HomeMy WebLinkAboutCURS Bozeman Equity Indicators Gaps Analysis submissionTitle Page
Authorized Official
Terry Magnuson
Vice Chancellor for Research
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Office of Sponsored Research
104 Airport Drive, Suite 2200
Campus Box 1350
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1350
Phone: 919-966-3411
Email: ResAdminOSR@unc.edu
Principal Investigator
Dr. Michael Webb
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Center for Urban and Regional Studies
Hickerson House, CB# 3410
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3410
Phone: (919) 962-0122
Email: webbmd@unc.edu
OSR Signature Date
On behalf of Terry Magnuson 11/18/2020
Narrative Table of Contents
Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... 1
Firm Profile and Project Personnel .................................................................................... 2
Location, employees, and ownership ........................................................................................................ 2
History ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Resumes .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Contact information .................................................................................................................................. 4
Experience ..................................................................................................................... 4
Scope of Proposal ........................................................................................................... 8
Proposed services ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Project administration ........................................................................................................................... 8
Phase 1: Data collection and stakeholder mapping ............................................................................... 9
Phase 2: Data analysis, gap analysis, and draft final report ................................................................ 12
Phase 3: Develop equity indicators ..................................................................................................... 14
Community engagement tools ................................................................................................................ 14
Communication ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Timeline .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Software and analysis tools ..................................................................................................................... 16
Subcontracts ............................................................................................................................................ 16
Budget ........................................................................................................................ 16
References .................................................................................................................. 17
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 1 November 16, 2020
Executive Summary
This proposal is a response to the City of Bozeman’s RFP entitled “Equity Indicators and Gaps Analysis”
from the Center for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In it, we outline a comprehensive approach to developing equity indicators and conducting a gaps analysis
for Bozeman, Montana. Overall, the approach is grounded in three principles: inclusion, rigor, and action.
Each of these principles is outlined in turn.
The project adopts an inclusive approach to community engagement, data collection, and analysis. Input
will be provided by city staff and two advisory boards: one comprising key stakeholders and another
comprising a diverse group of Bozeman residents. These groups will meet regularly with the CURS team
to discuss progress, contextualize key findings, and plan next steps. In addition, the community engagement
portion of the project will strive to be as inclusive as possible, providing multiple venues for community
members to provide feedback and taking into account various levels of influence in Bozeman—and how
the ongoing pandemic has exacerbated inequalities and the ability of some groups to participate in
community engagement processes.
The approach utilizes rigorous data collection and analytic methods to unearth impediments to equity in
Bozeman across racial, ethnic, gender identity, and other axes of difference. Findings from the focus groups
will be imported into Dedoose (a leading qualitative analysis software program) for coding to elicit key
themes while also not marginalizing less common and anecdotal perspectives. Further, we will work with
city staff, external stakeholders, and residents to identify a series of datasets that are broad, accurate, and
representative of on-the-ground conditions across Bozeman neighborhoods. We will also work with city
staff, stakeholders, and residents to contextualize the findings of our analysis.
Finally, the approach is based in action. We want our findings—both of the data analysis and the gap
analysis—to be actionable to city staff, stakeholders, and residents in Bozeman. Given the time and money
they are investing in the project, nothing would be more insulting than for our findings to be esoteric, pie-
in-the-sky, or otherwise unachievable. Thus, we will work with these groups to ensure that our
recommendations are feasible to implement, and we will develop recommendation timetables intended for
short (within a year), medium (within 3 years) and longer-term (beyond 3 years) implementation.
The CURS team brings a decade of experience conducting equity-focused research in a wide variety of
communities across the U.S. We are excited to bring that experience and expertise to developing an equity-
and inclusion-focused project in Bozeman. Key highlights of our recent work include:
Working with local governments, external stakeholders, and residents to develop equity indicators for
Orange County’s Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice and for an evaluation of Habitat for
Humanity International’s Quality of Life Framework.
Organizing and administering focus groups with diverse populations, and crafting inclusive and safe
environments within those focus groups to facilitate knowledge transfer.
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 2 November 16, 2020
Conducting numerous gap analyses of organization’s (and network of organizations’) capacity to
implement an agenda, program, or framework, and crafting actionable recommendations based on those
analyses.
Developing visually-engaging and easy-to-understand reports and data visualizations both in static and
interactive forms.
The CURS team is excited to partner with City of Bozeman staff, stakeholders, and residents in
implementing this needed project.
Firm Profile and Project Personnel
Location, employees, and ownership
The Center for Urban and Regional Studies is located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
Chapel Hill, NC. In addition to the Center’s Director, the Center has a full-time Associate Director who
oversees its daily operations and supervises the Center’s administrative staff. The administrative staff
comprises a Grants Manager and Processing Assistant. The Center also receives accounting services from
UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences Business Office.
The Center also has in-house research staff that comprises a Research Director, two Research Associates,
and several student Research Assistants. Dr. Michael Webb leads the in-house team, which provides
research, evaluation, and technical assistance on externally-funded projects related to community economic
development, affordable housing, social determinants of health, and equity/inclusion policies. These
projects have been funded by agencies like the Orange County HOME Consortium, Habitat for Humanity
International, Charlotte Housing Authority, North Carolina Community Development Initiative, and many
others.
History
The Center for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has
conducted policy-relevant research for over 50 years, and has produced hundreds of reports for government
agencies, foundations and nonprofit organizations. The Center’s mission is to promote and support high-
quality basic and applied research on urban, rural, and regional planning and policy issues. The Center has
more than 90 Faculty Fellows from 21 campus units and is considered one of the top university-based urban
research centers in the country.
The Center currently manages approximately six million dollars in research and evaluation contracts from
a variety of federal, state, and local governmental and nonprofit organizations. At the federal level, the
Center has conducted research for the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
and other agencies. At the state level, it has worked for the N.C. Department of Commerce (Division of
Community Assistance), N.C., the Governor’s Crime Commission, N.C. Division of Emergency
Management, and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Private funding sources have
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 3 November 16, 2020
included the Ford Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Z. Smith
Reynolds Foundation and the Housing Authority Insurance Group.
Resumes
This project will be led by CURS Research Director Dr. Michael Webb with CURS Research Associate
Sydney Corn serving as lead implementation researcher. Dr. Webb and Ms. Corn will be supported by both
CURS Research Assistants and administrative staff. Resumes of the Dr. Webb and Ms. Corn are attached
to this proposal (Attachment B) and we have included short bios below.
Dr. Michael Webb will serve as project leader and principal investigator on this project. He joined CURS
in December 2013 and, as Research Director, leads CURS’s in-house research team providing evaluation,
research, and technical assistance on externally-funded projects related to affordable housing policy,
community economic development, and equity/inclusion policies. These projects have been funded by
agencies like the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Habitat for Humanity, and the Charlotte
Housing Authority (now INLIVIAN), among others. He also led development of the Housing Opportunity
Finder, a webapp that will connect low-income renters to housing in opportunity neighborhoods in Orange
and Durham Counties.
