Operation-AmeriCorps-NOFO-2014.pdf

NOTICE OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

OVERVIEW

Federal Agency Name: Corporation for National and Community Service Funding Opportunity Title: 2015 Operation AmeriCorps Announcement Type: Initial Announcement CFDA Number: 94.025

Dates:

• Letters of Intent are due before December 29, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

• Concept Papers are due before January 13, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

• CNCS expects that applicants selected to submit full applications will be notified no later than

February 17, 2015.

• Full applications are due from selected applicants before March 9, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

• CNCS expects that successful applicants will be notified no later than April 7, 2015.

• The deadline to apply through a State Commission may be significantly before the CNCS deadline, so prospective applicants are encouraged to check with the commission in the state where they intend to apply as soon as possible.

• Disclosure: Publication of this Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (Notice) does not obligate the Corporation for National and Community Service to award any specific number of grants or obligate any particular amount of funding.

FULL TEXT OF NOTICE

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Purpose of AmeriCorps Funding The mission of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic participation through service and volunteering. CNCS—through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund—has helped to engage millions of Americans in meeting community and national challenges through service and volunteer action.

AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations proposing to engage AmeriCorps members in well-designed interventions to strengthen communities. An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community service through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, members receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust.

Through all its programs, CNCS seeks to expand economic opportunity—helping Americans acquire the skills, education, and training they need for productive employment. By helping more Americans graduate, pursue higher education, and find work, national service can provide immediate and long term benefits by expanding individual opportunity, building family stability, and creating more sustainable, resilient communities.

2. Operation AmeriCorps Funding Priorities CNCS is seeking to partner with localities to use national service as the transformative catalyst to address a pressing problem. Tribal and local leaders (a mayor or other chief executive) will identify a high priority local challenge which AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps NCCC and/or AmeriCorps VISTA members can holistically address in a relatively short period of time (no more than two years). The solution must be place-based, coordinated with CNCS and other local organizations, and transformational in its expected outcome in order to succeed in the competition. The solution may be a new initiative, or it may use national service to scale up an existing successful effort.

What makes this competition different from other AmeriCorps Competitions?

• Single application for multiple AmeriCorps programs: For the first time, applicants may request

AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps NCCC, and/or AmeriCorps VISTA resources in a single application.

• Focuses on transformational impact: Successful applicants will propose how AmeriCorps members will be an essential part of the solution to achieve a dramatic and measurable improvement in the given locality in a two-year period.

• Two-step application process: Applicants will submit a Concept Paper of 10 pages or less that describes the program design. Then applicants selected for Step 2 will receive technical assistance and be asked to submit a full application. The full application will consist of the Concept Paper and additional information on Organizational Capacity and Budget. See Attachment 5.

Successful applicants will:

• Engage AmeriCorps members to achieve their desired outcome. This requested support may include:

o A grant to support direct service and/or capacity building1 by AmeriCorps State and National members o AmeriCorps VISTA members who focus on capacity building for organizations working on poverty-related issues o AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (AmeriCorps NCCC) members who serve short-term, 6-8 week service projects. AmeriCorps NCCC is a residential program; these AmeriCorps members will need housing during their engagement. See Attachment 2 for AmeriCorps NCCC issue areas and project suggestions.

• Coordinate with other AmeriCorps, Senior Companion, Foster Grandparent, RSVP, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs in their communities, and consult with their state service commission.

• Leverage significant community support for the transformative effort. Applications that include evidence of community support and funding will receive preference. Applications submitted by Promise Zone or Strong Cities, Strong Communities designees will also be given preference.

Priority 1 (Priority 1 applications will receive higher preference for funding; applicants are encouraged to consider submitting a priority 1 application in order to improve their chances to receive a grant.)

Priority 1 applications will propose a transformational project that uses a national service solution to ensure that every high school senior has a career or educational opportunity upon high school graduation.

Using AmeriCorps as the catalyst to engage the whole community, the goal is for every graduating high school senior to participate in one of the following five options following high school graduation:

• Further education, including at two- or four-year colleges

• Military service

• National service in AmeriCorps

• Employment

• A paid internship, a registered apprenticeship, or job training program.

1 CNCS considers capacity building activities to be indirect services that enable CNCS-supported organizations to provide more, better, and sustained direct services in CNCS’ six focus areas. Capacity building activities cannot be solely intended to support the administration or operations of the organization. Examples of capacity building activities include recruiting and/or managing community volunteers; implementing effective volunteer management practices; completing community assessments that identify goals and recommendations; developing new systems and business processes (technology, performance management, training, etc.); and enhancing existing systems and business processes.

