Utica-ESPRI (Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative) has issued a Request for Proposal to fund a new or expanded qualified child-care facility that will provide free or affordable extended child care, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for children age 6 weeks to 12 years, to be fully operational in the City of Utica.
Utica-ESPRI is authorized to award funding for one or more priority projects that were identified via Neighborhood Focus Group events, Resident Interviews, Work Group (daylong) sessions and an ESPRI Town Hall meeting that was held on December 7, 2017, at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Utica.
Priority Project Selection
A 24/7 Extended Child Care Facility that will provide extended child care programming, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, for children age 6 weeks – 12 years, was identified by ESPRI Town Hall attendees as the top priority to help address the root causes of poverty in Utica.
United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area is administering Utica-ESPRI with support from a Core Team, Steering Committee, Work Groups and a Utica-ESPRI Coordinator/Administrator. On behalf of Utica-ESPRI, United Way intends to provide up to $900,000 in project support based on applications received in response to this request for proposal.
Applicants must be 501(c)(3) community or faith-based organization or government agency currently operating in some capacity in the City of Utica; however, joint applications that include other non-profit and for-profit organizations as project partners are encouraged.
Organizations interested in applying are required to submit a Cover Letter and Notice of Intent and will be invited by email to attend a pre-proposal meeting, at United Way, 201 Lafayette Street, Utica, on Thursday, February 15, 2:00–3:30 PM. The organizations must RSVP to Dietra Harvey by email, dietrah@unitedwayvgu.org, with the name and contact information for each attendee.
At the pre-proposal meeting, Applicants will have an opportunity to ask questions and review project guidelines. Final ESPRI RFP packets will be available. The deadline for submitting proposals to United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area will be Monday, March 19, 2018, 5:00 PM
Information about Utica-ESPRI can be found here.
Utica-ESPRI
One year ago, Governor Cuomo announced the City of Utica was to be a recipient of $1.5 million to partner in the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI) along with 15 other cities across New York State. Community leaders have been working since to create a plan focused on individuals and families experiencing poverty across Utica.
Utica-ESPRI is a collaboration between Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi; Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente; Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri; the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, and United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area.
An estimated three million New Yorkers currently live in poverty, and nearly one million of them are children. In Upstate New York, aging housing, high unemployment, underperforming schools, poor health, and neighborhood crime all create extreme barriers for the region’s most vulnerable residents. State-funded ESPRI is designed to help combat poverty and create economic mobility for New Yorkers in 16-targeted cities with the highest poverty rates, including Utica – where nearly a third of all residents live in poverty.
New York State-ESPRI
Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York State Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative (ESPRI) is making targeted investments in projects to improve the quality, efficiency and reach of services that address poverty.
The NYS ESPRI is designed to:
- Identify specific, measurable objectives to improve residents’ well-being and quality of life;
- Better align public and private resources with community-based interventions that are successful in improving outcomes for residents;
- Develop strategies that match promising practices to the unique challenges of each particular community; and
- Build partnerships among public and private, municipal and nonprofit organizations to provide a continuum of solutions.
