Request for Letter of Interest: Learning and Evaluation Partner

The bi3 Fund is fueling efforts to increase access to quality mental health and wellbeing resources and services, with a focus on youth.  In October 2025, bi3 issued the Fostering Social Connection for Youth Request for Proposals (RFP) to fund youth-serving, nonprofit organizations to foster social connection and belonging for youth, ages 12-24. Funded projects will engage youth in co-creating or reimagining community spaces and in designing the supports, activities and resources within them.  

The funded initiatives are expected to: 

• Center youth leadership, priorities and decision-making to drive approaches, operations and strategies
  Plan for, or create, a community “third space” with supports, activities and resources that effectively meet youth needs
  Equip adults to promote safety, wellbeing and resilience for youth  

Anticipated grant outcomes include:  

• Youth feel heard and empowered
• More youth feel like they belong
• More youth report having a trusted adult
• Youth feel welcomed and safe in community spaces
• Adults have better tools to support youth
• Increased social connection for youth 

This funding opportunity was informed by national research on youth mental health and wellbeing and by findings from the local Hopeful Empowered Youth (HEY!) Cincinnati needs assessment.  

Through the assessment, youth shared they feel disconnected from their peers and adults in their lives, and want safe, supportive community spaces. Youth identified the importance of trusted adults, defined as adults who build relationships on youth’s terms, prioritize care and connection, are inclusive and trauma-informed.  HEY!’s 10-Year Strategy also highlights the need for community spaces that offer both physical safety and consistent access to trusted adults as key drivers of youth belonging and connection.  

bi3 anticipates awarding 4-8 grants in June 2026. The awards will be a mix of planning grants (to support the design of a project) and implementation grants (to support the launch and implementation of a project).   

Grant Portfolio Evaluation  

Through a shared learning agenda and portfolio-level evaluation, bi3 seeks to explore the question: What will it take to strengthen social connections and belonging for youth in community spaces?  

bi3 will explore this question with grantees through their individual project learning, collective grantee learning sessions and a portfolio-wide evaluation. The goal is to elevate the impact and learning of the portfolio of grants to strengthen organizational practices, advance the mental health and wellbeing of our region’s youth, inform policy and system change and contribute to the field of knowledge (including co-learning with HEY! Cincinnati). 

bi3 seeks Letters of Interest (LOIs) from experienced learning and evaluation partners to co-design and implement a multi-year learning and evaluation strategy for this funding portfolio. The selected partner will work in partnership with bi3 staff, grantees and key stakeholders to:  

• Conduct a developmental evaluation that supports real-time learning, reflection and decision making (for both bi3 and grantee partners).
• Co-design the learning and evaluation process—including strategies and metrics—with bi3, grantees and other stakeholders.
• Support evaluation at both the individual project and portfolio levels. 
• Design and/or facilitate collective grantee learning sessions. 
• Build an understanding of how centering youth and building safe spaces and adults impacts youth social connection and belonging. 
• Share lessons learned in real time to strengthen practice and disseminate findings that support our region and the field. 

Learning & Evaluation Questions 

The learning and evaluation questions below reflect bi3’s initial thinking. The selected partners(s) will work collaboratively with bi3, grantee partners, and other stakeholders to co-design, refine and finalize the questions at the start of the engagement. 

• What is the impact of engaging youth in co-design and decision-making on the process and outcomes? To what extent does it influence the impact of the projects in strengthening social connection and belonging for youth?
• What are the facilitators and barriers to building youth social connection, especially in community third spaces?
• Does the youth leadership + adults + community space = connection and belonging formulation articulated in the RFP materials create the desired impact? What adjustments are needed?
• Is there variation in the supports and resources needed across the priority populations or geographies?
• What are grantees learning about building social connection and belonging for youth in community third spaces?
• Where does this translate into improved wellbeing for youth?
• How do impacts extend beyond the youth directly served by the funded project? 
• Which elements of bi3’s grantee support and partnership are most helpful and which create challenges? 
• What are we learning about the broader ecosystem of support for youth in our region? What are the strengths, gaps and opportunities to support youth mental health and wellbeing?