Prior to joining CURS, Webb worked on community development projects in both the public and non-profit
sectors. He led the Weinland Park Evaluation Project, a community-based survey and outreach effort in a
revitalizing Columbus, Ohio neighborhood. He also served as program officer for the University Area
Enrichment Association, a community development non-profit in Columbus.
A key focus of Webb’s work is the desire to find feasible solutions that address larger, structural issues. In
doing so, he seeks to foster a dialogue between the agencies implementing a program and the people for
whom the program is designed. This dialogue can both elucidate the structural, systemic issues that those
in poverty face while considering the resources of the agency designing and implementing the program.
He received his MA in geography, MCRP in city and regional planning, and Ph.D. in geography from The
Ohio State University.
Ms. Sydney Corn is a Research Associate at CURS, where her work focuses on the design and
implementation of qualitative data collection and analysis strategies. She has also served as Project
Director on several CURS projects, including its recent work to develop the Analysis of Impediments to
Fair Housing Choice for Orange County (NC).
In her time at CURS, she has managed the preparation, distribution, and return of surveys to over 7,000
households with a cumulative response rate of 53%. As a part of the creation of the Housing Opportunity
Finder, she managed the focus group planning, recruitment, and facilitation in partnership with local non-
profits and stakeholders. Additionally, she recently spearheaded the use of email and text data collection
at CURS and is experienced at ensuring confidentiality while collecting and maintaining databases
including sensitive information
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 4 November 16, 2020
Contact information
The contact information for the project director, Dr. Michael Webb, is as follows:
Dr. Michael Webb
Research Director, Center for Urban and Regional Studies
108 Battle Lane, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3410
Office: 919-962-0122, cell: 419-234-5207
webbmd@unc.edu
Experience
The following sections document the expertise of the project team relating to the key tasks outlined in this
proposal. In it, we reference several recently completed projects that have the greatest relevance to these
tasks. Figure 1 summarizes how those projects relate to the key tasks. Below the table, we provide a brief
summary of each project (greater detail is provided where appropriate in the following sections).
Figure 1: CURS experience matrix
Experience Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Habitat for Humanity evaluation Developing the Housing Opportunity Finder Charlotte Housing Authority evaluation Jobs Plus evaluation Evaluation of NCCDI's Disaster Reponses Collecting data for equity
and inclusion x x* x* x x
Employing principles of
equitable data governance x x x x x x
Conducting inclusive
public engagement x x x x
Performing a gap analysis x x x
Employing equity,
inclusion, and diversity
frameworks
x x x x x x
Crafting engaging and
visual representations of
data
x x x x
*Data utilized by both local and state government entities as well as non-profit stakeholders
Developing the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice for Orange County, North Carolina.
Key project activities included developing equity-informed neighborhood-level indicators, analysis of
quantitative and spatial data, presenting results in a visually-engaging way, and liaising with
government officials to develop the report. Funder: Orange County HOME Consortium (Towns of
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 5 November 16, 2020
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, & Hillsborough, and Orange County). Period of performance: April–June 2020.
Key staff: Michael Webb (Project Director), Sydney Corn (Research Associate).
Evaluating pilot implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s Quality of Life framework,
implemented by 10 local Habitat affiliates throughout the U.S. Key activities included focus groups
with neighborhood residents, interviews with key stakeholders and Habitat staff, developing
neighborhood-based equity indicators, analysis of quantitative data, and a gap analysis/process
evaluation of local Habitat affiliates. Funder: Habitat for Humanity International. Period of
performance: May 2018–February 2020. Key staff: Michael Webb (Project Director), Sydney Corn
(Research Associate).
Developing the Housing Opportunity Finder webapp to connect low-income households with
affordable housing in Orange and Durham Counties (North Carolina). Key activities included focus
groups with residents, interviews with stakeholders, collecting and analyzing data, liaising with
government officials, and presenting data in a visually-engaging way. Funder: C. Felix Harvey
Foundation. Period of performance: February 2019–March 2020. Key staff: Michael Webb (Project
Director), Sydney Corn (Research Associate).
Evaluating the Charlotte Housing Authority’s Moving Forward program. Key activities include
developing equity-informed indicators, analyzing quantitative data, conducting interviews and focus
groups with marginalized populations, conducting a gap analysis/process evaluation through interviews
with agency staff and external stakeholders, and developing reports with visually-interesting data
visualizations. Funder: Charlotte Housing Authority. Period of performance: 2014–present. Key staff:
Michael Webb (Project Director), Sydney Corn (Research Associate).
Evaluating HUD’s Jobs-Plus demonstration. Key activities included conducting focus groups with
marginalized populations and conducting a gap analysis/process evaluation through interviews with
agency staff and external stakeholders. Funder: Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Period of performance: September 2016–December 2018. Key staff: Michael Webb (Project Director).
Evaluating the North Carolina Community Development Initiative’s (NCCDI) Disaster Response
in rural communities and small towns in eastern North Carolina. Key activities include developing
equity-informed indicators, collecting and analyzing spatial and quantitative data, conducting
interviews with marginalized populations, developing effective data visualizations, and writing a final
report with actionable recommendations. Funder: North Carolina Community Development Initiative.
Period of performance: April 2019–October 2019. Key staff: Michael Webb (Project Director), Sydney
Corn (Research Associate).
Experience collecting data used to inform community-wide efforts to advance equity and inclusion for a local
government entity. In Spring 2020, project staff were engaged by the Orange County (North Carolina)
HOME Consortium (comprising four local government entities—the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and
Hillsborough in addition to Orange County)—to complete the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
Choice report. In developing that report, project staff collected data on numerous equity- and inclusion-
informed indicators of fair housing choice and access in the county. These included barriers to accessing
affordable housing, special housing needs among at-risk and marginalized populations, and geographic
differences in housing needs across the county. The project team accessed these data through both public
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 6 November 16, 2020
sources (e.g., American Community Survey) and by partnering with local social service agencies (e.g.,
Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness, Orange County Habitat for Humanity).
Another example of the team’s ability to collect data is its development of the Housing Opportunity Finder.
With funding from the C. Felix Harvey Foundation and in partnership with local government entities, the
North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, and numerous non-profit stakeholders, the project team
developed a webapp to help low-income households in Durham and Orange County access affordable
housing in high ‘opportunity’ neighborhoods. To identify these neighborhoods, the team utilized a two-
prong strategy. First, it collected publicly-available data on neighborhood characteristics including school
quality, crime rates, and access to public transit in Durham and Orange Counties. Then, it held a series of
focus groups with low-income residents to understand how they defined neighborhood opportunity. The
team reconciled this focus group feedback with quantitative data to define high opportunity neighborhoods
for four different types of webapp users: families with children, the elderly, veterans, and other households.
These data were also provided to project stakeholders for their own usage.
