The purpose of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is to procure skilled individuals, organizations, or Tribes to serve as as-needed coaches, mentors, technical assistance providers, and consulting service providers to cultural and science organizations and Tribes in King County. Through the Network of Support – made of coaching and mentoring, consultant services, technical assistance, and communities of practice – 4Culture plans to provide additional scaffolding and support to help cultural and science organizations and Tribes manage the risk and opportunities associated with the potential influx of increased funding as a result of Doors Open legislation to increase funding to King County arts, heritage, historic preservation, and science nonprofit cultural organizations. Additionally, 4Culture will support cultural and science organizations and Tribes needing consulting assistance for operations emergency crisis situations and/or moments of tremendous organizational transformation.

This announcement is open to not-for-profit organizations, community-based organizations, Tribes and Tribal organizations, public or governmental organizations serving communities in King County, and private consultants and small businesses with expertise in the needs of cultural and science organizations and Tribes. 4Culture is committed to upholding and promoting equitable opportunity for the consultants and individuals with which we collaborate. We recognize that diverse perspectives, ideas, cultures, and life experiences of all are critical to our success. Consultants and individuals from historically under-invested communities and community-based individuals and organizations are strongly encouraged to apply. (For technical reasons, not all not-for-profit organizations and municipalities eligible for sustained support under 4Culture’s lodging tax programs are “cultural organizations,” as defined by state law and King County ordinance, eligible for Doors Open funding and vice versa. This RFQ seeks organizations and individuals to provide services to entities eligible for funding under either program. For convenience, as used herein, the term “cultural organization” means an entity eligible for funding under either program.)

4Culture invites interested and qualified coaches, mentors, and consulting firms, groups, and individuals (referred to as “capacity builders”) to submit qualifications to provide capacity building support in the form of coaching, mentorship and/or consulting services to advance capacity building for organizations that are funded by any of these 4Culture grant programs:

Selected capacity builders will be published on our Resource Library. In addition, 4Culture invites interested and available technical assistance providers to submit qualifications to provide grant preparation assistance for organizations that plan on applying to Launch and Building for Equity funding.

Types of Support

4Culture defines “capacity building” as the generation of resources or support intended to help an organization, Tribe, group, or individual enhance its ability to fulfill its mission or purpose (i.e., any activity or support that is focused on the health and sustainability of an organization or the practitioner rather than specific programs). Under this RFQ, capacity building support builds on multi-year general operating support through:

Coaching and Mentorship

Consulting Services

Technical Assistance

Coaching and mentorship have been elevated as a top priority during the development of this program, and we encourage applications by coaches and mentors from a wide range of experiences. It focuses on executive leadership capabilities and wellbeing, elevating the growth and development of people, rooted in relationships, attuned to the need to change unjust systems, and acknowledging values that are central to Black, Indigenous, people of color-led (BIPOC-led) organizations. Coaching and mentorship are available if/when eligible 4Culture-funded organizations want to support their leadership as they guide the organization through a period of transition.

Consulting services may relate to organizational and/or cultural facilities development. Capacity building supports are available if/when eligible 4Culture-funded organizations want support to strengthen their internal processes and capacities in areas that may include, but are not limited to, accessibility (language, ADA, facilities, mobility); board/board relations; communications, marketing, and branding; cultural facilities (architecture for pre-design through design/development; capital campaign fundraising/development; commercial real estate brokerage; facilities development and/or owners’ representation; land use and real estate legal services; tenant relocation assistance); Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (“DEAI”); financial emergency planning; financial planning and/or strategy (including but not limited to financial services); fundraising/development; human resources; interpretive planning; leadership and board optimization; legal services; organizational design and management; strategic planning.

Technical assistance support for grant preparation is designed to assist organizations to apply for 4Culture Launch and Building for Equity grants. For Building for Equity support, technical assistance is available if/when eligible applicants want support to strengthen their application in areas that may include, but are not limited to, organizational readiness for a capital project; project brainstorming, planning, and timeline; project scaling; presentation of the vision in the application; general information about capital project best practices.

