Introduction to the Project

NHRC is in search of a consultant to work in collaboration with our statewide California team to develop and deliver a single or a series of trainings for California syringe service programs (SSPs), as a part of our California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) Learning Collaborative to expand access and deepen harm reduction services.  One of CHRI’s key priorities is to assist build the capacity & leadership of SSPs by centering racial equity and working towards the meaningful inclusion of people who use drugs (PWUD).  These training sessions should support programs in understanding basic concepts of racial equity, as well as explore strategies for incorporating racial equity in their policies, workflow, and approach to working with staff and syringe service clients. The budget is up to $10,000.

Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ folks local to California, harm reduction practitioners, and people with lived experience of drug use, sex work, and/or HIV/HCV are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.

Project Overview

NHRC plans to work with one or multiple consultants to create a robust series (3-4 sessions) that meets the needs of our programs, who have expressed a desire to learn from a racial justice framework and deepen their commitment to this practice. The 60 programs across the state have various sizes and structures, as well as a diverse range of knowledge and experience regarding racial equity. We are seeking proposals for one or multi-sessions that respond to these needs, including, but not limited to:

• Defining racial equity
• Reflecting on personal and organizational relationship to power and privilege
• Developing communication skills and strategies to discuss race explicitly
• Developing anti-racist leadership
• Exploring strategies for navigating issues of race in multi-racial and multi-ethnic environments
• Creating strategies for accountability around anti-racism, especially for White staff and leadership

Incorporating racial equity into policies and procedures

Exploring and dismantling the structural racism inherent to social service provision

Overview of deliverables:

Creation and finalization of training materials:

• Meet with staff from NHRC to gather relevant background information about CA syringe service programs and their needs
• Deliver finalized training materials to NHRC staff at agreed upon date prior to training delivery for final approval

Training delivery:

• Facilitate session(s) for CA syringe service programs on the scheduled date(s)
  
• Workshop(s) should be interactive, encourage critical thinking and evaluation, and be reflective of harm reduction values, especially towards drug use and sex work
• Workshop(s) will be recorded and all training materials will be retained in our online drive so programs and staff can reference them in the future.

Follow up and feedback:

• Participate in a follow-up meeting with NHRC staff and select leaders from programs across the state and/or meeting with NHRC staff and review participant evaluations, to share observations from the training and offer feedback

Proposal Options:

Consultants can submit a proposal to deliver either a single training session or a training series of 2 or more sessions. Our typical training sessions are 2 hours with a short break in the middle. 

Submitting a single workshop proposal: Do you have a single session curriculum that is out of this world? Are you an excellent skillbuilder in  a certain piece of racial equity work? If so, consider submitting a proposal for a single session. Your workshop will be combined in a series with other consults to take our programs through a process of learning and change. Please share with us how you see your workshop fitting into a series, and what other workshops we should consider including. Please note, we are looking to have 3-4 training sessions, so a single workshop should have a budget of $1000-$3500 so we have sufficient budget for additional consultants.

Submitting a workshop series proposal: Are you able to take training participants on a process of change across multiple sessions? Do you have a wide range of racial equity knowledge you are excited to have more time to share? If so, consider submitting a workshop series proposal. Please include in your proposal your overarching change strategy and why you feel your series would be the best fit for our program. Please note, we are looking to have 3-4 training sessions, so if you propose a 2-session workshop, each session should have a budget of $1000-$3500 so we have sufficient budget for additional consultants.

Request for Proposals Link:

Apply Here

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals can be submitted in a variety of ways, including a document, PowerPoint slides, or video submission. If you have any questions about the way you can submit, please reach out using the form below. Regardless of your proposal method, please include the following information: 

Consultant Background

• A short piece on your approach to racial equity 
• Any connection you have to harm reduction and/or your approach to talking about drugs and drug use
• Any experience you have offering similar workshops in the past 5 years

Workshop Proposal

• Workshop or series title, description, objectives, and a brief outline
• How do you plan to have training participants interact with the facilitators or each other?
• How do you see your workshop supporting the needs listed above in the Project Overview section, or other needs not included?
• Please include at least one example (either in a PDF or PowerPoint) of a training you have created and delivered. You may also include a video recording of your training delivery in addition to the training content, and participants’ evaluations of the training, if available. 
• If you are proposing a single session, how do you see this workshop fitting into a larger series? What background or follow up sessions should we be looking to combine your workshop with?
• If you are proposing a training series, how do you think this series will meet the varied needs of our programs? What makes your series “the full package?”
• Total Cost

Budget: Up to $10,000

Agreements

All digital property produced through this project will be owned by Harm Reduction Coalition. We will share your proposal internally among staff members, and any proprietary information shared in the proposal should be clearly identified.

About Harm Reduction Coalition

Harm Reduction Coalition is a national advocacy and capacity-building organization that promotes health and justice for people and communities affected by drug use. Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. Our efforts advance harm reduction policies, practices, and programs that address the adverse effects of drug use including overdose, HIV, hepatitis C, addiction, and incarceration. We work to uphold every person’s right to health and well-being, and their competence to participate in the public policy dialogue.