Finally, another pertinent project is our evaluation of Habitat for Humanity’s Quality of Life framework,
which was undertaken in cooperation with 10 local Habitat affiliates across the U.S. As part of that project,
the evaluation team worked with local Habitat staff to identify, collect, and analyze key data related to
equity and inclusion—particularly data that were not publicly available. For example, the team worked
with Habitat staff to fill crucial data gaps and collect data surrounding criminal justice actions,
environmental health, and education in cities where this information not easily obtainable.
Approach to ethical data governance, including collection, usage and storage, and proficiency ensuring the process
does not perpetuate further inequalities. All data collection activities undertaken by the research team are first
approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UNC-Chapel Hill. The IRB is especially sensitive to
ensuring that data collection is done ethically, and the research team strives to go above and beyond the
IRB’s recommendations for both ethical and equitable data governance. Key to our approach are the
following processes:
Allowing a diverse group of stakeholders to provide input on the data collected for any project, as well
as the analysis to be conducted and any findings. We have found that including stakeholder input at all
stages of the data collection process is crucial for ensuring that data do not perpetuate further inequities,
and helps to ensure the project team is collecting the right data and drawing appropriate conclusions
from the analysis.
Maintaining strict data security protocols to prevent disclosure of data, including limiting the number
of team members who have access to the data.
For primary data collection (interviews and focus groups), our goal is to ensure the greatest diversity
of participants—which ensures the data collected is inclusive and equitable. Key to achieving this are
three principles:
o Ensuring that we are asking the right questions. We encourage stakeholders to provide input on
interview and focus group instruments to ensure they are culturally sensitive to the population being
interviewed or participating in the focus group.
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 7 November 16, 2020
o Providing a variety of times and venues for individuals to participate. Data collection times are
available in the morning, mid-day, and evening on both weekdays and weekends. Individuals can
participate either in-person or virtually/remotely.
o Compensating participants sufficiently for their time. We provide a gift card to both thank
individuals for their participation and to acknowledge that they have provided their time to our data
collection.
o Maintaining strict data security protocols so individuals are feel secure in the confidentiality of
their responses. For our data collection, we do not ask individuals for their names, and ask that
participants use a pseudonym during the focus groups.
Conducting inclusive public engagement with historically-underrepresented populations. The project team has
significant experience conducting inclusive outreach with a variety of historically-underrepresented and
marginalized groups, oftentimes on projects funded by local government entities. Our approach is
summarized in the prior section, and in this section we provide two examples for how we have
operationalized that approach in recent projects.
For our evaluation of Habitat for Humanity’s Quality of Life framework, we relied on external stakeholders
(not local Habitat affiliates implementing the program) to recruit focus group participants. We believed
having external stakeholders conduct recruiting would help the project enroll the greatest diversity of
participants and improve participant’s comfort sharing honest feedback with the research team, as Habitat
staff were not aware who was participating in the focus groups. We also held focus groups at the offices
of external stakeholders, again to maximize participant confidentiality and to ensure the focus group was
an inclusive environment.
Another key to our approach is that we continually assert our team’s independence over the project,
ensuring participants that their participation is confidential and highlighting our robust data security
procedures (see previous section). This was especially important in our evaluative work for the Jobs Plus
demonstration, where we conducted focus groups with residents at public housing sites (primarily African-
American mothers with children) where the Jobs Plus program was being implemented. In this case, the
funder of the evaluation (the Department of Housing and Urban Development through local public housing
authorities) was the current landlord of the focus group participants, understandably leading residents to be
hesitant to participate. To address this, the team continually asserted throughout the focus group that we
were a third-party entity and that everything shared with our team was completely confidential.
Furthermore, we used pseudonyms throughout the focus group so that no names were recorded alongside
the data.
Experience performing a gap analysis. The project team has years of experience conducting gap analyses and
process evaluations to both identify the strengths of an organization to implement a proposed agenda and
develop recommendations to ameliorate any shortcomings in implementing activities. Key to our approach
in conducting a gap analysis is (i) interviewing a wide variety of agency staff—including those whose jobs
may only be tangentially associated with implementing the agenda, (ii) interviewing key external
stakeholders who are aware of the agency’s capacity within the domain, and (iii) interviewing clients who
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 8 November 16, 2020
interact regularly with the agency and/or may be impacted by the program under study. We believe this
approach provides the greatest number of perspectives on both the agency’s current capacity and its
potential shortcomings. Oftentimes, these external stakeholders and clients are more knowledgeable about
an agency’s strengths and weaknesses than agency staff themselves, and their perspectives can be integrated
into identifying gaps within an organization to implement a proposed program or agenda.
Another aspect to our approach conducting gap analyses is to prioritize any recommendations. We
understand that agencies may have a limited capacity to modify themselves in response to identified gaps.
As such, we develop a tiered list of recommendations with ‘high priority’ ones having the potential to make
the greatest impact for the effort required. Lower priority recommendations may have a lesser impact or
require greater effort that is beyond the agency’s current capacity. However, even lower-priority
recommendations often provide longer-term implementation goals for relevant agencies and stakeholders.
Demonstrating equity, inclusion, and diversity frameworks, learnings, and concepts. Equity and inclusion are at
the heart of the research, evaluation, and technical assistance that the CURS team does. As evidenced by
the projects described earlier in the experience matrix, a key focus of our work has been conducting
evaluations and research that advance equity in communities across the U.S. Our goal in all of these projects
is to create just and fair policies/programs so that all members of society can thrive and meet their full
potential.
Another way our team strives to achieve equity in our work is through inclusive engagement strategies. We
consistently adopt best practices for data collection through focus groups and surveys so that participants
have an opportunity to contribute. Many of these strategies are discussed above under ‘ethical data
governance,’ but to summarize, we (i) hold focus groups in spaces where participants feel safe, (ii)
undertake cultural training prior to conducting focus groups, (iii) hire translators as necessary to facilitate-
participation of non-English speakers, and (iv) work to create an inclusive environment within the focus
group.
Crafting engaging and visual representations of data. Our team believes that developing attractive, easy-to-
understand visual representations of data are crucial for communicating findings and can help ensure buy-
in to a report’s recommendations. To that end, we have consistently developed reports and presentations
with cohesive graphics and visual identities and accompanying online content—for instance, using a still
image of an infographic or map in a report and including a hyperlink to corresponding online content on
Tableau or ArcGIS online.
Scope of Proposal
Proposed services
This section of the proposal describes the services to be performed as part of this project.
Project administration
At CURS, the project will be led by Research Director Dr. Michael Webb with assistance from Research
Associate Sydney Corn and CURS Research Assistants. Ms. Holly McPherson Day will provide
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 9 November 16, 2020
administrative support from CURS with additional support from UNC’s Office of Sponsored Research. As
described earlier, one strength of the CURS team is our ability to leverage a network of research assistants
across campus to staff up quickly and complete complex tasks in a short period of time, which will facilitate
the completion of this project within the timeline below.
