• Issued By: Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice

• Deadline to Apply: July 31, 2026

• Project Budget: $35,000

• Contract Term: ASAP – July 31, 2027; potential to extend on an annual basis

1. The Opportunity

The Hawai‘i Hunger Action Network (HHAN) is a statewide, member-led network dedicated to ensuring all people in Hawai‘i have access to quality food to live healthy, dignified lives. We are seeking a contractor to serve as our Network Coordinator—a role that acts as the "connective tissue" for the network.

We are not looking for a project manager to execute tasks; we are looking for a facilitator and strategist who can help us live out the commitments made in our Network Charter.

2. Our Philosophy

Before proposing, you must review the HHAN Network Charter, noting in particular these guiding principles:

• The network does the work: Your role is to support members, not direct them.

• Action over discussion: Our meetings are not for updates; they are for moving initiatives forward.

• Asset-based: We connect people to resources rather than starting from "what's missing."

3. Objectives & Deliverables

Objective A: High-Engagement Network Gatherings

Our quarterly, in-person gatherings are the primary engine for the network’s collective learning and action planning. This is where collaborative initiatives are often generated.

• Deliverables: Plan and facilitate four (4) interactive, full-day, in-person meetings. This includes agenda development, identifying guest speakers, and driving member attendance.

Objective B: Empowered Leadership & Effective Governance

The HHAN Leadership Team (LT) is a small, volunteer steering committee responsible for monitoring the current partnership landscape, identifying topics for discussion at the quarterly full-network gatherings, and supporting the continued development of the Network Charter.

• Deliverables: Liaise closely with LT members, including hosting and facilitating a minimum of four (4) virtual LT meetings per year. Actively ensure Network Charter is kept up-to-date.

Objective C: Network Vitality & Collective Action

We strive for a network that does more than just learn–we take collective action. Members stay connected and engaged through collective projects and initiatives even between quarterly gatherings. 

• Deliverables: Incubate and support emerging, actionable ideas and collective initiatives that come out of the network’s quarterly gatherings. This may include assisting members with coordinating or facilitating project-based meetings outside of regular meetings.

4. Evaluation, Tracking, and Reporting

The Network Coordinator is expected to maintain regular communication with the Hawaiʻi Appleseed team and the Leadership Team to ensure transparency and progress toward the objectives. Key reporting and tracking requirements include:

• Quarterly Progress Reports: Provide a quarterly report after each Network gathering that includes a synopsis of the meeting (attendance, key takeaways, member evaluations), major activities that occurred since the prior meeting, challenges encountered, and upcoming priorities.

• Annual Network Health Assessment: We administer a membership survey annually in the late Summer/early Fall. Last year’s membership survey is provided for reference, here. You are welcome (though not required) to use or modify it and expand upon it to measure indicators of network health and vitality, such as connectivity, value, governance effectiveness, and member satisfaction. 

• Final Project Summary: At the conclusion of the contract term, submit a comprehensive summary report documenting all deliverables, key achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations for future network development.

5. Appleseed Support

Food equity is a key issue area for Hawaiʻi Appleseed, and our partnership role with HHAN is critical to our strategy. As a policy advocacy institute, we are primarily dedicated to assisting HHAN with identifying and championing state and county legislation to advance our respective priorities. As the backbone organization for HHAN, Hawaiʻi Appleseed can provide in-kind and financial support in the following areas:

• Funding for quarterly gatherings: The Network Coordinator is not responsible for the costs of quarterly gatherings. We have a modest budget that can accommodate venue fees, catering, neighbor island member travel, and materials for these meetings.

• Legislative strategy & support: Our staff will work closely with the Network Coordinator to integrate the Network’s annual policy prioritization process into the quarterly gatherings, as well as continue coordinating the Policy Working Group (as outlined in Appendix A of the Network Charter).

• Network external communications: Staff will continue to maintain the HHAN website, social media, and e-newsletter. The Network Coordinator will have administrator status on the HHAN Google Group, and may be provided with a dedicated email address, if desired.

6. Proposal Sections

Please submit a proposal (maximum 5 pages) that describes the services you could provide given the project budget. If you are unable to include a particular objective or it would require additional resources, please note this in your proposal.

1. (Optional) Overview of Approach: If not captured in any of the sections below, feel free to provide an overview or framework of your strategic approach to network coordination and development.

2. Approach to Achieving Specific Objectives

   1. Objective A (Gatherings): Explain your methodology for facilitating interactive meetings that drive collective learning and action planning, and create value that members cannot find elsewhere. Include in your response the level of logistics support you can provide, and whether you would need support from Appleseed staff.

   2. Objective B (Governance): Describe how you would guide and support the Leadership Team in their mission to steward network health, set strategy, and ensure our operations remain aligned with the Network Charter.

   3. Objective C (Network Vitality): Detail your plan for strengthening the "connective tissue" between members. Include any plans to support and nurture future member-led projects that support our broader goals. 

3. (Optional) Other Outcomes: Based on our Charter, do you see any other opportunities for HHAN in the next 12 months, and how would your coordination role help realize it?

4. Tracking and Evaluation: Please describe your proposed approach to measuring the objectives in this RFP. Be sure to include basic metrics, such as member participation and satisfaction, as well as deeper analysis such as network strengths and opportunities for improvement. Please describe any changes or alternative tools that you propose.

5. Budget: Please provide a simple budget for this project. Please note any in-kind or matching support, and whether any subcontractors will be hired. An optional sample template is provided in the downloadable version of this RFP linked below.

6. Qualifications & References: Please provide the following with your application:

   • Certificate of Good Standing from DCCA.

   • Examples of relevant prior experience.

   • Contact information for two professional references.

7. Questions & Submission

We welcome questions ahead of the proposal deadline. Please feel free to contact daniela@hiappleseed.org if you would like clarification on anything before submitting.

Please submit proposals via email to: daniela@hiappleseed.org by July 31, 2026.

Download a PDF of this RFP