and life at the University of Connecticut? How will CIP, community partners, and/or participants benefit? How will the project team measure whether, and in what ways, the project achieved its intended goals? How will participants and partners know major goals were achieved and intended outcomes accomplished? How will the project team identify unanticipated outcomes or new learning not originally in the proposal? What means of evaluation will the project team develop for CIP, community partners, and university constituent units’ participants to document effects, processes, lessons-learned?

Budget: On the attached chart

• Itemize specific expenses (personnel costs, supplies, travel, and other costs) and approximate date(s) the expense will
• Provide a clear and detailed justification for the budget items Show how the cost was derived, for example local mileage rate or bus cost for student transportation, cost of a resource text, etc.
• Please note, all funds must be dispensed by us no later than June 30, 2022.

Projects may request the following:

• Compensation for faculty time spent on development, administration, research, and/or evaluation of the project
• Faculty/staff, student, or participant Describe for whom and for what
• Support for student workers and/or Graduate Assistants, and/or community partners who would be hired as Indicate how cost was estimated
• Educational materials or software, as well as office supplies
• Travel or transportation funds
• Other: Describe any additional resources needed to achieve the project’s goal/s and intended outcome/s

GRANT PERIOD

The grant period will end in May of 2022 but does not have to be tied to the academic schedule. A FINAL REPORT is due 30 days after the end of the project.

A conference for all interested proposers will be held virtually on January 10^th from 11:00am- 12:00pm. Questions and answers from the conference will be posted on the CIP website and as an addendum to the RFP.

QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

SEEKING PARTNER(S)

Leila Daneshmandi, an Assistant Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the School of Engineering at Storrs, is interested in partnering with another entity to support children with incarcerated parents. She is interested in any opportunities for bringing education and exposure to entrepreneurship for the children and their families. She indicates that she could lead workshops or have someone come in for educational purposes. She is happy to explore any collaborative opportunities or meet for a discussion. To learn more of her work, check out her LindedIn profile. If interested in exploring partnership, please contact Professor Daneshmandi at leila.daneshmandi@uconn.edu.