The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) requests proposals for the Small Business Workforce Accelerator Grant, funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Project. Aiming to promote equity for small businesses in King County, funds from the grants can be used for paid internships, employee development/training, or new hire wages to ensure that historically marginalized communities gain equitable access to resources to support them and their workforce development efforts.

The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) requests proposals for the Small Business Investment Grant, funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Project. Aiming to promote equity for businesses in King County, funds from the grants can be used for a variety of purposes to ensure that historically marginalized communities gain equitable access to resources, thereby promoting broader community development and economic resilience.

This funding seeks to address funding inequities by building the infrastructure to support 7-10 community based organizations to provide regionally coordinated digital navigator services for residents in the Seattle-King County region. This shared regional approach will result in increased scale and investment impact, and amplified access to affordable internet, devices, digital skills training, and digital navigator services. In addition, this funding seeks to address funding inequities based in institutional and systemic racism that create barriers for non-profit organizations that are nimble and responsive to the cultural and socio-economic needs of their communities.

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is for facilitation, training, coaching, and organizational development services to support the WDC’s ongoing organizational development and support needed to operationalize racial equity. Consultants will provide direct support to the WDC’s newly formed Racial Equity Committee and WDC staff to develop shared analyses and a roadmap toward building organizational capacity to effectively advance racial equity and economic justice in the organization’s work.