Description
Request for Proposals Community Engagement
Measurement and Evaluation Consultation
Issued by: National Geographic Society
Proposals due by April 28, 2026
Project Overview
Since August 2025, the Community Engagement team within the National Geographic Society’s Education and Community Engagement (ECE) division has been charged with leading the co-creation of an organization-wide strategy for community engagement. This effort is supported by a cross-divisional Community of Practice (CoP) steering group of National Geographic Society staff, launched in September 2025. Central to our approach is a commitment to modeling co-creation. Rather than imposing a top-down mandate, we have engaged in a highly collaborative process to ensure our approach serves as a point of reflection rather than a prescriptive set of rules.
Through this collaborative process, shared definitions, draft guiding principles and reflection questions have been developed for NGS Explorers (grantees), staff, educators and youth, to use as a foundation for inquiry and a tool for refining their own practices when working with and in communities. As a next step, ECE seeks a contractor to support the development of a Measurement and Evaluation (M&E) Plan for its Community Engagement Strategy.
Project Goals
The primary objective of this consultancy is to support the National Geographic Society’s Community Engagement Strategy from a framework into a measurable, actionable, and impact-driven M&E Plan.
The specific goals of this project are to:
Identify Impact Indicators for Community Engagement: Identify indicators that reflect NGS’s commitment to community engagement and multi-directional learning, ensuring these metrics are applicable to staff, Explorers, educators and youth.
Operationalize Measurement through a Co-Created Toolkit: Design and validate a practical suite of data collection tools (surveys, protocols, and manuals) that enable NGS staff and Explorers to measure progress.
Scope of Work
This project’s scope of work includes:
Phase I: Discovery and Alignment
Document Review: Conduct a focused audit of pre-selected 3-5
community-based projects provided by NGS to serve as case studies that document impact. This includes reviewing associated impact reports, existing logic models, and programmatic data for these specific exemplars to establish a baseline for current evaluation practices.
Interviews: Conduct 10-15 interviews with key NGS staff and Explorers, educators and youth to understand current success and impact definitions and approaches.
Data Analysis and Synthesis: Analyze and synthesize audience (staff, Explorers, educator, and youth) feedback on the draft Community Engagement Principles. This includes identifying key themes and developing a summary report that evaluates how these principles resonate, providing actionable insights to inform final strategy adjustments and M&E design.
Phase II: M&E Design
Recommendations: Provide any recommendations to our organizational approach
Theory of Change (ToC): Develop an organization-level ToC specifically for community engagement, mapping activities to mid- and long-term impacts. Indicator Development: Identify a mix of quantitative and qualitative as well as process and outcome indicators for inclusion in funding proposals, project evaluations and program design.
Phase III: Toolkit Development
Data Collection Tools: Design surveys, focus group protocols, and other data collection tools to support measuring the impact of community engagement. This will include validating developed tools with Explorers, NGS staff, educators and youth.
Develop a draft report by November and final report by December 2026 including written findings and a PowerPoint presentation that includes
recommendations
Present findings and recommendations and answer questions to various groups of National Geographic staff and collaborators, at least three virtual
presentations.
Target Deliverable Schedule
Phase Estimated Deadline
Phase 1 May-July
Phase 2 July-September
Phase 3 September-December
If dates need to be adjusted, please include your proposed revised timeline and the reason for the change. All proposed date changes will be considered.
Requirements
Evaluation Criteria
The National Geographic Society will evaluate bidders and proposals based on the following:
Previous experience/past performance history
Samples and/or case studies from previous projects of a similar scope and scale
Projected costs within a $35,000 budget
Experience and technical capabilities designing evaluation studies for large, trusted brands
Demonstrated commitment to inclusive practices
Demonstrated commitment to conservation and environmental sustainability
Expertise and experience working with global audiences across different cultural backgrounds, specifically within a variety of educational settings.
Experience in co-designing measurement and evaluation with multiple communities
Submission Requirements
Bidders must adhere to the following guidelines to be considered:
Only bidders who meet all criteria in the evaluation section should submit a proposal
Proposals must be sent by April 28, 2026, to Jonathan Walker at jowalker@ngs.org
Include samples with your proposal
Include the proposed team composition and bios with your proposal
Provide a proposed timeline and budget with your proposal
Background on National Geographic
The National Geographic Society (NGS) is a mission-driven, non-profit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. For more than 130 years, we have funded the best and brightest individuals dedicated to scientific discovery who also teach us about the world and inspire us to take action to protect it. Our global community of National Geographic Explorers are leading a new age of exploration in support of our mission.
We deeply value the importance of planetary stewardship and the urgent need to protect our planet. Of equal importance is our belief that when people learn about our world and have an emotional connection to it, they’ll take action to protect it.
National Geographic Explorers include scientists, educators, and storytellers across our six focus areas: ocean, land, wildlife, human histories and cultures, planetary health and space. In addition to supporting Explorers work, reach, and impact within the communities they work, the NGS Education and Community Engagement (ECE) portfolio offers a host of products and services that help to extend the impact that Explorers want to have in the world as well as to cultivate an explorer mindset in youth and educators. We take an intentional, interdisciplinary and globally inclusive approach to our work, centering our efforts on the work National Geographic Explorers do in the field and around the world. When we teach people about real-world Explorers, and offer immersive experiences that build skills, we not only inspire them to explore a new world of possibilities, but we create the enabling conditions for change.
Such opportunities include, but are not limited to:
Externships
Explorer Classroom
Education Website and Open Education Resources
Grosvenor Teacher Fellowships
MapMaker
MOE (Museum of Exploration)
Slingshot Challenge
Our audience reach for these products and services is intentionally broad and inclusive. We engage formal and informal educators in K-12, higher education communities, as well as informal and community based educators in nature centers, museums, libraries and other spaces. In addition to educators, we see our target audiences as adult and career learners, as well as youth ages 13-25.
