CALL FOR TENDER: Conduct a series of workshops for CARFAC Alberta about Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility; complete an organizational audit of CARFAC Alberta policy and programming through an EDIA lens; use results to create groundwork for a new Strategic Business Plan and next steps

Background:

CARFAC Alberta serves visual artists and represents Alberta’s visual arts sector. As a non-profit provincial cultural organization, we actively inform artists of sectoral developments, promote artists, and provide professional development opportunities for artists. CARFAC Alberta advocates on behalf of Alberta’s visual artists and works to improve the socio-economic conditions of all artists.

The mission of CARFAC Alberta, is to advance best practices for all visual artists in Alberta, through education, advocacy, and engagement. This is to uphold a vision where Alberta is a province in which all visual artists thrive: artwork is valued, rights are respected, and creativity is integral to our communities.

To meet our Mission and Vision, we want to continue our outreach to as many visual arts professionals as possible so that they know about the resources, support, and opportunities we offer. We feel that a significant component of our outreach is about our organization embodying Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, or EDIA.

We would like to enlist the expertise of EDIA consultants for a project involving information and communication workshops, conducting and audit of our organization, and ultimately creating a set of actions for our organization to more fully support and serve visual artists in Alberta moving forward, including completing a new Strategic Vision for CARFAC Alberta 2024-2027.

Project description:

1.) CARFAC Alberta is looking for EDIA Consultants to design and carry out 3-4 information workshops about EDIA for our staff, board, and membership, over the next year. Workshops will be a combination of introductory educational workshops for staff and board early on in the project, and communication to and from the organization’s broader membership later, as we work towards the project goals.

2.) Our organization also needs help carrying out a detailed audit of our policy and programming through an EDIA lens. This will include looking at key documents, programming, and communication, including the following:

  • Written documents:
    • Working documents like our Strategic Business Plan;
    • Background policy like our bylaws, policy manual, code of conduct, board roles and responsibilities;
    • Artist resources like our Best Practices Documents, “Becoming: a Visual Artist”
    • Membership survey results
  • Services and Communication:
    • Membership, email newsletter, website, social media, facility, staff and board
    • Background policy like our policy manual, code of conduct, board roles and responsibilities, bylaws;
  • Programming over the past several years:
    • Online webinars, workshops, engagement sessions (online discussions and informal learning opportunities, in-person meet-ups, gallery walks), exhibitions and projects, mentorship programs

3.) With these two components, workshops and an organizational audit, we hope to complete, with the help of EDIA consultants, a new Strategic Vision for CARFAC Alberta 2024-2027. Stemming from this work, we would like a concrete set of actions for our organization to more fully support and serve visual artists in Alberta moving forward.

The bulk of this project and final reporting would be completed by June 30, 2023.

To reply to this Call for Tender: Please describe an approximate timeline and brief description of how you would approach completing these tasks over the next year. You can apply to complete all the tasks listed, or you can apply with your specific expertise for parts of this call. Please also include the cost for your services, the names of two references, and briefly describe any related previous experience. Include the name of your firm, who would be working on this audit, where the consultants are located, best email address and contact information.

CARFAC Alberta is committed to creating a culture where Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility can thrive. We welcome all applications and respond to all letters of interest.

Please send a letter of Interest by October 30, 2022 to general@carfacalberta.com

For further information, and to answer questions and concerns, contact:  chris@carfacalberta.com or by telephone Thursday and Fridays 780.421.1731