Priority 2 Priority 2 applications may propose transformational projects that address any of CNCS’s six focus areas:

economic opportunity, education, disaster services, veterans and military families, healthy futures, or environmental stewardship. Examples include projects that use national service resources to ensure that every third grader is reading on grade level, dramatically increase energy efficiency, or end veterans’ homelessness. Detailed descriptions of the CNCS focus areas are in Attachment 1 and AmeriCorps NCCC issue areas are in Attachment 2.

3. Review Criteria In Step 1, reviewers will assess Concept Papers on the basis of rationale and approach/program design, particularly focusing on the theory of change for the proposed solution to the identified community problem and the appropriateness of AmeriCorps service as a catalyst for transformative change. Concept Papers may not exceed 10 pages in length. Concept papers should be organized according to Rationale and Approach/Program Design Criteria listed below in Section 3.a.

In Step 2, selected applicants will be asked to provide additional information about the quality of the member experience; their organizational capability; cost effectiveness and budget adequacy; and a detailed budget.

a. Step 1 Assessment Criteria: Concept Paper (50%) (10 pages maximum) Each applicant must clearly describe a project that will deploy AmeriCorps members effectively to address a significant community problem. Applicants will first complete an Executive Summary in the following format:

The [Name of the applicant] will support [Number of] AmeriCorps members who will [what the members will be doing] in [the locations the AmeriCorps members will be]. At the end of project period, the AmeriCorps members will be responsible for [anticipated outcome of project]. In addition, the AmeriCorps members will leverage an additional [number of leveraged volunteers, if applicable] that will be engaged in [what the leveraged volunteers will be doing.]

Specifically, [number of] AmeriCorps State and National members will [describe direct service and/or capacity building activities] from [insert anticipated start date for AmeriCorps State and National members] to [insert anticipated end date for AmeriCorps State and National members].

[Number of] AmeriCorps VISTA members will [describe poverty-related capacity-building activities] from [insert anticipated start date for AmeriCorps VISTA members] to [insert anticipated end date for AmeriCorps VISTA members]. [Number of] AmeriCorps NCCC teams will serve [anticipated dates of projects] to [describe focused short-term activities] from [insert anticipated start date for AmeriCorps NCCC members] to [insert anticipated end date for AmeriCorps NCCC members]. We [have/have not] included Senior Corps programs as partners to [describe Senior Corps involvement].

This program will focus on [fill in the relevant CNCS focus area]. The CNCS investment of $[amount of request] will be matched with $[amount of projected match].

Reviewers will assess your response to the following criteria:

Rationale and Approach/Program Design (50%) Percentage

The extent and severity of the problem you are addressing, demonstrated by data such as the high school graduation rate, the unemployment rate, the poverty rate, or other measures that give context to the problem that AmeriCorps members will address.

How AmeriCorps members will achieve a transformational and measurable change through the direct service and/or capacity-building that will be provided by AmeriCorps State and National members, the capacity building service focused on alleviating poverty that will be provided by AmeriCorps VISTA members, and/or the short-term surge capacity that will be provided by AmeriCorps NCCC members.

How you plan to leverage, coordinate, or engage local community partners and existing national service programs (AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, Volunteer Generation Fund) if there are CNCS programs in your community that can increase the intensity or scope of the impact and/or strengthen community infrastructure to address future challenges.

The feasibility of your two-year timeline and plan to achieve your outcomes. 5

The level of evidence for your proposed intervention. See Attachment 3 for Levels of Evidence.

The quality of your outcomes, measures, data collection and logic model. What success will look like and how others not directly involved in the project will know that success was achieved. See Attachment 4 for Logic Model Template.

Total 50

b. Step 2 Assessment Criteria: Organizational Capability (25%) and Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (25%) If your application is selected for technical assistance and submission of a full application, we will ask you for more detailed information regarding organizational capability, including your capability to ensure a positive experience for members, and cost effectiveness and budget adequacy. See Attachment 5 for Assessment Criteria for Step 2 elements.

4. Performance and Evaluation

a. Performance Measures During Step 2 of the application process, applicants will be required to select performance measures for reporting purposes from the list in Attachment 6, Performance Measures. We expect successful applicants to collect performance measurement data that tracks the services that AmeriCorps members provide, and the outcomes these AmeriCorps members produce. For AmeriCorps NCCC teams, the AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader will collect performance data and require the applicant to verify accomplishments and identify service outcomes.

b. National Assessment In order to learn more about the feasibility, structure, and effectiveness of the coordinated grant making approach of Operation AmeriCorps, CNCS will conduct a national assessment of Operation AmeriCorps projects. The national assessment may include a study of the context, structure, organization, and implementation of Operation AmeriCorps; site-specific analyses of innovation and systems change associated with the program, including partnership arrangements, information technology and data sharing, adoption or improvement of evidence-based practices, development of innovative approaches to management and service delivery, and sustainability; and/or other specific topics based on successful grantee program models.

