Request for Proposals (RFP)

Direct Voter Engagement in
Competitive VA State Legislative Districts

IMPORTANT UPDATE AS OF 8/16/23:
CaPA has awarded our first round of grants to VA organizations. We will reevaluate gaps and budgets for grant-giving in mid-late September, so we encourage you to complete this form if you are seeking funding to engage voters in the November Virginia election. But please know that our budget has been spent down for the time-being.

Background 

Clean and Prosperous America (CaPA) believes that a future with a healthy climate and a healthy economy are not mutually exclusive. With the right leadership at local and national levels, we believe it’s possible to achieve net-zero carbon emissions while building a healthy and sustainable economy. Historically, CaPA’s grant program has focused on turning out young and BIPOC voters in rural and suburban areas who face barriers to voting. CaPA’s 2023 grant program will be run through its new Rapid Deployment Fund, which recognizes that – for better or for worse – many donors are often motivated to give late in the election cycle. The Rapid Deployment Fund is committed to helping these late-moving electoral investments move quickly to grassroots organizations with underutilized capacity that are directly engaging voters in the most competitive electoral geographies. For that reason, we are interested in connecting with groups that have teams and programs that will be able to effectively deploy these resources, from several months to several days prior to the election. CaPA will no longer exclusively focus on reaching young voters of color in non-urban areas and will consider making grant awards to any organization whose goals align with our work, regardless of the organization’s target demographics. Beyond the RFP we anticipate interviewing a number of organizations in the months ahead to help us be as prepared as possible to move resources very quickly once we receive them from donors this fall.

2023 Virginia General Election: Funding and Support 

Through the Rapid Deployment Fund, CaPA is currently accepting proposals to support direct voter turnout efforts in the Virginia general election on November 7, 2023. The laws enacted by the state’s general assembly will have lasting and national implications on issues including climate change, healthcare and abortion access, and LGBTQ rights. Electing progressive majorities in the Senate and House will require large scale voter mobilization programs that turn out low propensity voters, particularly in swing districts. The Rapid Deployment Fund is interested in supporting direct voter engagement efforts that will help win seats in these contested geographies. Examples of direct voter engagement efforts include phone banking, door-to-door canvassing, rides to the polls, outreach events, relational texting, and ballot curing. 

Applications will be accepted immediately and on a rolling basis until August 15, 2023 with priority given to requests for funding received before July 17. Most grants will be $10,000 – $40,000, but we welcome a full assessment of your capacity. We accept applications from c3, c4 and PAC organizations. 

To apply, please provide brief responses via this Google form. Feel free to contact us at grants@cleanprosperousamerica.org with any questions.