Types of Services

Capacity builders will offer individualized, culturally responsive coaching, mentoring, training, workshops, tools, and/or expertise to support organizations’ capabilities after being matched to organizations and confirmed by 4Culture staff. Capacity builders will use experience and expertise to support funded organizations’ leadership development and organizational success and sustainability with well-defined missions and programming, effective governance, and strong fundraising and operational systems. Foundational capacity building focuses on the development of core skills and management systems that are essential for the organization to fulfill its mission, including:

For organizational success and sustainability:

For cultural facilities project development:

Evaluation services may fall under the particular services that they support.

Technical assistance providers will support organizations interested in applying to 4Culture’s Launch or Building for Equity grants. After confirming eligibility with the 4Culture Program Manager, cultural organizations that are preparing to submit grants to 4Culture for Launch or Building for Equity grants may be connected to technical assistance providers if requested to receive technical assistance. Technical assistance providers may help applicants determine whether organizations are an appropriate fit for the grants, navigate the application process, review and provide feedback on application drafts, refine budgets, and support applicants to authentically share their stories of success and public benefit. Technical assistance providers will not write applications for applicants or engage with the panel review process.

Types of Disciplines

The disciplines funded by 4Culture are:

IMPORTANT: for 2026, this Request for Qualifications is limited to:

Please see “Are You Eligible?” for more information.

Need help determining your eligibility to apply? Check out this guide to see if you are eligible for 2026.

Criteria

The purpose of this RFQ is to procure skilled capacity builders and technical assistance providers to provide effective and efficient capacity building and technical assistance activities to cultural organizations, which are particularly smaller, located outside of Seattle or within a King County Community of Opportunity.

4Culture’s Network of Support program values focus on being:

For this RFQ, the most qualified candidates will have the following qualifications:

Scopes of Work

Qualified applicants will provide either capacity building or technical assistance, or both.

Capacity building scope of work for both coaches/mentors and consultants

Capacity builders will:

Additional capacity building scope of work for coaches and mentors

Additionally, coaches and mentors will:

Additional capacity building scope of work for consultants

Additionally, consultants will:

Technical assistance scope of work

Technical assistance providers will:

Applicants may apply to provide capacity building and/or technical assistance services in any of the areas listed above in which they have experience and expertise. Only one application is necessary. Applicants must meet the qualifications described in the Eligibility section and provide the requested information outlined in the Application Process.

While some of the work described may be provided remotely, qualified applicants must also be willing and able to travel to areas in King County to provide capacity building and technical assistance services if desired by the organizations served.

Rate of Compensation

As the services will be requested by cultural organizations on an as-needed basis, no compensation is guaranteed, and the final amount of compensation depends on the total number of approved and completed hours properly invoiced to 4Culture.

Any contract offered as a result of this procurement is contingent upon the availability of funding. 4Culture reserves the right to not make all funds advertised in this RFQ available.

If an applicant is offered both capacity building and technical assistance roles, they will sign one contract with both capacity building and technical assistance described in the scope of work.

Selected contractors will be reimbursed at a rate of $185 per hour of approved capacity building and technical assistance services provided and $92.50 per hour for approved related project management, administration, and/or travel.

Period of Performance

The period of performance of any contract resulting from this RFQ is tentatively scheduled to begin on or around July 1, 2026, at the point of contract, and to end on December 31, 2028. Amendments extending or shortening the period of performance, if any, will be at the sole discretion of 4Culture.

Glossary of Terms

A list of definitions specific to this RFQ are as follows:

Applicant is a party applying for a contract with 4Culture in response, and pursuant to the terms of, this RFQ.

Best and Final Offer (BAFO), if applicable and requested from the Applicants, is a final offer submitted that contains the Applicant’s most favorable terms for cost or terms of service.

Capacity Building is the generation of resources or support intended to help an organization, Tribe, group, or individual enhance its ability to fulfill its mission or purpose (i.e., any activity or support that is focused on the success and sustainability of an organization or the practitioner rather than specific programs).

Capacity Building Support is the provision and co-creation of information, tools, and resources on best practices along with the individualized, responsive, and ongoing coaching and support to strengthen programs, organizations, and systems capabilities.

Independent Contractor is a term used within 4Culture’s Independent Contractor Agreement. Applicants offered contracts through this RFQ will be independent contractors for 4Culture and will be responsible for payment of all taxes owed as a result of work performed for 4Culture. Contractors shall obtain necessary business licenses and a Washington State Unified Business Identifier. All requirements will be listed in the resulting contract.

