AMERICORPS GRANT GUIDANCE

Transcription

1 OREGON VOLUNTEERS AMERICORPS GRANT GUIDANCE

2 Table of Contents Overview.. 3 The Corporation for National and Community Service 3 The AmeriCorps Network 4 Purpose and Description of Grants 4 Oregon Volunteers 5 Oregon Priorities 5 AmeriCorps State Operating Grants. 5 Oregon Planning Grants. 6 Eligible Applicants 6 What You Should Know About Designing an AmeriCorps Program 7 Program Design and Member Activities 7 Prohibited Activities.. 7 Developing Members Community Impact 11 Examples 14 Requirements for Using AmeriCorps Funds. 15 Performance Measures.. 15 Evaluation. 16 Monitoring and Management.. 17 Program Income. 17 Matching Requirements 17 On-Line Application.. 18 Summer Programming. 19 Terms of Service 19 Member Benefits.. 20 Grant Terms and Requirements. 24 Review Process and Selection 25 Program Design 26 Additional Considerations 28 APPENDIX A TUTORING 29 APPENDIX B PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT 30 APPENDIX C EVALUATION 32 APPENDIX D CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS 33 APPENDIX E OREGON APPEALS PROCESS 35 2 Oregon Volunteers

3 Overview THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE The Corporation for National and Community Service was established in 1993 to connect Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation. It manages three main programs: Senior Corps, which incorporates the longstanding Foster Grandparents, RSVP and Senior Companion Programs; AmeriCorps, which includes the longstanding VISTA, the National Civilian Community Corps programs, and the full-time State and National program that was established under the 1990 Act; and Learn and Serve America, formerly known as Serve America. The Corporation is part of our nation s history of commitment to building a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility. The Corporation for National and Community Service, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is an independent federal agency. The Corporation has a Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The mission of the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. In the FY 2010 competition, the Corporation s funding priorities are projects that address compelling, unmet needs in one or a combination of the following five national service priority areas. Education Unmet educational needs within communities especially those that help children and youth achieve success in school and prevent them from dropping out before high school graduation. Healthy Futures Unmet health needs within communities including access to health care, disease prevention and health promotion initiatives, and health literacy. Clean Energy/Environment Unmet energy-efficiency and environmental needs within communities. Veterans Unmet needs of veterans, members of the Armed Forces who are on active duty, and family members of deployed military personnel and engages veterans in service. Opportunity Unmet needs relating to economic opportunity for economically disadvantaged individuals within communities including financial literacy, housing assistance, job training, and nutritional assistance 3 Oregon Volunteers

4 In 2010 the Corporation initiated a National Performance Measures Pilot option as part of the competitive process. Results of this pilot will continue to define the national service priorities in future competitions. THE AMERICORPS NETWORK AmeriCorps is a national network of programs that engages more than 75,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet critical needs in communities throughout the nation. AmeriCorps provides full- and less than full-time opportunities for participants, called members, to serve their communities and build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to meet local critical human needs. Sponsoring organizations submit proposals that address specific problems of local communities. In other words, local needs drive AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps*State and National: AmeriCorps*State and National supports a broad range of local service programs that engage thousands of Americans in intensive service to meet critical community needs. AmeriCorps*VISTA: AmeriCorps*VISTA provides full-time members to community organizations and public agencies to create and expand programming that builds capacity and ultimately brings low-income individuals and communities out of poverty. AmeriCorps*NCCC: The AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps is a full-time residential program for men and women, ages 18-24, that strengthens communities while developing leaders through direct, team-based national and community service. PURPOSE OF GRANTS Through its AmeriCorps*State and National Programs (hereinafter AmeriCorps ), the Corporation has engaged citizens of all ages and backgrounds in helping to meet pressing local needs for more than a decade. AmeriCorps programs provide human and other resources to community organizations, including faith-based organizations to build their capacity to meet local needs in critical human service areas. AmeriCorps Programs also work closely with America s volunteer-connector organizations to increase the number and impact of our nation s volunteers, and with schools and nonprofit groups to foster the ethic of good citizenship. DESCRIPTION: AMERICORPS*STATE AND NATIONAL GRANTS AmeriCorps grants are made in two general categories: State grants, which are made through Governor appointed State Commissions to organizations nominated by those commissions; and direct grants, which are made directly by the Corporation to organizations operating in multiple States, in a single State or territory without an approved State Commission, or to American Indian Tribes. The information in this document refers to AmeriCorps*State grants which are offered through Oregon Volunteers, Commission for Voluntary Action and Service. 4 Oregon Volunteers