All grantees will be required to cooperate with the national assessment as a condition of grant award.

Participating in the national assessment will fulfill CNCS’s evaluation requirements for any AmeriCorps

State and National element of a grantee’s Operation AmeriCorps project. Successful applicants are encouraged to also conduct their own program-level evaluation, and grant funds may be budgeted for this purpose.

5. Program Authority The National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended, (42 U.S.C. § 12501 et seq.), The Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 4950 et seq.)

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Estimated Available Support All awards are subject to the availability of annual appropriations, which have not yet been made.

2. Estimated Award Amount Award amounts are expected to vary with the scope of the project and partnerships. CNCS will award AmeriCorps NCCC and AmeriCorps VISTA member slots as well as AmeriCorps State and National grant funds to support the AmeriCorps member living allowance and project implementation costs.

3. Project Period Unless otherwise specified, the grant is expected to cover a two-year project period. In approving the two-year project period, CNCS generally makes an initial award for the first year of operation. You will submit your application with a one-year budget including the AmeriCorps State and National grant portion of your project and the number of AmeriCorps NCCC teams and AmeriCorps VISTA members you are requesting. Continuation funding for the second year is not guaranteed and may be dependent on availability of appropriations and first year performance. Applicants should anticipate that it will take a minimum of 3-6 months from the date of the grant award to have AmeriCorps members serving on the ground in their locality.

4. Type of Award The AmeriCorps State and National grant portion of your support will be awarded on a cost reimbursement basis.2 The AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps NCCC portion of your support will be AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps NCCC members. You will be responsible for supervision and support costs of the AmeriCorps VISTA members and for securing housing for the AmeriCorps NCCC members.

C. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

1. Eligible Organizations Tribal governments; local governments of U.S. cities, counties or towns; school boards; state service commissions; and quasi-governmental organizations such as Councils of Governments and non-profit regional development authorities including park, housing, or economic development authorities may apply. You are encouraged to work with local partners including public agencies or private non-profit organizations, including faith-based and other community organizations; institutions of higher education;

other government entities; labor organizations; other partnerships and consortia; and other national service programs (AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, Volunteer Generation Fund) in your community. A government applicant may enlist a community partner to serve as fiscal agent.

2 Cost reimbursement grants fund a portion of program operating costs and member living allowances with flexibility to use all of the funds for allowable costs regardless of whether or not the program recruits and retains all AmeriCorps members. Cost reimbursement grants include a formal matching requirement and require the submission of a budget and financial reports.

State service commissions (commissions) may opt in or out of participation in this competition. Each state service commission participating in this competition will conduct its own selection process and submit its recommendations for funding to CNCS. If you are not representing a Tribal government, you are required to contact the commission in your state. Commission staff will let you know whether they are participating in this competition and provide guidance on their process and deadline if they have opted-in.

The list of State and Territory Commissions can be found at nationalservice.gov/state-commissions.

If the state service commission in your state has opted not to participate in this competition, you will apply directly to CNCS. Organizations that propose to operate a program in more than one state or territory will apply directly to CNCS. Tribal governments will also apply directly to CNCS.

Organizations that have been convicted of a Federal crime are disqualified from receiving the assistance described in this Notice. Pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an organization described in Section 501 (c)(4) of the Internal Revenue code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 501 (c)(4), that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to apply.

CNCS encourages organizations that have never received funding from CNCS or AmeriCorps to apply for the federal funding and resources described in this Notice.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching The entity leading this project is expected to invest its own resources, and leverage additional community support for this project. Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide evidence of community funding and support, including the involvement of other national service programs operating in the locality.

Matching requirements for AmeriCorps State and National grants are 24% (cash or in-kind) for the first three years of any grant, details are specified at §§ 45 C.F.R. 2521.35 - 2521.95. Cost share is not required for the AmeriCorps NCCC and AmeriCorps VISTA positions that are awarded, although cost share for the AmeriCorps VISTA positions is highly encouraged and will increase an applicant’s competitiveness.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

This Notice should be read together with the CNCS Regulations at 45 C.F.R. Chapters XII and XXV, and the Performance Measures in Attachment 6. The full regulations are available online at www.ecfr.gov.

