First implemented in 1997, the Community Human Service Partnership is an innovative collaboration between Leon County and the City of Tallahassee. It was established to most effectively distribute community funds for human services. The CHSP process includes the following annual implementation steps:

• The Request for Proposal (RFP) workshop notification is advertised in the local newspaper and sent to all CHSP applicants and interested parties.
• Staff conducts four RFP workshops for interested private, nonprofit organizations.
• CHSP utilizes a comprehensive application, which includes legal, organizational, financial, managerial, programmatic, and program design and outcome information.
• Technical assistance is available after the RFP workshop for a period of several weeks.
• Volunteers receive grant review training, and each volunteer serves on one of the nine Citizens Review Teams (CRTs).
• Each team reviews the applications, conducts agency site visits, completes agency/programmatic assessments, recommends priorities and makes initial funding recommendations based on group consensus.
• After the volunteers formulate their recommendations, the CHSP staff determines the funding source for each program based on legal, procedural and historical funding factors.
• Each agency receives an award letter that provides direct feedback from the Review Team.
• An appeals procedure is a part of the grant distribution process. The CHSP Appeals Committee serves as an independent body, and no members from the original committees of the appealing agencies can serve on this committee.
• Recommendations are submitted to the City of Tallahassee and Leon County Commissions for ratification.
• Contracts and memorandum of agreements are executed.

HOW DOES IT BENEFIT OUR COMMUNITY?

Prior to the CHSP, the City, and the County conducted similar but separate processes for allocating human service funds.  There were isolated funding decisions; less effective, sometimes politically sensitive funding recommendations; and no coordination of application reviews, funding implementation, or planning for services.  Benefits of the CHSP process include:

• Non-profits file only one application, once every two years.
• Elimination of over-funding of some agencies for the same services (i.e. "double dipping").
• Identification of gaps in service delivery.
• Effective use of knowledgeable community volunteers.
• Extensive volunteer involvement.
• Less potential for political influence in funding recommendations.
• Dialogue on community-wide planning and coordination of human services.
• Shared administrative processes among each of the three funders.

City of Tallahassee                                                                             Leon County                                                                 
435 N Macomb Street                                                                          615 Paul Russell Road                                                     
Tallahassee, FL 32301                                                                         Tallahassee, FL 32301                                                    
850.891.6500                                                                                       850.606.1900