California’s Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) has issued a request for information (RFI) inviting private organizations to bid on administering the state’s transgender equity programs, which distribute funds from three separate pools of money.
The RFI’s background section states that federal policy has created a crisis in “access to gender affirming care, in particular for children and youth,” and frames the state’s grant programs as a response to that gap.
Organizations that respond to the RFI must demonstrate administrative experience in the field, submitting an application describing “your organization’s experience providing culturally competent services to transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) communities, including gender affirming care.” The RFI specifically asks applicants to detail experience serving “communities of color” and people with limited English proficiency.
A notable provision, Section E of the RFI, exempts all applications submitted through the process from disclosure under California’s public records law. That means the private organization ultimately selected to distribute taxpayer funds through these programs will do so without the transparency requirements that typically apply to public records requests.
The RFI does not specify further details about the exact size of the three funding pools or a timeline for selecting a winning bidder.
