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P r at t I N S T I T U T E
TACONIC FELLOWSHIP
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
B e c o m e a 2015-2016 Ta c o n i c F e l l o w
Applications must be submitted
by Friday April 24, 2015 at 5:00pm
DEAdline extended!
aPPLICATION DUE mAY 4TH AT 5PM
Pratt Center for Community
Development invites proposals from
Pratt Institute faculty, staff, and
students for the third year of the
Taconic Fellowship program. The
Fellowship was made possible by a
grant from the Taconic Foundation and
provides financial awards in support
of field work that aligns with the Pratt
Center’s goals of sustainability and
equity in community development.
The goals of the Fellowship are to
expose more disciplines to community
development work and to support Pratt
Institute’s commitment to collaboration,
interdisciplinary projects, and service
learning.
The Center is now accepting proposals
for new community-serving projects.
Please see inside for more details. For
more information, please contact Paula
Crespo at pcrespo@prattcenter.net
OVERVIEW
BACKGROUND
Pratt Center for Community Development is pleased to
announce the third year of the Taconic Fellowship Program
and to invite applications from Pratt Institute faculty, staff, and
students. Made possible by a grant from the Taconic Foundation,
the Fellowship provides financial awards for projects that
align with Pratt Center’s urban planning and policy work in
support of sustainable and equitable community development.
The goals of the Fellowship are to expose more disciplines to
community development work while supporting Pratt Institute’s
commitment to collaboration, interdisciplinary projects, and
service learning.
Pratt Center for Community Development works for a
more equitable and sustainable city for all New Yorkers, by
empowering low- and moderate-income communities to plan
for and realize their futures. The Center was founded at the
birth of the community development movement as the first
university-based advocacy planning and design center in the
U.S. As part of Pratt Institute, we leverage professional skills
– especially in urban planning and public policy – to support
local organizations in their efforts to improve the quality of life
in neighborhoods and promote sustainable development. We
work with community-based organizations, small businesses,
and the public sector to develop innovative strategies toward an
equitable and sustainable NYC.
The Center is now accepting proposals for projects for the
2015-2016 school year that relate to neighborhood planning,
economic development, community design, affordable housing,
sustainable development, and/or other urban issues confronting
low and moderate-income communities in New York City. (See
the “Project Eligibility” and “Evaluation Criteria” sections of
this RFP for more information.) In keeping with Pratt Center’s
approach to urban planning that includes closely partnering with
community-based and other related non-profit organizations,
applicants must propose a project that directly serves a
non-profit community-based organization, including but not
limited to community development corporations, issue-based
advocacy organizations, merchants associations, or other types
of neighborhood-based and neighborhood-serving advocacy
groups. Applicants can propose a project with a group they
already know or with whom they already work.
ELIGIBILITY
Pratt Institute faculty (including adjuncts, visiting instructors,
part-time and full-time professors), full-time and parttime administrators, and students (full-time or part-time,
undergraduate or graduate) are eligible to apply. Partnerships
between faculty and students are strongly encouraged.
Award amounts are between $1,000 and $10,000 per project,
and awards will be disbursed to faculty members in the form of
a stipend and to students as part of their Pratt Institute financial
aid package. Fellowship requests should not exceed $10,000
total; Pratt Center reserves the right to offer partial funding to
some applicants. A detailed budget is requested as part of the
application (see the “Required Information” section on page 3.)
The deadline for proposals is Friday April 24, 2015 for projects
that will take place between September 2015 and June 2016.
We will consider projects that occur during Summer 2015 as
well, but stipends will not be available for disbursement until Fall
2015. A panel of reviewers from Pratt Center and Pratt Institute
will evaluate proposals for their feasibility, capacity to meet the
project’s stated goals, and commitment to advancing equitable
and sustainable urban development. Final selections will be
announced by mid-May.
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PROJECT ELIGIBILITY
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposed projects must meet the eligibility requirements below.
To see descriptions of Taconic-funded projects from previous
years, please visit the Taconic Fellowship web page.
