Please note: This page contains competition information and resources for: AmeriCorps competitive grants.
Table of Contents
- 2024 AmeriCorps State and National Funding Priorities
- Application Deadline
- State Commission Competition Contacts and Deadlines
- Funding Announcement, Mandatory Supplemental Information, Application Instructions
- Performance Measure Instructions
- Evaluation Plan Template
- Manage Your Grant
- Resolution
- Technical Assistance Information
- Technical Assistance Webinars
2024 AmeriCorps State and National Funding Priorities
AmeriCorps State and National seeks to prioritize the investment of national service resources in the following areas:
- Organizations leading service in communities with concentrated poverty, rural communities, tribal communities, and those organizations serving historically underrepresented and underserved individuals, including but not limited to communities of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, people who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with arrest and/or conviction records, and religious minorities;
- Evidence-based interventions on the AmeriCorps Evidence Exchange that are assessed as having Moderate or Strong evidence. Please note that many of these interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in improving outcomes for individuals living in underserved communities and that the agency has committed resources to supporting grantees seeking to replicate and evaluate these interventions in similar communities;
- Veterans and Military Families, Caregivers, and Survivors – a program model that improves the quality of life of veterans and improves the well-being of military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors;
- Faith-based organizations;
- Programs that provide additional benefits to AmeriCorps members aimed at enhancing member experience and bolstering member recruitment and retention such as paying more than the minimum living allowance, transportation, housing, food, etc.;
- Programs that create workforce pathways for AmeriCorps members, including deliberate training, certifications, and hiring preferences or support;
- Environmental Stewardship, including supporting communities to become more resilient through measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve land and water, increase renewable energy use and improve at-risk ecosystems, especially in underserved households and communities;
- Community-based programs that enhance and expand services to second chance youth and/or engage those youth as AmeriCorps members;
- Programs that support civic bridgebuilding programs and projects to reduce polarization and community divisions; and providing training in civic bridgebuilding skills and techniques to AmeriCorps members;
- Programs focused on implementing or expanding access to high-quality early learning and those that prepare AmeriCorps members to enter early learning careers.
Application Deadline
The deadline for applications to the 2024 AmeriCorps State and National Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. ET. AmeriCorps State and National expects that successful applicants will be notified by mid-April 2024.
Single-State Applicants: 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 submits the applications it selects to compete for funding directly to AmeriCorps. State Commissions have their own application processes and may have additional requirements.
States and Territories without Commissions: Applicants in South Dakota, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands apply directly to AmeriCorps because the state of South Dakota and these Territories do not have established Commissions. Please contact AmeriCorpsGrants@cns.gov for additional guidance.
State Commission Competition Contacts and Deadlines
Single-state applicant deadlines to State Commissions may be significantly before the AmeriCorps State and National deadline, thus prospective state applicants should contact the State Commission in the state or territory where they intend to apply as early as possible.
Please visit https://www.americorps.gov/contact/state-service-commissions for State Commission contacts and more information.
Funding Announcement, Mandatory Supplemental Information, and Application Instructions
2024 AmeriCorps State and National Notice of Funding Opportunity (PDF)
2024 AmeriCorps State and National Mandatory Supplemental Information (PDF)
2024 AmeriCorps State and National Application Instructions (PDF)
Performance Measure Instructions
2024 AmeriCorps State and National Performance Measure Instructions (PDF)
Evaluation Plan Template
AmeriCorps State and National Evaluation Plan Template (DOC)
Manage Your Grant
Resources you need to effectively manage your grant, including eGrants instructions, terms and conditions, individual match waivers, pre-award requirements, financial reporting requirements, and training and technical assistance materials are found on Manage Your Grant.
- Applicant Operational and Financial Management Survey (OFMS) - All new and recompeting applicants regardless of funding level are required to submit an OFMS with every new and recompeting application an organization submits to AmeriCorps. The form needs to be completed fully, a response for every question. If there are additional comments needed to explain certain responses, please utilize the ‘preparer’s comments’ section.
- The OFMS must be submitted as an MS Form Survey through the link above. All other formats, including Word Document and PDF, will not be accepted.
- AmeriCorps Due Diligence Review Process and Compliance – Applicants will find information to help them understand the pre-award due diligence checks in this training. This content will help applicants obtain due diligence compliance and remain compliant throughout the grant life.
- Terms and Conditions – Current versions of the AmeriCorps General and Program-Specific Terms and Conditions for each of its programs is available.
- eGrants Indirect Cost Rate (IDCR) Instructions – Instructions for how to enter the organization’s indirect cost rate are located on this page. Applicants should not submit documentation addressing indirect cost rate agreement via email.
Resolution
AmeriCorps may ask an applicant for information after notification of competition results. An applicant’s failure to respond to a request adequately and in a timely manner may result in the removal of its application from the award process.
Technical Assistance Information
If you are having technical difficulties with creating an account or preparing or submitting the application in eGrants, please contact the AmeriCorps Hotline at 800-942-2677 or via Questions. For all other application questions, please contact AmeriCorpsGrants@cns.gov.
Technical Assistance Webinars
AmeriCorps is hosting technical assistance webinars for applicants to answer questions about the funding opportunity and eGrants. AmeriCorps strongly encourages all applicants participate in these sessions. The Technical Assistance Webinars section will be updated with additional webinars and resources as they are scheduled.
Information Sessions
- Sept. 13 (1 p.m. ET) - AmeriCorps State and National 101: AmeriCorps overview and an overview of each of the FY24 AmeriCorps State and National NOFOs
- Sept. 19 (1 p.m. ET) - FY24 AmeriCorps State and National Competitive NOFO Overview
- Sept. 21 - Recorded Best Practices for Performance Measures
- Recorded Best Practices in Budget Development (training) and (sample budget)
- Sept. 27 (1:30-2:30 p.m. ET) - Best Practices in Budget Development Office Hour
- Sept. 28 (2-3:30 p.m. ET)- FY24 AmeriCorps State and National Best Practices for Performance Measure
- FY2024 AmeriCorps State and National: Best Practices in Demonstrating Evidence
- During this webinar, AmeriCorps staff share how to support a proposed program design with relevant high-quality data, studies, and/or evaluation reports. Prior to this webinar, please review the NOFO and Mandatory Supplemental Information.
- Watch the Recording
- Slide Deck
*Note-please disregard the FY23 Notice reference in this presentation and reference the FY24 Notice
**Please note updates to Evidence Quality in the FY24 Notice
- FY 2024 AmeriCorps State & National Grant Competition: Theory of Change and Logic Model
- In this session, AmeriCorps staff share how to develop a theory of change, key components of a logic model, and how to turn a program theory of change into a logic model. They walk through which components are required to be included in your application. Prior to viewing this session, please review page 22 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Watch the Recording
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