This award approves funding for the 2023-24 volunteer generation fund ARP program described in the approved program narrative and budget

The Dream Program, Inc., doing business as Dream, received a $470,850 Project Grant award from the Corporation for National and Community Service Office of Grants Management under the AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund 94.021 federal grant program. The grant aims to increase Dream's capacity to recruit, manage, support and retain 400 e-mentors to serve 5,000 students per year across nine schools in California with high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch benefits. Key deliverables include expanding current mentor recruitment strategies, recruiting and supporting e-mentors, and establishing additional school partnerships to reach the target number of students by 2025. The award period is from April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2026.

The purpose of this grant is to increase the organization?s capacity through support, management, recruitment, and retention of 400 volunteers who will serve as e-mentors. By performing the following high-level activities: 1) expand current mentor recruitment strategy to expand new school partners; 2) recruit, manage, support, and retain mentors to serve students, 3) virtual mentors, or e-mentors, will serve students in local communities where volunteers are needed the most, including schools where more than seventy-five percent of the student population receives federal free and reduced lunch benefits, this will benefit 5,000 students per year across nine schools in california. The general expected outcome includes expanding current mentor recruitment strategy and lay the groundwork to significantly expand new school partners in 2024 and 2025 to reach 5,000 students per year, and to recruit, manage, support, and retain the mentors to serve them. Your 2023-24 regulatory match is 20%, and your budgetary match is 20.2%.