Request for Proposal: Foundational Public Health Systems Change Training Consultant

Published: November 14, 2025
Estimated funding amount: up to $50,000
Project period: January 2025 – June 2026
Application deadline: December 10, 2025, at 9:00 p.m. ET

Opportunity

The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) seeks an experienced systems change consultant (the “Consultant”) to support the Next Generation Public Health Systems Initiative—a national effort to strengthen, modernize, and reimagine the U.S. public health system with adaptability and sustainability. This Consultant or team will bring deep expertise in systems thinking, transformation frameworks, and organizational change to help NNPHI and public health institute partners understand how public health systems can evolve to meet future challenges. The Consultant will document and synthesize aligned initiatives, provide foundational systems change training, and advise working groups on applying systems thinking principles to support efforts that build resilience into public health systems at local levels.

Background

Public health systems across the United States are navigating challenging levels of disruption and change—from fluctuating federal funding and workforce shortages to public mistrust and rapid technological advancement. The Next Generation Public Health Systems Initiative (NextGen PH) is an effort to imagine new models for resilient, adaptable,
and modern public health systems that can thrive amid these forces of change. To inform this work, NNPHI seeks a consultant who can synthesize lessons from prior systems transformation efforts, identify where previous models fall short of addressing current and perceived future challenges, and help the public health system agencies meet the moment by equipping public health leaders with tools for long-term, adaptive change. The Consultant will support the NxGen PH steering committee and thematic working groups to integrate systems change approaches into their planning and action recommendations.

Scope of work

The selected Consultant will guide NNPHI and its public health institute partners through three integrated phases of work designed to build collective understanding and apply systems change principles to practice. The selected Consultant will be expected to collaborate and align work with other project teams. Project teams include the steering committee, a futurist consultant, and several topic focused workgroups.

Phase 1: Environmental Scan and Synthesis (Jan 2026 – Feb 2026)

• Conduct a review and synthesis of major health systems transformation and change frameworks and initiatives.
• Identify gaps, lessons learned, and opportunities for the NextGen initiative to extend or complement these efforts with current and future challenges in mind.
• Deliver a Synthesis Report summarizing aligned initiatives and insights on how this work can address current public health challenges in new ways.

Phase 2: Systems Change Foundations and Training (Feb – March 2026)

• Design and facilitate two interactive training sessions for steering committee and working group members on systems thinking, change frameworks, and the application of systems tools in public health contexts.
• Introduce participants to key systems change methods.
• Deliver training materials (slides, templates, and resource guide) for NNPHI’s continued use.

Phase 3: Systems Change Insight and Integration (March – June 2026)

• Attend at least one meeting per working group to provide systems change perspective, coaching, and practical
  insight on group discussions and deliverables.
• Participate in synthesis meetings to integrate systems change concepts into the NextGen Health Systems Change Action Agenda.

Funding disclaimer

Funding for this RFP is not guaranteed; it is anticipatory and contingent upon receipt of expected year four continuation and appropriation of grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. Funding availability and timeline are subject to change and subject to the appropriation of this funding by the CDC. Any sub-agreements to organizations or individuals selected from this RFP will not be drafted and reviewed by NNPHI’s Grants and Contracts team until receipt of respective funds from the CDC for the fourth year of this initiative.

This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are solely the responsibility of NNPHI and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC or HHS.