2012 United Way Request for Proposal
Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families
Achieve Long Term Self Sufficiency
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT
Introduction
The United Way is using an open application process to allocate dollars raised for the Impact Fund to
address urgent community needs identified through community needs assessments. The process includes
periodic Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit agency proposals for achieving specific United Way longterm outcomes that address the different critical needs. The needs that are currently the focus of United
Way’s work include:
 Helping teens and young adults succeed and reducing risk factors for younger children
 Keeping vulnerable seniors and adults with disabilities healthy and safe at home.
 Assisting financially struggling adults and families achieve long term self sufficiency
This 2012 Request for Proposals (RFP) is directed to the area of Financially Struggling Adults and
Families and seeks agency proposals that respond to the priorities identified in the recently completed
needs assessment for this focus area. (The full report is available in the Resource Center section for this
RFP.)
Proposal Process
2012 Request for Proposals (RFP) - Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families Achieve
Long Term Self Sufficiency.
United Way is committed to ensuring that financially struggling adults and families achieve long term self
sufficiency through: 1) accessing resources and benefits; 2) securing and maintaining employment, and;
3) avoiding housing induced crises and homelessness. Proposals from agencies that identify key
strategies and partnerships aimed at community impact are sought. Partnerships and collaborations are
strongly encouraged as a means to achieving community impact. United Way plans to invest its funds
strategically for the strongest impact, and proposals chosen for funding will focus on those strategies most
likely to succeed in achieving the desired outcomes.
The total expected to be available to invest in this RFP will be up to $2.9 million. United Way is not
placing a limit on the amount that may be requested, but its benchmark when making awards is $150,000.
Higher awards have been provided to agencies that submit a joint proposal.
Funding awards will be announced in June 2012 to be effective for the three year period of October
1, 2012 through June 30, 2015 contingent upon sufficient availability of funds from the annual
campaigns.
Eligibility
Applications are sought from partnerships and collaborations of multiple agencies, although proposals
may also be submitted by a single agency. Agencies submitting proposals must meet the following
criteria:
 501(c)(3) organization located and providing a health or human service in Allegheny County
(NOTE: arts, cultural, religious, recreational, political programs, government agencies and
institutions providing formal education are not eligible)
 In full compliance with all federal, state, county and local requirements and laws pertaining to
non-profits, including the USA Patriot Act and other counterterrorism laws
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2012 United Way Request for Proposal
Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families
Achieve Long Term Self Sufficiency
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT
 Meets the requirements of the Solicitations of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act passed by the
Pennsylvania General Assembly in December, 1990
 Is able to provide all documentation as noted in Step 1 and Step 2
Proposal Timeline
2011
December 15
RFP forms and information available on United Way web site
2012
January 6 through 13
Proposal feedback sessions for potential applicants by appointment
(contact communityimpact@uwac.org to schedule)
January 20
Logic Model and e-CImpact training for new applicants
February 2
Step 1: Proposal Summary and related documents due by 5 p.m.
February 29
Invitations to submit full proposals issued
March 7 through 9
Step 2: Proposal Feedback Sessions by Appointment
March 19
Step 2: Full proposals and related documents due by 5 p.m.
April 23
Candidates for site visits notified
April 27 – May 9
Site visits completed
May 22
Funding recommendations made to Impact Cabinet
June
Funding approved by Board
October 1
Funding available to agencies
Funding Priorities
Statement of Need
America’s low income working families often include men and women who work as cashiers, custodians,
child care workers, health care aides and bank tellers – people we all depend on every day. They work
hard, pay taxes, and strive to achieve a brighter economic future for their families, but they often lack the
earnings necessary to meet their basic needs – a struggle exacerbated by rising costs for food, gas and
healthcare. Nationally, more than one out of four working families with children is low income. (The
Working Poor Families Project supported by the Annie E Casey Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation). A person working full time at minimum
wage ($7.25 per hour) in Pennsylvania earns just over $15,000 per year. Two out of every three
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2012 United Way Request for Proposal
Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families
Achieve Long Term Self Sufficiency
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT
Pennsylvania families living below the poverty line are also working families and 26% of households in
Allegheny County have earnings of less than $25,000 per year (American Community Survey 2005-07).
Even modest increases in expenses are extremely challenging at this income level, and “emergencies”
such as a flat tire on the way to work, a sick babysitter, or a prescription for a child can be devastating.
Addressing the needs of financially struggling adults and families is important to the United Way and to
the community safety net. This area was identified as a critical need in the 2007 United Way Community
Needs Assessment report, and re-confirmed through a 2011 Needs Assessment Update. Key indicators of
need include:
 Nationally, two-thirds of people whose income is below 30% of the area median pay more than
50% of their income for housing costs. Thirty percent of median income in the United States is
$16,950.
 Approximately 11% of all mortgages in Allegheny County are currently delinquent, with slightly
fewer in the surrounding counties. (New York Federal Reserve, 2011)
 The number of pre-foreclosure notices (ACT 91) sent out in Allegheny County during the first
quarter of 2011 saw a 10% increase from the last quarter of 2010 (Pennsylvania Housing Finance
Agency, 2011)
 Mortgage foreclosure filings increased from 1,142 per year in 1995 to 4,464 in 2008 – a 290%
increase. (U.S. Census Bureau and Allegheny County Prothonotary)
 The average length of an emergency shelter stay has doubled since 2006, in large part due to the
lack of affordable housing options to refer to. (Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater
Pittsburgh, November 2011)
 22% of the jobs in Allegheny County, many in low-paying occupations, are inaccessible by
public transit. (Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board Job Access Analysis, 2011). Many of
the more accessible employment opportunities are still, in effect, out of reach for low-income
workers. In a survey of low-wage earners and job seekers currently being conducted in Allegheny
County, a combined total of 59% of respondents identified transportation issues that interfere
with their ability to obtain or keep a job. Fourteen percent (14%) of unemployed respondents say
they cannot get to and from jobs for which they are qualified. (United Way of Allegheny County
Transportation and Employment Survey, 2011)
 Americans' access to basic needs is now at the lowest level recorded since Gallup and Healthways
began tracking it in January 2008. The Basic Access Index -- which comprises 13 measures,
including Americans' ability to afford food, housing, and healthcare -- declined to a record-low
score of 81.2 in October. This means Americans' access to basic needs, though still high in an
absolute sense, is now worse than it was throughout the economic crisis and recession, including
the prior record lows recorded in February and March 2009. (Gallup-Healthways Well-Being
Index, www.Gallup.com, November 28, 2011)
 Utility terminations quadrupled between 2000 and 2005. According to the Pennsylvania Utility
Law Project electric utility terminations increased by 26% from 2007 to 2008 and gas
terminations increased by 10%.
 The federal Earned Income Tax Credit can mean as much as $5,666 to a low income working
family. Despite this the U.S. General Accounting Office estimates that nearly 25% of those
eligible for EITC fail to claim it. If this holds true locally, it means that low income families in
Allegheny County miss out on nearly $38,000,000 every year.
 The number of Pennsylvanians accessing supplemental nutrition assistance (food stamps)
increased from 698,678 in October 2009 to 795,554 in October 2010. During the same time
period in Allegheny County the number of people accessing food stamps increased by 17,000 to
153,681.
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2012 United Way Request for Proposal
Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families
Achieve Long Term Self Sufficiency
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT

26.8% of families headed by women experienced poverty in 2007. That figure is 53.6% for
families headed by women when there were children in the home under the age of five.
(American Community Survey 2005-2007)
PA 2-1-1 Southwest is United Way’s professionally staffed information and referral line that handles in
excess of 2,500 calls per month from individuals with needs ranging from food and shelter to advice on
how to help an elderly parent or neighbor. The 2-1-1 October 2011 report shows:
 5,570 requests for help with utilities in 2011 - a 12% increase;
 Requests for rental assistance increased by 12%; and
 Requests for food stamp referrals are up 66%;
It is estimated that as many as one third of calls come from individuals and families seeking assistance for
the first time.
United Way Response:
United Way is committed to ensuring that financially struggling adults and families achieve long term self
sufficiency through: 1) accessing resources and benefits; 2) securing and maintaining employment, and;
3) avoiding housing induced crises and homelessness. Successful proposals will identify key strategies
and partnerships aimed at community impact. Partnerships and collaborations are strongly encouraged
(and will rank higher in our scoring rubric) as a means to achieving community impact.
United Way’s goal is to fund partnerships and programs that not only provide excellent service to
their constituents, but create an impact on the broader community and make Allegheny County a
better place to live and work. Proposals should include approaches that seek to implement
preventive strategies, mobilize volunteers and corporate community leaders and employees (United
Way donors), provide a better model of services that will be replicated or significantly expanded
during the time period of this grant, and/or lead to a systems or policy change.
Long Term Outcomes:
Proposals chosen for funding will focus on achieving and providing a comprehensive plan for measuring
at least one of the following long-term outcomes.
 Increase the number of households accessing benefits and other resources to meet basic
needs
Potential strategies may include, but are not limited to:
 Partnerships that work together to connect people in need to resources that provide
emergency food, shelter and utility assistance to deal with a crisis or disaster, coupled with
strategies to achieve longer term household stability
 Public education and/or large scale involvement of volunteers to ensure public understanding
and support for ensuring that resources match community needs
 Policy or system change efforts that address the barriers preventing target populations from
accessing basic needs services and benefits
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2012 United Way Request for Proposal
Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families
Achieve Long Term Self Sufficiency
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT
 Increase the number of low income people securing and maintaining employment