The TTY number is 800-833-3722. For a printed copy of related material, call 202-606-7508.

1. Address to Request the Application Package Send an e-mail to OperationAmeriCorps@cns.gov to request an application package.

2. Submission Dates and Times

a. Notice of Intent to Apply Submission of a Notice of Intent to Apply is highly encouraged and due on or before Monday, December 29, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Please send the Notice of Intent to Apply via e-mail to OperationAmeriCorps@cns.gov.

The Notice of Intent to Apply must include contact information (name of the applicant organization, address, contact person, email address, and phone number), whether you plan to address Priority 1 or Priority 2 (including which Priority 2 focus area(s) the applicant intends to address. See Attachment 1 for details on the Focus Areas). Notices of Intent to Apply will not receive an email acknowledging receipt.

b. Step 1: Concept Papers The deadline for Concept Papers is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, January 13, 2015.

c. Step 2: Organizational Capacity, Cost Effectiveness, and Budget Adequacy http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/contact-us/state-service-commissions/ http://www.ecfr.gov/ mailto:OperationAmeriCorps@cns.gov mailto:OperationAmeriCorps@cns.gov

The deadline for Step 2 Applications is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, March 9, 2015.

CNCS will not consider Notices of Intent, Concept Papers, or Full Applications received after the deadlines, except as noted below. CNCS reserves the right to extend the submission deadline and any notice of such extended deadline will be posted in eGrants.

3. Late Applications CNCS may consider an application after the deadline, but only if the applicant submits a letter to LateApplications@cns.gov explaining the extenuating technical circumstances that caused the delay.

CNCS must receive the letter within one business day after the deadline. If technical issues prevent an applicant from submitting an application on time, the letter should include the eGrants ticket number provided by the National Service Hotline. Communication with CNCS staff, including an applicant’s program officer, is not a substitute for sending the letter. CNCS will determine whether or not to accept a late application on a case-by-case basis. Please be advised that CNCS will not consider an advance request to submit a late application.

4. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Submitting in eGrants Applicants must submit their applications electronically via the CNCS web-based system, eGrants. We recommend that applicants create an eGrants account and begin the eGrants application creation process at least three weeks before the deadlines.

Applicants should draft the application as a word processing document, then copy and paste the document into the appropriate eGrants fields no later than 10 days before the deadline. Please note the length of a document in your word processing software likely will be different than what will appear in eGrants. See more details under 4.b Content and Page Limits.

Contact the National Service Hotline at 800-942-2677 or questions.nationalservice.gov if a problem arises while creating an account or while preparing or submitting an application in eGrants. National Service Hotline hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. Be prepared to provide the application ID and your organization’s name and inform the Hotline that you are calling in regards to the Operation AmeriCorps Notice.

b. Content and Page Limits Concept papers should be organized according to the Rationale and Approach/Program Design Criteria listed above in Section 3.a. on page 3. Concept Papers may not exceed 10 pages. This limit does not include the cover page or the logic model. The logic model may not exceed 3 pages.

Full applications may not exceed 18 pages, including the Concept Paper and the Step 2 narrative, which includes organizational capacity and cost effectiveness and budget adequacy sections of the application.

The page limit for the Full Application does not include the budget and performance measures.

You are strongly encouraged to print out the application from the “Review and Submit” page prior to submitting to ensure that your application does not exceed the page limit. Reviewers will not consider submitted material that is over the page limit, even if eGrants allows an applicant to enter and submit text over the limit. Do not submit non-required supplemental materials such as videos, DVDs, brochures, or any other item not requested in the Notice or application instructions. CNCS will not review or return them.

c. Duns and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and System for Award Management (SAM) mailto:LateApplications@cns.gov https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp https://questions.nationalservice.gov/

The Concept Paper must include a DUNS number and an Employer Identification Number. The DUNS number does not replace an Employer Identification Number. DUNS numbers may be obtained at no cost by calling the DUNS number request line at (866) 705-5711 or by applying online:

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.The website indicates a 48-hour e-mail turnaround time on requests for DUNS numbers; however, we suggest registering at least 30 days in advance of the application due date.

After obtaining a DUNS number, all applicants must register with the Systems for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ and maintain an active SAM registration until the application process is completed and, if a grant is awarded, it must be renewed annually. Applicants that are not already registered with SAM are urged to begin the registration process immediately in order to avoid any delays in submitting applications.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria See the Review Criteria in Section 3.a. on page 3 and Attachment 5.

