This proposal is for services to assist the Southwest Women’s Law Center (SWLC) in developing its Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) policy and becoming more inclusive in its internal and external work.
August 23, 2022
Agency Mission and Background
The mission of the Southwest Women’s Law Center is to provide opportunities and education for women+ and girls+ to gain access to their full economic and personal potential.
Our programs and services include:
Policy and Legal Work
- Economic Security & Workplace Rights
- Reproductive Rights
- Health, Safety, and legal representation
Since our inception in 2005, we have worked to eliminate gender bias, discrimination, and harassment; to lift women+ and their families out of poverty; and to ensure all women+ have full control over their reproductive lives through access to comprehensive reproductive health services and information, including safe, legal abortion services. We seek to advance the well-being, rights, and power of women+ in New Mexico through legal research, policy analysis, advocacy, community, and stakeholder education, and coalition work at the local, state, and national levels.
The SWLC is committed to engaging in work to become a more fully inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible organization.
Description of Inclusiveness Goals
As a result of our JEDI work:
- The SWLC will have a better understanding of the internal and external perceptions of our work through a JEDI lens.
- Using best practices and feedback from staff, board members, and community stakeholders, the SWLC will develop a plan to address issues and barriers to our JEDI goals. This plan will include regular follow-ups for accountability.
- Our staff and board will be more diverse to better represent the communities we serve. We will create a safe space to communicate, fully welcoming all into our organization.
- Our policies and procedures, web presence, and printed and electronic materials will properly reflect and communicate our commitment to JEDI principles, specifically folx of color, low-income, and intersectional stories and faces, where appropriate.
- We will use our plan to continue to identify and address inequities in the system with our community partners.
- Our work will continue to engage and uplift historically marginalized communities.
- As a result of this work, there will be a positive outcome in fundraising, recruitment, and retention so we may continue to do this work.
Description of Role of the Consultant
We would like a consultant to aid the SWLC board and staff in moving closer to our goals by facilitating a one-day workshop with the board and staff and assisting us with drafting an agency plan.
Description of Desired Outcomes
At the end of the process, we would like to see the following concrete outcomes:
- Information gathering with data on our community, our field, and our organization.
- Perspectives of internal and external stakeholders about our work and workplace.
- A blueprint for further action toward incorporating JEDI into our work.
- Increased cultural competency of staff and board members.
Proposal Content
Interested parties should submit the following:
- A written proposal not to exceed five pages and to include a proposed consulting/training plan.
- A list of past clients as an attachment.
- Resumes for all relevant team members as attachments.
- Proposals should contain the following:
- Contact information
- Inclusiveness and diversity training expertise
- Personnel information
- Project description/approach
- References, with contact information
Applicants must clearly demonstrate the following:
- Review your selections on Identifying the Roles and Qualifications of a Consultant worksheet and indicate them here:
- NM-based, understands and is very familiar with the diverse and unique cultures of New Mexico, and open to in-person meetings as needed, following COVID protocols, including wearing a mask.
- Minimum: 3-5 years of experience in the field of inclusiveness and diversity training
- Proven knowledge of, and successful implementation of, inclusiveness and diversity training sessions.
- Experience working with nonprofit organizations, preferably similar to the SWLC.
- Thorough understanding of issues of inclusiveness.
- Ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations.
- Strong communication skills.
- Flexibility.
- Speaking a second language other than English is a plus
Budget
The budget for a consultant is $15,000.00
Anticipated Selection Schedule
The RFP timeline is as follows:
- RFP Release Date: August 25, 2022
- Deadline to submit the RFP: September 9, 2022, by 5:00 p.m. MDT
- Evaluation of Proposals: September 12-16, 2022
- Interviews: September 19-23, 2022
- Selection of Consultant: September 26-30, 2022
Contact Information
Any questions regarding this RFP should be directed to Terrelene Massey, Executive Director, TMassey@swwomenslaw.org, Southwest Women’s Law Center, 128 Quincy St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108.