Initial Expectations  

Selected partner(s) will be expected to:  

• Minimize the burden on grantees by using existing pathways and innovative mechanisms to gather evaluation information.
• Attend some in-person meetings in bi3’s service area (Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties in Ohio). 
• Balance co-design with feasibility, weighing the benefits and burdens in each step of the process.
• Reimburse participants for their time and lived experience. As noted in the RFP, bi3 is providing grantee compensation for participation in the learning cohort and aligned evaluation activities. Compensation above and beyond that to individuals or organizations needs to be reflected in the budget.
• Help all involved navigate the tension and trade-offs of funder-defined and grantee-defined learning and evaluation questions. 
• Produce written summaries and a final evaluation report.
• Partner with bi3 to disseminate evaluation results and lessons learned to community partners and the broader field. 

Desired Experience and Expertise 

• Strong mixed methods evaluation experience in youth leadership, youth mental wellbeing, community, and systems contexts.
• Ability to facilitate learning conversations that help people to think, learn, and adapt together to inform the overall strategy and the next best step (e.g. Emergent Learning).
• Experience applying equity and justice in learning and evaluation; commitment to the practices and values of Equitable Evaluation.
• Skills and experience engaging diverse stakeholders in co-design.
• Background working with community-based organizations, nonprofits, and foundations.
• Experience developing theories of change and helping funders develop strategies to amplify their impact and better support grantees. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex information and stories in understandable and actionable ways.
• Midwest experience and proximity to Greater Cincinnati preferred. 
• Familiarity with Trust-Based Philanthropy values and practices is also a plus. 

Anticipated Project Budget & Timeframe 

The goal is to begin the project in June of 2026. The initial contract will be awarded from the start date through the end of June 2027. It is anticipated that the project will continue through June 2029, pending the number of implementation grants awarded and any shifts in bi3’s strategic plan. 

The budget for this project, from June 2026 to the end of June 2027, is $100,000, inclusive of all expenses. Subsequent years will be awarded on an annual basis.  

bi3 is seeking the best partner(s) for this project and has some flexibility, which we are open to discussing. 

How to Apply 

Interested parties should submit a 2–3-page (maximum, excluding resume and sample material request below) Letter of Interest (LOI) to Jennifer Zimmerman at jennifer_zimmerman@bi3.org. The LOI should include the following: 

• A brief summary description of your organization/firm. If submitting as a collaboration of partners, please briefly note which organization/firm will be the lead consultant and any relevant history of working together. 
• Initial thoughts or questions about how you might approach the project and Scope of Services (above). The purpose of this is not to provide a detailed project plan, but to help us understand how you might think about approaching this project and what you might take into consideration.
• A brief description of your experience and expertise in conducting similar or relevant projects to this one.
• Availability to implement this project in the proposed timeframe and budget. 

In addition to the 2-3 page LOI, please provide: 

• A resume or brief summary of the partner(s)’ experience and expertise.
• One sample material (e.g. report, brief, presentation) that showcases your work and exemplifies your experience and expertise conducting a similar or related project. 

Letters of interest are due no later than Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST. 

Please submit your proposal via email to Jennifer Zimmerman, Senior Vice President, at jennifer_zimmerman@bi3.org with the subject line: Fostering Social Connection for Youth Evaluation Letter of Interest.  

bi3 will identify semi-finalists for further conversation and additional information (late March) and anticipates conducting virtual interviews with semi-finalists in early May. Representatives from any collaborating organizations/firms are required to attend the interview. A partner will be selected by mid-May 2025.  

Questions  

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this request further, please contact Jennifer Zimmerman at jennifer_zimmerman@bi3.org. Please include Fostering Social Connection for Youth – Evaluation LOI Questions in the subject line. 

The bi3 Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization on a mission to advance health equity and fuel innovation for all people in Greater Cincinnati by investing in trust-based partnerships. A philanthropic initiative launched by Bethesda Inc. in 2010, bi3 works to improve community health outcomes in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren Counties in Ohio.  

bi3 partners with organizations to reduce health disparities and listen to and engage with community members in priority setting and decision-making. bi3 has four strategic priorities including Improving Maternal and Young Child Health, Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing, Advocating for Change, and Fueling Innovation at TriHealth, bi3’s strategic partner. 

The bi3 Fund does not unlawfully discriminate internally (in its administrative and program operations) or externally (in provision of services and grants) on the basis of race, political orientation, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, or mental or physical disability or any other status prohibited by applicable law.