KHA Youth Empowerment Services (YES)

The City of Jacksonville, Florida, through the Kids Hope Alliance Division, is requesting proposals from 501(c)(3) nonprofits to deliver youth empowerment and employment services under RFP 18119-26, with proposals due October 30, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EST and a mandatory pre-bid conference on September 9, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. Attendance at the pre-bid conference is required for proposal consideration.

Lead applicants must be active 501(c)(3) nonprofits operating for at least one year prior to submission, hold applicable local business licenses, and maintain active Sunbiz status. The RFP encourages Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business (JSEB) participation. Federal E-Verify enrollment is mandatory within thirty days of contract execution.

The scope comprises comprehensive youth employment and empowerment programming. Proposals are evaluated on a 200-point scale across five domains: Organizational Capacity & Readiness (40 points), Program Design & Service Model (60 points), Employer Partnerships & Work-Based Learning (30 points), Youth Voice & JSEB Participation (30 points), and Performance Management & Data (20 points), plus Budget & Financial Compliance (20 points). The minimum qualifying score is 160 points (80%). Evaluation criteria emphasize organizational readiness, program design depth, employer engagement, community voice participation, and data management capability.

Funding is distributed competitively from a total pool of up to $5.2 million based on proposal scores and ranking. Award requests range from under $250,000 to $1 million, with organizations funded in descending score order until available funding is exhausted. Organizations funded below their requested amount will receive no less than 75% of the amount requested. The initial contract term is one year with two optional one-year renewals, contingent on performance against defined benchmarks, submission of a Multi-Year Implementation Plan, and continued City funding appropriation.

Proposals must not exceed twenty pages (excluding appendices) and must be formatted in Arial 11-point font, submitted through the City's 1Cloud e-procurement system. Questions are due October 12, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.