Request for Proposals for Community Food Program Content Consultant (7 Month Agreement) 

Application Deadline: Friday December 1, 2023

Project Budget: $8250, plus HST, for a total of 165 hours December to June

Location: The consultant can work remotely anywhere in Canada

Table of Contents

1. About this Approach
2. Budget
3. Project Schedule and Hours
4. Organizational Information
5. Equity and Inclusion Statement
6. Project Details 
7. Scope of Work and Deliverables
8. Proposal Requirements
9. Evaluation Criterias and Award Process
10. Key dates
11. Submission 

1. About this Approach: 

CFCC is issuing a Request for Proposals for 4 consultant positions to coordinate content development and facilitation related to one or more of the following Community Food Program Areas:

• Food Access including affordable markets, food banks/pantries, hampers and/or other emergency food distribution
• Child and Youth Food Programming
• Community Meals and Dining Programs
• Food Skills and Food Program Facilitation 
• Community Action/Advocacy

These roles will involve short term consulting assignments, and as such we are inviting interested candidates to prepare a short application, 2-3 pages in length, including their resume, and their experience related to the proposal requirements detailed later in the application.

Candidates should have strong facilitation skills and a passion for designing conversations and resources related to their identified area/s of expertise. 

The consultants will work in collaboration with our Knowledge Exchange team, to bring in new perspectives, and increase our ability to support shared learning and collaboration across organizations for our network of over 400 Good Food Organizations (GFOs) and Community Food Centres (CFCs) working on food security programming across Canada.  

Who Should Apply

These positions may be well suited to staff who are currently working in the Community Food Sector who are looking for additional hours, or for individuals with previous experience in the Community Food Program Areas listed above. 

2. Budget: 

Each Community Food Program Content Consultant will have a total contract budget of maximum $8250 plus HST, broken down into $50 per hour, with approximately 20 hours a month, for a total of 165 hours from December 2023 to June 2024. * There may be additional opportunities to renew at the end of the 7 month agreement. 

3. Project Schedule and Hours:  

The Contractor shall determine the manner or means by which it performs the Services for the Client including but not limited to the time and place for performance of the Services.

Successful Consultants will be required to be available once a month during the working hours across time zones while their session is scheduled. We will work with Consultants to plan the dates for each of their offerings in advance so they are able to plan other work accordingly. 

Although the breakdown of hours may vary month to month, here is what a typical month may look like:

Activities:

Plan monthly Knowledge Swap  (approximately 8- 10 hours )

• Outreach to speakers
• Preparing Slide Deck
• Coordinating Session Format 
• Developing tools to share after the session 
• Meeting with CFCC team to review outline

Facilitate monthly Knowledge Swap  (approximately 3 hours)

• Ensuring day of reminder is sent
• Hosting 1.5 hour session on Zoom
• Post session debrief with CFCC team member

Prepare Summaries and Notes to share back to partners  (approximately 5 -7 hours) 

• Summarize highlights from the session - notetaker will be assigned
• Develop tip sheets, story profiles and/or program highlights to post on our Partner Portal 
• Post and engage with comments 

Evaluation and Reporting  (approximately 1- 2 hours) 

• Provide quantitative and qualitative summary of monthly Knowledge Swap activities, insights from discussions, recommendations for future resource development, etc. using tools provided by CFCC

4. Organizational Information

At the heart of Community Food Centre 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 400 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.

5. Commitment to Equity and Inclusion

CFCC is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within its community. We especially welcome applications from members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is inclusive and barrier free.

Our organization and our work is strengthened by recognizing and valuing a full representation of perspectives and experiences that exist in Canadian communities.

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.

We know that food insecurity is a form of economic inequity, which is often compounded by these intersecting identities. We work in diverse sociopolitical contexts and recognize the importance of local identities and knowledge.

We respect the right of Indigenous communities to self-determination. Our organization is committed to achieving full accessibility for persons of all abilities. Part of this commitment includes arranging accommodations for persons of all abilities to create an equitable and inclusive work environment.

We resolve to listen to and include these voices in our organization and work, and to respond, acknowledge, and adapt where bias and inequities appear. 

