The Brush Foundation- RFP for Operations & Landscape Assessment

About the Brush Foundation

The Brush Foundation is a private foundation that was formed in 1928 and is dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice for every human being by supporting work that:

• Ensures rights and equity in accessing comprehensive care, including family planning and abortion;
• Promotes a culture of acceptance and support for sexual and reproductive health service access and education; and
• Supports grassroots organizing and community empowerment that prioritizes those most marginalized.

As the first phase of a two-part strategic planning process, the Foundation seeks to engage an external practitioner to conduct an assessment and discovery phase focused on governance, operating structure, and board effectiveness.

This first phase will inform potential future structural and operational changes and will serve as the foundation for a subsequent strategic planning phase. While the results of phase 1 will impact what may be included in phase 2, the board of managers anticipates that the strategic planning will include:

• Assessment of the Ohio landscape of reproductive rights, health, and justice;
• Visioning of how Brush Foundation may maximize its impact on the movement for reproductive rights, health, and justice, and;
• Recommendations for internal Brush Foundation shifts to improve our effectiveness and cohesion as a board of managers.

Purpose of the Engagement

The Board of Managers (a volunteer board) seeks to conduct a comprehensive assessment of how the Board, staff, and operating structure currently function, how they could operate more effectively, and what alternative operating or governance structures may be feasible within the bounds of the Foundation’s trustee agreement.

This assessment will also situate the Brush Foundation within the broader landscape of private foundations, with particular attention to peer organizations of comparable corpus size.

Scope of Work 

The selected practitioner will be expected to complete the following components:

1. Board and Governance Assessment

• Review how the Brush Foundation’s Board of Managers currently operates, including:
• Roles and responsibilities
• Decision-making processes
• Meeting structure and cadence
• Committee structures
• Staff–board interaction 
• Identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improved effectiveness and efficiency.
• Assess alignment between current governance practices and the Foundation’s stated values and trustee agreement.

2. Operating Structure Analysis

• Analyze the Foundation’s current operating model.
• Identify potential alternative operating or governance structures that may be viable within the bounds of the trustee agreement.
• Explore how changes in operating structure could impact effectiveness, compliance, workload distribution, and decision-making.

3. Field Scan of Private Foundations

• Provide an overview of typical governance and operating models for private foundations, with specific attention to:
• Foundations with a corpus comparable in size to the Brush Foundation
• Common staffing models, board roles, and governance practices
• Compare and contrast Brush’s structure with sector norms and peer practices.

4. Case Studies

• Develop brief case studies illustrating alternative governance or operating models relevant to the Brush Foundation, which may include (but are not limited to):
• Board-led versus staff-led operating models
• Use of external consultants or fiscal agents
• Variations in committee structures or delegation of authority
• Highlight benefits, trade-offs, and considerations for each model.

Deliverables

The practitioner will deliver the following:

1. Written Assessment & Comparison Analysis
• A clear, well-organized report that includes:
• Findings from the board and operating assessment
• Comparison to peer private foundations
• Case studies of alternative structures
• Analysis of feasibility within Brush’s trustee agreement
2. Recommendations
• Actionable recommendations for potential operating and/or governance changes that:
• Improve effectiveness and efficiency
• Align with the Brush Foundation’s values
• Respect the legal and structural constraints of the trustee agreement
3. Presentation to the Board of Managers
• A presentation of findings and recommendations at the Brush Foundation’s Board meeting on May 28–29.
• Written materials (report and/or executive summary) provided to the Board at least 10 business days in advance of the meeting.

Timeline

• RFP Open Until: Friday, January 16, 2026
• Shortlist Decisions Announced: Friday, January 23, 2026
• Panel Interviews: Friday, January 30, 2026 (between 1:00–4:00 PM)
• Project Start: Mid-February 2026
• Project Completion: End of April/First week of May 2026
• Board Presentation: May 28–29, 2026

Any questions regarding this RFP or the application process should be directed to: [email protected]