Work With CoSA
Positions Available
The Council of State Archivists (CoSA) is a nonprofit membership organization of the state and territorial government archives in the fifty states, five territories, and District of Columbia. Through collaborative research, education, and advocacy, CoSA provides leadership that strengthens and supports state and territorial archives in their work to preserve and provide access to government records. CoSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Call for Proposals: Project Consultant(s) - Strategic Growth and Development
Project: State and Territorial Archive Data Aggregation Implementation Grant
Organization: Council of State Archivists (CoSA)
Location: Remote, U.S. Based
Engagement Duration (suggested): 24 months in 2 phases of tiered support
Total funding available: $70,000
CoSA seeks proposals from practicing consultants, independent researchers, or small teams to support the recently funded Mellon Foundation grant to support an implementation effort to activate recommendations that advance the stewardship and use of data related to state and territorial archives, alongside strategic planning for organizational sustainability and maintenance. Major goals for the overall project include completion of a strategic planning process, focused especially on internal alignment and development of sustainable funding of core CoSA activities; enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing among and between the CoSA community, other government agencies, researchers, and mission adjacent professionals; as well as better display, use, function, and gathering of CoSA’s data and resources.
Project Background Specific to this Call:
CoSA regularly engages in strategic planning, recently approving a new strategic plan for the State Electronic Records Institute (SERI), which considers the implementation goals of this Mellon-funded project. We also recognize the valuable recommendations made in the 2016 report, "Council of State Archivists: A Case for Sustainability," which provided a vision through 2020. Both the new SERI and existing CoSA Strategic Plans are set to expire in 2026. This project aims to establish an achievable pathway forward, focusing on development activity and sustainable funding of core CoSA activities, including data/resource collection and management.
Scope of Work:
CoSA seeks a Strategic Growth and Development Consultant to lead the organization through the next phase of planning. The suggested length of engagement is 24-months, divided into two phases:
- Phase 1 (12 months): Active project work, including strategic planning and development activities that will lead to a roadmap for CoSA’s staff and leadership to implement.
- Phase 2 (12 months): Advisory role, providing guidance during the implementation of the developed roadmap.
Phase 1: Key Activities (12 months):
- Stakeholder Engagement: Involve key stakeholders (such as, Board members, retirees, active volunteers, corporate sponsors, mission-aligned associations, external partners) in focus groups, surveys, and other conversations.
- SWOT Analysis: Conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to inform strategic planning.
- Workshops: Host at least one in-person workshop, likely during the 2026 CoSA Annual Meeting, to gather input and build consensus on strategic goals and priorities.
- Funding Strategy: Develop a comprehensive funding strategy, including identifying potential funding sources, building on past work in this area.
- Research Plan: Consider a research plan agenda that prioritizes CoSA’s data-collecting activities alongside emerging topics of interest to the field.
- Implementation Roadmap: Provide an implementation roadmap for the strategic vision with clear milestones and responsibilities.
Phase 2: Key Activities (12 months):
As CoSA staff and leadership implement the roadmap developed during Phase 1, the organization would retain the consultant(s) on a more limited basis for advisory support. Services may include, but are not limited to, consultation for questions, clarification, brainstorming, stakeholder development, and course correction.
Work Products
- Interim reports and presentations as needed
- Final report and presentation with recommendations
CoSA expects project work to begin in early 2026 and continue through early 2028. Individuals or teams may submit proposals for consideration, which should include an expected timeline of project work. The maximum payable amount is $70,000.
Required Qualifications:
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated experience in strategic growth and development consulting, preferably within nonprofit, association, or archival organizations.
- Strong background in conducting SWOT analyses and developing comprehensive strategic plans.
- Experience in stakeholder engagement, including conducting focus groups and surveys.
- Proven track record of developing successful funding strategies.
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work on research projects with limited day-to-day supervision
- Familiarity with archives, government agencies, or other related fields (such as libraries, museums, or records management)
- Eligible to work in the U.S.
- Ability to travel to an in-person gathering (additional funding available)
Interested consultants should contact CoSA Executive Director Joy Banks at employment@statearchivists.org for further details and information on submitting a proposal. Review of proposals will begin by early February 2026.
Call for Proposals: Project Consultants - Technology
Project: State and Territorial Archive Data Aggregation Implementation Grant
Organization: Council of State Archivists (CoSA)
Location: Remote, U.S. Based
Engagement Duration (expected): 2 phases, each 24 months with possibility of overlap
Total funding available for both phases: $150,000
CoSA seeks proposals from practicing consultants or small teams to support the recently funded Mellon Foundation grant to support an implementation effort to activate recommendations that advance the stewardship and use of data related to state and territorial archives, alongside strategic planning for organizational sustainability and maintenance. Major goals for the overall project include finalization of adoption of an Association Management System (AMS) and new website; migration of CoSA’s Resource Center to GitHub or similar environment; creation and configuration of a dynamic data repository with visualization features; and implementation of a plan for continuous improvement and sustainability of the tools in the future.
The technology components of the project were proposed in two phases: design/implementation (Phase 1, 2026-2027) and maintenance/sustainability (Phase 2, 2027-2028). CoSA welcomes proposals that address one or both components and expects those selected to work in tandem for some portion of the project term for long-term success.
- Phase 1: Technical Design and Implementation
- Phase 2: Technical Maintenance
Download full RFP for both opportunities
Interested consultants should contact CoSA Executive Director Joy Banks at employment@statearchivists.org for further details and information on submitting a proposal. Review of proposals will begin by early February 2026.
CoSA seeks connection with consultants interested in several small projects inspired by recent work.
- Storytelling guidance document - In 2025, CoSA activities centered on "storytelling" as a unifying theme for the year. Our goal was to encourage our community members to think how storytelling applies to all aspects of archival work, from exhibit design to reference support to internal and external advocacy. We are seeking a consultant or small project team to review relevant content from 2025 to pull together a guidance document or other resource, summarizing activities for the CoSA Community for future reference. Limited design support could be provided outside the contract or included in the proposal. Available funds: $1200-$2000 with anticipated completion by/before March 2026.
Interested consultants should contact CoSA Executive Director Joy Banks at employment@statearchivists.org for further details and requests for brief meetings. Proposals should include a cover letter, product examples, and a budget for the project.