2. Stages in the Review Process

a. Compliance Review CNCS staff will review all applications to determine compliance with eligibility, deadline, and completeness. Non-compliant applications will not be considered. An application is complete if it includes all required documentation and is received by the application due date. The required documentation for Step 1 is:

• Concept Paper including Executive Summary

• Logic model, submitted attached to an e-mail addressed to OperationAmeriCorps@cns.gov.

Please include the legal applicant name, point of contact information, and Concept Paper ID in the e-mail and in the logic model document itself.

b. Review CNCS staff reviewers will assess applications based on the assessment criteria outlined in this Notice for Steps 1 and 2. CNCS will notify each applicant via email whether or not they were selected to participate in Step 2.

In Step 2, selected applicants from Step 1 will be asked to provide additional information that will be used by CNCS staff to make final funding recommendations. A request for additional information does not guarantee a grant award. Failure to respond to requests for additional information in a timely fashion may result in the removal of applications from consideration.

c. Risk Assessment Evaluation CNCS staff will evaluate the risks to the program posed by each applicant, including conducting due diligence to ensure an applicant's ability to manage federal funds. This evaluation is in addition to the evaluation of the applicant’s eligibility or the quality of its application on the basis of the Selection Criteria. Results from this evaluation will inform funding decisions. If CNCS determines that an award will be made, special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the award. In evaluating risks, CNCS may consider the following:

• Financial stability

• Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in applicable OMB Guidance

• Information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information, such as:

o Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), o Duns and Bradstreet o “Do Not Pay” http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

• Reports and findings from single audits performed under OMB Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200 and findings of any other available audits

• IRS Tax Form 990

• An applicant organization's annual report

• Publicly available information including information from an applicant organization's website

• The applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

d. Selection for Funding

With the goal of a diversified portfolio, the Chief Executive Officer will select the final awardees based on reviewer recommendations and strategic considerations including:

• Geographic representation

• Organizations and/or program models that recruit and engage traditionally underrepresented populations as AmeriCorps members and expand opportunities to serve as AmeriCorps members, particularly for new Americans, low-income individuals, Opportunity Youth3, rural residents, older Americans, veterans, communities of color, Native Americans, and people with disabilities

• Organizations that embrace innovative approaches to solving problems.

Organizations selected for funding will be asked to provide additional information in eGrants in order to enroll AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps NCCC members.

e. Feedback to Applicants Following final selection, CNCS will provide feedback to applicants upon request.

CNCS is committed to transparency in grant-making. The following information will be published on the CNCS website (http://nationalservice.gov/about/open-government-initiative/transparency/results-grants-competition) within 90 business days after all grants are awarded:

• A competition overview

• A list of all compliant Concept Papers submitted

• Data extracted from the cover page and narratives of successful applicants.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notice CNCS will award federal funding and other federal resources following the award selection announcement. We anticipate announcing the results of this competition on or around April 7, 2015, dependent on the availability of appropriations.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements The AmeriCorps State and National Notice of Grant Award, the AmeriCorps NCCC Sponsor Agreement, and AmeriCorps VISTA Terms and Conditions incorporate approved applications as part of a binding commitment under the award as well as the applicable CNCS regulations at 45 C.F.R. Chapters XII and XXV. Grants under this program are subject to the Uniform Cost Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. (2 C.F.R. Part 200; 78 Fed. Reg. 78590).

This final guidance supersedes and streamlines requirements from OMB Circulars A–21, A–87, A–110, and A–122 (which have been placed in OMB guidance); circulars A–89, A–102, and A–133; and the

3 Opportunity youth are economically disadvantaged individuals ages 16-24 who are disconnected from school or work for at least six months prior to service. CNCS defines economically disadvantaged consistent with the definition used in the member development performance measures, “Receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance.” CNCS defines “disconnected from school or work” as unemployed, underemployed, and not in school for at least six months prior to service.

http://nationalservice.gov/about/open-government-initiative/transparency/results-grants-competition http://nationalservice.gov/about/open-government-initiative/transparency/results-grants-competition guidance in Circular A–50 on Single Audit Act follow-up. CNCS will implement this guidance no later than December 26, 2014.

3. Award Period The project start date may not occur prior to the date CNCS makes the award. AmeriCorps members may not enroll prior to the start date of the award. AmeriCorps members may not begin service prior to the beginning of the member enrollment period as designated in the grant award. A program may not certify any hours a member performs prior to the beginning of the member enrollment period.

4. Reporting Requirements Awardees are required to provide quarterly program progress reports and semi-annual financial reports.

You will also be required to report at www.FSRS.gov on all subawards over $25,000 and may be required to report on executive compensation for your organization and for your subgrantees. You must have the necessary systems in place to collect and report this information. See 2 CFR Part 170 for more information and to determine how these requirements apply. You will also be required to submit regular progress reports.

