New Human Services Partnership Planning

New Human Services Partnership Planning

After 10 years, the Washtenaw Coordinated Funding Partnership has ended. We are proud of the work done by Coordinated Funding (or COFU), and also excited for the opportunity to re-envision Human Services partnership in service of equity, and focused on addressing racism, poverty and trauma.

Washtenaw County and City of Ann Arbor leadership will be meeting four times in early 2022 to finalize the framework for the New Human Services Partnership. As we work through this process, we want to make information and resources available to partners and community to provide access to information, as well as opportunities to engage and inform the process.

This webpage will evolve as the process evolves, so please check regularly for updates including ways to participate. Last updated March 2022.

Main Goals with New Human Services Partners:

• Incorporate Equity into the process
• Focus on addressing racism, poverty, and trauma
• Incorporate lessons learned from COVID-19 response
• Ease of process – for applicants and staff

Equity Framework

Click here to view the New Human Services Partnership Equity Framework. The Equity Framework includes goals of human services funding, definitions of key components of the model, and examples to ground community in the new human services framework. The Equity Framework is a working document - last updated January 27, 2022.

Community Engagement Sessions (Summer 2021)

In August 2021, we conducted five virtual community engagement sessions with a total of 150 participants. Click here to learn more. 

Board of Commissioners Working Session (February 2022)

Click here to review the New Human Services Partnership presentation slides from the Board of Commissioners February Working Session.

New Human Services Partnership Safety Net Funding Round 

The 2022 New Human Services Partnership Safety Net Program funding round is currently open and available from March 27 through April 25, 2022. 

OCED will be hosting two zoom info sessions:

Safety Net RFP 

The New Human Services Partnership 2022 Safety Net Grants Program Request for Proposals (RFP) has been released. To view the RFP, visit https://www.washtenaw.org/2431/Open-Bids. Find the RFP titled "REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL #8311 Human Services Partnership 2022 Safety Net Grants Program". Follow all submission instructions in the RFP on the County website as well as in the RFP application in Foundant. Please note that there will likely be updates to the proposal and frequently asked questions posted.  All updates and FAQs can be found on the Washtenaw County RFP website, so please check this website periodically for new information.

As a reminder, this is one of three funding rounds in the New Human Services Partnership. If your agency or group is not a fit for this funding, it’s likely you may be for a future funding round, including the mini-grants (expected this summer) and the High-impact grants (expected this fall/winter).

• Safety Net Grant Budget Template

Community Reviewers

Serve your local community as a community funding reviewer! 

We're recruiting community reviewers from a wide range of experiences and backgrounds county-wide. 

Reviewers will receive training on how to review and score funding requests from local human service agencies and assist Washtenaw County officials with funding recommendations for three (3) New Human Services Partnership funding rounds.

There are three distinct funding rounds planned for 2022:
- Safety net services –This funding round is currently open (5-year grants)
- One- year mini-grants – intended to try out new ideas and/or work with newer agencies. This funding round is scheduled to open in the summer (1-year grants)
- High impact grants - Programs, systems, or initiatives providing new additive to current programming with high impact over time. This funding round is scheduled for the fall/winter of 2022. (5-year grants).

The first round of the review process will occur between May 2nd and May 6th 2022, with training at the end of April. The anticipated time commitment is 25-30 hours. We are looking for people with a wide array of experiences, backgrounds and perspectives, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not have any previous grant review experience. Reviewers will receive a $100 stipend for their time.

Apply today at bit.ly/NHSP-reviewers    |    Learn more here.

General Timeline

* Please note: County and City leadership have agreed to the following timeline but it is subject to change. We will note changes here as they occur.

Best Practices in Other Communities & Additional Resources

• Racism as a Root Cause Approach: A New Framework | American Academy of Pediatrics
• Washtenaw County Opportunity Index
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | CDC
• Getting to Scale: Size Matters. Shape Matters More - Standford Social Innovation Review (July 2021)
• What We Know So Far About Evaluating Efforts to Scale Social Innovation

County Publications, Data & Related resources

• Washtenaw Coordinated Funders
• 2020 Washtenaw County Opportunity Index
• A Blueprint to End Homelessness
• 2015 Housing Affordability and Economic Equity Analysis
• 2018 Washtenaw County Racial Equity Policy
• 2020 Resolution – Racism as a Public Health Crisis

Equitable Funding Frameworks

• Restorative Economics | Nwamaka Agbo Consulting
• Designing for Emergence: The McCune Charitable Foundation Grows Agency Across New Mexico | the Foundation Review
• Grant Making with a Racial Equity Lens | Grant Craft
• Equitable Grantmaking Continuum