Culturally Responsive Services are services that understand, support, and honor attitudes, values, languages, and behaviors unique to each person and/or organization.

Equity means giving everyone what they need to be successful as opposed to equality which means treating everyone the same. At 4Culture, we are guided by a vision of a King County in which every person has what they need to explore and create culture.

Racial Equity is the condition that would be achieved if one’s racial identity no longer predicted in a statistical sense how one fares. At 4Culture, we acknowledge that systemic inequity takes many forms – racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, heterosexism, and more. Our focus on racial equity provides us with the tools we use to dismantle all oppressions.

Technical Assistance  is culturally responsive assistance with proposal development for grant opportunities.

This announcement is open to not-for-profit organizations, community-based organizations, Tribes and Tribal organizations, public or governmental organizations serving communities in King County, and private consultants and small businesses with expertise in the needs of cultural organizations. Applicants must have experience providing culturally responsive capacity building and/or technical assistance services to a diversity of cultural organizations. Community-based individuals and organizations are encouraged to submit applications.

IMPORTANT: for 2026, this Request for Qualifications is limited to:

Your business address must match the address on your W9. Use this online tool to determine your King County district.

Need help determining your eligibility to apply? Check out this guide to see if you are eligible for 2026: PDF | Word

Eligible applicants also may include the following (so long as they meet the limitation requirements for the 2026 RFQ):

The following are not eligible:

4Culture will not reimburse for incidental costs as a result of contracted services. “Incidental costs” mean minor, additional costs that Contractor might incur while performing its duties, including, without limitation: travel expenses (e.g., mileage, parking, tolls); meals and lodging if travel is required; office supplies or materials needed for the project; and communication costs (e.g., phone calls, internet usage).

Office Hours

We will be standing by on Zoom to answer any questions, provide quick feedback on your application, and help you succeed. Join our open Zoom video call during one of the times provided, using the links below. Please note: there will be no formal presentation during office hours, but a Program Manager will be on hand to answer any questions ahead of the February 19 application deadline.

Resources

Worksheet

This worksheet includes the full application with helpful tips. Use this to work offline, draft your responses, and then copy-and-paste them into the online application.

Please note: all applications must be submitted online at apply.4culture.org. Using the application worksheet is NOT an alternative to the online application form. Please use the application form in the grant portal to apply.

Download the worksheet: PDF | Word

4Culture will publish clarifications to this RFQ as needed on Friday, February 13, 2026 through an addendum to the RFQ.

Contact

We are here to help! Before you begin or after you start your application, you may have questions. In addition to office hours, our staff are available by email and phone to assist you.

For questions about the application, the panel review process, or eligibility:
Cassie Chinn, Cultural Services Liaison

206-263-8324

For technical questions about your online account, contact:
Shaun Mejia, Heritage Support Specialist

206-477-9952

Translation and Assistance

The grant guidelines, a detailed explanation of how to apply, and the grant application are in English. If this is a barrier that stops you from applying due to limited English writing ability, visual impairment, or you would like to request assistance to create an application, please contact or call (206) 296-7580 or TTY 711, and we will ensure you get the support you need.

中文 (Chinese)

資助指南、如何申請的詳細說明以及資助申請表均為英文版。如果您因英語書寫能力有限、視力障礙而無法申請，或是在填寫申請表時需要協助，請發送電子郵件至 jackie.mixon@4culture.org 或致電 (206) 296-7580 或 TTY 711 進行聯絡，我們會確保您獲得所需的幫助。

Русский (Russian)

Правила предоставления гранта, подробная инструкция по подаче заявки, а также сама заявка на грант составлены на английском языке. Если вы не можете подать заявку из-за недостаточного владения письменной английской речью или нарушений зрения, либо нуждаетесь в помощи для составления заявки, напишите по адресу jackie.mixon@4culture.org или позвоните по телефону (206) 296-7580, либо TTY 711. Мы предоставим вам необходимую поддержку.

