Community Navigator Program
The Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM) is proud to announce a new funding opportunity, made possible through the County of Los Angeles’ allocation of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. This program aims to make direct investments in community organizations to provide community navigator services to communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. CNM will serve as the administrator of the subcontracting program and take the lead in enhancing the capacity of the selected awardees throughout the 2-year program period.
The Community Navigator Program aims to support and strengthen the efforts of community organizations dedicated to accelerating the economic and social recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on highly impacted communities. The primary objective is to engage and support organizations, small business owners, individuals, and their families in accessing ARP-funded resources and other County services necessary for their recovery.
Important Information & Dates
Program Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Seven (7) Organizations will Receive: Funding Provided Separately | $200,000-268,000 total over two years + skill building, training, and capacity strengthening |
| Duration | Two (2) years |
| Reporting and Invoicing Frequency | Reporting and invoicing will take place every month. At the end of the program period, an interview with the evaluator will occur in addition to standard reporting. |
Event or Activity | Date |
|---|---|
| RFP Released | Wednesday, November 8, 2023 |
| Proposers Information Sessions | Thursday, November 9, 2023 – 10:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. PT Wednesday, November 15, 2023 – 10:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. PT |
| Written Questions Submission | Friday, November 17, 2023 – 5:00 P.M. PT |
| Final Q&A Released | Monday, November 20, 2023 |
| Proposals Due | Thursday, November 30, 2023 – 11:59 P.M. PT |
| Announce Awardees | Mid-December 2023 |
Information Sessions for Proposers
View the presentation slides here.
The Center for Nonprofit Management hosted a virtual information session on Thursday, November 9 and Wednesday, November 15.
Organization Eligibility
- Organization must be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, a State Recognized Tribe that appears on the State of California’s Native American Heritage Commission’s List, or a Federally Recognized Tribe that has an office/operation in Los Angeles County. Fiscally sponsored organizations are eligible.
- Applicants must demonstrate dedicated staffing and presence in Los Angeles County.
- Applicants’ primary direct service activities serve Los Angeles County residents.
- Applicants must demonstrate working history in their supervisorial district.
- Applicants demonstrate the ability to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate community navigator services to reach highly impacted and/or vulnerable communities.
- The proposed services directly focus on communities and community members highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as identified by the County’s Equity Explorer Mapping Tool.
Eligible Activities
Funding will be allocated to eligible entities with final award recommendations based on availability of funds, program guidelines, and the submission of all required information and supporting documentation.
The Community Navigator program will fund community navigator programs that have the capacity to: 1) reach highly impacted and/or vulnerable communities; and The Community Navigator Program will fund community navigator programs that have the capacity to: 1) reach highly impacted and/or vulnerable communities; and 2) utilize a Community Navigator model, 3) effectively outreach, engage, and support organizations, small business owners, individuals, and their families to increase access to ARP-funded resources and other County services needed to recover from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Program Requirements
- Applicants are required to adhere to federal 2 CFR reporting and compliance guidelines as part of their funding implementation and reporting obligations.
- Applicants are expected to meet monthly reporting and invoice requirements.
- Applicated are expected to participate in monthly capacity strengthening trainings.
Capacity Strengthening Support
Organizations selected for funding will benefit from comprehensive capacity strengthening assistance facilitated by CNM. This support will encompass tailored training, resources, and mentorship to enhance their organizational capabilities and program effectiveness.
Application & Selection Criteria
Applications and supporting documents must be completed and uploaded in SurveyMonkey by no later than Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 11:59 P.M. PT.
Preview the application here – all applications must be submitted through SurveyMonkey.
(OPTIONAL) If you are registered on WebVen through Los Angeles County, please provide WebVen number.
It is recommended that your organization’s board and staff conduct internal assessment conversations to ensure the capacity to absorb and successfully implement the requirements and expectations of the Community Navigator Program. It is also recommended that you consult a tax consultant should you become a recipient of the program for any tax determinations.
All inquiries will be addressed, and applications will be reviewed by CNM. All selection decisions are final and at the sole discretion of CNM.
