REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: RESEARCH DIVISION CONSULTANT, Washington state demographics and representation

Inatai Foundation is requesting qualifications from organizations (nonprofit, private, or public corporations) to support our research division. We seek a consultant to develop a series of deliverables regarding population demographics and elected representation in Washington state.  

We are most interested in partnering with organizations who share our values and our commitment to equity and racial justice. We invite those who are interested in one or more of these areas of work to review this document and submit your qualifications by October 31 2023. 

Founded in 2017 as Group Health Foundation following the sale of Group Health Cooperative to Kaiser Permanente, Inatai Foundation holds a unique position as the only 501(c)(4) of its size with an intentional commitment to Washington state. The foundation’s first five years have focused on listening and learning with communities across the state to define its vision, strategy, and focus. In early 2023, the foundation changed its name to Inatai Foundation and committed to a 50-year long-term vision. The word “Inatai” is from the Chinuk Wawa language, which is spoken by the Chinook tribe and served as Washington’s and the Pacific Northwest’s original trade language. Inatai’s English translation is “to cross over.” The word reflects the foundation’s deep commitment to the region and its journey toward a more equitable world along with its partners.

Inatai’s first five years have also been shaped by significant growth in size and complexity. Its staff now live across the state and have grown from 5 to 60; it nurtures relationships with 500 grantees; it launched an investment management company and opened an office in Pasco. It will soon move into a new Seattle office that will serve as a resource and gathering place for grantees and community organizations aligned with Inatai’s vision. The foundation is also clear about its values and approaches that center communities and seek to transform the balance of power.

Inatai Foundation is comprised of a 501(c)(4), 501(c)(3), and an investment management LLC with combined assets of $2B+ and a total annual budget of $97M. It anticipates being fully staffed in 2024 with 75 employees. To learn more about Inatai’s organizational structure and team, please visit its website.

The purpose of the Our People are Everywhere: Washington State Demographics and Representation project is to provide quantitative data on population and political representation demographics emphasizing the extensive Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, Asian, Pacific Islander, and multi-racial populations in Washington state and a snapshot of the projected population 50 years into the future. This project’s findings will be used to elevate the full count demographic composition of Washington state and contrast the diversity among Washingtonians to that of elected leadership in each county and legislative district. We are using full count as a placeholder term to describe a data approach that promotes using race “alone or in combination with other races” instead of “single race alone.” This approach aims to represent the full breadth of racial identities and disrupts the pervasive practice of placing multi-racial and BIPOC individuals into “two or more races” or other multi-race categories, thereby reducing the perceived population size of each of the racial groups that these individuals selected during data collection. The deliverables for this project will include data visualizations that show viewers the presence of people of color in every county in our state and compel viewers to consider what racial and economic equity in elected representation would look like now and in the future. 

Research Questions:   

1. What is the full count demographic make-up of legislative districts and counties in Washington State?  
2. What is the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) population compared to non-BIPOC population make-up of legislative districts and counties in Washington State? 
3. How do the demographics of legislative districts and county populations in Washington State compare to the demographics of their elected officials? Comparison to include:

• County commissioners, sheriffs, treasurer, auditor, assessor, county court and superior court positions   
• State Legislators  

4. How does the income level of elected officials and the population in the legislative districts or counties they represent compare? 
5. What is the full count demographic make-up of Washington state projected to look like in 50 years, at final year of our 50-Year Vision in 2075?

1. Maps of counties in Washington state with demographic data overlays 
2. Report-ready tables containing demographic data for each county in Washington  
3. Report-ready tables and graphs containing demographic data by age group for each county in Washington 
4. Infographics that convey the difference between population and elected official demographics 
5. Slide deck on research question findings, including key differences or results of using a full count data practice as opposed to standard practice of single race alone. 

Interested applicants should submit a response by email to barbarag@inatai.org with subject line “Our People are Everywhere: Washington State Demographics and Representation project RFP” by close of business on October 31st, 2023. Please submit responses as a PDF.  

Please include the following: 

• Samples of original infographics and tables in reports created by your organization. 
• Proposed scope of work
• Proposed budget
• If there is a research question(s) outside of your organization’s expertise or capacity, please indicate which questions so that we can consider what additional consultant support may be needed.  
• Briefly discuss your organization’s approach to equity and diversity in the workplace.  
• Please provide summary statistics on the racial, gender, LGBTQ+, and disability diversity of your organization and, separately, your executive leadership team and your ownership group.  
• Do you have any policies or practices regarding non-discrimination? If so, please share with us.