A new funding opportunity is available from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) to fund one-time hiring and retention bonuses to nonprofit human services providers who currently receive funding through the VSHSL. This hiring and retention bonus program is intended to help partners support and retain their workers by compensating them for the added responsibilities they have incurred.
In 2021, the VSHSL funded a nonprofit wage survey in partnership with 501 Commons to confirm and inform the community’s understanding that nonprofit wages are low and driving high staff turnover. The resulting report, Putting People First, shares findings from over 230 organizations and 20,000 staff positions, and shows that many nonprofit employees working in critical services like tenant rights, violence prevention, and community resource centers earn wages at levels that make it difficult to sustain a career doing community-based work in the King County region.
VSHSL-funded partners provide a range of services from food banks, senior centers, eviction prevention services, caregiver respite, benefits eligibility assessment and application assistance, gender-based violence prevention, and mobile health programs. Many of these nonprofit and human services partners faced high turnover and staffing shortages prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A great many of these programs and their staff were deemed essential workers during the pandemic, bringing with it increased pressures and responsibilities. VSHSL human services contract partners have reported losing staff at an unsustainable rate and finding it hard to hire and retain qualified staff to keep programs open.
Funding for Service Provider Staffing Grants
The King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) and the Adult Services Division (ASD) is pleased to release this Request for Applications (RFA) to award up to $1,537,614 to nonprofit human services partners who currently receive funding through the VSHSL.
This RFA will fund one-time hiring and retention bonuses of $2,000 per employee to staff employed by DCHS contractors and subcontractors who
- work on VSHSL-funded programs
- are earning $22.00 or less per hour; and
- are not eligible for alternate bonus opportunities funded for workers in the homeless, behavioral health and childcare sectors.
Application details
Available funding: Up to $1,537,614 in VSHSL funds
Questions: Contact Gretchen Bruce at gretchen.bruce@kingcounty.gov
Applications due: This RFA will have multiple review rounds until all funds are expended. Application deadlines and funding notifications for each round are:
Application deadline by round Funding notification
One: August 29, 2022 5 pm Late September
Two: September 30, 2022 5 pm Late October
Three: October 31, 2022 5 pm Early December
Four: November 30, 2022 5 pm Early January
Join the Bidders Conference for more information
August 5, 2022 | 10:00 – 11:30 am
Join by Zoom: https://kingcounty.zoom.us/j/87333606532
Passcode: 301536
The Bidders Conference session will be recorded and posted at https://airtable.com/shrH3z20SAXBuDnLq
For more information and to apply visit: https://airtable.com/shrH3z20SAXBuDnLq
You must be logged in to post a comment.