Request for Proposal | Home Rule Reform Campaign Consultant
About LSSC and Our Team
The Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC) is a national hub focused on the misuse of state preemption, documenting its consequences - particularly on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and workers in low-wage industries - and devising counter-strategies to affirm and strengthen local democracy to advance equity.
We believe that our democracy should work for all people. A healthy democracy should allow historically excluded people to build power and exercise agency over their own lives and communities. State preemption of local policy making - a higher level of government stripping authority from a lower level of government - should only be used to protect the health and well-being of residents and should create the foundation upon which localities can go further in advancing equity and addressing their communities’ needs. Unfortunately, preemption today is being abused to undermine a healthy democracy and harm marginalized communities.
Building a more just society means that every community should have the authority to advance equitable policies and decide how to most urgently meet the needs of their residents. LSSC is committed to supporting this work by both sharing best practices and supporting locally-led strategies that center local expertise and lived experience. You can read more about LSSC’s vision, values, and strategic priorities.
Home rule, which does not exist in every state or for every kind of local government, sets the legal terms on which local governments make policy and resist state interference. Increasing abuse of state preemption has created demand for reform to the basic legal structures of home rule that empower that abuse.
To meet this imperative, LSSC has been working with national, state, and local partners to build the case for home rule law reform and provide support for advocates and officials seeking to make change in this sphere, helping stakeholders align on shared goals, and craft and execute effective strategies. This work builds on long-standing efforts by LSSC to raise the profile of preemption and its consequences, educate and connect advocates, elected officials, and city attorneys, work with the legal community to file challenges and amicus briefs to abusive preemption, change the messaging used to define state interference while making the case for local democracy, and build cross-issue coalitions that have worked collaboratively at the grassroots level to counter or repeal preemption. As a hub, we are not a stand-alone organization; our work is conducted in tandem with our partners, driven by their needs and the needs of the communities they serve.
As LSSC looks ahead to the remainder of 2022 and the next several years, we intend to support our growing team with the addition of a contract Home Rule Reform Campaign Consultant to start as early as August 15, 2022, but no later than September 6, 2022. As this is a new contract position, we intend to use a contract through the end of 2022 to determine the best approach to the structure, time commitment, and contract deliverables to inform the development of what we hope will be a multi-year arrangement.
What We Are Looking For
LSSC is looking for a consultant to work on our Home Rule Reform Campaign effort to foster and support cross-movement collaboration in numerous states. This individual will be responsible for (1) supporting the development and operation of national and state-based home-rule reform efforts; (2) growing and engaging our network of national and state organizations, advocates, and policy makers; (3) developing and deploying innovative campaign strategies, resources, and best practices; and (4) creating and participating in local, state, and national education opportunities.
This person will work with our Home Rule Reform Campaign lead and interface with members of our Legal, Research, State Campaigns, and Communications teams to ensure effective and efficient coordination and deployment of support to home rule reform efforts.
Scope of Work
Provide strategic support and technical assistance to national and state allies, organizations, and coalitions to prepare them to act on structural changes to enhance and protect local democracy. This support will include:
Organizing and participating in regular meetings at the national and state levels to monitor and identify plans, trends, and campaign needs
Providing administrative and planning support to home rule reform efforts, such as:
Facilitating and/or shaping meetings and debriefing sessions
Crafting and disseminating coalition template documents
Curating LSSC resources for easy dissemination to partners
Supporting state and local home rule reform efforts, in coordination with existing work combatting the abuse of preemption and strengthening local democracy
Providing liaison support to resources from the legal, education, research, and communications activities of the broader LSSC team in states to ensure alignment and a holistic approach to our home rule reform work
Conducting ongoing landscape analyses of potential state partnerships, campaign opportunities, and investment needs to inform LSSC’s broader planning and resource allocation efforts
Building out and maintaining a matrix to track the intersection between home rule reform and LSSC’s broader partnerships across the full team
Participating in LSSC monthly core team and/or departmental meetings when needed to provide updates on the home rule work and/or collaborate with other LSSC consultants and grantees
Core Competencies
The Home Rule Campaign Consultant should possess the following skills and experience:
Understand the connection between the current misuse of state preemption and the systemic oppression of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, and workers in low-wage industries
The ability to build strong partnerships with a diverse set of stakeholders, with meeting facilitation skills and the ability to navigate complicated intra-state and coalition dynamics
Familiarity with community organizing
The ability to use a variety of tools (i.e., Doodle, When2Meet, Google Calendars, etc.) to schedule, confirm, and coordinate meetings
Attention to detail, exceptional writing skills, and the ability to track, lead, and/or implement multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
Vision, creativity, and planning
The flexibility, humor, and humility to thrive in a fast-paced remote environment with a constellation of fellow consultants and partner organizations
How to Submit a Proposal
The Home Rule Reform Campaign Consultant will be an independent contractor and will execute a contract with LSSC’s fiscal sponsor, New Venture Fund, to start as early as August 15, 2022, but not later than September 6, 2022, to run through the end of 2023.
Interested independent contractors or consulting firms are encouraged to submit a proposal to lssc@supportdemocracy.org. Please reference the proposal in the subject line of your email. Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Priority will be given to proposals submitted by August 1, 2022.
Your proposal should demonstrate that you meet the expectations outlined above, with a particular focus on your (1) alignment with our values and approaches; (2) ability to meet the expectations outlined in the scope of work; (3) your availability to meet virtually with a member of the LSSC team and to start as soon as August 15, 2022 but no later than September 6, 2022; and (4) your proposed budget and payment structure.
The contract for the Home Rule Reform Campaign Consultant can be structured on an hourly basis or via a monthly retainer, to be invoiced monthly with the hope of continuation in a multi-year arrangement. Our budget for a four-to-five-month contract is $15,000-20,000. We encourage individuals and firms led by BIPOC, women, LGBTQ folks, and immigrants to submit a proposal. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, age, marital, and/or veteran status or any other characteristic or activity protected by federal, state, or local law.