Get individualized assistance from one of the CORE consultants (Nicole Young, Nicole Lezin, Kristal Caballero) with up to 2 one-hour TA sessions per application, accommodating up to four people per session. TA sessions will be held on Zoom in English only and will not be recorded.

You may sign up for the TA sessions at any time, but we recommend spacing them out to make the best use of the individualized assistance—e.g., schedule the initial TA session earlier in your planning or writing process, and schedule the second TA session when you are farther along in your application.

Sign up for an initial TA session between June 17 – July 8 using this form: https://bit.ly/CORE-RFP-TA-Signup. The CORE consultant leading your TA session will work directly with you to schedule your second TA session between July 9 – August 2.

Please note: The CORE consultants’ role is to provide training, tools, and guidance to help applicants understand key concepts in the RFP, such as equity, collective impact, Results Based Accountability, CORE Conditions for Health & Well-being, the CORE Continuum of Results and Evidence, developing program outcomes, etc. The CORE consultants are unable to provide specific recommendations about applicants’ proposals (i.e., what to apply for, what activities to conduct, etc.) and are unable to assist with writing or editing proposals and budgets. They will not be involved in selecting the panelists, scoring the applications, or making recommendations for awards.

The County and City of Santa Cruz released the CORE Investments Request for Proposals (RFP) on June 3, 2024, with applications due on August 2, 2024. You can find the CORE RFP and any addenda on the County’s website.

For more information on the CORE Investments RFP, including a timetable of all major dates, training and technical assistance opportunities, and all corresponding documents, please visit the Human Services Department’s (HSD’s) website.

Any questions related to the contents of the RFP or the overall funding process should be sent to HSD at COREFunding@santacruzcountyca.gov.

Please send questions about the trainings and TA sessions to Nicole Young, Optimal Solutions Consulting, at nicole@opti-solutions.com.

Watch recordings of previous events on the CORE Resources page.