Soomaali (Somali)

Tilmaamaha deeqda, sharraxaada faahfaahsan ee ku saabsan sida loo codsado, iyo codsiga deeqda waxay dhammaan ku qoran yihiin Af-Ingiriisi. Haddii arrintaan ay tahay caqabad kaa hor istaageyso codsashada oo ay sabab u tahay awoodda qorista Af-Ingiriisiga oo xadidan, naafanimo aragga ah, ama aad jeclaan lahayd inaad codsato in lagaa caawiyo in aad codsi sameyso, fadlan la xiriir jackie.mixon@4culture.org ama wac (206) 296-7580 ama TTY 711, waxaana xaqiijin doonnaa inaad hesho taageerada aad u baahan tahay.

Español (Spanish)

Las directrices de la subvención, la explicación detallada de cómo solicitarla y la solicitud de la subvención están redactadas en inglés. Si esto supone un impedimento para presentar la solicitud debido a una capacidad limitada para escribir en inglés, una discapacidad visual o necesita ayuda para crear una solicitud, póngase en contacto con jackie.mixon@4culture.org o llame al (206) 296-7580 o TTY 711, y nos aseguraremos de que reciba la ayuda que necesita.

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Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

Các hướng dẫn về khoản tài trợ, giải thích chi tiết về cách nộp đơn và đơn đăng ký tài trợ đều bằng tiếng Anh. Nếu đây là rào cản khiến quý vị không thể nộp đơn đăng ký do khả năng viết tiếng Anh hạn chế, suy giảm thị lực hoặc quý vị muốn yêu cầu hỗ trợ để tạo đơn đăng ký, Làm ơn liên hệ jackie.mixon@4culture.org hoặc gọi (206) 296-7580 hoặc TTY 711 và chúng tôi sẽ hỗ trợ những gì quý vị cần.

Timeline

The due date for responses to this RFQ is Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 5:00 pm PST.

Finalist interviews are anticipated the week of April 20, 2026.

Selection decisions are anticipated in June 2026.

Selection Process

Responsive proposals will be reviewed strictly in accordance with the requirements stated in this RFQ and any addenda issued.

All applications received by the stated deadline will be reviewed by the RFQ Coordinator to ensure that the applications contain all the required information requested in the RFQ. Only responsive applications from eligible applicants that meet the threshold requirements will be evaluated by the 4Culture-designated review panel. Any applicant who does not meet the stated qualifications or any proposal that does not contain all the required information may be rejected as incomplete.

The RFQ Coordinator may, at their sole discretion, contact the applicant for clarification of any portion of the applicant’s proposal. Applicants should take every precaution to ensure that all answers are clear, complete, and directly address the specific requirement.

Interviews will be conducted with selected qualified applicants and held remotely by Teams. Selected qualified applicants can have up to two (2) team members participate in the interviews.

The Interview Questions include but are not limited to:

The process for choosing contractors will include evaluation of the narrative, accompanying documents, interviews, and references. See above under “About the Network of Support Roles” for the selection criteria that will be used during the evaluation process.

Our goal is to contract with capacity builders and technical assistance providers who offer a wide range of skill sets across the whole of King County. Final selection may be aligned with what is in demand from 4Culture cultural organizations.

The evaluation will be conducted in three phases as described below.

Phase 1: Written Application Scoring
All responsive Applicants will be reviewed and scored by the review panel according to the criteria. The scores from Phase 1 will carry forward into Phase 2.

Phase 2: Interviews
Interviews will be conducted with selected qualified applicants and held remotely by Teams.

Phase 3: Reference Checks
Reference checks will be conducted of 2-3 prior capacity building and/or technical assistance clients of the Applicant. Reference checks will only be conducted for selected qualified applicants following the Phase 2 interviews.

Only Applicants that successfully complete Phase 3 based on the criteria stated will move on to selection, but this does not guarantee the offer of a contract.

The RFQ review panels may consist of 4Culture staff, peer consultants, and organization or Tribal stakeholders. Following application review, a finalist group of Applicants will be asked to participate in an interview with a review panel prior to final scoring of their application.

The RFQ review panels will score each application and interview based on the rating criteria described in this section of this RFQ and create a ranking of Applicants based on highest to lowest scoring. The score will be a key factor used by the RFQ review panel to develop recommendations on the selection.