Privacy Policy & Conflict of Interest
Privacy Policy
For further information please see CNM’s privacy policy.
Conflict of Interest
Current directors, officers, employees, and contractors of CNM and such individuals’ family members (spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and spouses of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren) are not eligible to apply or seek an award.
Publicity
If awarded, please be advised that the business/applicant’s application information, name, statements, and other information provided during the award process may be used for promotional purposes in all forms and media and the business/applicant may be contacted by CNM, its agents and/or the program sponsors for such purposes. Until notified, applicants must agree not to share any status as a finalist publicly, including but not limited to all social media platforms, news media, or local publications.
Please use this language about CNM for your own promotional activities:
The Center for Nonprofit Management bridges the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to drive positive change across Southern California. For nearly 45 years, the Center has been the trusted nonprofit partner that Southern California’s social impact sector turns to for help solving problems, responding to change, and elevating its leaders. The Center’s expert advisors, instructors, coaches, and specialists draw on decades of experience leading nonprofits to help organizations increase the impact of their work in the community.
Community Navigator Program FAQ
The Community Navigator Program aims to support and strengthen the efforts of community organizations dedicated to accelerating the economic and social recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on highly impacted communities. The primary objective is to engage and support organizations, small business owners, individuals, and their families in accessing ARP-funded resources and other County services necessary for their recovery.
Between $200,000 – $268,000 over two years.
This is a 2-year program.
At the present time, there is no funding allocated beyond the term of this program.
Community Navigators are programs that have built trust in their local communities and have developed a process in which to connect organizations, small business owners, individuals, and their families to critical resources and assistance.
The Community Navigator program award will fund community navigator programs that have the capacity to 1) reach highly impacted and/or vulnerable communities; and The Community Navigator Program will fund community navigator programs that have the capacity to 1) reach highly impacted and/or vulnerable communities; and 2) utilize a Community Navigator model, 3) effectively outreach, engage, and support organizations, small business owners, individuals, and their families to increase access to ARP-funded resources and other County services needed to recover from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The organization must be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, a State Recognized Tribe that appears on the State of California’s Native American Heritage Commission’s List, or a Federally Recognized Tribe that has an office/operation in Los Angeles County. Fiscally sponsored organizations are eligible.
- Applicants must demonstrate dedicated staffing and presence in Los Angeles County.
- Applicants’ primary direct service activities serve Los Angeles County residents.
- Applicants must demonstrate working history in their supervisorial district.
- Applicants demonstrate the ability to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate community navigator services to reach highly impacted and/or vulnerable communities.
- The proposed services directly focus on communities and community members highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as identified by the County’s Equity Explorer Mapping Tool.
A Los Angeles County Webven ID is not required for the application. If you are selected for this program, you will be asked to register for Webven as well as a Federal SAM (System Award Management) number.
The Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM) is the selected administrator of this program. It will be responsible for all aspects of this process, from outreach and applications, to funding award recommendations, to administration and reporting.
Funds for this program originate from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) and other information can be found on this page.
There are no age restrictions on clients served through this program.
A non-geographical Community is a community formed based on needs, ideas, interests, identity, practices, and roles in social institutions such as at home, all work, in government, society, or in the community at large such as specific racial or age groups.
SMARTIE means goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Inclusive, and Equitable. A worksheet is linked in the RFP that demonstrates how to develop SMARTIE goals.
This link was shared as an example of the type of ARPA-funded resources and county resources that Community Navigators will be asked to promote: https://ceo.lacounty.gov/recovery/arp-reports-presentations/
Progress on SurveyMonkey is saved after you complete all the required questions on a page and click Next. We recommend working on the document offline and then uploading your responses to the SurveyMonkey application.
Measures of success should be aligned with your organization’s proposed objectives/activities and desired outcomes.
Indirect costs should not exceed 10% of the total funding request. Examples of indirect costs are accounting and legal expenses, administrative salaries, office expenses, rent, security expenses, telephone expenses, and utilities. Indirect costs should be itemized in your project budget.
