Third Sector Works with City of Boston to Release RFI on Pay for Success, Educational Outcomes

Mayor Martin Walsh announced on Monday an effort to identify ways to improve post-high school graduation outcomes for Boston Public Schools' students. The City has worked with Third Sector to release a Request for Information (RFI) to identify effective programs and services that will increase access to higher education and training and would be funded through a Pay for Success model. The Office of the Chief of Education, along with the Boston Public Schools, have put forth efforts to improve outcomes for youth, including the High School Redesign effort and Success Boston.

"Boston is bustling with young talent," said Mayor Walsh. "Not every single young person’s pathway is the same. When I'm out in the neighborhoods, I hear their dreams, challenges and passions. Pay for Success is an innovative funding model that rigorously measures outcomes and ensures that Boston is funding what works and improving outcomes for our City’s young people. I want our young people to know how much they matter to Boston’s future, and that they’re capable. We’re in the business of providing opportunities however we can."

The RFI is currently open. The City of Boston and Boston Public Schools have partnered with Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. to explore Pay for Success. As experts in innovative public-private financing strategies, Third Sector is an architect and builder of the nation’s most promising Pay for Success projects including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

“Third Sector is honored to partner with Mayor Walsh, the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools to improve outcomes and opportunities for our City’s youth,” said John Grossman, Co-President of Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. “As a leader of Pay for Success across the US, we are excited to contribute our expertise here in our hometown.”

An RFI is a tool to surface new ideas and to better understand how external organizations respond to new opportunities. An RFI is for information and planning purposes only and does not result in a contract. Responding to an RFI does not serve as an advantage or disadvantage for an organization on any future procurement. It does help the City to better understand, however, the landscape of possibilities.

The RFI can be accessed here. To respond to this RFI, submit a written response (10 pages maximum) to policy@boston.gov, including a summary cover letter with the primary respondent’s contact information. For more information on this RFI, please submit questions to policy@boston.gov. An informational session will be held on Monday, June 22nd, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2-13 on the second floor of the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, 2300 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119.