4Culture staff will conduct reference checks following the panel recommendations. Final selection will be made by 4Culture staff based upon recommendations from the review panel and reference checks and based upon equity and geographic considerations to ensure services are responsive to cultural organization need. 4Culture reserves the right to make such selections based on the best interests of King County, and as a result, may not select the highest scoring or lowest cost applicants, and it will execute contracts based upon the final selections.

To serve the best interests of King County, 4Culture reserves the right to be its own reference with any potential Applicants as deemed necessary in its sole discretion. This may result in a lower score or disqualification of any potential Applicants.

Contracts and Payment

4Culture anticipates that requests for maximum contract amounts from the pool of selected Applicants may exceed the total dollar amount of funding available through this RFQ. If this occurs, 4Culture reserves the right to enter discussions with Applicants to assess if proposed services and activities can be scaled to match the dollar amount offered by 4Culture. If the proposal is not scalable, or the Applicant rejects the dollar amount offered by 4Culture, 4Culture reserves the right to withdraw the contract offer to the Applicant and enter discussions with other high-ranking Applicants. Contract negotiations and development will begin when a contract amount for each proposal has been reached between the Applicant and 4Culture.

If you are selected, 4Culture staff will work with you to create a contract outlining the scope of work and the process for work authorization. Payments are made through periodic invoicing based on project milestones of authorized, completed, and confirmed hours within contracted budget amount. All invoices must be submitted through 4Culture’s online portal.

View this video presentation for an overview of the Network of Support program and its mechanics from the 2025 Orientation Mixer (program subject to change in 2026):

 

RFQ and Contract Terms

RFQ Terms:

i. Revisions to the RFQ

If 4Culture determines in its sole discretion that it is necessary to revise any part of this RFQ, an addendum to this RFQ will be posted online. For this purpose, the published questions and answers and any other pertinent information will also be provided as an addendum to the RFQ and will be placed online.

4Culture also reserves the right to cancel or to reissue the RFQ in whole or in part, prior to execution of a contract.

ii. Cost to Propose

4Culture will not be liable for any costs incurred by the applicant in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFQ, in conduct of a presentation, or any other activities related in any way to this RFQ.

 iii. 4Culture Right to be Own Reference

To serve the best interests of King County, 4Culture reserves the right to be its own reference with any potential Applicant as deemed necessary in its sole discretion. This may result in a lower score or disqualification of any potential Applicant.

 iv. No Obligation to Contract

This RFQ does not obligate 4Culture to enter any contract for services specified herein.

 v. Rejection of Applications

4Culture reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any and all Applications received without penalty and not to issue any contract as a result of this RFQ.

 vi. Acceptance Period

Applicant must provide one hundred twenty (120) calendar days for acceptance by 4Culture from the due date for receipt of Application.

 vii. Best and Final Offer (BAFO)

4Culture reserves the right to use a BAFO before offering any contract to further assist in determining the successful Applicants. Terms of the BAFO will be communicated by the RFQ Coordinator.

 viii. Offer

Final selection may be made by 4Culture staff based upon final calculations and recommendations from the RFQ review panel. 4Culture will execute contracts based upon the final selections.

4Culture intends to offer one or more contracts to Applicants. The RFQ Coordinator will notify all Applicants in writing of the acceptance or rejection of their application. Written notification will be sent via email to the email address(es) submitted in the grant portal.

Contract Terms:

i. Scope of Services, Budget

The Contract will contain a Scope of Service describing the Services Contractor will provide to the eligible 4Culture-funded cultural organization that requests Contractor’s services. The Contract also will contain an annual budget stating the maximum amount 4Culture will pay Contractor in any year for Services under the Contract.

ii. Means of Authorizing Requests for Services

The Contract will describe the means by which an eligible 4Culture-funded cultural organization may request Services from the Contractor and the means by which Contractor will inform 4Culture thereof and by which 4Culture will confirm and authorize Contractor to perform such Services and receive payment therefor under the Contract.

iii. 4Culture Standard Agreement

Organizations awarded through this procurement process will contract with 4Culture. Funded organizations will be required to meet baseline requirements, including insurance, equal employment opportunity, record keeping, and more. Requests to see a sample of 4Culture’s standard services contract form with terms and conditions can be made to the RFQ Coordinator.