5 OREGON VOLUNTEERS, COMMISSION FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION AND SERVICE Oregon Volunteers, Commission for Voluntary Action and Service was formed in February, 1994 in accordance with the federal National and Community Service Trust Act of Oregon Volunteers serves as an independent non-partisan commission which assumes responsibility for the distribution and expenditure of funds related to AmeriCorps*State programs. In addition to grant making responsibilities, Oregon Volunteers operates according to a unified plan for service in the state. Oregon Volunteers provides statewide events, opportunities for training, technical assistance and networking between service programs. Oregon Volunteers is composed of up to 25 voting members who are appointed to three-year terms by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. It is a nonpartisan, diverse group of citizens that reflects the unique nature of Oregon. The mission of Oregon Volunteers is to promote and support AmeriCorps, volunteerism and civic engagement to strengthen Oregon communities. Oregon Volunteers provides Oregonians a statewide entity to: focus service and volunteer efforts enhance the ethic of service and voluntarism in the state provide funds for state-based AmeriCorps programs OREGON COMMISSION PRIORITIES The Commission is requiring that applicants address one of the Corporation for National and Community Service Priorities. Additional consideration will be given to applicants that include a summer service component. AMERICORPS*STATE OPERATING GRANTS AmeriCorps provides grants for programs which initiate, improve, or expand the ability of organizations and communities to provide services to address local unmet human needs. AmeriCorps awards member positions and program operating funds to public and private nonprofit organizations with goals which are in accord with this mission. Grants support organizations that use volunteer service as a strategy for addressing national and community needs, while fostering an ethic of civic responsibility and connecting Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to serve their communities and country. AmeriCorps taps into and further develops the skills, talents, and experience of Americans to address a wide range of community challenges. AmeriCorps grants are awarded to organizations which propose to utilize AmeriCorps members to address unmet community needs. AmeriCorps members are individuals who commit to engage in community service. Members may receive a living allowance while they serve, and upon successful completion of their service all who serve receive an education award, which is pro-rated for less than full-time. 5 Oregon Volunteers

6 Members engage in a range of activities such as recruiting and supporting community volunteers, participating in environmental projects, conducting outreach and referral services for the homeless, tutoring and mentoring young people, and helping homebound seniors and other adults maintain independence in their own homes. The grant funds matched with local funds cover expenses directly related to the AmeriCorps program. Grantees use the funding to support AmeriCorps members for service. AmeriCorps grants partially cover the expense of operating an AmeriCorps program and do not cover general organizational expenses. A cash and in-kind match is required. Local AmeriCorps programs design service activities for a team of members serving full- or part-time for up to one year. The organizations that receive grants are responsible for recruiting, selecting, and supervising AmeriCorps members to serve in their programs. OREGON AMERICORPS PLANNING GRANTS Oregon Volunteers will consider applications for planning grants which propose a team design for the equivalent of at least 10 full time MSYs (Member Service Years) members and are single focused. Grants will not exceed $50,000 for one year and will provide no member placements. The purpose of the planning grant is to afford the sponsoring organization an opportunity to develop systems, processes and fiscal oversight necessary to manage an AmeriCorps program. There is no guarantee that proposals funded as planning grants will receive future funding as operating programs. Sponsoring agencies that have received AmeriCorps State or National grants in the past are not eligible to apply for Planning Grants. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS The Corporation wants to ensure that all eligible organizations are able to compete on an equal basis for federal funding financial assistance. Public or private non-profit organizations, including labor organizations; community organizations, including faithbased organizations; institutions of higher education; states and territories; government entities within states or territories (cities, counties) and partnerships or consortia consisting of the aforementioned, are eligible to apply for AmeriCorps grant programs. Programs must operate only within Oregon. Organizations that currently operate a Corporation-funded program or are applying for other Corporation funding are eligible applicants. However, applicants must differentiate between the proposed project and the currently funded project or pending application. For example, an operating site of a National Direct program cannot submit an application for funding for the same project through a State Commission. Applicants that have never received funding from the Corporation or AmeriCorps are encouraged to apply for funding under this Notice. Intermediary organizations are also encouraged to apply for AmeriCorps funding. An intermediary organization provides the mechanism by which a number of community organizations, including faith based organizations or grassroots groups may access AmeriCorps and other Corporation resources. Intermediaries are regional, state, or local organizations that agree to provide the technical and financial support to assist community organizations that do not have the capacity to perform these functions. An intermediary serves as the legal applicant for a Corporation grant, thereby ensuring that the systems to manage the federal grant are in place. An intermediary may place 6 Oregon Volunteers

7 individual members at the site of many neighborhood, community or faith-based organizations and assumes responsibility for monitoring the progress of the sites. An intermediary organization may apply for AmeriCorps funding if it is one of the types of eligible organizations listed above, and meets other program-specific eligibility requirements. Any organization described in Section 501c(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 501c(4) that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to apply, serve as a host site for member placements, or act in any type of supervisory role in AmeriCorps programs. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DESIGNING AN AMERICORPS PROGRAM The Corporation funds and supports high-quality programs that develop an ethic of civic responsibility in those who participate, strengthen communities, and help meet needs through service. Your program should provide opportunities for your community to define and solve its problems. Successful applicants are able to demonstrate that their program or the service offered builds the capacity of nonprofit organizations to meet community needs and provides a benefit that the community values. You need to demonstrate the relationship of the proposed activity with AmeriCorps members to the Performance Measures you hope to accomplish. PROGRAM DESIGN AND MEMBER ACTIVITIES Your program must initiate, improve, or expand the ability of an organization and community to provide services to address local needs. You may use your grant to support AmeriCorps members: (1) Performing direct service activities that meet local needs. Direct service activities generally refer to activities that provide a direct, measurable benefit to an individual, a group, or a community. Your members direct service activities must meet local needs and address the Corporation priority areas. Examples of the types of direct service activities AmeriCorps members may perform include, but are not limited to, the following: Tutoring children in reading; Helping to run an out of school or summer feeding program; Providing health information to a vulnerable population; Engaging veterans to assist families of active personnel in the armed services. Direct service activities must result in a specific identifiable service or improvement that otherwise would not be provided and that does not duplicate the routine functions of workers or displace paid employees. Participants may engage in clerical work or research activities only if the performance of the activity is incidental to the program s provision of service that does provide a direct benefit to the community in which the service is performed. 7 Oregon Volunteers

8 (2) Performing capacity building activities that improve the organizational and financial capability of nonprofit organizations and communities to meet local needs. Capacity-building activities that AmeriCorps members perform should enhance the mission, strategy, skills, and culture, as well as systems, infrastructure, and human resources of an organization. Capacity-building activities help an organization gain greater independence and sustainability. Examples of capacity-building activities your members may perform include, but are not limited to, the following: Strengthening volunteer management and recruitment, including enlisting, training, or coordinating volunteers; helping an organization develop an effective volunteer management system; organizing service days and other events in the community to increase citizen engagement; promoting retention of volunteers; assisting an organization in reaching out to individuals and communities of different backgrounds when encouraging volunteerism. Conducting outreach and securing resources in support of service activities that meet specific needs in the community; Helping build the infrastructure of the sponsoring organization, including: conducting research, mapping community assets, or gathering other information that will strengthen the sponsoring organization s ability to meet community needs; developing new programs or services in a sponsoring organization seeking to expand; developing organizational systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness; automating organizational operations to improve efficiency and effectiveness; initiating or expanding revenue generating operations directly in support of service activities; and supporting staff and board development. Developing collaborative relationships with other organizations working to achieve similar goals in the community. Assisting with Fund Raising and Resource Development. AmeriCorps members may raise funds directly in support of your program s service activities. Examples of fundraising activities members may perform include, but are not limited to: seeking donations of books from companies and individuals for a program in which volunteers teach children to read; writing a grant proposal to a foundation to secure resources to support the training of volunteers; securing supplies and equipment from the community to enable volunteers to help build houses for low income individual; securing financial resources from the community to assist a community based organization in launching or expanding a program. AmeriCorps members may not: o Raise funds for living allowances or for an organization s general (as opposed to program) operating expenses or endowment; o Write a grant application for AmeriCorps funding or for any other Corporation or Federal funding. An AmeriCorps member may spend no more than ten percent (10%) of his or her term of service performing fundraising activities. 8 Oregon Volunteers

9 Prohibited Activities There are certain activities that members cannot be involved in while charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or the Corporation, staff and members. These include: (1) Attempting to influence legislation; (2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes; (3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing; (4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements; (5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office; (6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials; (7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization; (8) Providing a direct benefit to (i) A business organized for profit; (ii) A labor union; (iii) A partisan political organization; (iv) A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 except that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and (v) An organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph (g) of this section, unless Corporation assistance is not used to support those religious activities; and (9) Providing abortion services or making referrals for such services (10) Other such other activities as the Corporation may prohibit. Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-americorps time, and using non- Corporation funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while doing so. Tutoring Programs To review expectations which apply to those applicants engaged in tutoring or reading instruction in schools and related institutions such as nonprofit organizations, please review Appendix A. 9 Oregon Volunteers

10 DEVELOPING AMERICORPS MEMBERS Through AmeriCorps, members develop additional skills, gain valuable experience, and receive education awards that they can use to repay qualified school loans or for future education. Successful member development depends upon proper supervision, training, and education. Successful applicants will be those that provide members with the supervision, training, skills, and knowledge they need to perform their tasks. Supervision The Oregon Commission requires that AmeriCorps programs have an AmeriCorps Program Manager responsible for program management. The Program Manager is responsible for ensuring support and guidance of the team. Specific tasks would include recruitment, retention, training, placement, recognition, monitoring of activities, sites relationships (when appropriate) evaluation, budget, discipline and reporting. Oregon Volunteers requires a minimum of 1 FTE for member positions (not MSY) listed as Personnel in the grant budget. Any additional member positions up to 10 requires a minimum of an additional.5 staff position. Requests for exceptions to this ratio will be addressed on a case by case basis Recruitment Grantees are responsible for recruiting members. The Corporation has developed and implemented an online recruitment system to assist grantees. You are required to supplement your recruitment efforts by using this nationwide on-line recruitment system to maximize opportunities for Americans who want to participate in national and community service. Your program builds strong communities when it engages members and staff from different backgrounds in common service. You should actively seek to include members and staff from the communities where your project operates, as well as men and women of various faiths, races, ethnicities, education levels, socioeconomic backgrounds, and physical and mental abilities. In assessing whether your program meets this criterion, we will take into account that your program objectives might require you to recruit members and staff who share a specific characteristic or background. Please note, however, that your program cannot violate the non-discrimination, nonduplication, and non-displacement rules that govern member and staff selection. Training Your program should provide civic engagement training, skills training related to performing service activities, leadership opportunities, and other training necessary for the program to have a positive impact on members. Much of the training is typically achieved through use of service-learning principles. Successful applicants will give members the background information they need on the community in which they are serving and help them understand the community s need for a specific service or project. You may also provide specific training in a particular field to your members if appropriate. This includes training and education that allows members to explore career possibilities. Where appropriate, we encourage you to train members in conflict 10 Oregon Volunteers

11 resolution and communication skills. Further, we anticipate that the training will reflect the unique nature of your program and be appropriate for the age, skill level, and other differences in the backgrounds of the members. Training Related to your Service Activities Successful applicants will ensure training is provided for the activities that members will conduct. For example, recruiting and managing volunteers requires certain skills that need to be developed. An individual raising funds for a particular project should have access to others with demonstrated skills in these areas. Whether your activities involve tutoring children in reading, housing provision and improvement, or neighborhood/ community enhancement, members need to learn the basic skills and technical information associated with good practice before they perform service. Tutoring programs are required to comply with specific recruiting, selection and training criteria. Please refer to Appendix A. COMMUNITY IMPACT AmeriCorps strengthens communities by involving citizens directly in serving community needs. AmeriCorps members help bring individuals and groups from different backgrounds together to cooperate in achieving constructive change and to solve critical community problems. We encourage applicants to support the efforts of civic, community, education, and faith-based organizations to solve local programs. Successful new applicants will demonstrate partnerships (e.g., sub-grantees, host sites, or volunteer recruitment partnerships) with community organizations. This includes nonprofit organizations, schools, and neighborhood groups, as well as faith-based organizations. Recruitment and Management of Volunteers Some component of your AmeriCorps program must help build the long-term capacity of nonprofit organizations and the community by recruiting and supporting volunteers. Programs have the flexibility to determine the best way to utilize volunteer programming to enhance or build upon the direct service goals of the program. The Corporation for National and Community Service believes that the fundamental purpose of AmeriCorps is to help recruit, support, and manage the vast networks of volunteers that meet community needs. By creating volunteer opportunities and helping organizations to effectively engage volunteers, AmeriCorps programs multiply their impact, build organizational capacity, and support the development of sustainable programs. Volunteering also provides an ideal opportunity to bring together people of many racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds around a common goal and to foster the active citizenship upon which the health of our democratic system depends. You can position AmeriCorps members in a wide variety of ways to support volunteer recruitment and management. AmeriCorps members may be responsible for enlisting, training, or coordinating volunteers. They may help an organization to develop effective volunteer management systems that include clear position descriptions, screening techniques, or volunteer policy and procedure manuals. AmeriCorps members may 11 Oregon Volunteers

12 promote retention of volunteers by planning recognition events or providing ongoing support and follow up to ensure that volunteers have a high quality experience. Members may assist an organization in reaching out to individuals and communities of different backgrounds when encouraging volunteerism to ensure a breadth of experiences and expertise is represented in service activities. Our expectation is that volunteers will be engaged in ways that support the mission of the organization being served. For example, you may decide that a few members in a program should be devoted entirely to some aspect of volunteer recruitment and management. Or, you may determine that all members will spend a portion of their time supporting volunteers. Members may also create opportunities for the beneficiaries of their service to volunteer. The following examples are illustrative only and are not an exhaustive list. An AmeriCorps program designates a small number of members as volunteer managers who focus their efforts on recruiting and supporting volunteers whose activities complement the direct service of the rest of the corps. AmeriCorps members tutoring in an after-school program recruit volunteers to read with students once a week so that the program can serve additional students. An entire corps of AmeriCorps members is dedicated to serving as volunteer coordinators at various local host sites to assist these organizations in recruiting, training, and managing volunteers. Intermediary Organizations Intermediary organizations provide the mechanism by which a number of community or faith-based organizations or grassroots groups may access AmeriCorps and other Corporation resources. We define intermediaries as regional, state, or local organizations that agree to provide the technical and financial support to assist community or faith-based organizations that do not have the capacity to perform these functions. Intermediaries serve as the legal applicant for a Corporation grant, thereby ensuring that the systems to manage a federal grant are in place. Intermediaries may place individual members at the site of many neighborhood, community or faith-based organizations and assume responsibility for monitoring the progress of the sites. We encourage organizations that have the capacity to assist community or faith-based organizations in utilizing AmeriCorps members in their service activities to consider applying as an intermediary. Capacity Building Capacity building is a process that helps an organization gain greater independence and sustainability. The Corporation views its program grants as investments expected to yield a set of self-sustaining activities over time. Members perform capacity-building activities that improve the organizational and financial capability of nonprofit organizations and communities to meet local needs by achieving greater organizational efficiency and effectiveness, greater impact and quality of impact, stronger likelihood of successful replicability, or expanded scale. For example AmeriCorps members may conduct outreach to expand the number of individuals served by the nonprofit organization or AmeriCorps members may develop community partnerships that are intended to strengthen communities. 12 Oregon Volunteers

13 Sustainability The Corporation seeks to strengthen the capacity of service programs by promoting an expansion and diversification of their non Corporation funding sources and strengthening the competitive framework. Achieving sustainability enables programs to continue national and community service activities beyond the life of a Corporation grant or with diminishing Corporation resources. The Corporation sees sustainability as vital to meeting the needs of communities across the country. In order to ensure that Corporation programs are sustainable, applications should include specific information that demonstrates how an organization intends to improve capacity and move towards sustainability, ensuring that its national and community service program can continue with reduced Corporation funding. Some examples of sustainability include: Diversification of Revenue Sources: Multiple sources of funds to support and operate national and community service programs is a good measure of whether or not a program is sustainable. In contrast, organizations that depend on a single source of funds (including Corporation funds) to support and operate national and community service programs are inherently less sustainable; Earned Income: Organizations that diversify revenue structures for national and community service programs by generating revenue through fees or other kinds of earnings, consistent with OMB rules on project income, can lead to more sustainable programs; Other Public (state and local) and Private Funding: Organizations that diversify revenue structures for national and community service programs by building relationships with other public and private funding organizations, as well as businesses, can lead to more sustainable programs, including receipt of support (incash and in-kind) from local and state government, community foundations, national foundations, and businesses; Program Quality and Efficiencies: Organizations that demonstrate an increased level of productivity with flat or declining levels of federal support demonstrate effective models of sustainability. While these programs may not be totally independent of federal sources of revenue, the reduction of overhead costs and increased efficiencies in the means by which services are delivered can help make the program s efforts sustainable in a community in the long term; Volunteer Recruitment and Management: Organizations that recruit large numbers of volunteers as part of their AmeriCorps program can use the volunteers to conduct a wider range of community service activities; Sustained Activities: In communities where AmeriCorps programs have collaborated with a number of partners, the partners can agree to divide the national and community service activities among themselves such that the actual service continues without a grant from the Corporation; and Corporate Organizations Role: AmeriCorps members work to establish community service programs for which corporations can commit their employees as volunteers on an ongoing basis for an extended period of time. 13 Oregon Volunteers

