AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants FY 2016. Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, Veterans and Military Families graphic.

*In response to several requests, and in order to provide maximum competition for the AmeriCorps funds recently appropriated by Congress, CNCS is waiving the requirement for submission of notification of intents to apply. If potential applicants missed the deadline to submit the intent to apply, they can still submit AmeriCorps competitive applications.  For national direct applicants, the grant application deadline is January 20th.  For state applicants, please follow the timeline and guidance provided by your state commission. For State Commissions, should you choose, you can submit state applications that were not included in your original notification of intent to apply.

Table of Contents

 
2016 AmeriCorps Funding Priorities 
 
In the FY 2016 AmeriCorps competition, CNCS seeks to prioritize the investment of national service resources in: 
 
  • Disaster Services - improving community resiliency through disaster preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation
  • Economic Opportunity - increasing economic opportunities for communities, specifically opportunity youth, both as the population served and as AmeriCorps members 
  • Education - improving student academic performance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics (STEM) or addressing student and school needs through School Turnaround AmeriCorps programming
  • Environment - 21st Century Service Corps 
  • Veterans and Military Families - positively impacting the quality of life of veterans and improving military family strength
  • Governor and Mayor Initiatives
  • Programming that supports My Brother’s Keeper 
  • Multi-focus intermediaries that demonstrate measureable impact and primarily serve communities with limited resources and organizational infrastructure. i.e. rural and other underserved communities 
  • Safer communities - activities that focus on public safety and preventing and mitigating civil unrest e.g., summer programming or engaging communities that are part of The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.
  • Elder Justice AmeriCorps 
A separate Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity for Indian Tribes for either fully operational or planning grants will be released later in the Fall with an application deadline of Spring 2016.
 
AmeriCorps Partnership Challenge
 
As part of the FY16 AmeriCorps State and National NOFO, applicants can apply for Educational Awards with no operating funds as part of the AmeriCorps Partnership, announced by Wendy Spencer at the convening of the Franklin Project in Gettysburg.
 
Applicants would apply as an Education Award Program and request no operating funds. Program utilizing this avenue need to clearly present the funding source of the operating funds, the management plan to support this effort, and the staffing overview to insure compliance with all AmeriCorps grant requirements. Single state applicants may apply through their state commissions per their competitive and/or formula timelines and processes. 
 

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications to the 2016 NOFO is Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Organizations that propose to operate in only one state must apply through the Governor-appointed State or Territory Commissions. Each state and territory administers its own selection process and puts forward to CNCS the applicants it selects to compete for funding. State applicants must contact their State Commissions to learn about their state or territory processes and deadlines which may be significantly before the CNCS deadlines and may have additional requirements. 
 
Single-state applicants from South Dakota are eligible to apply directly to CNCS for the FY 2016 competition. If you are a potential applicant from South Dakota, please contact AmeriCorpsGrants@cns.gov for additional guidance.

The AmeriCorps State and National Grants 2016 competition includes a process by which applicants may be requested to clarify information regarding a submitted application. The dates for these clarification periods appear below:


Continuation Applications: The clarification period will occur between Friday, April 22 – Friday, April 29, 2016.

New/Recompete Applications: The clarification period will occur between Thursday, April 14 - Wednesday, April 27, 2016. 

Although not all applications will receive requests for clarification, it is imperative that staff involved in the development and submission of the application be available to respond to clarification, if requested. 

CNCS expects that successful applicants will be notified no later than May 13, 2016, contingent on timely full year appropriations.

State Commission Competition Contacts and Due Dates
 
This is a resource for organizations that propose to operate in only one state; single state programs must apply through the Governor-appointed State or Territory Commissions.
 
State Commission contacts and due dates | as of August 18, 2015
 

Funding Announcement, Glossary, School Turnaround AmeriCorps Appendix and Application Instructions

2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity (PDF) | revised October 9, 2015
2016 Notice Glossary (PDF)
2016 Application Instructions (PDF)
School Turnaround AmeriCorps Appendix (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) | as of January 15, 2016

Performance Measure Instructions

Technical Assistance Information

Technical Assistance 
 
AmeriCorps State and National has developed a webpage with resources for those interested in applying for AmeriCorps State and National grants. Please refer to Applying for AmeriCorps State and National Grants to find information on AmeriCorps.
 
