RFQ | Consulting Partner for Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Metrics & Capacity Building

Overview

(Post updated on 5/30 at 6pm ET)

Forward Cities, a national nonprofit committed to inclusive economic growth through entrepreneurship, seeks a strategic consulting partner to co-design and implement a set of field-informed solutions that advance Durham’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

E3 Durham (E3D) is a place-based, inclusive entrepreneurs initiative supported by Durham County’s ARPA funding. It aims to strengthen Durham’s entrepreneurial landscape by aligning local resources and increasing access to entrepreneurial pathways. E3 Durham combines hands-on business navigation services, cohort-based training, and an innovative "learn-to-earn" incentive model that helps entrepreneurs access subsidized business services. Aligned with direct services to entrepreneurs, the E3 Alliance—a dynamic advisory council of local entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) and community partners—serves as a collaborative engine for aligned priorities and action.

To inform the Alliance strategy, E3 Durham conducted a rigorous 360-degree assessment of Durham’s small business ecosystem, engaging over 200 entrepreneurs, 40 ESOs, and a wide range of funders, policymakers, and economic development leaders. This process surfaced key strengths and gaps, which were prioritized by the Alliance. Building on these findings, Forward Cities and the E3 Alliance have crafted a bold strategic plan to address these gaps head-on. A central priority of program leaders is to integrate codified approaches and field-proven best practices from across the country, engaging national ecosystem leaders to co-design and test scalable solutions that align with Durham’s unique context and community vision.

To address these systemic gaps, Forward Cities now seeks a qualified nonprofit or for-profit entity with deep experience and national reach to serve as a strategic partner. This firm will co-develop and pilot three replicable, field-advancing solutions that not only strengthen Durham’s ecosystem, but also inform emerging best practices in equitable ecosystem building nationally.

Each solution is to be co-designed with inputs from multiple entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders from across the country who have demonstrated experience designing and delivering proven solutions to these specific ecosystem challenges.

In close collaboration with Forward Cities and Durham stakeholders, the selected partner will facilitate a national co-design process, oversee the delivery of early prototypes, and ensure local capacity is built for long-term sustainability.

This engagement is a rare opportunity to create and test breakthrough models that will:

• Catalyze deeper alignment among public, private, and nonprofit actors
• Generate shared language, metrics, and tools for long-term collaboration
• Strengthen ESO effectiveness and sustainability
• Deepen the emergent ecosystem culture

The partner should also be available for periodic participation in Forward Cities and E3 Durham storytelling and evaluation efforts to capture project activity.

 

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

Forward Cities is a national nonprofit with a firm belief that every entrepreneur deserves an equitable chance to launch and grow a business that generates wealth for themselves, their families, and their communities. Since more equitable business ownership holds great potential for addressing the racial wealth gap, we are on a mission to catalyze wealth-building opportunities for Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous entrepreneurs by transforming the way local communities see, support, and sustain those entrepreneurs.

 

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will serve in a facilitative, strategic, and operational capacity, co-leading the design and early implementation of three phased projects:

• Common Metrics for Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs)
• Ecosystem Vibrancy Indicator Dashboard
• Durham-wide ESO Capacity Building Summit

A. Project Discovery (June 2025)

• Conduct a two-day in-person discovery process in Durham, NC with Forward Cities, the E3 Alliance, local government leaders, ESOs, and entrepreneurs.
• Review findings from the 2024–25 Ecosystem Needs Assessment, E3 Report Card, and Strategic Plan.
• Synthesize inputs, align on local priorities, and clarify the scope of each of the three projects.
• Develop a detailed project calendar including Forward Cities touchpoints and input windows.

B. Phased Project Design (July – December 2025)

Each intervention must be co-designed with inputs from a curated group of entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders from across the U.S. who bring demonstrated experience in that particular area. These solutions must be tested for both local impact and national replicability.

Phase 1: ESO Common Metrics

Goal: Equip Entrepreneurial Support Organizations in Durham with a shared set of equity-centered, actionable metrics for tracking organizational milestones and impact that can ladder up to ecosystem-wide reporting.