We achieve impact by infusing core practices and approaches into our work including design and innovation; geography and place-based learning; career-connected learning and skill building; multidirectional learning; and scaling for impact.
Everything we do at the National Geographic Society – from the people and programs we fund to the educational resources, experiences and content we create, and the stories we tell – aim to inspire the Explorer in everyone.
RFP Principles
Bidder Responsibility—RFP participating suppliers are expected to be thoroughly familiar with all specifications and requirements for this RFP. Failure or omission to examine any relevant form, article, site or document will not relieve suppliers from any obligation regarding this Request for Proposal unless the supplier has raised a written objection. Objections NGS considers excessive or affecting vital terms may reduce or eliminate your prospects for award. If at any time NGS discovers deviations in the response that are not identified as instructed, the suppliers will be subject to disqualification from consideration or cancellation of contract.
“No Surprises”—the suppliers will implement no changes in prices, or interpretations of contract terms, without the express, advance concurrence, and consent of NGS.
Suppliers’ Representations to NGS, whether verbal or written, will be relied upon by NGS in its evaluation of the suppliers as a potential supplier. By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, the supplier represents that their organization is fully experienced and properly qualified to perform such services as described in the RFP, and that it is properly licensed, equipped, organized, and financed to perform such services, and the supplier will be relied upon by NGS as material factors that will be considered in the decision making process.
Response Content—In order to enable direct comparison of responses, all must be submitted in strict conformity to the items listed herein. Failure to adhere to all requirements may result in the supplier information being disqualified as non-responsive.
Contract Award will be made following the issuance of the RFP and following the evaluation of proposed responses. Award will be made to the responsive, responsible bidder, whose offer conforms to the RFP and is most advantageous to NGS, evaluating quality, services, price and other factors.
This RFP is not a Contract or an offer to enter into a contract, and NGS does not intend to be legally bound to any recipient of this RFP with respect to the potential transactions herein. Unless and until a written purchase order or other definitive written agreement is delivered and signed by both parties, NGS does not intend to be legally bound. NGS may discontinue discussion regarding the potential transactions described in this RFP at any time, without notice and for its convenience without liability or obligation to any recipient of this RFP.
NGS Reserves the Right to negotiate or refuse to negotiate with any supplier responding to this RFP. In addition, NGS may enter negotiations with more than one prospective supplier simultaneously, and may contact any prospective supplier without notification to any other suppliers.
NGS is Not Responsible for Costs incurred by bidder in responding to this RFP, including but not limited to, preparation of the written RFP response, interviews, travel or other related costs.
Confidentiality—The bidder agrees that all information contained in this RFP as well as all non-public information about NGS and National Geographic Partners that it obtains in the course of the performance of its services should it be awarded a contract shall be kept strictly confidential. This RFP must not be copied, circulated, or forwarded to any third party for evaluation without the written consent from National Geographic Society. NGS will not consider any bids submitted by suppliers who violate this confidentiality statement.
All proposals, including pricing and sample contracts submitted by the supplier will be kept strictly confidential by NGS.
Unauthorized Contact—Except as provided herein, should bidder contact or solicit any trustee, officer or employee of NGS or NGP with regard to this RFP, it may be barred from further consideration in NGS’s sole discretion.
Insurance Requirements
Supplier will carry and maintain comprehensive insurance policies as follows:
1. Commercial General Liability Insurance. Requirements: occurrence rather than claims-made coverage with minimum limits as follows:
a. $1,000,000 each occurrence, combined single limit.
b. $2,000,000 general aggregate (including a per location or per project endorsement)
c. $2,000,000 aggregate; products, completed operations
d. $1,000,000 personal and advertising injury, each occurrence
e. $10,000 medical payments
2. Workers' Compensation Insurance. Requirements: workers’ compensation coverage meeting statutory limits and coverages as required by state or states of operation; employers’ liability coverage for bodily injury in the amount of $500,000 each accident, $500,000 disease (each employee) $500,000 disease policy limit.
3. Umbrella/Excess Liability Insurance. Requirements: follows form (i.e., coverages and exclusions reflect those of the primary insurance policies); minimum coverage $5,000,000 for each occurrence and $5,000,000 annual aggregate.
4. Automobile Liability Insurance. Requirements: owned, non-owned, and hired-car coverage; with minimum limit of liability $1,000,000 each accident; bodily injury and property damage.
These insurance policies must be maintained with insurance carriers rated by A.M. Best as A- or better. Supplier will maintain coverage throughout the Term and will endeavor to give NGS Legal Notice thirty (30) days before a material change in policy coverage.
The General Liability, Auto Liability, and Excess/Umbrella Liability must include NGS, its subsidiaries, licensees, partners, directors, and officers, agents and employees as additional insureds. Coverage must apply on a primary and noncontributory basis for ongoing and completed operations. The General Liability, Workers Compensation Policies, Auto Liability, and Installation Floater coverages must include a waiver of subrogation in favor of NGS, its trustees, directors, officers, employees, servants, agents, and the Supplier.
Certificates of insurance will be provided within thirty (30) days of execution of the agreement, completed by its insurance broker/representative. The Certificate Holder will be National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street, NW, Washington DC 20036. An acceptable certificate must be received before services and/or products can be accepted.
As an independent contractor, Supplier is required to pay at its own expense for the insurance that it is required to maintain under this Agreement.
Supplier waives rights against NGS and NGS’s Indemnitees (as defined in the Indemnification section) and assigns for recovery of damages to the extent these damages are covered by insurance that the Supplier is required to maintain under the terms in this section.
