91827-008.0 Proposals Submitted(PDF, 13KB)
91827-008.0 Addendum #1(PDF, 154KB)
91827-008.0-RFP-Document.pdf(PDF, 389KB)
The City of Kalamazoo, Michigan (City) is seeking an organization to manage two new programs. A total award of $50,000.00 will be awarded to one organization for the following activities:
1.1 Program One: Management of Program and Distribution of Ring Security Cameras in the Shared Prosperity Neighborhoods (SPK). The organization will purchase and distribute the cameras to individual residents with a total award of $25,000:
The organization will purchase security cameras, video doorbells and alarm systems for residential use to link smartphone users to their devices. Through this technology, residents have the capability to see visitors through their smartphones, tablets or desktops.
$25,000 in funds (Administrative Fee of less than 10%) are available to purchase Ring Security Cameras to offer to City residents. Block club participation is not required. A current waiting list of applicants will be made available to awardee, application process and resident information will be required to be managed by the organization.
1.2 Program Two: Block Club Support & Development in SPK Neighborhoods program will have a total award of $25,000 to meet the primary goals of the SPK initiative outlined below:
Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo (SPK) is an initiative that originated with the Kalamazoo City Commission’s decision in 2014 to make poverty reduction a key priority for the city. Under the leadership of the City Commission, Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo was established to place emphasis on more broadly shared prosperity, not just the alleviation of poverty. In an attempt to realize this objective, SPK identified three distinct but interrelated goals to carry out its work: 1) increase access to good jobs; 2) ensure the healthy growth, development, and education of all our youth; and 3) create strong families.
Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo (SPK) target neighborhoods -- Northside, Edison, and Eastside -- have seen increasing numbers of violent incidents due to poverty. As socioeconomic and environmental conditions decline, the costs of poverty are negatively affecting local neighborhood systems. To meet the socioeconomic, human, and safety needs of SPK target neighborhoods, the City is seeking an organization to pilot and/or support a network of resident-led block clubs to build power among residents. Primary goals for this project are to:
• Improve communications between city, organizations and neighborhood residents
• Develop helpful connections to people, information, and opportunities within and between neighborhoods (social capital)
• Foster environments of increased community health and wellbeing, safety, and leadership capacity
As shown in other metropolitan cities across the nation, block clubs have increased community cohesion, collective efficacy, and strengthened social capital, in addition to creating safer spaces. Block clubs should prove effective in SPK target neighborhoods because there is an appetite for involving residents as producers and co-creators of solutions, not just consumers of program services. This can be accomplished via block club development by providing accessible, equitable platforms for people to turn available resources into the power they need to make the changes they want while increasing neighborhood safety. Block clubs should also prove effective in SPK target neighborhoods because they can create a direct channel to communicate with families and youth.
$25,000 in funds (Administrative Fee of less than 10%) are intended to support resident recruitment, orientation, training, events, evaluation, and outreach.