1. General Requirements a. Within two weeks of the start of the grant, the grantee shall conduct a kick-off meeting with the MDH Grant Monitor and Center staff. b. Within two months of the start of the grant, the grantee shall develop a detailed Key Stakeholder Contact List and an Outreach Plan in coordination with the MDH Grant Monitor and the Center. i. Key stakeholders should include community members, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations that work, directly or indirectly, to prevent firearm violence and to limit the effects of firearm violence that does occur. The grantee shall work with the Center to create the list of key stakeholders ii. Proposals shall describe plans and resources that will be used by the Applicant to develop the stakeholder list, including efforts to collaborate with the MDH Grant Monitor and Center staff on list development. Proposals can describe the format, platform, and functionality of the list to serve as an outreach mechanism. iii. Proposals and the Timeline shall describe sections and steps that will be taken to develop the outreach plan, including efforts to collaborate with the MDH Grant Monitor and Center staff. iv. Proposals shall describe the mechanism that will be used to provide incentives or honorariums that shall be provided within a timely manner (within 5 business days of the engagement activity) to demonstrate the value of community members’ emotional labor involved in sharing feedback based on their lived experience. c. The grantee shall coordinate and facilitate a minimum of 20 meetings (including in-person, virtual, and phone), focus groups, town halls, convenings, and/or listening sessions in communities across Maryland, with an emphasis on communities disproportionately impacted by firearm violence. The timing of these shall be proposed in the submitted Timeline. i. Participation of representatives from a minimum of the top six jurisdictions with the highest rates of firearm homicides and/or suicides throughout the project is required. Firearm violence includes homicide, suicide, and unintentional firearm injuries and deaths. Urban, suburban, and rural communities are impacted. Outreach and community engagement planning must consider data on geographic and demographic trends in types of firearm violence about where and how many events will be held. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a five year average, counties with the highest rates of firearm homicide include Baltimore City, Prince George’s County, Baltimore County, Charles County, and Cecil County. In a five year average, the counties with the highest rates of firearm suicide include Cecil County, Washington County, Worcester County, Allegany County, Harford County, and St. Mary’s County. ii. At least ten meetings are required to be in-person. Considerations should be made to be responsive and considerate to the needs of the participants (venue location, date and time of event, etc.). iii. Marketing assistance will be provided by MDH and partners. The grantee shall provide graphic design and communications including recruitment ads and event invitations, which must be consistent with and approved by MDH Communications. iv. The grantee’s proposal should describe the grantee’s resources, networks, and partnerships that can be leveraged for this project. For example, how can attendees be recruited? Would a partner offer a meeting space or food donation? v. The grantee shall include Center staff, as identified by the MDH Grant Monitor, including Center leadership, at all town halls, convenings, and listening sessions...