Contracts may be negotiated with the Applicants whose proposals would be most advantageous to King County in the opinion of 4Culture, in its sole discretion, all factors considered.

The contents of the selected Applicants’ proposal shall become contractual obligations if a contract ensues.

A contract between the selected Applicants and the County shall include the contract instrument, the original RFQ as issued by King County, the response to the RFQ, and any other documents mutually agreed upon. The contract must include, and be consistent with, the specifications and provisions stated in the RFQ.

iv. Equity, Racial and Social Justice

To effectively operate and provide services within a culturally responsive framework, an organization shall intentionally consider equity and integrate it into its values and principles, decisions, and policies. King County expects selected Contractors to incorporate a racial equity lens in their service delivery models and administration to challenge systemic and structural inequality, reduce prejudice and racism, and advance equity.

 v. Performance Measurement and Evaluation

The primary purpose of performance measurement and evaluation is to use data to inform ongoing work, understand which activities are effective and why, comply with reporting requirements, and support shared and transparent responsibility for 4Culture programs’ success.

4Culture is committed to collecting only data and information that is useful in moving forward our shared goal of providing equitable opportunities for people to explore and create culture.

vi. Data Collection and Reporting

Reporting Requirements

The Contractor shall submit the following documents:

1. A Letter of Agreement signed by the Contractor and the eligible 4Culture-funded cultural organization outlining the scope of their intended work, within one (1) month of the beginning of each 4Culture-funded capacity building project.
2. Periodic invoices based on project milestones detailing the number of capacity building and/or technical assistance hours completed and the capacity building and/or technical assistance services provided to each individual 4Culture-funded cultural organization served; and
3. Other reporting as requested by 4Culture for the purposes determining program effectiveness and/or client satisfaction.

Monitoring and Evaluation Requirements

1. The Contractor shall cooperate fully with 4Culture in 4Culture’s monitoring Contractor’s delivery of services under the Contract and other Contract compliance.
2. The Contractor shall cooperate fully with 4Culture in determining client satisfaction or evaluation of program effectiveness.
3. When making future funding decisions, 4Culture shall consider timeliness and compliance with Contract and reporting requirements from past contracts.

 vii. Public Records Act

1. Washington State Public Records Act (RCW 42.56) requires public organizations in Washington to promptly make public records available for inspection and copying unless they fall within the specified exemptions contained in the Act or are otherwise privileged.
2. All submitted Applications and RFQ materials become public information and may be reviewed by anyone requesting to do so at the conclusion of the RFQ, negotiation, and award process. This process is concluded when a signed contract is completed between 4Culture and the selected Applicant.
3. Applications submitted under this RFQ shall be considered public documents and with limited exceptions, Applications that are recommended for contract award will be available for inspection and copying by the public.

 viii. Americans with Disabilities Act

4Culture complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants may contact the RFQ Coordinator to receive materials for this RFQ in alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer disc.

 ix. Language Accessibility

Upon request to 4Culture, this RFQ can be made available in other languages.

All applications must be completed and submitted online through 4Culture’s grant portal. Applicants must register for an account in 4Culture’s grant portal prior to being able to access the application. Account setup can take up to 2 business days. New accounts must be requested by Monday, February 16, 2026 at 5:00 pm PST in this light. Click the Apply button on the webpage for this Request for Qualifications to log in to our application portal.

View this PDF for a guide on how to set up an account on 4Culture’s grant portal: PDF

IMPORTANT: applicants should request an account type (Individual or Organization) with legal name that matches your W9 for income tax filing if selected for contract.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save after each step and sign out – your application will be saved as a draft that you can continue to work on up to the deadline. Once you hit “Submit,” your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions during the process.

View this PDF for a guide to starting a new application: PDF

View this PDF for a guide to continue working on an application you saved as a draft: PDF

We highly recommend drafting your application in a separate document (e.g. using the application Worksheet, a Word Document, Google Doc, etc.).

What’s in the Application?

We will not consider your application complete without the materials listed here. We strongly recommend assembling all application materials before you login and begin your application and encourage you to call or email us with any questions as you work on these materials.

The application asks for: