Illinois Prison Project (IPP) is seeking an experienced Consultant to assist the organization in developing its first strategic plan. Founded in 2019, IPP combines direct legal representation, advocacy, and community education to help free currently incarcerated people from unjust or excessive sentences. Over the past seven years, IPP has undergone enormous change, growing from an entirely unfunded startup to a robust and stable organization of approximately 30 employees with an annual budget of around $5 million. As IPP contemplates our next phase of organizational growth, IPP’s Board and Staff agree that this is an opportune moment to invest in organizational alignment and strategic planning.
IPP encourages applications from minority- and women-owned firms, consultants with lived experience, and firms based in Illinois.
Proposals are due September 3, 2026, in digital (PDF) format to info@illinoisprisonproject.org with “Strategic Planning Consultant” in the subject line. IPP intends to begin the strategic planning process in January 2027, with a completed plan by June 2027. Cost proposals are recommended not to exceed $50,000.
Background
Illinois Prison Project (IPP) works for and alongside thousands of people who are needlessly incarcerated. IPP’s work combines lawyering, advocacy, and public education to push back against the systemic racism that has led to mass incarceration. Working alongside currently and formerly incarcerated people, IPP educates the public about the high human and financial cost of Illinois’ prison system, broken sentencing laws and policies that have led us here, and the many paths forward for criminal legal reform. IPP represents people serving unjust prison sentences to secure their freedom and add their stories to the fight for criminal legal reform.
IPP takes a unique approach to its work: first, IPP secures the release of incarcerated clients through underused pathways like clemency and administrative release. Working alongside clients and other incarcerated people, IPP amplifies their stories and experiences to advocate for systemic changes that will free more incarcerated people. IPP is expanding the use of sentencing credit and incarceration alternatives, removing administrative barriers to sentence reductions, changing norms around executive clemency, and advancing other legal reforms to reduce sentences. Although our direct representation and advocacy work focuses on Illinois, IPP’s work regularly engages a national audience.
IPP has experienced significant success over the last seven years, including freeing nearly 200 people from prison, most of whom were serving virtual or natural life sentences; writing and implementing Illinois’ first compassionate release law; creating a network of incarcerated peer educators who provide legal information and support within the Illinois Department of Corrections; creating and running a fellowship program for formerly incarcerated leaders; and training thousands of people across the state about the harms caused by mass incarceration. Simultaneously, IPP has undergone significant change during that time, including growing from no staff to a team of 30; navigating a hybrid workspace; growing an annual budget exceeding $4 million; and developing a workplace culture that supports diverse team members, including those who have survived lengthy periods of incarceration. Along the way, IPP has worked to intentionally build team culture, values, and a shared organizational identity.
Now that IPP is an established organization, stakeholder, and legal services provider for incarcerated people in Illinois, it is time for IPP to undergo its first strategic planning process to build upon its progress and plan for the next phase of its trajectory.
Purpose
IPP seeks an experienced strategic planning consultant to facilitate the development of IPP's first strategic plan, covering 2027-2030. The plan will guide the organization through a critical period requiring both defensive and proactive strategies to advance justice for incarcerated people in Illinois.
Scope of Work
The consultant will lead a streamlined strategic planning process, including:
Project Timeline
Eight months from project launch and contract execution to board-approved strategic plan, with work to begin in January 2027 and board approval in June 2027.
Consultant Qualifications
Submission and Selection Process
Please submit proposals by September 3, 2026, in digital (PDF) form to info@illinoisprisonproject.org with “Strategic Planning Consultant” in the email subject line.
Length and design of the response are at the Applicant’s discretion. Proposals are not expected to be overly long or elaborate, nor expensive to produce. Submissions will be treated as private and proprietary and will not be shared beyond IPP.
Questions regarding this solicitation may be provided in writing via email to the address above. IPP will make every effort to respond to such questions within a reasonable timeframe.
Proposal shall address:
KEY DATES:
RFP For Consultant Issued: July 14, 2026
RFP Submission Due: September 3, 2026
Proposal Review and Applicant Interviews (as applicable): September through October 2026
Est. Consultant Selection: November 2026
Strategic Planning Engagement: January 2027 thru June 2027
Board Presentation and Vote on Strategic Plan Adoption: June 2027
(Timeline subject to change.)
Expected Deliverables