Background

The National Press Foundation is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to “make good journalists better.” Since 1976, the foundation has provided professional development opportunities to thousands of editors, producers and reporters without cost to them or their news organizations. Through fellowships and open webinars, NPF trainings provide journalists with access to key policymakers and subject-matter experts to help them better understand and explain the effects of public policy on readers and viewers; training on the latest tools and techniques; and opportunities to network with fellow journalists, including senior journalists who brief and coach them.

An NPF fellowship is a resume item for most journalists. The top ranks of news organizations are filled with former fellows. Journalists who participate in our programs – – can improve their skills, broaden their sources lists, and advance their careers.

The journalism industry has suffered a longtime lack of diversity, one that has become more acute with the decline in newsroom jobs over the past decade. For example, a recent survey found that only 5% of newspaper journalists are Black. While NPF has a diversity and inclusion policy, its board of directors recently mandated that NPF raise diversity as a pillar to its core mission. We seek to play larger role in training and advancing the careers of journalists of color, and to help news organizations do a better job in covering minority communities that have been ignored or historically covered poorly by white-dominated news organizations.

A deeper look at how the organization recruits, vets and selects its fellowships, its outreach, its hiring, its board, its Executive Committee and other committees reveals opportunities for greater attention to diversity. NPF leadership is committed to improving its policies and procedures so that it can live up to its aspiration to be more diverse and inclusive at both the staff and board levels.

Leadership is in the process of making a number of efforts, but central to this process will be looking into our own hearts and attitudes to address implicit bias and other issues.  Therefore, as a first step, the Board has asked for diversity training for all staff, to be completed by September 1, with online training required of board members.

Scope of Work

The scope of work includes assistance with the below components. We welcome proposals that may recommend additional or different actions in the interest of promoting DEI at NPF.

• Assess and discuss the state of DEI at NPF with all staff. This will include a comprehensive review of NPF’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities with respect to DEI, including: (1) current level of awareness of bias in communication and outreach by staff and board members, (2) current recruiting, vetting, hiring and retention policies at NPF, (3) current process for selecting fellows, program content and speakers, and (4) evaluating existing DEI efforts.
• Conduct training in implicit bias and how it manifests at NPF and other journalism organizations.
• Broker discussion of how NPF can fulfill its mission by playing a role in creating a journalism ecosystem where diversity is valued, in personnel as well as in decisions about what is news and how to cover it; and where diverse journalists have equal opportunity in promotion.
• Identify areas for improvement.

Budget / Pricing

The cost of services is one of the factors that will be considered in awarding this contract. Responses should include a proposal of how many hours of training will be appropriate and a Cost Proposal to support the request for fees.

Selection Criteria

The criteria immediately below will be used as minimum requirements to assess proposals and build a pool of appropriate candidates.

• The consultant or organization has experience in the following areas:
  • Leading discussions about race, inequality, and discrimination in NGOs and preferably journalism organizations;
  • Leading discussion about bias and building capacity to recognize and reduce bias;
  • Recruiting and hiring process:
    • Assessing current practices
    • Drafting and implementing recommendations to align current practices with recognized standards for best practices.

The preferred criteria below will be used to assess the pool of appropriate candidates for the best-fit consultant.

• The consultant represents a business or a nonprofit owned by persons who are Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC) or Asian-America or Pacific Islander or have disabilities and have programs specifically designed toward advancing awareness of these concerns;
• The consultant embraces an active approach toward promoting equity for all stakeholders, considering systemic issues and how these impact individuals;
• The consultant has a demonstrated focus in the nonprofit sector, and preferably with small- or medium-sized organizations.

Process for Proposal Submissions

Respondents are welcome to submit clarifying questions on any of the above information. Please limit proposals to five pages and include the following:

• Cost proposal (discussed above);
• Description of how the consultant plans to undertake the described scope of work;
• Description of the consultant’s qualifications to undertake the described scope of work and examples of previous projects or clients;
• Description of how the consultant would avoid any conflict of interest in undertaking the described scope of work; and
• Resumes/CVs or appropriate bios of the consultant’s team, if applicable.

All documents must be submitted to NPF Director of Operations Jason Zaragoza at jason@nationalpress.org by June 1, 2021.