Potential strategies may include, but are not limited to:
Developing relationships with industry partnerships or employers to ensure “market-driven” job
training programs focusing on job placement, career advancement and career pathways through
education and credentialing
Increasing access to employment and employment training through supports such as reliable
transportation provided in coordination/ partnership with training programs or employers
Community-wide approaches or replicable models to assist potential employees and on-the-job
workers in overcoming barriers to securing, maintaining and advancing in employment (such as
attainment of drivers licenses, dealing with the impact of a criminal record or changing
employer attitudes/practices affecting access for groups of workers)
 Increase the number of people able to avoid housing induced crises and homelessness



Potential strategies may include but are not limited to:
Promoting/ building an early-warning system for connecting families at risk for eviction/
foreclosure with resources that can help
Expansion of access to safe and affordable housing through advocacy/ partnerships with
landlords or other key decision-makers
Provision of a continuum of supports including services such as foreclosure prevention
counseling and pre-eviction counseling and assistance
In addition to the above strategies, all proposals should in some way address the need for financial
education, credit repair and budgeting, savings initiatives or other incentives to help families achieve
longer term financial goals
Target Populations:
The target populations for this RFP include adults or families with the following characteristics:

Newly struggling – those who find themselves in need of support programs and services for the
first time

One event away from crisis – those who are currently stable, perhaps with the support of
government and non-government programs, but are vulnerable to falling into crisis if benefits are
reduced/ ended and/ or have been unable to transition toward a state of self-sufficiency

Struggling single female householders – previous analysis has shown a disproportional amount of
financially struggling single female householders as it relates to other populations in the county
and when compared to similar geographies
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2012 United Way Request for Proposal
Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families
Achieve Long Term Self Sufficiency
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT
Scoring Criteria
The following four criteria are applied by United Way staff and teams of trained review volunteers (the
majority of which are United Way donors) to rank the proposals. The questions that follow each are used
in this process to elicit if the criteria are met.
The Project Serves a Population with Great Needs:
 Does the proposal engage one or more of the target populations?

Are geographic areas with high concentrations of the target population being served, and what is
the agency’s record of service within those areas?
The Project Utilizes A Sound Approach:

Is there a clear and compelling rationale for United Way’s investment in this effort?

Are the necessary partnerships in place to effectively carry out the aims of the proposal and reach
the target populations in place?

Is there a realistic plan for sustainability?
The Project Achieves Measurable Results:

Is there clear evidence that this approach will achieve the desired outcomes?

Is there a reliable data system which is part of a process for continuous improvement?
The Project Achieves or Leads to Community Impact and is aligned with the Preferred
Outcomes:

How does the project align with the United Way’s preferred outcomes and strategies?

Beyond the project’s benefits to participants and their families, how will this effort have an
impact on the broader community and make Allegheny County a better place to live and work?

How will this effort implement preventive strategies, mobilize volunteers and corporate
community leaders and employees (United Way donors), provide a better model of services that
will be replicated or significantly expanded during the time period of this grant, and/or lead to a
systems or policy change?

Are the services effective in preventing serious problems for individuals & the community?

What indicates this project is the best investment by United Way of the community’s donor
dollars?
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2012 United Way Request for Proposal
Assisting Financially Struggling Adults and Families
Achieve Long Term Self Sufficiency
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT
Proposal Summary Questions (to be answered online--Program Section, Step 1a)
Please note: These questions will be answered online and are provided here only for your review. The
online answer box for each question is limited by a certain number of characters as noted below. If you
choose to work first in a WORD document, use tools-word count to track the total characters used per
each question.
1.a.
Purpose Statement: Provide a brief description of the project.
(1000 words)
1.b.
Choose which United Way long-term outcome this effort is designed to achieve (from the
Background Document).
2.
Select the category of service for this proposal:
 New project
 Expansion of an existing project
 Enhancement of an existing project
3.
Describe the target population(s) that will benefit from this effort and the record of effectiveness
in working with them. (1500 words)
4.
Choose the geographic area/s that this effort will serve. (There will be a drop down box in the online form.) Explain why these areas were selected, and describe the record of service within these
areas. (1000 words)
5.
Answer this set of questions only if this is a collaborative effort.
List the collaborative partners (there will be separate space on the on-line form to list them).
Explain how the collaboration accomplishes what would not be possible otherwise. Give a brief
history of the partners working together and why they were selected. (2000 words)
6.
Select which community outcomes strategy(ies) this effort will employ:
 Prevention strategies
 Mobilization of volunteers and/or corporate leaders and employees (United Way donors)
 A better model of services that will be replicated or significantly expanded
 Actions that lead to a systems or policy change
Describe how the selected strategies align with the purpose of the project. (1000 words)
7.
Discuss the problem that this effort is designed to address or prevent and why the proposed
approach will be successful. (1500 words)
8.
Discuss any barriers that may impede the project’s success in achieving community outcomes and
the plan for addressing them. (1000 words)
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