Request for Proposal for branding and marketing for IECMH career pathways

The Center for Community Solutions is seeking proposals from qualified marketing and communications firms to develop a compelling brand identity and a suite of initial marketing materials to promote career pathways in the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) field. The primary audience for this campaign includes current behavioral health professionals and students pursuing careers in mental health, social work, early childhood education, psychology, and related fields.

Purpose

• Build a recognizable, credible, and inspiring brand identity for IECMH

• Increase awareness of the IECMH field as a career option including among current early childhood professionals  

• Attract students and professionals to explore IECMH as a specialization

• Create marketing materials that can be used by educators, employers, and field champions to encourage transitions into IECMH roles

Background

IECMH is foundational to lifelong well-being, influencing cognitive, emotional, and social development from birth. The IECMH field remains underrecognized among emerging and existing professionals, despite strong demand for services.

This branding effort will address a critical need: to educate and inspire future professionals about the importance, value, and career potential of working in IECMH.

Scope of work

• Engage in a discovery process to learn about the field of IECMH.  Incorporate information provided by the IECMH team related to career pathways and internship opportunities.  

• Develop a brand strategy including mission, vision, core messages, brand personality, and tone.

• Design a visual brand identity including logo, color palette, font recommendations, and usage guidelines.

• Create initial marketing assets (e.g., digital and print materials) such as:

• A brochure or one-pager about IECMH careers

• Social media templates or sample posts

• Messaging to recruit both recent entries into the workforce and those currently in the workforce

• Other proposed assets (be creative!)

• Deliver a brand toolkit with guidelines and assets for partners to use consistently.

Deliverables and timeline

• Discovery summary report

• Brand strategy document

• Visual brand package (logos, fonts, colors, brand guidelines)

• Messaging guide (key messages, audience segmentation)

• Marketing products (e.g., brochures, slides, social media content)

• Recommendations for future outreach or campaign expansion  

The final brand concept delivered on or before October 21, 2025. Marketing materials finalized on or before March 30, 2026.

Submission instructions

1. Written narrative about how RFP respondent will complete the scope of work

2. Proposed timeline of activities and deliverables

3. Price and payment schedule for the project

4. Description of RFP’s qualifications and experience relative to this project

5. Sample of work

6. Contact name, title, affiliated organizations, phone number and email of three references

All final proposals and attachments must be emailed to emuttillo@communitysolutions.com no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 29^th

Budget and contract award

The total budget available for this project is $20,000 – $28,000, inclusive of all costs related to discovery, brand development, design of initial marketing materials, project management, and vendor overhead. Proposals should include a detailed cost breakdown by task or deliverable and note any optional or scalable components that could be included or excluded based on available funds.

Proposals may present tiered pricing options (e.g., base package and add-ons) to allow for flexibility in project scope. The selected vendor may be asked to negotiate a final scope and budget aligned with funding availability and priority deliverables.

The final agreement will be structured as a deliverables-based contract, and payment will be contingent on submission and approval of agreed-upon deliverables.

Anticipated notice of award will be released the week of June 9.  

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