Request for Proposals
Tremont West has been working in the Tremont community since 1979. Since the late 1990s, community vibrancy and neighborhood culture emerged with the creation of the Tremont ArtWalk. In the following decade, Tremont became a hub of activity where Tremont West in partnership with other organizations and volunteers added a full calendar year of activities that enhanced the lives of Tremont residents, provided extra income to small businesses and brought visitors to the neighborhood to experience the “vibrant urban village” we love.
Tremont West values:
Collaboration: We promote transparency and bringing people together in the neighborhood, surrounding neighborhoods, and the broader community to make a positive impact.
Equity: We aspire to eliminate barriers and create platforms that enable all people to have equal opportunities to advance and achieve prosperity.
Inclusivity: We embrace diverse perspectives and treat others with compassion and respect without regard to age, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, income, religion, or sexual orientation.
Innovation: We promote creativity that inspires and motivates the community while using best practices in our daily work.
Sustainability: We are committed to planning and building in ways that respect our historic fabric and create economic and social benefits for everyone.
Transparency: We want our neighborhood residents and businesses to feel a sense of ownership and confidence in our mission and everything we do.
Over the past decade, Cleveland has experienced an explosion of new events and cultural experiences that have brought more competition in funding and audience members for the programming we have here in Tremont. Additionally, internal to Tremont, there have been some changes in our local programming, which requires Tremont West to take more of a lead role in presenting our annual calendar of free community programming.
Current Programming:
- Tremont Farmers Market
- Taste of Tremont
- Tremont Arts & Cultural Festival
- Arts in August
- Walkabout Tremont
- Living Well in Lincoln Park
Why is this analysis needed?
- Tremont Farmers Market is a community program that brings fresh, local, healthy food to Tremont residents, who reside in a food desert. This program has never been solvent and uses support from the Tremont West general fund.
- Taste of Tremont is an event that has the potential to demand larger sponsorships, yet the capacity of the staff at Tremont West has not been able to bring results. Taste does bring in revenue to Tremont West.
- Tremont Arts & Cultural Festival for 21 years had been a program of Merrick House. Merrick House paid a staff person at Tremont West to manage the program. After the 2019 Festival, Merrick House informed Tremont West that they no longer have an interest in the Festival and has given it to Tremont West. This could potentially be problematic because the festival receives funding from the same institutions as Arts in August.
- Living Well in Lincoln Park is run by the Tremont West safety committee. Volunteers become burnt out and change interests.
- Walkabout Tremont is an initiative that continued on the successes of the 25-year volunteer-led program of the Tremont ArtWalk. Re-branded by community members in 2016, there are signs of volunteer fatigue and sustainability issues.
- Arts in August utilizes partnerships to create a month-long series of theatre, dance, and music in Lincoln Park. The public funding from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and Ohio Arts Council continues to endure reductions annually.
- In 2017, Tremont West completed the Tremont Towpath Integration Plan. Over 50% of the plan has been completed and funded. One of the next steps is to create programming around the Towpath Trail. (https://experiencetremont.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/towpathintegrationplan-1.pdf)
Project Goals and Scope of Services
Tremont West is interested in continuing to present a robust calendar of events for free to the Tremont community in the next few decades as we have in the past. It is our intention to study what we do now, understand what is working, let go of what is not and to create a plan for the coming years in our new landscape. We want a calendar of events that serve the whole Tremont community, including timelines for event planning, fundraising suggestions, and recommendations for preferred staffing roles of each event. We encourage a survey and or focus groups to gain insight into the community’s wants and needs, but this exercise is to assist the organization in building capacity.
Submittals should be provided electronically and include the following items, along with other material to demonstrate the Consultant’s expertise and capability:
- A brief written description of the Consultant’s approach to the project.
- The expertise of the team assembled by the Consultant to carry out the work.
- A list of comparable projects undertaken by Consultants and/or team members.
- Tasks to be performed
- Timeline
Tremont West is seeking a consulting firm who:
- Works within the sphere of Cleveland nonprofits who present free community programming
- Understands the funding possibilities and limitations for a neighborhood CDC
- Encourages innovation and creativity of design
- Inspires organizations to get out of comfort zones
- Can give us examples of work similar to this request
Deadline
Please let us know by Friday, February 14th with your intention to apply. The final proposal is due on Monday, March 2, 2020.
Timeline
The work will need to be completed by the end of 2020.
Please include in your RFP:
- Background on your organization
- Summary of the scope of services required
- Executive summary required
- Qualifications, the structure of submitting organization, and any relationships with co-providers
- Several references for similar work that Tremont West may contact
- Detail about how by whom and when services will be performed
- Fee, billing terms
- Special qualifications
- Samples of work that may be similar
BUDGET:
Please provide a budget for $10,000 in services. If costs exceed $10,000 please provide an itemized budget that would allow for a menu of options.
Contact:
Michelle Davis, Assistant Director
216-575-0920, ext. 103