Technical Assistance Documents 
 
 
National Service Hotline Availability
 
Leading up to the application deadline, the National Service Hotline will have enhanced availability as follows:
 
Wednesday, January 13:  9:00a.m. – 7:00p.m.  Eastern Time
 
Thursday, January 14:  9:00a.m. – 7:00p.m.  Eastern Time
 
Friday, January 15:  9:00a.m. – 7:00p.m.  Eastern Time
 
Saturday, January 16:  10:00a.m. – 7:00p.m. Eastern Time
Applicants that call during the weekend hours will need to push “Option 3” for assistance.
 
Sunday, January 17:  10:00a.m. – 7:00p.m. Eastern Time
Applicants that call during the weekend hours will need to push “Option 3” for assistance.
 
Monday, January 18 (MLK Day):  10:00a.m. – 7:00p.m. Eastern Time
 
Tuesday, January 19:  9:00a.m. – 7:00p.m.  Eastern Time
 
Wednesday, January 20 (Application Deadline):  9:00a.m. – 8:00p.m. Eastern Time
 
You must contact the National Service Hotline with any technical issues you experience with your application in eGrants and record the ticket reference number. 
 
2016 Veterans and Military Families Application Training
 
Thank you for joining us in-person and virtually for this one-day workshop held on November 16, 2015.  The day was a unique opportunity to learn how AmeriCorps State and National funding can help organizations serving and engaging veterans and military families expand the reach and quality of their services.  Thank you for your participation, engagement, and questions.  The materials below were all discussed throughout the day; the WebEx recording link is also provided. 

Participant Agenda (includes start and end times for WebEx recording) (PDF)
 
 
Technical Assistance Call Schedule and Registration
 
All calls will be recorded and the replay will be available one hour after the call has ended. The replay will be available for all calls through January 21, 2016. Use links below to learn how to register or get the replay number. Note: each call has some required pre-call reading materials.
 
Calls will be limited to 100 people. The replay number will be posted to the website after the call. If applicants are interested in just listening to the call, please use the replay number. If multiple staff members from the same organization wish to participate, please register only once and use the same call-in line.
 
AmeriCorps Basics: Addresses questions about the basic concepts and components of AmeriCorps State and National grants, the application review timeline and other general questions about AmeriCorps. (Required pre-call reading:  Intro to AmeriCorps Members, AmeriCorps Key Terms, Intro to AmeriCorps State and National)
 
  • Wednesday, September 2 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Replay # 888-403-4662 (available until January 21)
  • Tuesday, September 22 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Replay # 800-879-6754 (available until January 21)
AmeriCorps Program Management and Design: Addresses questions ranging from appropriate AmeriCorps member service activities, staffing for the program, grantee responsibilities and other questions related to program design or program management.  (Required pre-call reading: Categories of AmeriCorps Grants, AmeriCorps Program Management and Design)
 
  • Tuesday, September 8 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Replay # 866-463-4971 (available until January 21)
  • Thursday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Replay # 800-570-8799 (available until January 21)
AmeriCorps Grant NOFO Selection Criteria: Addresses questions about the AmeriCorps grant application selection criteria, grant review process and other questions that need to be addressed in order to complete your application. (Required pre-call reading: 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2016 Notice Glossary, 2016 Application Instructions)
 
  • Wednesday, September 9 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Replay # 866-499-4547 (available until January 21)

  • Tuesday, September 29 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Replay # 866-394-7039 (available until January 21)

  • Thursday, November 5 at 1 p.m. ET
    Reply # 800-551-8152 (available until January 21)
AmeriCorps Grant NOFO – Governor and Mayor Initiatives: For questions about creating and submitting an application under the Governor and Mayor Initiative priority for the 2016 AmeriCorps State and National funding opportunity.  (Required pre-call reading: 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2016 Notice Glossary, 2016 Application Instructions)
 
  • Thursday, October 1 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Replay # 888-282-0031 (available until January 21)
AmeriCorps Grant NOFO – Disaster Services Focus Area: For questions about how AmeriCorps grants can support disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and/or mitigation.  (Required pre-call reading: 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2016 Notice Glossary, 2016 Application Instructions)
 
