COVID-19 Contracts for Diverse Media Messaging and Community Outreach

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is partnering with many experienced and trusted diverse media vendors and community organizations in Minnesota as part of our public health response to COVID-19. Our relationships with diverse media vendors and community organizations play a key part in ensuring that all who reside in Minnesota and the 11 Tribal Nations that share its geography – including residents from communities of color, American Indian residents, LGBTQ residents, and residents with limited English proficiency – have access to needed, culturally relevant resources and have the opportunity to be fully informed with culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate, accurate, and timely messages related to COVID-19.

Since our COVID-19 response work began, MDH has partnered with about 120 different diverse media vendors, community-based organizations, and tribes. Information about our current and previous contractors can be found in the links below:

• COVID Community Coordinator Contractors
• Previous Contractors (PDF)

For more examples of the work done in partnership with our contractors, please visit the COVID-19 Examples of Contractor Materials page.

Current Funding Opportunities

Diverse Media Vendors for COVID-19 Communications

This request is for media vendors to help MDH in getting culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate, accurate, and timely messages related to COVID-19 vaccinations and testing to communities of color, American Indian communities, LGBTQ communities, and disability communities in Minnesota. Media services may include formats such as online and social media, radio, television and print. Vendors are encouraged to use methods that are adaptable to quickly changing information.

• Funding: $1.5 million for multiple contracts.
• Target Audience of Request for Services: Media vendors; priority will be given to media vendors that are owned/led/operated by people of color, American Indians, people with disabilities, and/or LGBTQ people.

This Request for Services closed on December 28, 2020. Applicants were notified via email of the review committee's decision about their application on January 20, 2021. Visit the Diverse Media Request for Services page for more information.

Community-based Organizations and Tribes for COVID-19 Outreach and Engagement

This request is for community-based organizations and Tribes to aid the State in engaging communities around COVID-19 vaccines, testing, case interviews, contact tracing, and other topics. Organizations and Tribes will be asked to use culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate, and timely community engagement activities to learn about community questions and needs related to COVID-19; work with the State and its partners to address those community needs; and connect communities to information and resources related to COVID-19 vaccines, testing, case interviews, contact tracing, and other topics.

The primary audience(s) for community engagement must include people of color, American Indians, LGBTQ communities, and/or disability communities.

• Funding: $1.5 million for multiple contracts.
• Target Audience of Request for Services: Community-based nonprofit organizations, other community-led organizations, and Tribes; priority will be given to entities that are led/operated/owned by people of color, American Indians, people with disabilities, and/or LGBTQ people.

This Request for Services closed on December 28, 2020. After a review of applications received, the deadline was extended to January 11, 2021 for proposals reaching American Indian and LGBTQ communities only. The review process is currently underway. MDH anticipates notifying applicants of funding decisions in late January.

Previous Funding Opportunities

COVID-19 Diverse Media Requests for Services

These Requests for Services asked vendors to propose a plan for media services to help MDH in getting culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate, accurate, and timely messages related to COVID-19 to communities of color, American Indian communities, and LGBTQ communities in Minnesota. Media services include formats such as online and social media, radio, television and print. Vendors were encouraged to use methods that are adaptable to quickly changing information and explore alternative methods of communication that are effective while people maintain social distancing.

• Request for Services issued in April 2020 ($670,000 in funding distributed to 18 vendors)
• Request for Services issued in May 2020 ($800,000 in funding distributed to 17 vendors)

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COVID-19 Community Engagement Request for Services

This Request for Services asked community-based organizations and Tribes to propose a plan for culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate and timely community engagement activities to aid the state in increasing community understanding of and participation in COVID-19 testing, case investigation, and contact tracing. Organizations and Tribes will be asked to learn about community questions and needs related to COVID-19 testing, case investigation, and contact tracing; work with the State and its partners to address those community needs; and connect communities to testing, case investigation, and contact tracing. The primary audience(s) for community engagement must include people of color, American Indians, and/or LGBTQ Minnesotans.

• Request for Services issued in May 2020 ($1,550,000 in funding distributed to 39 vendors)

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Image credit goes to MDH contractor American Indian Community Housing Organization for their work with native artists to create posters that share health messages through an indigenous lens. Posters can be downloaded and printed from the American Indian Community Housing Organization website.

Video credit goes to MDH contractor Girls are Powerful, who launched a communication and wellness campaign focused on community building through empowerment, self care and wellness activities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.