Guidelines for Obtaining $100,000 Grant from Decriminalize Sex Work for a Washington D.C. Ballot Initiative (March 4, 2021)
Individuals, organizations, and/or campaign committees interested in decriminalizing adult, consensual sex work in Washington, D.C., in November 2022 are encouraged to apply to Decriminalize Sex Work (DSW) for a $100,000 grant by June 30, 2021.
A successful applicant would ideally possess the following skills and background:
* Experience with running or working at a high-level on campaigns to elect individual candidates to public office and/or to pass local/city/state ballot initiatives (of any kind).
* Roots in the D.C. community, including (but not limited to) relationships with the political establishment.
* Access to — and leadership with — grassroots activists in the D.C. community, who would ideally be mobilized to participate in a citywide signature drive.
* Experience with being a spokesperson — or working closely with a spokesperson — who has interfaced regularly with the news media (not necessarily in D.C.).
* Execution of a six-figure campaign budget.
* Management or coordination with paid signature gatherers (not necessarily in D.C.).
There is no minimum or maximum number of pages for this grant application. Rather, a successful grant application would simply include satisfactory descriptions of the following:
* If an existing organization, mission, and organizational chart if applicable.
* Plan for identifying, retaining, and coordinating a professional petitioning firm, or independent contractors, to obtain ~25,000 signatures.
* Plan for recruiting, activating, and managing volunteer petitioners.
* PR strategy that distinguishes between three phases of a D.C. campaign — before the signature drive, during the signature drive, and after the signature drive.
* Development of the campaign’s messaging to D.C. voters, as well as thoughts on how to rebut or otherwise address an opposition campaign’s messages.
* Budget that illustrates how DSW’s $100,000 grant fits within the campaign’s overall budget.
DSW will make decisions on all grant applications by September 30, 2021.
As such, grant applications should span a period of time that (1) begins sometime in 2021, and (2) ends in November 2022.
Grant applications — or questions about this grant — should be directed to grants@dswork.org.
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application deadline:
June 30, 2021