  • Thursday, October 8 at 1 p.m. ET
    Replay # 800-645-7401 (available until January 21)
?Best Practices in Developing Performance Measures: For guidance about how to create high-quality performance measures that align with an applicant's program design and meet AmeriCorps requirements (Required pre-call reading:  Overview of Performance Measurement and High Quality Performance Measures online courses, in addition to the 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity and Frequently Asked Questions)
 
  • Tuesday, October 13 at 1 p.m. ET 
    Play WebEx Recording (57 minutes)

  • Tuesday, November 17, at 1 p.m. ET 
    We are unable to post the WebEx recording of this call due to technical difficulties.  Please access the Developing Performance Measures PowerPoint and replay number below. 
    Presentation Slides (PDF)
    Replay # 866-491-2937 (available until January 21)
Best Practices in Demonstrating Evidence: For guidance about how to identify a program's level of evidence and support it with relevant data, studies, and/or evaluation reports. (Required pre-call reading:  Building Evidence of Effectiveness and Reporting and Using Evaluation Results, in addition to the 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, Frequently Asked Questions, and Evidence Checklist)
 
  • Thursday, October 15 at 1 p.m. ET
    Presentation Slides (PDF)
    Due to technical difficulties, we are not able to post the WebEx recording of this call.  Additional technical assistance calls on Demonstrating Evidence were held; please access the WebEx recording link and replay number below. 

  • Thursday, November 5 at 4 p.m. ET
    Play WebEx Recording (46 minutes)

  • Thursday, December 3 at 1 p.m. ET
    Presentation Slides (PDF)
    Replay # 800-518-0081 (available until January 21)

?Elder Justice AmeriCorps: Learn about this new partnership with the Department of Justice, a grant program to provide legal assistance and support services to victims of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and to promote pro bono capacity building in the field. (Required pre-call reading: 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2016 Notice Glossary, 2016 Application Instructions, Frequently Asked Questions)

  • Tuesday, October 20 at 1 p.m. ET
    Replay # 888-662-6648  (available until January 21)
?AmeriCorps Grant NOFO - Disability Organizations Interested in Service: For questions about how AmeriCorps grants can support initiatives that engage and impact the disability community.  (Required pre-call reading: 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2016 Notice Glossary, 2016 Application Instructions, Frequently Asked Questions)
 
  • ?Wednesday, October 21 at 1 p.m. ET
    Replay # 888-567-0687 (available until January 21)

Best Practices in Budget Development: For guidance about how to create a compliant grant budget for an AmeriCorps program.  (Required pre-call reading: Developing and Managing Your Budget, Preparing the Grant Budget for AmeriCorps Programs, and Frequently Asked Questions)

  • Wednesday, November 4 at 1 p.m. ET
    Play WebEx Recording (51 minutes) Please note that due to technical issues, the slides do not match up with the audio in this recording. Please also view the PDF below. 
    Presentation Slides (PDF)

  • Wednesday, December 2 at 1 p.m. ET
    Presentation Slides (PDF)
    Replay # 800-510-0118 (available until January 21)
    Due to technical difficulties, we are not able to post the WebEx recording for this call.  Please access the PowerPoint presentation (PDF) and the replay number above.  You may also find the WebEx recording from the November 4, 2015 Budget Development call helpful. 
?AmeriCorps Partnership Challenge: Learn how to apply for Educational Awards with no operating funds as part of the AmeriCorps Partnership Challenge available through the FY 2016 NOFO.  (Required pre-call reading: 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, 2016 Notice Glossary, 2016 Application Instructions, Frequently Asked Questions)
 
  • Tuesday, November 10 at 1 p.m. ET
    Replay # 888-562-3875 (available until January 21)
School Turnaround AmeriCorps: For questions about School Turnaround AmeriCorps, an initiative that seeks to place AmeriCorps members in eligible low-performing schools, implementing interventions to improve student academic performance, engagement, and attendance.  (Required pre-call reading: 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity, School Turnaround AmeriCorps Appendix, 2016 Application Instructions, Frequently Asked Questions)
 
  • Thursday, November 12 at 2 p.m. ET
    Replay # 866-372-3816 (available until January 21)

 

Further information

Status
Open
CFDA number
94.006
Contact Email
americorpsgrants@cns.gov