The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is soliciting proposals from qualified applicants to plan and pilot new, or expand or replicate existing, social enterprises serving young people at risk of justice system involvement and reentering/formerly incarcerated individuals in New York City.

Social enterprises constitute a promising approach to providing pathways to economic self-sufficiency among young people who may face challenges in securing meaningful employment due to limited education and lack of work experience. Social enterprises may also serve as a meaningful path to economic self-sufficiency for individuals who, upon reentry to the community from incarceration, often face barriers to employment due to a lack of basic education and occupational skills, limited work experience, and a criminal record.

The goals of this RFP are to:

• Provide meaningful training and career opportunities to young people at elevated risk of negative life outcomes and reentering/formerly incarcerated individuals;
• Provide or connect at-risk young people and reentering/formerly incarcerated individuals to supportive services adept at meeting their individual needs; and
• Generate a positive economic impact in underserved and under-resourced New York City communities.

Both nonprofit and/or for-profit organizations are eligible to plan and pilot new, or expand or replicate existing, social enterprises across multiple sectors (e.g., technology, food service/culinary arts, carpentry, arts and recreation, social services) in New York City. CJII is particularly focused on revenue-generating models that provide quality jobs for participants and facilitate positive economic impact in underserved and under-resourced New York City communities. Social enterprises funded by CJII should be located in New York City and serve eligible residents of New York City.

The anticipated total funding for social enterprises is up to $7.3 million over 3.5 years.

Investment in social enterprises contributes to CJII goals of improving public safety and enhancing fairness and efficiency in New York City’s justice system by providing quality training and career opportunities to prevent individuals at-risk of justice system involvement from entering the criminal justice system and facilitate successful reentry into the community for individuals who have been incarcerated. It also seeks to support these two populations by providing or connecting individuals to tailored services such as education, healthcare, or other types of services to support them in leading positive, healthy lives. Additionally, by supporting social enterprises, this investment seeks to spark innovation and build capacity within the growing social enterprise field, which can inform future policy and funding decisions regarding effective workforce programs for at-risk and justice system involved individuals in New York City and nationwide.

Documents

• CJII Social Enterprises Request for Proposals
• ADDENDUM 1: Applicant Questions and Answers

Deadlines

The deadline to submit questions about this RFP was November 18, 2016.

The deadline to submit proposals was February 10, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Proposals were to have been submitted through the CJII application portal.

Background

ISLG is the technical assistance consultant to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for CJII. ISLG will manage the grantees funded under CJII, and provide oversight and performance measurement throughout the lifetime of the initiative. All funds will be administered through the Research Foundation of CUNY (Research Foundation).

Last updated February 13, 2017