While applications will not be evaluated on these criteria, grantees will be expected to have data collection and data management policies and practices that provide reasonable assurance that they are providing CNCS with high quality performance measure data. At a minimum, grantees should have policies and practices which address the following five aspects of data quality:

• The data measures what it intends to measure

• The grantee collects data in a consistent manner

• The grantee takes steps to correct data error

• The grantee ensures that the data reported is complete

• The grantee actively reviews data prior to submission.

5. Re-Focusing of Funding CNCS reserves the right to re-focus funding in the event of disaster or other compelling need for service.

G. AGENCY CONTACT

This Notice is available at nationalservice.gov/funding-opportunities. The TTY number is 202–606-3472.

For a printed copy of this information or further information e-mail OperationAmeriCorps@cns.gov.

The mailing address is:

Corporation for National and Community Service ATT: Office of Grants Policy and Operations/OperationAmeriCorps 1201 New York Avenue N.W.

Washington, DC 20525

H. OTHER INFORMATION TO KNOW BEFORE APPLYING

Technical Assistance Calls CNCS will host technical assistance calls and/or workshops to answer questions about the funding opportunity and about eGrants and strongly encourages all applicants to participate in these sessions. The schedule of calls and call-in information will be posted on CNCS’s website at nationalservice.gov/funding-opportunities.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr170_main_02.tpl http://www.nationalservice.gov/build-your-capacity/grants/funding-opportunities http://www.nationalservice.gov/build-your-capacity/grants/funding-opportunities

Attachment 1: CNCS Focus Area Descriptions

In order to carry out Congress’ intent and to maximize the impact of investment in national service, CNCS is targeting AmeriCorps funds to the following focus areas:

Disaster Services Grant activities will increase the preparedness of individuals, improve individuals’ readiness to respond, help individuals recover from disasters, and help individuals mitigate disasters. Grantees also have the ability to respond to national disasters under CNCS cooperative agreements and FEMA mission assignments.

Economic Opportunity Grants will provide support and/or facilitate access to services and resources that contribute to the improved economic well-being and security of economically disadvantaged people. Grant activities will help economically disadvantaged people to have improved access to services aimed at contributing to their enhanced financial literacy;

transition into or remain in safe, healthy, affordable housing; and have improved employability leading to increased success in becoming employed.

Education Grants will provide support and/or facilitate access to services and resources that contribute to improved educational outcomes for economically disadvantaged individuals, especially children. CNCS is particularly interested in program designs that support youth engagement and service-learning as strategies to achieve improved academic outcomes. Grant activities will improve school readiness for economically disadvantaged young children;

educational and behavioral outcomes of students in low-achieving elementary, middle, and high schools; and the preparation for, and prospects of success, in post-secondary educational institutions for economically disadvantaged students.

Environmental Stewardship Grants will provide support for direct services that contribute to increased energy and water efficiency, renewable energy use, or improving at-risk ecosystems. In addition, grants will support increased individual behavioral change leading to increased efficiency, renewable energy use, and ecosystem improvements particularly for economically disadvantaged households and communities. Grant activities will:

• Decrease energy and water consumption

• Improve at-risk ecosystems

• Increase behavioral changes that lead directly to decreased energy and water consumption or improved at-risk ecosystems

• Increase green training opportunities that may lead to decreased energy and water consumption or improved at-risk ecosystems.

In addition, the Administration is exploring ways to provide service, training, education, and employment opportunities for young Americans through protecting, restoring and enhancing public and tribal lands. CNCS is exploring potential programs along the lines of a “21st Century Civilian Service Corps” that can facilitate conservation service work on public lands and encourage a new generation of natural resource managers and environmental scientists, particularly in low income and disadvantaged communities.

Healthy Futures Grants will provide support for health needs within communities including access to care, aging in place, and childhood obesity. Grant activities will improve access to primary and preventive health care for communities served by CNCS-supported programs; increase seniors’ ability to remain in their own homes with the same or improved quality of life for as long as possible; and increase physical activity and improve nutrition in youth with the purpose of reducing childhood obesity.

Veterans and Military Families Grants will positively impact the quality of life of veterans and improve military family strength. Grant activities will increase the number of veterans and military service members and their families served by CNCS-supported programs and increase the number of veterans and military family members engaged in service through CNCS-supported programs. To the greatest extent possible, proposed activities should be aligned with the Veteran and Military Family National Performance Measures.