As discussed in the following sections, the CURS team will work closely with the city of Bozeman staff—
especially the project manager—to define a scope of the project and establish deliverables, especially in
light of the ongoing pandemic. We anticipate, at a minimum, bi-weekly check-in meetings with the
Bozeman project manager, with more frequent meetings during more intensive periods of the project (e.g.,
during community engagement).
We envision two external advisory boards guiding the project. The first will be a ‘stakeholder advisory
board’ that comprises leaders from local non-profits, businesses, academic organizations, and other entities
crucial to implementing the recommendations and/or interested in improving equity in Bozeman. As
discussed in the following section, we will invite members to this advisory board in consultation with city
staff liaising with the project team early in the project. This advisory board will meet monthly with the
project team (via Zoom) to discuss project progress, review materials, and plan next steps. Members of
this advisory board will also be asked to help the research team access relevant local data as necessary and
to assist in community engagement activities.
The second external advisory board will be a ‘resident advisory board’ that comprises approximately five
Bozeman residents from diverse backgrounds. Members of this advisory board will be recruited early in
the project by stakeholders and through targeted communication/marketing through Bozeman-area service
providers. This advisory board will also meet monthly (separately from the stakeholder advisory
committee) with the project team to discuss project progress, review materials (especially data collection
materials), and plan next steps. Members of this advisory board may also be called upon to assist in
community engagement activities. Due to the time commitments required, we will provide modest
compensation to residents participating in this board ($400).
Phase 1: Data collection and stakeholder mapping
Per the RFP, this phase will comprise four activities: project initiation, background research, stakeholder
engagement, and data collection. Each of these activities is discussed in turn.
Project initiation. Within a week of the project being award, the CURS team will meet with city staff to
introduce ourselves; review the proposed scope, timeline, and budget; and to identify key stakeholders,
individuals, and organizations to be engaged throughout the process. In this meeting, the team will also
identify potential members of the stakeholder advisory board and will identify venues to recruit for
members of the resident advisory board. City staff will also share at this meeting any previous studies that
provide relevant information for the research team and will direct the research team to local stakeholders
who can provide data and research to orient the research team to the Bozeman community.
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 10 November 16, 2020
We will also use the introductory meeting to discuss the desired goals of the project. The Government
Alliance on Race and Equity’s Getting to Results framework1 states that equity projects should “start at the
end,” and that stakeholders “need to be clear about what desired racial equity conditions you … want to see
in your whole community.” While it is clear from the RFP that Bozeman has already devoted considerable
thought to its equity goals, we will use this introductory meeting to reaffirm those goals and, if necessary,
refine them.
Background research. Immediately following the opening project meeting, the CURS team will review
relevant materials provided by city staff and will contact stakeholders for any additional materials or
datasets to review, in addition to conducting our own research to identify relevant materials. The goals of
this background research will be threefold:
To better orient the CURS team to the Bozeman community.
To inform the stakeholder mapping framework.
To inform the focus group discussion guides used in later community engagement stages of the project.
Concurrent with the background research stage, the CURS team will invite individuals and organizations
to serve on the stakeholder and resident advisory committees, and will hold our first meeting of these
committees in January 2021. The CURS team will also begin drafting the Data Collection, Analysis, and
Storage Plan (DCASP) for the project and will share an early draft with city staff.
Stakeholder engagement. From the background materials provided by the team’s research, the CURS team
will begin to map Bozeman-area stakeholders pertinent to the project and will plan an inclusive community
engagement process. This process will take into consideration both (i) differing levels of influence among
organizations, individuals, and stakeholders and (ii) how those differing levels of influence may be
exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. The CURS team will utilize these materials to draft focus group
discussion topics.
In consultation with city staff and the two advisory committees, the CURS team will utilize the stakeholder
mapping framework to develop a series of focus groups with Bozeman-area residents. Input from these
organizations will include whether the focus groups should be held in-person or virtually, the targeted
audience for each focus group (discussed in the following section), and to finalize the focus group
discussion topics.
Prior to beginning data collection, the CURS team will finalize the Data Collection, Analysis, and Storage
Plan (DCASP) to guide the research effort. Before being submitted to UNC’s Institutional Review Board
(IRB), this plan will be reviewed by experts at UNC’s Odum Institute (a nationally-recognized data center)
to ensure that it adheres to ethnical data protocols. Following that review, the DCASP will be submitted to
the IRB for approval.
1 Available online at https://www.racialequityalliance.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/09/GARE_GettingtoEquity_July2017_PUBLISH.pdf
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 11 November 16, 2020
Data collection. The research team will implement the data collection process outlined in the DCASP with
continual input from city staff and the stakeholder and resident advisory committees. We anticipate most
community engagement occurring through focus groups of 5–10 residents at a time, with a total of 8–12
focus groups occurring (for a total enrollment of approximately 100 individuals). The CURS team will also
conduct one-on-one interviews with individuals who are uncomfortable with focus groups, or who wish to
participate but cannot due to scheduling conflicts.
Similar to the focus groups the CURS team conducted for the Housing Opportunity finder, these focus
groups will allow Bozeman residents the opportunity to discuss, among other topics:
How they define equity
What they perceive as barriers to increasing equity in Bozeman
How they feel their racial/ethnic and gender identity affects their ability to thrive in Bozeman
What data the research team should analyze to highlight existing inequities in Bozeman
How the results of the research should be presented to reach the widest possible audience?
What equity- and inclusion-related data they would like to see tracked going forward
Since power dynamics within focus groups that can cause some participants to not share feedback, each
focus group will have a targeted audience—such as renter households, differently abled individuals, parents
with children, longer-term Bozeman residents, racial/ethnic minorities, and the like. The exact nature of
each focus group will be developed in consultation with city staff and the two advisory committees.
Given the ongoing pandemic, it is likely that the focus groups will need to be exclusively virtual, though
we will work with city staff and the two advisory boards to identify potential in-person locations if it is safe
to do so. Key to identifying locations for focus groups will be places that are accessible, where participants
feel safe and are willing to share their thoughts honestly and confidently.
The CURS team will utilize best practices for implementing the focus groups, including the use of
pseudonyms for all participants to maintain confidentiality. Prior to the focus groups, all participants will
be informed their participation is voluntary, everything they say is confidential, they can refuse to answer
any question at any time, and they can leave the focus group at any point and still receive compensation.
The research team’s contact information will also be provided should any focus group participants have
questions afterward.
All focus groups will be semi-structured in nature. Focus groups will be recorded and selected portions
may be transcribed for analysis by the CURS team. All focus group participants will receive a $20 gift card
(mailed to them by the research team following the focus group).
Focus group audio (not video, to improve confidentiality) will be recorded and analyzed in Dedoose, a
qualitative coding software. The research team will use inductive and deductive coding techniques—
meaning we will identify a pre-determined list of codes to apply, but will also develop new codes in
response to the data. From past experience, we have found that this strategy is optimal for both identifying
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 12 November 16, 2020
larger trends while still allowing less-cited, more anecdotal (but equally important) points to shine through
in the analysis.