A panel of reviewers from Pratt Center and Pratt Institute will
evaluate proposed projects for their feasibility, capacity to meet
the project’s stated goals, and commitment to the principles
of equity and sustainability. Specifically, reviewers will make
decisions based on:
1. Partnership with an organization that serves
as a community-based client for the project
The Taconic Fellowship supports projects that use a groundup, community-based approach to tackling issues of urban
sustainability and socioeconomic equity. In order to help
ensure this, projects must directly serve and relate to a
community client’s existing program or initiative area.
2. Address one or more of the following areas
of urban sustainability and/or socioeconomic
equity:
• Affordable housing preservation or development
• Climate change / resiliency
• Commercial corridor revitalization
• Community design
• Community planning
• Economic development
• Energy efficiency and the built environment
• Environmental justice
• Environmental sustainability
• Land use
• Open space
• Social architecture
• Transportation planning / public transportation
• Urban design
1) Significance and relevance
Does the proposal address a problem or question in the arena of
urban community development and/or urban sustainability and/
or socioeconomic equity?
2) Community impact
Will the project meaningfully impact a community and work
towards a needed change? How?
3) Capacity for success
What are the qualifications of the team of students and faculty?
How are their interests and skills a good match for the project?
4) Approach and method
Is the project proposal adequately developed for the purpose
of the project and commensurate with the stated project
goal? Does the proposal allow for adequate collaboration and
communication with the community partner to ensure feasible
outcomes?
3. Intention to make a meaningful impact
Taconic-funded projects should strive to make a meaningful
impact on the community and/or community-based client
that they serve. While consciousness-raising is an important
aspect of making broader societal change, Taconic projects
should endeavor to make actual change.
4. Based in New York City
Only projects based in New York City will be considered. As
such, the community client must also be located within the
five boroughs.
For examples of past Taconic Fellowship projects,
please visit http://prattcenter.net/taconic-fellowship
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REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR PROJECT
PROPOSALS
Applications must be submitted via email to
paula Crespo at pcrespo@prattcenter.net
by Friday April 24, 2015 at 5:00pm
aPPLICATION eXTENDED! dUE mAY 4TH AT 5PM
Proposed projects should be briefly described in a letter
of intent that addresses the points below. Please note that
accepted projects will require a complete list of project
personnel being paid by the Fellowship – faculty and students
inclusive – prior to contract signing in June 2015.
1. Proposer’s name, title, department affiliation, and contact
information
2. Goal of the project, with specificity about the issue or need
it addresses
3. Name, location/catchment area, constituency, and
leadership structure of the community partner organization
4. Methodology for approaching and addressing the issue and
for engaging the community partner in the work
5. Proposed timeframe for the project (Summer 2015, Fall
2015, and/or Spring 2016)
IMPORTANT BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS:
1. Taconic Fellows (whether faculty, administrators, or
students) will pay for all project expenses out of their own
pockets. These costs are indirectly reimbursed through the
stipend for Faculty Fellows and Administrator Fellows, and
through tuition remission or other financial offering by Pratt
Institute for Student Fellows. Pratt Center will not provide
funds other than in the form of the stipend for faculty and
administrators and financial aid through the Institute for
students.
2. Faculty and Administrator stipends are distributed by Pratt
Institute, which applies the same tax and withholding
policies for the Taconic Fellowship stipend as it does for
regular payroll.
3. For approved projects, the budget submitted as part of
this application can be amended with the approval of
Pratt Center prior to contracting. Once Fellows sign their
contracts in June, the total budget amount cannot be
amended.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For any questions that are not addressed in this RPF, please
contact Paula Crespo, Senior Planner at the Pratt Center for
Community Development at pcrespo@pratt.edu or (718) 6378646.
6. If you are a faculty member: area of study/major of all
students who will be paid under the Taconic Fellowship
award (and if possible, the names of those students)
7. If you are a student: name of the faculty member who will
mentor you in this project
8. Scope of work for the project (can be in draft form) – what
will the work be, and what are the deliverables?
In addition, applicants must submit the following:
•
Signed letter of support for the project from the community
partner organization
•
Project budget that delineates ALL project expenses,
including (but not limited to):
• Faculty member(s) time on project (to be paid in the
form of a stipend)
• Student(s) time on project (to be paid as part of
students’ Financial Aid package from Pratt Institute)
• Materials and supplies
• Space rental
• Travel
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