Attachment 2: AmeriCorps NCCC Service Project Issue Areas

AmeriCorps NCCC Issue Areas The AmeriCorps NCCC Projects must:

• Address compelling community needs

• Have clearly stated and well planned tasks and objectives

• Have demonstrable, measurable goals

• Engage all team members in meaningful service throughout the project

• Provide opportunities for member growth and development

• Involve the community throughout the project

• Have a plan for sustainability after the team completes its service

Projects are normally six to eight weeks in duration, but will vary depending on the requirements of the project.

Projects must be capable of using at least one full team of 8 to 12 members effectively. Transportation and some basic tools are provided by AmeriCorps NCCC; however, project sponsors are required to provide materials, specialized tools, orientation, training, and technical supervision. When the distance between the campus and the project site is beyond a reasonable driving distance, as determined by the campus, the project sponsor works with AmeriCorps NCCC to help arrange housing, food, and other logistical needs.

Natural and Other Disasters Natural and Other Disaster projects address the needs of communities affected by floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters. The focus is on preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery projects. Examples of projects include, but are not limited to: coordinating volunteers; managing distribution centers and shelters; preparing and distributing meals; clearing debris; enrolling victims into emergency-assistance databases; mucking and gutting;

surveying community assets; distributing educational materials and preparedness kits; implementing disaster-preparedness curricula; mapping for improvements to community emergency response systems; and installing hurricane shutters.

Infrastructure Improvement Infrastructure Improvement projects contribute to the safety and well-being of community members through repairing and building structures. In addition, projects will improve basic facilities and services needed for the functioning of the community. Examples of projects include, but are not limited to: building wheelchair ramps;

establishing community centers; assembling playgrounds; repairing and painting public facilities.

Environmental Stewardship and Conservation In the tradition of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, Environmental Stewardship and Conservation projects help preserve and enhance a community’s natural resources. Examples of projects include, but are not limited to: trail development and maintenance; planting trees; removing invasive plant species; cleaning up rivers, streams, and beaches; performing water quality assessments; and leading environmental education workshops and camps for youth.

Energy Conservation Energy Conservation projects promote energy efficient practices with organizations, communities, families, or individuals. Examples of projects include, but are not limited to: providing energy efficiency assessments; assisting with installations of energy efficient appliances and light bulbs; developing recycling programs; performing home weatherization projects for low-income, disabled, and senior citizens; and providing and developing educational programming on sustainability and conservation practices.

Urban and Rural Development Urban and Rural Development projects address the special needs of communities in ways that improve the quality of life for citizens and the success of whole communities. Examples of projects include, but are not limited to:

supporting homeless shelters, food banks, youth and family service organizations; historical preservation;

programming for seniors and special populations; renovating and constructing homes; leading neighborhood and community revitalization projects; and providing direct service to students, parents, and families through tutoring, one-on-one assistance, afterschool programming, employment counseling and health awareness.

Attachment 3: Levels of Evidence

The five evidence levels are:

No evidence means that the applicant has not provided evidence that they have collected any qualitative or quantitative data to date.

Pre-preliminary evidence means the applicant presents evidence that it has collected quantitative or qualitative data from program staff, program participants, or beneficiaries that have been used for program improvement, performance measurement reporting, and/or tracking. An example could be gathering feedback from program participants following their receipt of the intervention.

Preliminary evidence means the applicant presents an initial evidence base that can support conclusions about the program’s contribution to observed outcomes. The evidence base consists of at least one non-experimental study conducted on the proposed program (or another similar program that uses a comparable intervention). A study that demonstrates improvement in program beneficiaries over time on one or more intended outcomes OR an implementation (process evaluation) study used to learn and improve program operations would constitute preliminary evidence. Examples of research that meet the standards include: 1) outcome studies that track program beneficiaries through a service pipeline and measure beneficiaries’ responses at the end of the program; and 2) pre- and post-test research that determines whether beneficiaries have improved on an intended outcome.

Moderate evidence means the applicant presents a reasonably developed evidence base that can support causal conclusions for the specific program proposed by the applicant with moderate confidence. The evidence base consists of one or more quasi-experimental studies conducted on the proposed program (or another similar program that uses a comparable intervention) with positive findings on one or more intended outcome OR two or more non-experimental studies conducted on the proposed program with positive findings on one or more intended outcome OR one or more experimental studies of another relevant program that uses a similar intervention. Examples of research that meet the standards include:

well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental studies that compare outcomes between the group receiving the intervention and a matched comparison group (i.e. a similar population that does not receive the intervention).

