Contract to Provide Assessment of the Catalytic Impacts of National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF)

Proposal Deadline: February 20, 2026

OVERVIEW

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) seeks proposals from qualified contractors to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the catalytic impacts of National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) grants. The selected contractor will evaluate how funded projects have generated impacts beyond their initial grant awards, including leveraged financing, project scaling and replication, pipeline progression (from planning to implementation), capacity building, policy impacts, knowledge transfer, and broader adoption of Nature-based Solutions.

BACKGROUND

The NCRF program provides financial and technical assistance for the planning, design, and implementation of NbS projects for coastal resilience that benefit communities and fish and wildlife habitats. Projects are supported across a four-stage pipeline: (1) Planning & Capacity Building, (2) Assessment & Preliminary Design, (3) Final Design & Permitting, and (4) Implementation.

With more than 600 funded projects nationwide, NFWF seeks a systematic, portfolio-wide evaluation of the grant program's catalytic effects to inform strategy, improve program design and investments, and communicate impact to partners, funders, and stakeholders.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this RFP are to select a contractor that can:

• Define and operationalize catalytic impacts of the NCRF program;
• Quantify and assess catalytic outcomes across the full project portfolio;
• Identify factors enabling or constraining catalytic effects;
• Document illustrative case studies of catalytic success;
• Provide actionable recommendations to strengthen future grant cycles.

The contractor will also develop targeted outreach materials for internal and external dissemination.

SCOPE OF WORK

The contractor shall propose a rigorous, mixed-methods approach appropriate to the scale, diversity, and complexity of the NCRF project portfolio. The Scope of Work includes, but is not limited to, the following tasks.

Task 1. Project Initiation and Evaluation Framework
Develop a detailed work plan and evaluation framework defining catalytic impact pathways, metrics, and analytical methods. Establish a shared understanding of scope, data availability, and reporting expectations.

Task 2. Portfolio Data Review and Management
Review and synthesize existing NCRF program and project data, including grant applications, awarded projects, closing and progress reports, financial records, geospatial datasets, and prior evaluations. Identify data gaps and develop strategies to address limitations.

Task 3. Data Collection and Stakeholder Engagement
Design and implement surveys, interviews, and/or focus groups with grantees and key partners to collect information on leveraged and follow-on funding, pipeline progression, scalability, capacity building, policy impacts, and knowledge transfer outcomes.

Task 4. Catalytic Impact Analysis
Analyze catalytic impacts across five dimensions:
A. Financial leverage and follow-on funding;
B. Project scaling and replication;
C. Progression through the program pipeline;
D. Institutional and community capacity building;

Task 5. Develop a catalytic impact tracking and monitoring framework for NFWF
Develop a practical framework that enables NFWF to track, measure and monitor catalytic impacts of
nature-based solutions for CR over time. The framework is intended for ongoing internal use and supports both portfolio-wide analysis and project-level monitoring across the NCRF program.

Task 6. Case Studies and Synthesis
Develop in-depth case studies illustrating catalytic pathways and success factors. Synthesize portfolio-level findings and cross-cutting lessons

Task 7. Reporting and Communications
Prepare draft and final reports with visualizations, dashboards, and executive summaries for internal and select external audiences. Present findings to NFWF staff and key stakeholders.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated using a 100-point scale based on:

• Understanding of NBS and coastal resilience (15 points)
• Program evaluation experience (20 points)
• Methodological rigor (25 points)
• Team qualifications (15 points)
• Work plan and feasibility (15 points)
• Cost effectiveness (10 points)
  

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Proposals must be submitted including the following distinctly labeled and separate documents:

1. Cover letter
2. Technical approach and methodology
3. Project team and qualifications
4. Work plan and timeline
5. Budget and budget narrative
   1. The budget proposal must be submitted using the following NFWF budget template
6. Relevant past performance and references
7. Evidence of Financial Stability
   1. The applicant shall provide proof of financial stability in the form of financial statements, credit ratings, a line of credit, or other financial arrangements sufficient to demonstrate the applicant's capability to meet the requirements of this solicitation.
8. Contact Information.
   1. Please provide a Primary Contact Person, Entity Name, Address, Phone, E-mail, Website, and EIN or SSN

Interested parties should submit proposals electronically to [email protected].

SELECTION PROCEDURE

A panel of NFWF staff will review the proposals. Offerors may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, or budgets prior to final approval of the award. Only one award will be made for this project. If multiple institutions are involved, they should be handled through subcontracts.

COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS

NFWF is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and Executive Orders. We continuously monitor legal and regulatory developments to ensure our policies, procedures, and operations align with current federal directives. We encourage all applicants to do the same.

The ability and extent to which NFWF is able to make awards is contingent upon receipt of funds from federal agencies and/or other funding partners. Final funding decisions will be made based on the applications received and the level and timing of funding received by NFWF.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

ELIGIBLE OFFERORS & CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and local, state and Indian tribal governments. Small and minority businesses, and women's business enterprises are strongly encouraged to apply.

By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the offeror warrants and represents that it does not currently have any apparent or actual conflict of interest, as described herein. In the event an offeror currently has, will have during the life of the contemplated contract, or becomes aware of an apparent or actual conflict of interest, in the event an award is made, the offeror must notify NFWF in writing in the proposal, or in subsequent correspondence (if the issue becomes known after the submission of the proposal) of such apparent or actual conflicts of interest, including organizational conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest include any relationship or matter which might place the contractor, the contractor's employees, or the contractor's subcontractors in a position of conflict, real or apparent, between their responsibilities under the award and any other outside interests, or otherwise. Conflicts of interest may also include, but are not limited to, direct or indirect financial interests, close personal relationships, positions of trust in outside organizations, consideration of future employment arrangements with a different organization, or decision-making affecting the award that would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question the impartiality of the offeror, the offeror's employees, or the offeror's future subcontractors in the matter. Upon receipt of such a notice, the NFWF Contracting Officer will determine if a conflict of interest exists and, if so, if there are any possible actions to be taken by the offeror to reduce or resolve the conflict. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies NFWF may result in the proposal not being selected for award.

By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, the Offeror warrants and represents that it is eligible for award of a Contract resulting from this solicitation and that it is not subject to any of the below circumstances:

Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an Contract with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

Was convicted (or had an officer or agent of such corporation acting on behalf of the corporation convicted) of a felony criminal violation under any Federal or State law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

Is listed on the General Services Administration's, government-wide System for Award Management Exclusions (SAM Exclusions), in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 C.F.R Part 180 that implement E.O.s 12549 (3 C.F.R., 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 C.F.R., 1989 Comp., p. 235), "Debarment and Suspension, " or intends to enter into any subaward, contract or other Contract using funds provided by NFWF with any party listed on the SAM Exclusions in accordance with Executive Orders 12549 and 12689. The SAM Exclusions instructions can be found here: https://www.sam.gov/SAM/

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

NFWF reserves the right to amend or cancel this RFP, request additional information, or invite selected offerors to interviews or negotiations prior to award.

REQUESTING ORGANIZATION

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), 1625 Eye Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006

CONTACTS

Program Coordinator: [email protected]