Phase 2: Data analysis, gap analysis, and draft final report
Data analysis. Informed by the focus groups and in consultation with city staff and the two advisory
committees, the CURS team will acquire data pertaining to equity, inclusion, and inequalities in Bozeman.
The team will work with city staff and external stakeholders to secure access to datasets that may not be
publicly available and to, as necessary, generate new datasets—e.g., doing “walking audits” of
infrastructure in the city.
The team will also review the proprietary datasets to which the CURS team has access and which of those
should be included in the analysis.2 Two of these appear especially relevant to this project. The first is
SimplyAnalytics, which is a proprietary dataset that provides data on (literally) thousands of measures,
many of which are closely related to equity and inclusion. For instance, SimplyAnalytics reports more
detailed Census information—such as one-year estimates at the Census tract level—and information on
marketing and business-related topics, like the proportion of households that own a working vehicle. Many
of these indicators are available across racial/ethnic and gender identity lines.
The second dataset is ReferenceUSA, which is a comprehensive business directory that includes addresses,
industry code, size (employees and income), among other factors for businesses. As it includes address
data, ReferenceUSA can be used to map essential services like grocery stores and pharmacies, and to
identify neighborhoods that lack access to necessary services. Especially important in light of the current
pandemic, ReferenceUSA has detailed information on physicians and medical practices, delineating
between specialties (e.g., family practitioner, surgeon, psychiatrist.) and types of medical facilities (clinics,
hospitals, shared practices, etc.).
In conducting the data analysis, the team will strive to disaggregate data points by race, ethnicity, gender
identity, and any other axes of difference. We will prioritize the collection and analysis of data that can be
disaggregated along these lines. Analysis will be both cross-sectional (examining current conditions) and
historical (examining change over time). In consultation with city staff, we may identify a small number
of comparison cities against which to benchmark Bozeman data.3 Analysis will occur at the individual
variable level as well as for indices (e.g., combining related data points into a single variable) as well as for
calculated variables (like the dissimilarity index to measure segregation).
Findings from the data analysis will be reviewed by city staff and the two advisory boards to help identify
“what do the data tell us?”—a key step in the Getting to Results equity framework. In these meetings, the
CURS team will probe for the root causes of trends shown in the data, especially those data that can be
2 The CURS team has access to these datasets through UNC Libraries. We should note, though, that while these
datasets can be used in the initial analysis, it is unlikely that they will be included as an equity indicator to track due
to their proprietary nature.
3 This type of benchmarking would be limited to publicly-available data, like that from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 13 November 16, 2020
disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender identity, and income. Key to these conversations will be
understanding causes behind the trends, not the superficial decisions that cause them. For instance, if the
data are showing higher emergency room usage for low-income, non-white groups, what are the root causes
for that disparity? While the immediate reason may be lack of a family doctor or lack of insurance, is the
root cause a lack of access to family doctors, discomfort with existing options, or failure of existing social
service providers to enroll families in Medicaid?
Gap analysis. Following the data analysis, the CURS team will interview city leaders, external stakeholders,
and selected residents to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the city’s ability to address inequities in
Bozeman. Key topics in these interviews will include:
How they understand the city’s goals to increase diversity and representation within the city workforce
and to increase equity and inclusion across the city.
Their assessment of the city’s capacity to increase equity and inclusion both within the city workforce
and in Bozeman more broadly.
What they perceive as institutional gaps (either within the city workforce or within the external
stakeholder community) to achieving greater equity and inclusion in Bozeman.
Their recommendations for addressing all the following points to improve equity and inclusion in
Bozeman.
Their recommendations for equity datasets for the city to track going forward.
Interviews will be conducted one-on-one with relevant city staff, and either by one-on-one or group
interviews for external stakeholders (e.g., interviewing several staff at a non-profit at the same time).
Interviews will be confidential and adhere to IRB protocols, with interviewees being informed prior to the
interview that their participation is confidential and that they may refuse to answer any questions and may
choose to leave the interview at any time.
Draft final report. The team will submit an outline of the final report to city staff for approval. Following
this approval, the team will begin drafting a final report that (i) describes the overall research project,
including its aims and methodology, (ii) provides an overview of the community engagement strategy (iii)
presents the data analysis in a visually-engaging way, (iv) presents key findings from the results of the gap
analysis, and (v) offers actionable recommendations to city staff and external stakeholders. The team will
also draft engaging online dashboards and story maps to complement the final report (these will not be
made public until they are reviewed by city staff).
The final report will also include a series of recommendations for improving equity and inclusion both
within city government and across the wider Bozeman community. These recommendations will fit into
categories identified by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity’s Getting to Results framework,
which include:
Low-cost or no-cost ideas that are not resource dependent and can be implemented quickly to achieve
immediate, tangible results.
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 14 November 16, 2020
Community knowledge practices that community members have tried and seen encouraging results.
Promising practices solutions identified either within or outside the community that, while not
evidence-based, also show promise.
Evidence-based practices from either Bozeman or other, similar communities that have been
documented to improve equity and inclusions.
Out-of-the-box ideas that, while seemingly infeasible for either their complexity or need for resources,
are still worthwhile goals that can guide future planning and implementation.
Phase 3: Develop equity indicators
In consultation with the advisory committees and city staff, the team will develop a series of equity
indicators that city staff should track going forward to measure progress on improving inclusion in
Bozeman. Given the time necessary to track these data, the team will prioritize indicators in terms of both
importance and ease of tracking, with the goal of “Tier 1” indicators to be both (i) broadly indicative of
inclusion in Bozeman and (ii) relatively easy to track while “Tier 2” indicators are either more specialized
(rather than inclusive) or more difficult to track. Should city staff express interest, the team will investigate
the possibility of developing an interactive dashboard with an API to track data.4
Community engagement tools
Given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it is likely that the team will not be able to perform a site visit to
Montana until the second quarter of 2021 at the earliest.5 Nevertheless, it is crucial to ensure that the
community engagement portion of this project is done in an equitable, inclusive, and accessible manner.
As such, the proposed services described above could be completed either virtually or in-person, though
with the likelihood that, should the focus groups meet in a physical space, the research team may have to
connect virtually. During the introductory meeting, the team will discuss the proposed timeline with city
staff considering the current stage of the pandemic. In light of those discussions—and recent news
regarding vaccines—the team may elect to alter the timeline so that the CURS team can travel to Bozeman
to conduct the focus groups.
As described in the previous section, we are proposing forming a resident advisory group of approximately
five Bozeman residents to provide feedback and guidance on the entire project. We anticipate these
individuals having diverse backgrounds and life experiences that are representative of the broader Bozeman
community. These individuals could also be called upon to conduct community engagement for the project
through promoting community engagement opportunities through their networks and facilitating in-person
community engagement meetings (while the research team joined virtually via videoconferencing
software). In addition, members of the stakeholder advisory committee could also be called upon to conduct
4 We have not priced this service into this proposal.
5 Please note that, as a research center at a public university, the research team is bound by any North Carolina
regulations regarding out-of-state travel. Currently, per Governor Cooper’s executive order, non-essential out of
state travel is prohibited.
