Wholesome Wave Evaluation Support - Request for Proposals 6/10/2024

Wholesome Wave (WW) is seeking an Evaluation Support consultant to develop, monitor, and evaluate a Produce Prescription (PRx) research project with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Bridgeport, CT. Participants in the program will be patients of the health center who identify as black/African American, are living with low-income and are pregnant. The goals of the program are to measure the impact of a PRx program on: 1. food security, 2. fruit and vegetable intake, 3. pregnancy and birth outcomes, and 4. maternal depression. The pilot program will include 86 participants receiving a $60 per month PRx benefit to spend exclusively on fruits and vegetables at nearby grocery stores with six months of refills. Participants will be screened at the health center and enrolled after both attending a nutrition education class and completing a baseline survey. The Evaluation Support consultant will collaborate with WW program staff and the health center to design a cohort maintenance plan including reminders for participants in order to maximize redemption of their PRx. At the end of the six month treatment period, participants will be asked to complete a post-program survey and the health center will provide healthcare utilization and outcome data from the electronic medical record system to WW for analysis.

Wholesome Wave deploys a social justice framework in which we depend on the voice of the community to improve the design of the program through a pre-program survey and other activities based on the Fidelity, Equity, and Dignity (FED) Community Workbook.

The budget for this RFP is $35,000 and the response deadline is Thursday June 27th by 12PM ET.

Wholesome Wave is a national non-profit established on the belief that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, geographic location or income, has a fundamental right to choose healthy food. Wholesome Wave’s mission is straightforward yet profound: to end food and nutrition insecurity by making nutritious produce available and affordable to all, especially those in historically underserved communities. Founded in 2007 by James Beard Award-winning, Chef Michel Nischan, and former USDA Undersecretary of Agriculture, Gus Schumacher, WW successfully established the legal framework and advocated to fund the doubling of SNAP benefits when spent on fruits and vegetables—a program that has reached millions of community members across the country and has been established as a permanent program in the 2018 Farm Bill, named the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) in honor of our founder.

WW seeks proposals from qualified evaluators for the following:

  • Study Design Phase July – Sept. 2024

    • Collaborate in the design of a community survey and interpretation of results.

    • Consult with the health center and WW on which data to collect in order to address research questions.

    • Develop and implement listening sessions/focus groups if deemed appropriate and assist with integration of the learnings into the program.

    • Have an established relationship with an IRB and assist WW in navigating the intricacies of the IRB process.

  • Cohort Recruitment, Enrollment and Monitoring Phase Oct. 2024 – May 2025

    • Assist WW and health center to develop the screening and recruitment of process for potential participants.

    • Support WW and the health center to optimize redemption and engagement of study participants. Participate in monthly check in meetings for program updates and troubleshooting.

  • Data Analysis – June 2025 – Dec. 2025

    • Aid WW in data interpretation and analysis of survey data and healthcare utilization. WW will remain the lead in data management.

    • Consult on an analysis plan to ensure sound science and ongoing discussion/advice with the WW data manager regarding the analyses.

  • Dissemination – Early 2026

    • Design and develop a two-page community friendly report based on data tables produced by WW data manager and determine which results are most impactful/relevant to the community for inclusion. This could be a collaborative venture to include WW and the health center.

    • Develop a slide deck presentation of study results.

    • Present findings to the participant community at a TBD venue and to the public either via webinar or conference.

    • While not a priority, submissions to scientific journals will be considered and discussed.

In your proposal, please include the following:

  • Brief statement of interest and alignment with professional experience

    • Written (one page or less) or video/audio recording (five minutes or less)

  • Two or more examples of past evaluation work, prioritizing experience in assessing clinical health outcomes as they relate to a treatment or intervention

  • Projected cost for delivery of this project

Please send proposal and any related documentation to Katina Gionteris katina@wholesomewave.org 203-640-0720.

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until 12:00PM ET on June 27, 2024.