We are committed to building greater equity and inclusion, both within our organization and through the work we do with partners across Canada.

6. Project Details 

CFCC is issuing a Request for Proposals for 3-4 consultant positions to coordinate content development and facilitation related to one or more of the following Community Food Program Areas:

• Food Access including: affordable markets, food banks/pantries, hampers and/or other emergency food distribution
• Child and Youth Food Programming
• Community Meals and Dining Programs
• Food Skills and Food Program Facilitation 
• Community Action/Advocacy

7. Scope of Work and Deliverables

Candidates should have strong facilitation skills and a passion for designing conversations and resources related to their identified area/s of expertise. 

These roles will work in collaboration with our Knowledge Exchange team, to bring in new perspectives, and increase our ability to support shared learning and collaboration across organizations for our network of over 400 Good Food Organizations (GFOs) and Community Food Centres (CFCs) working on food security programming across Canada.  

We’re looking for thoughtful, creative and passionate individuals who are excited to share their cultural and personal perspectives and ideas, and who love finding ways to create space for others to share their stories.  These positions will be situated as key members of a supportive team that works hard to create a space in which all voices are heard and we are continually learning in order to better support our partners. These positions will work in partnership with full time staff at CFCC to coordinate regular virtual meet ups and gatherings, develop resources including profiling network stories and completing program evaluation. 

CFCC will provide consultants with: 

• Information related to partner training priorities
• Contact information for potential speakers and case studies
• CFCC Zoom account 
• Evaluation tools 
• Facilitation guidelines, slide and note templates
• Ongoing check ins and support from CFCC staff in our Knowledge Exchange team

The deliverables for the projects are listed below:

• Support the coordination of virtual gatherings including setting agendas, finding speakers, and facilitating conversations. 
• Develop program profiles and resources to share on our dedicated online space for Good Food Organizations and Community Food Centres staff. 
• Collaborate with CFCC Knowledge Exchange staff to design and implement engaging and content rich online training, short courses and webinars for our Community Food Centre and Good Food Organization partners 
• Plan, research, and write or create (audio/visual) concise and compelling learning resources (e.g. blogs/articles, program profiles) that profile promising programs/practices and leaders related to their area of expertise
• Enact CFCC values and contribute to the evolution of our culture, and a work environment that is grounded in collaboration, equity, respect, innovation and transparent communication 

8. Proposal Requirements (2- 3 pages) 

• Your resume, including full legal name, title and contact information 
• Describe proposed approach for all deliverables. 
• Describe the characteristics that differentiates your ability to provide these services to CFCC.
• Indicate which of the Community Food Program Areas (Food Access, Child and Youth Food Programs, Community Meals and Dining Programs, Food Skills and Food Program Facilitation and/or Community Action and Advocacy) you are applying to support. If you have expertise in more than one area, please describe and indicate if there is one area you feel more comfortable facilitating. 
• Provide an explanation on how you meet the evaluation criterias listed below

The consultant must also provide:

• Two examples for which the consultant provided similar services
• Two references, ideally from the non-profit sector

9. Evaluation Criteria and Award Process

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criterias:

• Experience coordinating community based food programming in one or more of the following areas: Food Access, Community Meals and Dining Programs, Child and Youth Food Programming, and/or Food Skills and Facilitation
• Demonstrated experience putting equity and inclusion principles into practice, along with a passion for using good food as a vehicle for individual, community and broader social change
• Experience in facilitating community-based/non-profit organizations in online meetings and in-person gatherings  
• Demonstrated experience with developing training and learning resources in a variety of media (print, video, and web resources; virtual and in-person training) using adult education principles 
• Excellent writing and communications skills
• Demonstrated a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and reconciliation through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias

Key Dates

• RFP Submission Deadline: end of day on December 1, 2023 
• RFP Selection Interviews will be held the weeks of December 4 and December 11th. 
• Project Duration: Beginning mid December 2023 to June 2024 with possibility of extension

Submission

Please submit your proposal and quote via our online portal no later than midnight on December 1, 2023. Click Apply Now and upload your proposal under “Proposal” as a PDF attachment. 

Thank you in advance for your time and attention. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Meredith Hayes ()