14 Community Involvement and Consultation We see local involvement and input as vital to the development of high-quality service programs that sustain and build communities. Successful programs will be those that use extensive, broad-based local input to design, implement, and evaluate their projects. This includes consultation with: representatives from the communities you serve; members (or potential members) in your program; and appropriate community agencies (secular and faith-based), businesses, foundations, local labor organizations representing employees of service sponsors, and local government. Partnerships with community groups may help to enhance organizational capacity and strengthen communities. They afford opportunities for you to collaborate and share technical expertise and resources. EXAMPLES OF TYPES OF AMERICORPS PROGRAMS You have great flexibility to design a program that develops the citizenship and skills of members, strengthens nonprofit organizations, and addresses community needs. You may assign members to individual projects or organize them in teams. Similarly, you may determine whether a full-time or less than full-time schedule is more appropriate to your program s goals. Our regulations provide a list of program types that illustrate the range of national service programs (see 45 C.F.R., Chapter XXV, Section ). You may find that your program fits more than one type because program characteristics overlap in some areas. Some examples of types of programs are: programs that recruit, train, and support volunteers to serve elementary school students in after-school tutoring programs; college-based programs in which student AmeriCorps members, including Federal Work Study students, perform substantial service in local schools or assist with summer feeding programs; programs that provide literacy and English as a Second Language training for low-income adults, reading improvement for homeless elementary school-age children, or teach and model social skills to children; programs where veterans provide support to families of currently serving members of the armed forces; programs where members recruit volunteers to help restore and revitalize degraded urban watersheds; full-time service programs run by community organizations, youth corps, or other entities; and To learn about a number of programs focusing on different issue areas, visit our web site at 14 Oregon Volunteers

15 REQUIREMENTS FOR PROGRAMS USING AMERICORPS FUNDS Program requirements, including the criteria against which applications will be assessed are located in the AmeriCorps regulations 45 CFR These guidelines should be read together with the regulations and the AmeriCorps application instructions. See: Program Requirements in the AmeriCorps Regulations Requirements and Selection Citation in the AmeriCorps Regulations Member Service Activities Prohibited Activities Tutoring Programs Matching Funds Member Benefits Calculating Cost Per Member Service Year Performance Measures Evaluation and Selection Criteria and Selection Process Performance Measurement Performance measurement is the process of systematically and regularly collecting and monitoring data related to the direction of observed changes in communities, participants (members), or end beneficiaries receiving your program's services. It is intended to provide an indication of your program's operations and performance. The Corporation emphasizes the importance of performance measures as both a program management tool and a means by which to communicate program impact. Performance measurement is the process of regularly measuring the services provided by your program and the effect your program has on the intended beneficiaries lives. All programs must establish, track, and assess performance measures. Programs are expected to establish ambitious performance measures; track progress toward performance measures; correct low performance; and request revision as necessary. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act requires that the Corporation design and use national performance measures to collect meaningful data on the critical impact of AmeriCorps across the country. These national measures are optional in the 2010 application. The development of national measures will allow for aggregated reporting of impact across the portfolio and contribute to the growth of AmeriCorps envisioned in the Serve America Act At this time Oregon Volunteers requires at least one Performance Measure that addresses the number of volunteers recruited/supported and the number of hours of service performed by volunteers. Additional Performance Measure requirements are included in the full application instructions. 15 Oregon Volunteers

