Request for Proposals (RFP) Marketing and Outreach Campaign: “Discover Extension” Platform

Issued By: Extension Foundation

Max Funding Available: $300,000

Funding Source: USDA NIFA AFRI-National Extension Clearinghouse for Industry and the Workforce, project award no. 2023-67037-40533

RFP Release Date: August 7th, 2026

Proposal Submission Deadline: September 1, 2026

Performance Period: up to 2 years (subject to annual renewal and federal fund availability)

1. Purpose and Program Background

The Extension Foundation is seeking proposals from qualified marketing, public relations, and communications firms to develop and execute a robust, multi-year marketing and outreach campaign for Discover Extension (a private link to the site will be provided upon request to those responding to the RFP).

Discover Extension is an emerging digital platform designed to help individuals find, map, and engage high-value learning opportunities offered by the Cooperative Extension system within agriculture and its related support sectors.

To expand the platform’s long-term utility, the campaign must be structured with the future adaptability to seamlessly integrate marketing and outreach for emergent secondary tools, such as the AgriProspects From Learning to Opportunity Toolkits.

2. Scope of Work (SOW)

The selected partner will work closely with our team to launch a fast-tracked initial campaign rollout, followed by a sustained, flexible 2 year outreach initiative.

All campaign elements must be strictly targeted to the specific parameters of this program, focusing on two key target audiences:

The Public (Career Seekers, Employers, Intermediaries, Agencies) (External): Reaching and recruiting program participants at the local, state, regional, and national levels to use the platform to build agricultural career pathways, understand skills and competency-based approaches to staffing, and promote the success of the workforce using these non-degree opportunities.
Cooperative Extension Educators and Administrators (Internal): Promoting the platform internally to educators who will act as the primary providers of the learning opportunities housed on the platform.

The proposal may leverage the Extension Foundation’s social media channels as part of this proposal (Facebook, LinkedIn, X). Additional platforms and methods may be included for consideration.

Key Deliverables:

Rapid Initial Launch Plan: A fast-tracked strategy to support the immediate rollout phase of the platform.
2–3 Year Comprehensive Outreach Strategy: A scalable, flexible roadmap that spans local, state, regional, and national levels.
Participant Recruitment Campaigns (Allowable under 2 CFR 200.421(b)(4)): Program outreach and targeted digital/traditional placements designed to recruit specific project participants (e.g., learners, job seekers, agricultural workers) to use the Discover Extension platform.
Public and Press Communications (Allowable under 2 CFR 200.421(d)(2)): Designing media packages, press releases, and informational campaigns to communicate the specific activities, milestones, and accomplishments of the Discover Extension and AgriProspects initiative to the public and the press.
Educator Toolkit: Marketing materials, educational collateral, and digital assets tailored to Cooperative Extension educators to drive internal buy-in and platform adoption.
Future Adaptability Framework: A modular strategy blueprint demonstrating how the campaign will later scale to promote the From Learning to Opportunity Toolkits components as well as other emergent career pathway tools.

3. Federal Compliance & Unallowable Costs

Because this campaign is funded by a federal grant, the contract and all associated expenditures must comply with 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance). The respondent must explicitly design their budget and deliverables around the following strict compliance boundaries:

Federal Compliance Guardrails (2 CFR 200.421):

Allowable Program Outreach: Under 2 CFR 200.421(b)(4), costs are limited to program outreach and participant recruitment directly necessary to meet the requirements of this federal award.
Allowable Public Relations: Under 2 CFR 200.421(d)(2), costs are limited to communicating with the public and press regarding the specific accomplishments and activities resulting directly from the performance of this award.
Strictly Unallowable Costs (2 CFR 200.421(e)): Federal funds cannot be used for general advertising or public relations designed solely to promote the overall image of the recipient organization. Additionally, no promotional items, “swag,” gifts, memorabilia, or souvenirs may be proposed or purchased under this contract.

4. Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested respondents must submit a concise proposal (not to exceed 10 pages, excluding case studies/resumes) containing the following:

Technical Approach:

An outline of the rapid initial launch strategy.
A description of the 2-to-3-year multi-level campaign strategy (local, regional, national).
A plan for targeting both external career-seekers and internal Cooperative Extension educators.
Your approach to modular design/future-proofing for the Non-degree Credentialing Toolkit.

Compliance Narrative: A brief statement acknowledging 2 CFR 200.421 compliance, confirming that no unallowable costs (such as promotional memorabilia or general organizational branding) are included.

Cost Proposal: An itemized, milestone-based budget. All costs must be clearly categorized as either Participant Recruitment / Outreach (2 CFR 200.421(b)(4)) or Public & Press Communications (2 CFR 200.421(d)(2)).

Qualifications & Case Studies: Examples of past work managing federally-funded outreach campaigns or working within agricultural/extension frameworks.

5. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Technical Merit & Strategic Fit (40%): Creativity, flexibility, and scalability of the multi-level campaign across the 2–3 year timeline.
Speed to Market (20%): Demonstrated capacity to execute a high-quality, rapid initial platform launch.
Federal Grant Experience & Compliance (20%): Experience working within federal constraints and a budget strictly aligned with 2 CFR 200.421.
Adaptability Plan (10%): Viability of the strategy to scale and incorporate the Non-degree Credentialing Toolkit.
Value and Cost-Effectiveness (10%): Overall alignment of the cost proposal with realistic program needs.

6. Contact and Submission Instructions

Please submit your proposal electronically in PDF format to agriprospects@extension.org no later than September 1st at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Questions regarding this RFP may be directed to Jason Weigle (jasonweigle@extension.org), AgriProspects Program Manager until August 25th at 5:00 PM Eastern Time