Grand Rapids Reporter

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The first three requests for proposals (RFPs) for Participatory Budgeting Grand Rapids (PBGR) selected projects are now on the street. The City is looking for individuals, organizations, companies or agencies to conduct a Democracy Skills Program, Community Reading Initiative, and Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence program aimed at residents in the First Ward. Each RFP is available through the PBGR website: PBGR.org.

The City of Grand Rapids will bring a total of 12 RFPs for projects and ideas selected through the PBGR public vote process held last year. Requests for proposals for the other nine projects in the second and third wards will be released over the next 60 days in groups of three each month.

Requests for proposals are now sought through 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 31 for the following three PBGR projects:

Community Reading Initiative

The City of Grand Rapids, as part of its Participatory Budgeting initiative, seeks a qualified person(s), organization, or firm to engage partners in the First Ward in a reading initiative focused on protecting young people (pre-K through high school) from gender-based violence (gender-based violence is defined as harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender). The initiative would use books and reading guides to promote social norms that prepare and guide young people and caregivers to better understand and engage in conversations about violence prevention, gender norms/stereotypes, sexual consent, violence prevention, and empowerment in an age-appropriate format.

Democracy Skills Program

The City of Grand Rapids, as part of its Participatory Budgeting initiative, seeks a qualified person, organization, or firm to carry out a “democracy skills” program focused on residents, organizations, and businesses in the First Ward. The goal of the program is to ensure community members who have been marginalized are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively participate in, and contribute to, political processes.

Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence

The City of Grand Rapids seeks a qualified person, organization, or firm to develop a program that will focus on the empowerment of victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in the First Ward. The program will support vulnerable residents and provide them with pathways to self-sufficiency and empower them to make healthy choices and live free from violence.

To submit a proposal, please visit PBGR.org for instruction. Once proposals are submitted and reviewed, the City hopes to execute agreements with selected partners by June to make these community ideas a reality.

The Urban Core Collective will host two webinars for potential contractors interested in responding to these and other upcoming PBGR RFPs. The one-hour educational sessions are set for 5:30 p.m. March 7 and 8:30 a.m. March 9. The webinars are optional and not required to respond to the RFPs. Registration is required. You can register using the following links:

• English: https://forms.gle/YUZwaezXGkMBWwX59 
• Español: https://forms.gle/Dgs8S8xTju4Gw7rh7 

You can also email community@uccgr.org with the session date you’d like to attend and the email subject line: PBGR Webinar Registration. You will receive the session invite by 7 a.m. on the day of the session.

The PBGR projects, which span across the City’s three wards, are funded by $2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The graduated ward distribution of funds includes: First Ward - $600,000, Second Ward -$400,000, and Third Ward - $1 million.

The public vote for projects recommended by the public and finalized by the PBGR Steering Committee Votes by ward took place online during Vote Week – September 30 to October 5, 2022 at PGRG.org, in-person at all Grand Rapids Public Library sites and at a series of neighborhood events. Residents, 13 years of age and older, were eligible to vote.

Based on the voting results and project rankings using ranked-choice voting methodology, the PBGR Steering Committee formally adopted the following projects (with estimated costs) to advance in the community:

In Ward 1 - $600,000 Total Investment

1. Affordable Childcare for 2nd and 3rd Shift Workers ($150,000)
2. Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking ($100,000)
3. Youth Affordable Housing Support ($145,000)
4. Cleaning Up Grand Rapids ($75,000)
5. Community Reading Initiative for Violence Reduction ($50,000)
6. Citizen Advocacy Skills Academy ($80,000*)

*Partially funded (from a requested $100,000) due to reaching total investment limit

In Ward 2 - $400,000 Total Investment

1. Mental Health Community First Responders ($350,000)
2. CURE Violence – 2nd Ward ($50,000 PB* + additional possible investment)

*Partially funded (from a requested $250,000) due to reaching total investment limit

In Ward 3 - $1 million Total Investment

1. Lead Water Line Replacement ($500,000)
2. Affordable Childcare for 2nd and 3rd Shift Workers ($150,000)
3. Youth Affordable Housing Support ($145,000)
4. Community-Based Violence Reduction Initiative ($205,000*)

*Fully funded and $5,000 added to program (from a requested $200,000) due to excess funds in total investment limit

For a list of these projects with descriptions of each, please visit PBGR.org. For the final vote tally, please CLICK HERE.

The City of Grand Rapids’ participatory budgeting initiative is a democratic process that allows residents the opportunity to help determine how public funds are spent. To learn more about the project, please visit www.PBGR.org, instagram.com/PBGrandRapids,  facebook.com/PBGrandRapids and twitter.com/PBGrandRapids.

Original source can be found here.