16 Evaluation Evaluation is a more in-depth, rigorous effort to measure the impact of programs. While performance measurement and evaluation both include systematic data collection and measurement of progress, evaluation uses scientifically-based research methods to assess the effectiveness of programs by comparing the observed program outcomes with what would have happened in the absence of the program. Unlike performance measures, evaluations estimate the impacts of programs by comparing the outcomes for individuals receiving a service or participating in a program to the outcomes for similar individuals not receiving a service or not participating in a program. For example, an evaluation of a literacy program may compare the reading ability of students in a program over time to a similar group of students not participating in a program. The Corporation has developed clear guidelines regarding Evaluation requirements. Please see Appendix C and application instructions. Monitoring and Management Responsibilities Organizations face many challenges in administering AmeriCorps programs. Certain program models may make monitoring and program management a particular challenge for organizations. These include individual placements, programs that are spread out geographically, and programs that attempt to address many issue areas at once. If your program design includes one of these challenges, you should address it specifically in your application and provide specific strategies for monitoring and management. Strategies may include: recruiting and enrolling members who can work independently; providing appropriate orientation, ongoing training, and a means of regular communication; selecting strong host sites and ensuring strong support from direct-line supervision of members; and narrowing the range of tasks members perform to make monitoring easier. If you are approved for an AmeriCorps grant, you are responsible for managing the dayto-day operations of the grant and sub-grant-supported activities to assure you are in compliance with applicable federal requirements and you achieve your performance goals. Monitoring needs to cover each program, function, or activity. You are responsible for ensuring program quality and that your program has an impact on the problems facing the communities in which it operates. This includes monitoring the service of members. You are responsible for the timely and accurate documentation of member eligibility and service hours. Each program should develop systems that closely track and monitor these requirements. Grantee Support for Programs Programs must provide, account for, and document all financial support for programs. We encourage all programs to raise some funds from the private sector, e.g., corporations, foundations, individuals, local businesses, and nonprofit organizations. We require, at a minimum, the following aggregate matches:. Contributions, including third party in-kind must: Be verifiable from your records; Not be included as contributions for any other Federally assisted program; Be necessary and reasonable for the proper and efficient accomplishment of your program's objectives; and 16 Oregon Volunteers

17 Be allowable under applicable OMB cost principles. You may not include the value of direct community service performed by volunteers, but you may include the value of services contributed by volunteers to your organizations for organizational functions such as accounting, audit, and training of staff and AmeriCorps programs. Program Income Income, including fees for service earned as a direct result of the grant-funded program activities during the award period, must be retained by the grantee and used to finance the grant s non-corporation share. Excess Program Income. Program income earned in excess of the amount needed to finance the grantee share must follow the appropriate requirements of 45 CFR , 2 CFR Part 225, 2 CFR Part 215, or 2 CFR Part 220 and be deducted from total claimed costs. Fees for Service. When using assistance under this grant, the grantee may not enter into a contract for or accept fees for service performed by members when: The service benefits a for-profit entity, The service falls within the other prohibited activities set forth in these grant provisions, or The service violates the non-displacement Provisions of the Act set forth in these grant provisions. Matching Requirements If you have not been a direct recipient of an AmeriCorps operational grant from the Corporation or a State commission for five years or more, as determined by the end date of your most recent grant period, you may begin matching at the year one level, as reflected in the timetable (Programs that cannot meet these requirements and that are located in rural or severely economically distressed areas may apply for permission to meet an alternative match requirement which would increase the grantee share of program costs to a 35 percent overall level by the 10 th year.) There is flexibility in how you provide your share of match. As long as you meet the basic match requirements you may use cash or in-kind contributions to reach the overall share level. For example, if your organization finds it easier to raise member support match, you may choose to meet the required overall match by raising only member support match, and leave operational match at the basic level, as long as you provide the required overall match. The Corporation encourages you to obtain support over-and-above the matching fund requirements. Reporting these resources may make your application more likely to be selected for funding, based on the selection criteria. 17 Oregon Volunteers

18 MATCH TIMETABLE Minimum Single Match Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 24% 24% 24% 26% 30% 34% 38% 42% 46% 50% On-Line Grant Application Submission The Corporation is working with other federal agencies to simplify federal grant-making processes (as required under Public Law ) and provide access to federal activities over the Internet (in response to the President's Management and Performance Plan). We have developed a grants management system that includes on-line grant applications, awards, and reporting. This year you will submit your Concept Paper and initial Application as a paper application to Oregon Volunteers. If your full application is recommended for funding, you will be required to submit your application on-line by using the Corporation's egrants system. Training and directions on using the egrants system will be provided. Recruitment Tools and Resources Grantee Requirement Historically, grantees have had to develop their own recruitment systems. The Corporation has an on-line system to support grantees efforts. In order to supplement grantees recruiting efforts, and to make sure that the information in the nationwide system is comprehensive and of maximum benefit to individuals who want to be AmeriCorps members, use of the recruitment system, found on the AmeriCorps website ( is mandatory for AmeriCorps programs. This system allows AmeriCorps programs to post information about their programs and their member assignments. All AmeriCorps programs will be responsible for having a comprehensive program profile on-line and consider on-line applicants for their AmeriCorps positions. Programs may list multiple assignments as well as multiple geographic sites. Using their own criteria, programs may search for prospective members for their recruitment outreach efforts. Programs can prospective members and applicants to alert them to program information and updates, interview schedules, and other service opportunities. For more information, visit the website. As part of the web-based recruitment system, prospective members may apply directly to participating AmeriCorps programs electronically, as well as search for programs based on their interests, eligibility, and geographic preference. For those without web access or for prospective members who want information and application materials, we have an AmeriCorps hotline available at Federal Work-Study and Student Service [Required for Higher Education Institutions Applying for AmeriCorps funding] The Higher Education Reauthorization Act of 1998 requires that all institutions of higher education who receive Federal Work Study (FWS) funds utilize a minimum of 7% of their total FWS budget for community service placements. Each college must also 18 Oregon Volunteers

