Taking Talk to Action
Submission guidelines for Civic Action Projects that go beyond the Dialogue Series
Managed by DORLA Action Committee
ABOUT DIALOGUE ON RACE LOUISIANA
The Dialogue on Race Louisiana (DORLA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to dismantling institutional racism
through education, transformation and action. DORLA conducts multi-session, weekly series (Original and Advanced)
that lead diverse groups of up to fifteen community members through a structured conversation, on the history and
impact of institutional racism. Facilitated by bi-racial teams, the series provides participants a safe, open and honest
dialogue around race—leading to greater understanding and positive action.
through education, transformation and action. DORLA conducts multi-session, weekly series (Original and Advanced)
that lead diverse groups of up to fifteen community members through a structured conversation, on the history and
impact of institutional racism. Facilitated by bi-racial teams, the series provides participants a safe, open and honest
dialogue around race—leading to greater understanding and positive action.
BEYOND THE DIALOGUE
In order to advance the DORLA mission from dialogue into action, a committee of five DORLA alums (including one
current member of the DORLA board of directors) will receive and evaluate civic projects submitted by members of the
DORLA community and the general public. Approved projects will affirm and reflect the DORLA mission and conform to
an operational definition of “action” that includes the following attributes:
SUBMISSION PROCESS
The DORLA Action Committee will accept proposals for Civic Action submitted via the form on the DORLA website.
Submissions will be selected twice a year for consideration by the DORLA Action Committee. Submitting individuals or
organizations will be notified upon proposal receipt and again when a decision has been reached.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
All proposals for Civic Action received by June 22 will be reviewed and the submitting organization will be notified by
May 9. Please let us know if a quicker turnaround time is needed, and the DORLA Action Committee will assess if it can
meet that timeline.
APPROVAL PROCESS
Proposals received by the deadline will be made available to the Action Committee within two weeks of the quarterly
committee meeting. After internal discussion, a quorum of the Action Committee members will approve or reject each
proposal by a majority vote. The Committee and Board may request alterations as necessary. Based on the Committee
or Board decision, approved Civic Action Projects will be classified as either:
Those submitting approved proposals may be invited to make a brief presentation at the next scheduled meeting of the
DORLA Board of Directors. Rejected applicants may appeal to the DORLA Board of Directors whose decision will be
final. Conduct of approved civic action projects will confer no legal liability to DORLA board or staff.
Requirements for a Successful Application for Civic Action Projects
Applications are welcomed from organizations that:
The following are the required elements of every proposal for Civic Action:
Proposal Evaluation
See “Requirements for a Successful Application for Action projects”
30 total points available.
A. Description of Organization
Please answer the following questions in no more than five (5) single-spaced paragraphs:
In order to advance the DORLA mission from dialogue into action, a committee of five DORLA alums (including one
current member of the DORLA board of directors) will receive and evaluate civic projects submitted by members of the
DORLA community and the general public. Approved projects will affirm and reflect the DORLA mission and conform to
an operational definition of “action” that includes the following attributes:
- Educational
- Visible
- Positive and collaborative
- Addressing issues of Institutional Racism
SUBMISSION PROCESS
The DORLA Action Committee will accept proposals for Civic Action submitted via the form on the DORLA website.
Submissions will be selected twice a year for consideration by the DORLA Action Committee. Submitting individuals or
organizations will be notified upon proposal receipt and again when a decision has been reached.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
All proposals for Civic Action received by June 22 will be reviewed and the submitting organization will be notified by
May 9. Please let us know if a quicker turnaround time is needed, and the DORLA Action Committee will assess if it can
meet that timeline.
APPROVAL PROCESS
Proposals received by the deadline will be made available to the Action Committee within two weeks of the quarterly
committee meeting. After internal discussion, a quorum of the Action Committee members will approve or reject each
proposal by a majority vote. The Committee and Board may request alterations as necessary. Based on the Committee
or Board decision, approved Civic Action Projects will be classified as either:
- Projects bearing the DORLA logo and conducted as official DORLA civic actions
- Projects conducted “in partnership with DORLA” and bearing a logo containing that distinction
Those submitting approved proposals may be invited to make a brief presentation at the next scheduled meeting of the
DORLA Board of Directors. Rejected applicants may appeal to the DORLA Board of Directors whose decision will be
final. Conduct of approved civic action projects will confer no legal liability to DORLA board or staff.
Requirements for a Successful Application for Civic Action Projects
Applications are welcomed from organizations that:
- Are committed to the DORLA principles
- Are recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization, or can demonstrate the organizational capacity to conduct a project within the community
The following are the required elements of every proposal for Civic Action:
- Email subject line must include “Request for Support- DORLA”
- Proposal should be consolidated into one (1) single PDF document
- All text must be legible 11 point font, single-spaced, one inch margins on all sides
- Each page must include a header identifying the requestor
Proposal Evaluation
See “Requirements for a Successful Application for Action projects”
30 total points available.
A. Description of Organization
Please answer the following questions in no more than five (5) single-spaced paragraphs:
- State the mission and briefly describe your organization- its mission vision and values. (6 points)
- Explain the reasons for your organization’s interest in partnering with DORLA. Include any examples of related work your organization has done which would contribute to this application. (3 points)
- How would the support of DORLA contribute to your organization’s mission statement or strategic goals? (3 points)
- Discuss the population with which your organization works and why you think collaboration with DORLA would be both appealing and helpful to your constituents. (3 points)
- Discuss your organization’s short term and long-term goals to eliminate institutional racism. How would your organization address ongoing institutional racism? (3 points)
- Can your organization commit to assigning staff members to a community of learners, beyond the time period of this request? For example, we are looking to see whether there is a commitment on the part of the organization to create capacity for this work and participate in sustainable action. Would new staff be hired or would existing staff continue your organizational action? (3 points)
- Please indicate who is currently, or describe plans to assign, the senior level staff person at the organization who would be able to provide supervision for ongoing action to eliminate racism. (3 points)
- Please describe the programs and projects for Workforce diversification and competence regarding institutional racism. (3 points)
- Describe the organization’s ability to collect data and maintain reports demonstrating progress toward eliminating racism. (3 points).
