The City of Asheville, North Carolina, seeks to contract with a non-profit organization to lead the development, management, and execution of a single event or series of events and engagements designed to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday in 2023.
The RFP is being issued to identify qualified non-profit organizations with the capacity to execute a celebration to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday on behalf of, and in conjunction with the City of Asheville in 2023.
This request seeks to identify a qualified producing organization with proven experience, and an innovative vision with the following objectives to be addressed within a 2023 programming agreement:
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Celebrate the history and tell the story of Juneteenth
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Support small and minority businesses
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Work to eliminate racial disparities in education and equitable service delivery
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Promote environmental stewardship
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Preserve cultural identity within Asheville
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Enhance Asheville brand as an inclusive and diverse community
Projected Timeline
An informational webinar will be conducted via Google Meet on October 7 at 3:00 pm. (Attendance is optional.) Register to attend here.
Following the webinar, the online proposal form will open at 5:00 p.m. with submissions due by November 4 at 12:00 pm.
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Oct 7 – RFP Proposal Form Opens 5:00 p.m.
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Oct 18 – Deadline to Submit Questions 12:00 p.m.
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Nov. 4 – Proposals Due 12:00 p.m.
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December, 2022 – Projected start date of Project
RFP Documents
Request for Proposal Documents are posted on the City procurement website at: www.ashevillenc.gov/bids.
This is the official source of this solicitation. All updates to this solicitation shall come in the form of published addenda and shall be published to the same location.
Direct all inquiries regarding this RFP by email to: jfillman@ashevillenc.gov
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas were finally told they were free. Those enslaved people learned they were free two years after the Civil War was over. A century and a half later, Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell designated Juneteenth as a City of Asheville holiday, and on June 8, 2021, City of Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer issued a ceremonial proclamation acknowledging Juneteenth as a day of celebration for African Americans. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day.