Greetings from the Standards and Partnering Review Committee.

We appreciate your inquiry and believe this list of frequently asked questions and responses will assist you as you journey towards creating a racism-free environment within your organization.

How does PRFC define “racism-free?”

The Partners for a Racism-Free Community (PRFC) has defined “racism-free” as: the individual and systemic condition achieved when all persons, regardless of skin color, feel welcomed and wanted in all places and treat others the same way.

Why should our organization care about a racism-free community?

Experience, history and research all acknowledge that racism has had devastating consequences within our country and our community. All citizens want and expect the rights and privileges guaranteed by our constitution. Unfortunately, that condition is not a reality for all – even in the greater Grand Rapids area. Becoming a racism-free community requires more than dreams and hope. People and organizations need guidance, support, resources and recognition to move forward and take action.

Your organization might choose to engage in the PRFC standards and credentialing process because of in interest and/or commitment to:

• Building a more diverse workforce, congregation, customer base, and/or community

• Attracting talent to your organization and the greater community

• Maximizing the full potential of all of your stakeholders / constituents

• Supporting the retention of your stakeholders / constituents

• Challenging pre-existing ideas and practices that limit stakeholders

• Allowing your organization to invest in “doing the right thing”

• Expanding your market opportunities and increasing consumer and employee satisfaction

Why did the PRFC develop standards?

Consequently, the PRFC steering committee commissioned a multi-generational, as well as racially, socio-economically, and organizationally diverse team of individuals representing a cross-section of the Grand Rapids community to develop a set of guidelines that would:

• Supports its vision of 50% of all organizations in the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area being designated as racism-free in ten years

• Provides a methodology that organizations can use to assess their progress toward creating and sustaining a racism-free culture

• Facilitates evaluation of activities designed to achieve specific results and/or outcomes

• Provides recognition as a “community model” for organizations that achieve positive results and/or outcomes

• Helps organizations and the greater community recognize progress and partner with one another to achieve a greater good

• Identifies, supports, and leverages individuals and organizations that strive to achieve a racism-free environment

• Helps organizations proactively understand and support the diversity within their constituencies

• Provides a framework and guidance for partnering to eliminate racism

What does our organization need to do to get started?

Interested organizations will be asked to review the standards, participate in an orientation session and complete an on-line assessment to gauge where you are today, guide your future toward being racism-free and begin you in the process of obtaining a partner designation.

What are these “standards”?

The standards create a way to identify “partners” and refer to a set of key attributes and indicators developed to specifically assess and document organizational behavior in six target areas:

• Leadership engagement – Evidence of leaders exhibiting racism-free behavior and promoting a racism-free environment

• Internal Policies, Practices and Processes – Evidence that the organization demonstrates internal practices and policies that create and sustain a deliberate and intentional racism-free environment

• External Relationships and Collaborations – Evidence that the organization is supporting and/or doing business with organizations that are committed to becoming racism-free

• Contractor, Supplier and/or Vendor practices – Evidence that racism-free expectations have been established for suppliers

• Client, Congregation, Customer and/or Marketplace Practices – Evidence that the organization’s products and services target the needs of a diverse customer base

• Measurements and Results – Evidence that the organization has established a measurement and continuous improvement process to support a racism-free environment.

What is a partner designation?

It is a way to label your status without judging the quality of your efforts. There are three designations available based on your assessment results and reassessed regularly:

Provisional Partner:

• The completed on-line Organizational Assessment Part I document has been submitted to the PRFC Credentialing Review Committee.

• Documentation reviewed by the PRFC Credentialing Review Committee supports at least five out of the six categories of the submitted Organizational Assessment Part I.

• Receipt of a signed Partnership Pathways Designation and Rationale document from the Credentialing Review Committee detailing the feedback identified during the assessment process.

• Submission of an improvement plan to support movement towards full partnership within one year

Full Partner:

• The completed on-line Organizational Assessment Part I document has been submitted to the PRFC Credentialing Review Committee.

• Documentation reviewed by the PRFC Credentialing Review Committee supports all six of the six categories of the submitted Organizational Assessment Part I.

• Receipt of a signed Partnership Pathways Designation and Rationale document from the Credentialing Review Committee detailing the feedback identified during the assessment process.

• Submission of an improvement plan to support movement towards credentialed partnership within three years

Credentialed Partner:

• The completed on-line Organizational Assessments - Part I and Part II documents have been submitted to the PRFC Credentialing Review Committee.

• Documentation reviewed by the PRFC Credentialing Review Committee supports all six of the six categories of the submitted Organizational Assessments.

• Receipt of a signed Partnership Pathways Designation and Rationale document from the Credentialing Review Committee detailing the feedback identified during the assessment process

• Submission of an improvement plan to support maintaining the credentialed partnership

Who can be designated “partners?”

Any organization – large or small...profit or not-for-profit...religious, educational, governmental...sole proprietor, partnership, corporation – willing to engage in the process can achieve a partner designation.

How will my organization benefit from achieving a partnership designation?

In addition to meeting your own organization’s goals to be a racism-free environment:, achieving a partnership designation can get you permission to use PRFC logo

Send email inquiries to: staff @prfc-gr.org