Final Deliverable: A combined metrics dashboard in Airtable format, and a written implementation guide to support local adoption and integration.

Phase 2: Ecosystem Vibrancy Indicator Dashboard

Goal: Build on the finalized ESO common metrics to codify a set of ecosystem-level vibrancy indicators reflecting shared values and performance goals, allowing for enhanced ecosystem coordination, visibility, and accountability.

Final Deliverable: An Ecosystem Vibrancy Indicator framework, a shared Airtable dashboard template, and a guide for quarterly and annual tracking.

Phase 3: ESO Capacity Building Summit

Goal: Produce and co-facilitate a one and half-day, Durham-wide ESO Capacity Building Summit designed to strengthen internal operations and service delivery across the ecosystem. The summit will include workshops, peer exchanges, and tools to address chronic capacity gaps and improve sustainability.

Scope:

• Design and facilitate the event in close collaboration with Forward Cities.
• Curate 3–5 nationally recognized experts to deliver relevant training.
• Provide tools, templates, and materials to support long-term application.
• Include a training module that helps ESOs integrate the Common Metrics and Ecosystem Vibrancy Indicators into their work.

Potential session topics based on Alliance input:

• Tech for Impact
• Strategic Communications & Storytelling
• Program Design & Service Delivery
• Organizational Growth & Sustainability
• Ecosystem Collaboration & Leadership

Final Deliverable: Summit agenda, production plan, and on-site facilitation; slide decks and handouts, and an onboarding toolkit for participants. Printing and convening costs will be covered separately.

C. Delivery (December – January 2026)

• • Finalize implementation plans and documentation for each project.
  • Prepare and attend a virtual debrief with Forward Cities and/or an identified future backbone organization
  • Deliver a summary report of lessons learned, insights, and replication guidance.

Contract Term: June 23, 2025 – January 31, 2026

 

Qualifications

The ideal partner is a respected ecosystem building entity, network curator, and systems strategist—one that brings deep relationships across the entrepreneurial ecosystem field, a proven track record of guiding collective innovation, and the ability to synthesize local priorities with national insights.

Applicants must demonstrate:

• National ecosystem credibility with strong, active relationships across entrepreneurial support networks, capital providers, and field leaders.
• A strong record of convening, curating, and translating expert input into actionable solutions.
• Experience leading co-design processes in community-based or economic development contexts.
• Expertise in ecosystem measurement, capacity building, and/or systems change.
• A clear commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship and community-centered outcomes.

NOTE: Because we are seeking a partner that balances the existing local lens of the Forward Cities team and the E3 Alliance, priority will be given to entities based and/or conducting ecosystem activities outside of the Durham County area. This priority also extends to experts curated by the applicant.

Budget

Total contract value: $48,000, inclusive of all services, subcontractors, and travel. Local convening costs, software, and participant incentives will be covered separately by Forward Cities.

 

Proposal Requirements

Interested respondents should submit a concise statement of qualifications (not to exceed 8 pages) covering the following:

1. Cover Letter & Organizational Background

• Brief overview of the organization or consultant.

2. Approach & Methodology

• Overview of how you will approach the evaluation tasks outlined above. 

3. Experience Convening Ecosystem Leaders

• This should focus on the applicant entity. At this point, you do not need to specifically identify all of the potential experts you may curate. Rather, it is more important to demonstrate your history in similar collaborations and your potential reach to engage such experts.

4. Relevant Project Examples or Case Studies

• Summaries of up to two similar projects, including outcomes and impacts.

5. Team Composition & Bios

• Key team member(s) bios, highlighting relevant qualifications and experience.

6. Budget Proposal

7. References

• Provide a minimum of two professional references familiar with your work.

 

Submission Instructions

• Deadline: Jun 12, 2025
  
• Format: PDF, single file
• Submission Method: Email submissions to fhorwitt@forwardcities.org with the Subject: “RFQ Response – E3 Durham Ecosystem Consulting Partner”