Location: Remote

Proposal Submission Deadline: April 29th, 2024

Contract Dates: May 2024-May 2025

Contract rate: $70,000

ABOUT M4BL

The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) is a national network of more than 150 leaders and organizations creating a broad political home for Black people to learn, organize, and take action. M4BL includes activists, organizers, academics, lawyers, educators, health workers, artists, and more, unified in a radical vision for Black liberation and working toward equity, justice, and healing.

Overview and Background

M4BL will celebrate its 10th anniversary from late 2024 to early 2025. As part of this milestone, we will honor and recognize our ecosystem's contributions, achievements, and influence. Our commemoration aims to unveil the initial phase of a more extensive, longer-term archival project. The role of the consultant in this context is crucial. This consultant will not only assist in the development and implementation of the archival project, but also ensure that it aligns with our goals and vision for this significant anniversary period. The archival project, a crucial part of our legacy, will highlight and preserve the history and achievements of M4BL.

We seek a skilled and dedicated archivist consultant to partner in this significant memory-keeping and archiving project. Our fundamental belief is in the power and necessity of narrating our own stories, ensuring they are told from our perspective and solidified in our permanent historical record. This collaborative endeavor requires a consultant who can work closely with us to shape and refine various critical aspects of the project.

Scope of Work

The consultant will play a pivotal role in exploring and clarifying key areas such as:

• Developing an archival strategy and plan in collaboration with organizational stakeholders
• Establishing our core principles for archiving and memory-keeping.
• Defining the specific type of archive we aim to establish.
• Determining the intended use and function of the archive.
• Ensuring accessibility and establishing user permissions for the archive.
• Developing critical questions to engage potential institutional partners.
• Outlining the budget requirements for the archive's establishment and ongoing maintenance.
• Setting fundraising goals and strategizing, including the identification of potential grant sources.
• Crafting methods for expanding our existing story collection into more comprehensive oral histories.
• Creating strategies to ensure the archive's accessibility and inclusivity.
• Selecting the types of artifacts that will be most representative and meaningful for inclusion.
• Developing procedures for the effective collection, handling, and storage of these artifacts.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications:

1. A degree in archival science, library science, history, or a related field.
2. Demonstrated experience in archival processing and preservation.
3. Knowledge of digital archiving systems and practices.
4. Excellent organizational and communication skills.
5. Be rigorous and have good follow-through.

Proposal Submission

Proposals should include:

1. A draft approach and methodology for the archival project.
2. A timeline for project implementation.
3. A detailed budget proposal.
4. The candidate’s resume/CV and cover letter.
5. References or examples of previous archival work.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

1. The candidate’s experience and qualifications.
2. The feasibility and thoroughness of the proposed approach.
3. Budget.
4. References and past performance.

Submission Guidelines and Deadline

Proposals should be submitted by April 29, 2024 to the BambooHR link.

All proposals should be prepared comprehensively and concisely.

Contact Information

For any inquiries regarding this RFP, please contact us at M4BL10@m4bl.org