19 include a literacy component that is defined in regulations by the Department of Education. Because this is an important vehicle to encourage and expand student service, the Corporation is very interested in what campuses are doing to meet and exceed this requirement. Community service activities undertaken using FWS can be a valuable resource for national service programs. While the FWS program is administered by college financial aid offices, many colleges have built strong relationships between the community service, service-learning, or volunteer office and the financial aid office to enhance community service efforts of the campus. Some service offices even manage the community service FWS program on their campus. Both service offices and community partners can assist the financial aid office in enhancing community service FWS programs. For more information on the FWS for Community Service program, you can read about it online at The Corporation has summarized data reported to the Department of Education on Federal Work Study for Community Service usage. If you would like to see how your institution s usage compares to other institutions, you can view this report online at For new and continuing programs operated by higher education institutions that are applying for funding, applicants should describe their institution s efforts to support community service under FWS. Summer Programming For the Open Competition, Oregon Volunteers will be giving additional consideration to program design that includes a summer team component. We encourage but do not require you to operate a summer program as a component of your year-round program, or to expand your operations during the summer months. Care must be taken to ensure that the summer component is consistent with the overall mission of your program and that you do not design it as separate from the year-round operation. You should also make sure that your summer program instills the ethic of service in the participants and is not just a summer job. Any members you add for a summer period must complete at least 300 hours of service. Terms of Service Programs may engage members full-time or less than full-time. Full-time members must serve at least 1700 hours during a period of not more than one year. Half-time members must serve at least 900 hours during a period of one year as indicated in the approved budget. No member can serve less than 300 hours during a one-year period. Programs may propose at least 300 hours for minimum-time, at least 450 hours for quarter-time, and at least 675 hours for reduced half-time members based on the program design. However, within a program, we generally require all reduced half-time, quarter-time, and minimum-time members to serve the same number of hours. If any less than full-time program has a need for greater flexibility, we will consider a proposal for two different sets of hours within the same program. 19 Oregon Volunteers

20 Cost Per Member Service Year (MSY) The Corporation calculates the cost per MSY by dividing the Corporation s share of budgeted grant costs by the number of member service years you are awarded in your grant. You do not include child-care or the cost of the education award a member may earn through serving with your program. Oregon Volunteers requires that a sponsor not exceed $13,000 as a Cost Per Member in Member Eligibility An AmeriCorps participant must: 1) Be a US citizen, US national or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States; 2) Be at least 17 years of age at the commencement of service unless the member is out of school and enrolled i. in a full-time, year round youth corps Program or full-time summer Program as defined in the Act (42USC12572(a)(2)) in which case he or she must be between the ages of 16 and 25 inclusive, or ii. in a Program for economically disadvantaged youth as defined in the Act (42USC (a)(9)) in which case he or she must be between the ages of 16 and 24 inclusive; and 3) Have a high school diploma or its equivalent or an equivalency certificate (or agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent before using an education award) and who has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school in order to enroll as an AmeriCorps member (unless enrolled in an institution of higher education on an ability to benefit basis and is considered eligible for funds under section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 USC 1091) or who has been determined through an independent assessment conducted by the Program to be incapable of obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent. MEMBER BENEFITS AmeriCorps members receive: A Living Allowance (required for full time service) Health Care if eligible Access to a Child Care allowance if eligible Forbearance of Student Loans if eligible Workers Compensation Education award Part-time members receive a pro-rated Education Award and may receive a living allowance Member Living Allowance The minimum fiscal year 2010 living allowance for a full-time member is $11,800. Programs requesting stipended positions through Oregon Volunteers cannot exceed the minimum $11,800 living allowance for members without prior approval. We do not require you to provide a living allowance to half-time, or other part time members. If you choose to provide any less than full-time members with a living allowance, you may check with Oregon Volunteers determine the maximum allowed. 20 Oregon Volunteers