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 15 November 16, 2020
outreach for community engagement opportunities, e.g., through marketing to their clients. Finally, the
team will explore targeted local social media ads (such as on Facebook) to promote the focus groups and
to encourage Bozeman residents to participate.
Communication
The CURS team will be in regular communication with city staff liaising with the project and we anticipate,
at a minimum, monthly check-in calls to describe progress—though we may need to schedule bi-weekly
calls during more intensive periods of the project, e.g. during data collection. In addition, and as described
earlier, both review boards (stakeholder and resident) will meet monthly with the project team to discuss
progress, review materials, and plan next steps.
In terms of site visits, the CURS team will work with city staff to plan those if they are safe to conduct and
when the State of North Carolina allows the team to travel out-of-state. We have budgeted for two 2-night
site visits for the entire project (or one 2-night site visit attended by two CURS staff). Again, pending
progress on the pandemic, we anticipate one of those staff visits occurring during the data collection phase
of the project and another site visit occurring at the end of the project to present findings to city staff and
community members.
Timeline
Project timeline
We have devised a project timeline that will allow the CURS team to complete a high-quality project within
a six-month timeline. See Figure 2 for a timeline of project completion.
Figure 2: Project timeline. Xs indicate deliverable due dates.
In addition to the deliverables mentioned below, the CURS team will set a series of internal progress
benchmarks to ensure an on-time and on-budget project. These include:
Finalizing membership in the stakeholder and resident advisory committees: January 5, 2021
Submitting the Data Collection, Analysis, and Storage Plan (DCASP) to UNC’s Institutional Review
Board: January 15, 2021
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Date:
Task:12/15/2012/22/2012/29/201/5/211/12/211/19/211/26/212/2/212/9/212/16/212/23/213/2/213/9/213/16/213/23/213/30/214/6/214/13/214/20/214/27/215/4/215/11/215/18/215/25/216/1/216/8/216/15/211.1 Project initiation
1.2 Background research
1.3 Stakeholder
engagement
1.4 Data collection
2.1 Data analysis
2.2 Gap analysis
2.3 Draft/revise report x x
3.1 Determine indicators x x
Dec JunMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuary
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 16 November 16, 2020
Receiving approval for the DCASP from UNC’s IRB: February 11, 2021
Draft outline of final report for review by advisory committees: March 1, 2021
Deliverables
The CURS team will produce the following deliverables on the following dates:
Draft of final report: April 30, 2021
o Stakeholders will have three weeks to review the draft and provide comments (comments due
5/24/2021)
Final report: June 14, 2021
Draft of equity indicators: 5/24/2021
o Stakeholders will have two weeks to review indicators and provide feedback (feedback due
6/7/2021)
Final equity indicators: June 14
Software and analysis tools
As a university-based research center, the CURS team has access to numerous cutting-edge site-licensed
software programs. These include:
SPSS: a quantitative data storage and analysis program, SPSS allows researchers to conduct statistical
analyses and present results in visually-attractive ways.
ArcGIS (Desktop and Online): state-of-the-art mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
program. The CURS team’s experience is that mapping can be an incredibly powerful tool to tell stories
related to (in)equity and inclusion/exclusion, and we anticipate creating several static maps in the final
report and well as creating interactive online maps and story maps to complement the report.
Dedoose: a qualitative data store and analysis program, Dedoose allows researchers to upload
qualitative data (e.g., focus group transcripts) and apply both inductive and deductive codes to portions
of the transcript.
Tableau: online data visualization tool for creating accessible and visually-attractive data dashboards.
In addition, the CURS team has access to numerous propriety datasets through the UNC Library, including:
ReferenceUSA (spatial data on business locations and medical services)
SimplyAnalytics (proprietary dataset on neighborhood and business characteristics – available at a finer
spatial resolution than publicly-available US Census data)
Subcontracts
We do not anticipate subcontracting out any of this work.
Budget
The team has produced a budget for the entire scope of services that totals $75,000 (see Figure 6 at the end
of this proposal in addition to the budget justification in Attachment C). Figure 3 provides estimated hours
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 17 November 16, 2020
by task for the three tasks outlined above. Given the sequential nature of the tasks, project administration
(including meetings) is included within each task.
Figure 3: Hours by task by job title
Personnel Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Total
Project leader 146 187 62 395
Research associate 229 135 31 395
Research assistant 250 244 0 494
Total 625 566 93 1,284
Figure 4 presents the personnel cost by task for each task identified earlier in the proposal. These costs
include salary, benefits, and overhead associated with each personnel member. In Figure 7, Figure 8, and
Figure 9, we have provided a detailed cost breakdown by task that includes both personnel and other direct
costs.
Figure 4: Cost by task by personnel member
Personnel Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Total
Project leader $ 10,411 $ 13,335 $ 4,421 $ 28,167
Research associate $ 10,488 $ 6,183 $ 1,420 $ 18,091
Research assistant $ 7,500 $ 7,320 $ - $ 14,820
Total $ 28,399 $ 26,838 $ 5,841 $ 61,078
Figure 5 provides a schedule of billing rates by category of employee. These figures include salary,
benefits, and overhead.
Figure 5: Schedule of rates for category of employee
Personnel Hourly rate*
Project leader $ 71.31
Research associate $ 45.80
Research assistant $ 30.00
*Includes benefits and indirect
References
Mr. Kyle Pierce
Policy and Program Analyst, INLIVIAN (formerly the Charlotte Housing Authority)
704-432-5557
kpierce@cha-nc.org
Can speak to: experiences evaluating the Charlotte Housing Authority.
