Seniors Grants Program Consultant
Table of Contents
Organizational information
Equity and Inclusion statement
Statement of purpose
Scope of work and deliverables
Proposal requirements
Evaluation and award process
Point of contact for future correspondence
Organizational information
At the heart of Community Food Centres Canada’s work is the belief that food is a basic right. We bring people together around good food so communities can thrive. With more than 350 partners across the country, we build inclusive culturally responsive Community Food Centres, share knowledge, create health-focused programs, and advocate for equitable policy change. Learn more at: cfccanada.ca.
How we work
Community Food Centres Canada is a cross-country commitment to good food for all. Food is a basic human right and a means to bring people together so communities can share and thrive. Locally, we nurture and nourish on-the-ground programs that meet the needs of marginalized neighbourhoods. Nationally, we are a united voice advocating for lasting impact through progressive and inclusive public policies.
Our commitment to Equity and Inclusion
Food insecurity is a form of economic inequity, which is often compounded by intersecting identities. We work in diverse sociopolitical contexts and recognize the importance of local identities and knowledge.
We are committed to building greater equity and inclusion, both within our organization and through the work we do with partners across Canada.
We are committed to combating discrimination in all forms, including on the basis of Indigenous ancestry, race, ethnicity, ability, legal status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, income, and religious affiliation.
Project Overview
Community Food Centres Canada offers a variety of supports to our network of partners, comprising 17 community food centres and over 400 “Good Food Organizations” (community food organizations that subscribe to a shared set of values, the Good Food Principles).
Older Adults and Seniors Programming Grant
We are developing a grants program directed at partners who serve older adults and seniors (55+) that will offer grants to enable them to initiate, expand or deepen their programming that uses food to reduce social isolation, build health, social belonging and leadership amongst this demographic.
One stream will be dedicated to organizations that plan to implement CFCC’s FoodFit program, a 12-week curriculum, where participants come together to cook, exercise, and learn about and enjoy good food, for the target demographic.
The other will support proposals that target these outcomes with programs that they have developed locally.
The grants program will consist ultimately of two cohorts of between 25-30 grantees over four years, with $1.05 million being dedicated to each cohort.
The following request for proposal covers year one activities for a multi-year project, with the potential for extension at the end of the outlined term.
Scope of work and deliverables
We're looking for a consultant who has significant experience in offering frontline support or coordination of programming for older adults and seniors in community settings. This role will require expertise in this area, and the experience required to coach partners who are launching new programs, and looking for informed guidance through one to one support, and within the Knowledge Sharing activities outlined below:
- Conduct an environmental scan, develop and maintain a backgrounder on the most promising practices to reach and support older adults and seniors in ways that foster belonging and agency, and reduce isolation, be it through food programs or other transferable learning
- Work with CFCC’s grants team to review and support the selection and awarding of successful applicants based on CFCC developed granting criteria
- Work with evaluation team to develop appropriate metrics and qualitative/quantitative tools, both shared and local to tell the story of impact and understand evolving knowledge around the projects
- Work with FoodFit manager to support with the coordination of Knowledge Exchange activities related to older adults and seniors adaptations to the existing curriculum, to further enhance its relevance and effectiveness for older adults and seniors populations
- Create and coordinate a supportive community of practice for grantees, including online workshops, knowledge swaps, coaching and in-person meet-ups with the following annual schedule:
- Offer Monthly Office Hours to provide coaching and troubleshooting to grantees seeking support related to program delivery, evaluation and impact measurement
- Beginning February 2025 - Monthly content posted to our online community space, the Partner Portal, providing helpful resources and profiles to support grantees and larger network of community food organizations, and facilitating connections between different partners and leaders in the field of seniors and older adult programming
- April 2025 - Program Evaluation Training - in partnership with CFCC’s evaluation team, host a session reviewing the evaluation tools and provide support for program customization
- June 2025 - Knowledge Swap profiling best practices in seniors and older adult programming, with space for partners within our network to share successes and challenges
- August 2025 - Webinar featuring external experts in seniors and older adult programming . Topic to be determined based on identified needs
- November 2025 - Knowledge Swap with grantee storytelling, best practices and troubleshooting
- Oversee grantee communication, project administration and tracking grantee progress on project reporting and participation in Knowledge Exchange activities
- Prepare project summary and impact report to communicate and disseminate the promising practices arising from the grantee projects to both the funder, and our wider community of partners.
This phase of the consulting relationship will cover one year, with approximately 30-35 hours per month, starting as soon as possible.
Proposal requirements
Within the response, the Consultant must describe:
- Their approach to delivery of the goals described above;
- Qualifications and experience;
- Past experience working with similar projects and organizations;
- Methods/philosophy that will be used to facilitate the project review process, and;
- Overall fees and budget for this project
Proposal Requirements:
- Consultant profile, including full legal name, title and contact information (phone number, email address, mailing address an company website, if any)
- Cover letter, CV, or firm/consultant profile
- Any other relevant name under which the Consultant carries on business
- At least two references
Budget
Funding is available for this project. Applicants are required to provide detailed budget proposal outlining their financial requirements.
Evaluation and award process
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Experience and qualifications relevant to the proposal requirements, including experience with our partner communities;
- Demonstrated commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity;
- Quality of the proposal and project approach with a focus on providing a clear plan and timeline, and;
- Affordability of the proposal