Crisis Response Research & Framework Development - Consultant

1.  About Common Ground USA
Informed by lessons learned as the world’s largest and oldest peacebuilding organization, Common Ground-USA (CG-USA) is a bold initiative of Search for Common Ground (Search) building the conditions for a more inclusive, equitable, and peaceful society. We envision an America where we engage in collaboration across differences to address our greatest challenges, and where we can all belong and thrive. We see disagreement as an opportunity to transform conflict into cooperation on our daily and most pernicious problems.

2.  About Anatomy of a Crisis
CG-USA is seeking an individual or team of consultants who can evaluate lessons learned in our programs across sectors (faith, higher education, journalism, civil society) to develop a unifying framework of crisis management and response. In particular, the work must examine the links between institutional and community relationships, complex and rapidly changing contexts, and resiliency. When polarization and crisis threaten stability and lay bare the underlying tensions within an organization or an entire field, what can leaders within those organizations do to sustain the unity needed to stand strong under pressure?

 Candidates/teams should have experience researching crisis management and bridge-building, and experience developing and designing training, guidance, and/or other leave-behind tools for project design and management.

CG-USA has supported multiple fields to weather periods of extended crisis or paradigmatic shift, stand by their values, and advance cohesion and collaboration in trying times. Examples include projects with evangelical pastors post-pandemic/January 6th; university administrators post-October 7th and political pressures; and college student journalists also post-October 7th and free speech pressures. This contract expands on that expertise to grow into two priorities,

First: Review those lessons, plus lessons, as appropriate, from the wider fields of conflict management, crisis response and communications, organizational psychology, and leadership development - plus other related fields at the selected contractor’s discretion - to generalize those lessons in such a way that helps other sectors at the center of conflict know what to expect and provide approaches for response.

Second: Use those insights to update existing project resources into generalized, transferable guidance and resources appropriate to multiple contexts. 

3.  Expected Results 
A guidance document of 10-15 pages with definitions, diagnostics, and remedies for sectors in crisis to allow groups, institutions, and individuals to learn from each others’ experiences and lessons, overcoming sector silos through a generalized framework. Results should include 3-5 accompanying tools and/or templates - topics be agreed upon after completion and review of the inception report. The selected consultant will collaborate with CG-USA program managers to gather their insights and validate findings, and be supervised by a Senior Specialist.

4.  Deliverables 

• Fall 2026: Inception report, including review of project documents and literature review


• Fall 2026: 1 90-minute validation session of initial findings with CG-USA staff


•  Fall 2026/Winter 2027: Drafting of a new guidance manual, providing a framework of,
  - What does it look like to be a sector in crisis?: Diagnostic and remedy
  - What are the transferable lessons from the sectors CG-USA has engaged?
  -Tools and templates


• Fall 2026/Winter 2027: 1 90-minute training on the finalized resource to CG-USA staf.

5.  Requirements of Consultant(s) 
Candidates are expected to have the following skills and experience:

• Proficiency in English (written and spoken);


•  Instructional Design: Demonstrated ability and skills for structuring content logically to teach or advise others in the form of training materials and/or SOPs; 


• Technical Writing & Communication: Experience simplifying complex, jargon-heavy processes into plain and accessible language;


• Subject Matter Expertise: Direct experience working as or closely with practitioners on peacebuilding, crisis management, or similar work in the United States;


• Graphic and Document Design: This capacity may be outsourced, but must be included in contract price.
  

The consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles1:

• Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. They should communicate their methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique their work. They should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.


• Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of their professional training and competence.


• Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.


• Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

6.  How To Apply
Please submit a proposal to Maxine Rich ([email protected]) by September 14, 2026. The proposal should include:

• A brief statement of your approach to this project, and which sectors you will include in a literature review.


•  Budget allocation across the two priorities, with a short rationale and any description of possible tradeoffs


•  Description of relevant experience


•  An example of previous work.


•  Bios of all team members, and any proposed subcontractors


• Proposals should not exceed 5 pages.
  

 In your proposal, please share how you would allocate the budget across the dual priorities:
1.  Rigorous review of programmatic lessons, including external literature review
2.  Development of an accessible and complete guidance document for institutions experiencing
crises. 

7.  Duration of the assignment
The project deliverables must be completed, submitted, and accepted by February 2027, and has a
budget ceiling of $40,000, inclusive of all fees, subcontracts, and direct costs.