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 18 November 16, 2020
Ms. Emila Sutton
Director, Department of Housing and Community Development, Orange County (NC)
919-245-2490
esutton@orangecountync.gov
Can speak to: experience developing the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice and development
of the Housing Opportunity Finder
Ms. Amy Minzner
Senior Associate, Community Science
978-604-5642
aminzner@communityscience.com
Can speak to: experience evaluating Habitat for Humanity’s Quality of Life framework
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 19 November 16, 2020
Figure 6: Overall project budget
6 months Original
Principal Investigator, M. Webb 0.380 FTE 73,111 annualized salary 36,556 annulaized with 3% increase 13,891$
Co-Investigator, S. Corn 0.380 FTE 46,000 annualized salary 23,000 annulaized with 3% increase 8,740$
MS Graduate student (Hourly)1.00 students 18 hour 494 hours 8,892$
31,523$
Composite Benefits 25.890%5,860$
FICA (summer students, temp.)9.49%844$
Health Benefits (faculty/staff)6,512$ per UNC employee year, with 3% estimated increase 2,549$
9,253$
TBD 2,000$
2,000$
Supplies & Materials 506$
Travel 2,450$
Communication (mailing supplies/postage)500$
Study Subject Payments 2,000$
Printing and Binding -$
5,456$
48,232$
55.50%MTDC $48,232 26,768$
75,000$
TOTAL F&A COSTS
TOTAL DIRECT & F&A COSTS
Total Non-Labor Costs
Non-Labor Direct Costs
Total Benefits
Benefits
Personnel
Total Personnel
TOTAL DIRECT COSTS
December 15, 2020 - June 14, 2021
Consultants
Total Consultants
Budget Year 1
The Center for Urban and Regional Studies
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Developing Equity Indicators and Conducting a Gaps Analysis for Bozeman
City of Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 20 November 16, 2020
Figure 7: Task 1 budget
6 months Original
Principal Investigator, M. Webb 0.140 FTE 73,111 annualized salary 36,556 annulaized with 3% increase 5,118$
Co-Investigator, S. Corn 0.220 FTE 46,000 annualized salary 23,000 annulaized with 3% increase 5,060$
MS Graduate student (Hourly)1.00 students 18 hour 250 hours 4,500$
14,678$
Composite Benefits 25.890%2,636$
FICA (summer students, temp.)9.49%427$
Health Benefits (faculty/staff)6,512$ per UNC employee year, with 3% estimated increase 1,208$
4,271$
TBD 1,000$
1,000$
Supplies & Materials 255$
Travel 2,450$
Communication (mailing supplies/postage)500$
Study Subject Payments 2,000$
Printing and Binding -$
5,205$
25,154$
55.50%MTDC $25,154 13,960$
39,114$
Benefits
The Center for Urban and Regional Studies
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Developing Equity Indicators and Conducting a Gaps Analysis for Bozeman
City of Bozeman, Montana
Task 1 budget
December 15, 2020 - June 14, 2021
Personnel
Total Personnel
TOTAL F&A COSTS
TOTAL DIRECT & F&A COSTS
Total Benefits
Consultants
Total Consultants
Non-Labor Direct Costs
Total Non-Labor Costs
TOTAL DIRECT COSTS
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 21 November 16, 2020
Figure 8: Task 2 budget
6 months Original
Principal Investigator, M. Webb 0.180 FTE 73,111 annualized salary 36,556 annulaized with 3% increase 6,580$
Co-Investigator, S. Corn 0.130 FTE 46,000 annualized salary 23,000 annulaized with 3% increase 2,990$
MS Graduate student (Hourly)1.00 students 18 hour 244 hours 4,392$
13,962$
Composite Benefits 25.890%2,478$
FICA (summer students, temp.)9.49%417$
Health Benefits (faculty/staff)6,512$ per UNC employee year, with 3% estimated increase 1,040$
3,935$
TBD 1,000$
1,000$
Supplies & Materials 250$
Travel -$
Communication (mailing supplies/postage)-$
Study Subject Payments -$
Printing and Binding -$
250$
19,147$
55.50%MTDC $19,147 10,626$
29,773$
Benefits
The Center for Urban and Regional Studies
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Developing Equity Indicators and Conducting a Gaps Analysis for Bozeman
City of Bozeman, Montana
Task 2 budget
December 15, 2020 - June 14, 2021
Personnel
Total Personnel
TOTAL F&A COSTS
TOTAL DIRECT & F&A COSTS
Total Benefits
Consultants
Total Consultants
Non-Labor Direct Costs
Total Non-Labor Costs
TOTAL DIRECT COSTS
Bozeman Equity RFP – CURS 22 November 16, 2020
Figure 9: Task 3 budget
6 months Original
Principal Investigator, M. Webb 0.060 FTE 73,111 annualized salary 36,556 annulaized with 3% increase 2,193$
Co-Investigator, S. Corn 0.030 FTE 46,000 annualized salary 23,000 annulaized with 3% increase 690$
MS Graduate student (Hourly)1.00 students 18 hour - hours -$
2,883$
Composite Benefits 25.890%747$
FICA (summer students, temp.)9.49%-$
Health Benefits (faculty/staff)6,512$ per UNC employee year, with 3% estimated increase 302$
1,049$
TBD -$
-$
Supplies & Materials -$
Travel -$
Communication (mailing supplies/postage)-$
Study Subject Payments -$
Printing and Binding -$
-$
3,932$
55.50%MTDC $3,932 2,181$
6,113$
Benefits
The Center for Urban and Regional Studies
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Developing Equity Indicators and Conducting a Gaps Analysis for Bozeman
City of Bozeman, Montana
Budget Year 1
December 15, 2020 - June 14, 2021
Personnel
Total Personnel
TOTAL F&A COSTS
TOTAL DIRECT & F&A COSTS
Total Benefits
Consultants
Total Consultants
Non-Labor Direct Costs
Total Non-Labor Costs
TOTAL DIRECT COSTS
Attachment A: Equal Pay and Non-Discrimination Affirmation
RFP Equity Indicators & Gaps Analysis Page 16 of 16
Attachment A
NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY AFFIRMATION
_The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill_(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it
will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status,
national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or
disability and acknowledges and understands the eventual contract will contain a provision
prohibiting discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall
apply to the hiring and treatments or proposer’s employees and to all subcontracts.
In addition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill _name of entity submitting)
hereby affirms it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the
Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best
practices” website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best
practices publication and has read the material.
_Elise Richards Sponsored Projects Specialist AOR/SO signing on behalf of Terry Magnuson
Vice Chancellor of Research _____________________________________
Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of submitter
Attachment B: Resumes
MICHAEL D. WEBB
webbmd@unc.edu :: 919-962-0122 :: LinkedIn :: Vita
RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL AND VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Research Director 12/2013-present
Center for Urban and Regional Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill
Ensure quality of research output and manage on-time & on-budget completion for research projects
related to affordable housing and community/economic development. Responsible for identifying funding
opportunities, directing the collection and conducting analysis of quantitative & qualitative data,
coordinating site visits, verifying grant reporting compliance, and supervising research team members.
Promoted from Research Associate 6/2016 and from Senior Research Associate 7/2019.
Teaching Associate 10/2010–11/2013
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University
Full-responsibility instructor; supervised TAs, developed curriculum, and communicated with students.
Project Coordinator and Research Associate 1/2010–10/2010
Schoenbaum Family Center, The Ohio State University
Managed 450-resident neighborhood survey, supervised 8 employees, developed survey instrument, held
5 focus groups with residents to test survey, used GIS & quantitative tools to convey results to stakeholders.
Research Associate 9/2008–6/2009
Center for Farmland Policy Innovation, The Ohio State University
(Academic year position) Researched farmland policy, worked with Director to coordinate & evaluate three
policy experiments, collaborated to produce economic development plan for a rural county.
Fiscal Officer and Program Manager 9/2005–6/2020
University Area Enrichment Association and Yay Bikes!
Part-time/volunteer position at community development/bike advocacy non-profit. Maintained budget,
identified & applied for funding, wrote evaluation reports for funders, and coordinated projects.
SKILLS AND PUBLICATIONS
Project management: managed 12 externally funded projects to on-time & on-budget completion.