Strong evidence means the applicant presents an evidence base that can support causal conclusions for the specific program proposed by the applicant with the highest level of confidence. This consists of one or more well-designed and well-implemented experimental studies conducted on the proposed program with positive findings on one or more intended outcome.

Attachment 4: Logic Model Template

Project Resources

Core Project Components

Evidence of Project Implementation and Participation

Evidence of Change

INPUTS ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

Short-term Medium-term Long-term What we invest (# and type of AmeriCorps members)

What we do Direct products from program activities

Changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes, opinions

Changes in behavior or action that result from participants new knowledge

Meaningful changes, often in condition or status in life

Attachment 5. Step 2 Submission: Full Application

If you are selected to receive technical assistance and submit a full application, you will complete the following additional narrative fields in eGrants. The Full Application must not exceed 18 pages, including the concept paper from Step 1. Reviewers will reassess Rationale and Approach/Program Design response to criteria (from the concept paper) and assess Organizational Capability and Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy.

Rationale and Approach/Program Design (50%) Percentage The extent and severity of the problem you are addressing, demonstrated by data such as the high school graduation rate, the unemployment rate, the poverty rate, or other measures that give context to the problem that AmeriCorps members will address.

How AmeriCorps members will achieve a dramatic and measurable change through the direct service and/or capacity-building that will be provided by AmeriCorps State and National members, the capacity building service focused on alleviating poverty that will be provided by AmeriCorps VISTA members, and/or the short-term surge capacity that will be provided by AmeriCorps NCCC members.

How you plan to leverage, coordinate, or engage local community partners and existing national service programs (AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, Volunteer Generation Fund) if there are CNCS programs in your community that can increase the intensity or scope of the impact and/or strengthen community infrastructure to address future challenges.

The feasibility of your two-year timeline and plan to achieve your outcomes. 5 The level of evidence for your proposed intervention. See Attachment 3 for Levels of Evidence. 5 The quality of your outcomes, measures, data collection and logic model. What success will look like and how others not directly involved in the project will know that success was achieved. See Attachment 4 for Logic Model Template.

Total 50 Organizational Capability (25%) Organizational Strength

• Your experience and organizational structure qualifies you to plan and implement the proposed program.

• You have prior experience administering AmeriCorps grants or other federal funds.

• You have a staffing plan that will be adequate to oversee and coordinate the AmeriCorps members serving on your Operation AmeriCorps project. Please indicate whether you will staff this project with current employees (which can be counted as part of your in-kind match); hire a new position with the AmeriCorps State and National grant funds; or use AmeriCorps VISTA resources to coordinate the project. Explain how your staffing plan will make your project sustainable.

• Evidence of Mayor, tribal leader, or other chief executive engagement in the planning and execution of this project. 10

Member Experience: Supervision

• You have clearly stated and well planned tasks and objectives that will engage all AmeriCorps members in meaningful service throughout the project.

• You plan to ensure that AmeriCorps members and generated volunteers are aware of and are adhering to the rules regarding prohibited activities.

• You have a plan for supervising AmeriCorps members that ensures they will receive adequate support and guidance. 6 Member Experience: Training and Branding

• You have well-developed training topics and a timeline for AmeriCorps member training.

• You will provide opportunities for AmeriCorps member growth and development.

• You will ensure that participants are prepared to speak about their AmeriCorps experience to members of the community.

• Program participants will know they are AmeriCorps members.

• Your community will know they are AmeriCorps members.

• The AmeriCorps members will wear the AmeriCorps logo daily 6

Compliance and Accountability

• You will ensure compliance with AmeriCorps rules and regulations including those related to prohibited activities.

• You will prevent and detect compliance issues.

• You will be accountable if instances of risk or noncompliance are identified 3

Subtotal 25

Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (25%)

• The program is a cost effective approach for addressing the problem. Consider the total costs and benefits of the program and, to the extent possible, document the costs and benefits. 8

• You will raise the additional resources needed to manage and operate the proposed AmeriCorps program. Keep in mind that the AmeriCorps State and National budget must support the cost for the AmeriCorps State and National members’ living allowance, health care, and criminal history checks. You will also work with the AmeriCorps NCCC to help arrange housing and other logistical needs for the AmeriCorps NCCC members.

• The city, county, Tribal government, or school board leading this project is investing their own funds and/or leveraging additional community support or funds for this project.

• Your proposed budget indicates the amount of non-CNCS resource commitments (in-kind, and cash) secured to date and the sources of these commitments. 6

• Your proposed budget is adequate to carry out the program. 3

• You have a plan for sustainability after the federal support ends. 8 Subtotal 25

TOTAL 100

c. Budget Complete the…