Grant writing: authored or co-authored 14 successful grant applications for over $3.1 million in funding.
Program evaluation: designed 9 evaluations of community/economic development & housing programs.
Survey & focus group research: developed instruments & supervised administration of 5 mail surveys
(~4500 total sample, response rate >50%), 3 community surveys, and 10 focus groups.
Mixed-methods analysis skills: multivariate statistics, GIS, content analysis, data visualization (experience
with R, SPSS, Excel; ArcGIS Online and desktop and QGIS; Dedoose; and Tableau and Visme).
Professional communication: co-/authored 15 policy briefs, 12 evaluation reports, 8 academic journal
articles; developed 2 video training series; admin’ed Wordpress site; and given 35+ public presentations.
Selected Publications:
Changing Communities, Transforming Lives: Boulevard Homes Final Report
Evaluating the NCCDI’s Hurricane Recovery Efforts: Evaluation Design and Logic Model
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice in Orange County (NC)
EDUCATION
The Ohio State University
Ph.D., Geography 2013
Masters of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) and M.A., Geography 2009
B.A. with Honors, Geography and Linguistics, with Research Distinction in Geography 2007
W O R K E X P E R I E N C E
UNC CENTER FOR URBAN AND REGIONAL STUDIES
Research Associate | 2019 – Present
Data Analyst | 2015 - 2019
Work as part of a team conducting external program evaluations for federal,
state, local, and private groups, including the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, Habitat for Humanity, Charlotte Housing Authority, and
the North Carolina Community Development Initiative.
• Train and manage a team of student research assistants
• Manage creation and distribution of print surveys for evaluation
projects, including supply purchases, survey preparation, and mailings
• Established and manage the use of online surveys and developed all
email protocols and visual materials for their distribution
• Build web surveys in Qualtrics for online distribution and database
entry
• Facilitate focus groups and conduct phone and in-person interviews
with a variety of groups and stakeholders
• Create and use qualitative coding structures for interview and focus
group analysis
• Oversee the mail survey returns process and data entry into databases
• Prepare reports based on the needs of a wide variety of clients and
audiences
• Create data visualizations to clearly convey important data and trends
• Maintain multiple Excel databases
Research Assistant | 2013 – 2015
• Assisted with the evaluation of the CHA’s Moving Forward Program
• Created visual aids for formal presentations and reports
• Used Microsoft Office to format and prepare surveys
• Entered and organized data into Excel databases
• Assisted with and transcribed interviews
E D U C A T I O N
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
Environmental Geology B.S.
Minor Urban Studies
2010-2014
Survey design
Focus group facilitation
Qualitative coding and analysis
Interviews
Database management
Data visualization
Report writing
Report design
S
Sydney Corn
S K I L L S
(919) 265 7978
sydney.corn@gmail.com
Durham, NC
S O F T W A R E
Qualtrics
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Access
MySQL
Dedoose
Atlas.ti
Adobe InDesign
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Word
Attachment C: UNC Administrative Forms
November 16, 2020
Mr. Mike Maas
City Clerk
City of Bozeman
PO Box 1230
Bozeman, MT 59771-1230
Reference: RFP: Equity Indicators and Gaps Analysis
Dear Mr. Maas,
This letter confirms that the appropriate program and administrative personnel at The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) have reviewed the above referenced Solicitation/RFP/RFA and are
committed to enter into a contract with the City of Bozeman for the performance period of December 15,
2020 to December 14, 2021. The work to be performed by UNC-CH does include human research
subjects. UNC-CH maintains an active and enforced conflict of interest policy meeting the requirements
of 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart F and 45CFR Part 94.
The UNC-CH budget, budget justification and scope of work are provided as separate enclosures to this
letter. The estimated cost of the proposed subcontract will not exceed $75,000 and includes appropriate
direct and indirect costs.
Furthermore, by submission of this commitment letter UNC-CH and its Principal Investigator (PI)
certify (1) that the information submitted within the application is true, complete and accurate to the
best of the UNC-CH’s and PI’s knowledge; (2) that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or
claims may subject the UNC-CH and PI to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties; and (3) that the
PI agrees to accept responsibility for the scientific conduct of the project and to provide the required
progress reports if an award is made as a result of UNC-CH’s application.
If you have any questions, please contact the undersigned at (919) 962-0122 or via email at
webbmd@unc.edu.
Sincerely,
Signature of Authorized UNC-CH Official Signature of UNC-CH Principal Investigator
Enclosed:
Budget
Budget Justification
Scope of Work
on behalf of Terry Magnuson
Budget Justification
Bozeman RFP
Budget Justification
Salary (all figures on six-month time frame)
Dr. Michael Webb, PI
o Year 1: 38% FTE = $13,891
Sydney Corn, Research Associate
o Year 1: 38% FTE = $8,740
Graduate student research assistants
o 494 hours @ $18/hour = $8,892
Total salary: $30,551
Benefits
Composite benefits: $5,860
FICA: $844
Health benefits: $2,549
Total benefits: $9,253
Consultants
5 members of the resident advisory committee: $2,000 ($400 each). Each member of the resident advisory
committee will receive $400 for their services guiding the project. The advisory committee will meet
monthly with the research team to discuss progress and contextualize findings. They will also review drafts
of the final report
Non-labor direct costs
Supplies and materials: $506. These include supplies purchased on behalf of the research project,
including miscellaneous office supplies.
Travel: $2,450. Pending progress on the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Webb and Ms. Corn will make a
site visit in late 2021 to Bozeman to discuss findings with city staff and project stakeholders. The
estimated breakdown of expenses is as follows:
o Airfare: 2 x $500 = $1,000
o Hotel: 2 x 2 nights x $250 = $1,000
o Meals and incidentals: 2 x 3 days x $75/day = $450
Communication: $500. This will include costs associated with mailing study subjects payments to
focus group participants
Study subjects payments: $2,000. This will purchase $20 gift cards for 100 focus group participants.
Total non-labor direct: $5,750
Wrap-up
Total direct costs: $48,262
Total F&A: $26,768
Total project budget: $75,000
Scope of Work
Bozeman RFP
Scope of Work
The research team will partner with city staff in Bozeman, Montana, to develop equity indicators and
conduct a gaps analysis to develop recommendations to improve equity in the city. In partnership with city
staff and stakeholders, the research team will develop an advisory committee comprising city staff, non-
profit leaders, and city residents (the latter will be modestly compensated for their time). Key tasks will
include conducting background research, engaging stakeholders, collecting and analyzing data, developing
attractive and easy-to-interpret visualizations of the data, and drafting a final report. In addition, the
research team will conduct virtual focus groups with Bozeman residents to inform the equity indicators that
are analyzed. Pending progress on the pandemic, the team may make a site visit to Bozeman in late 2021
to present findings from the analysis and an implementation timeline for city leaders.
The project period will be December 15, 2020–June 14, 2021. The project will be led by Dr. Michael Webb
with research support from Ms. Sydney Corn and UNC master’s students.