AmeriCorps State and NationalFY2011

Agenda

Speaker IntroductionsWhat is AmeriCorps?2011 AmeriCorps Funding PrioritiesMentoring and Parental Engagement ProgramsHow to Apply for an AmeriCorps GrantNext Steps for YouAdditional Resources

Speakers

Joshua DuBois, Executive Director, White House Office of Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships

John Gomperts, Director of AmeriCorps

John Kelly, Director of Strategic Partnerships

Nicole Gallant, Director of Learn and Serve America and Strategic Advisor for Education

Lois Nembhard, Deputy Director, AmeriCorps

What is AmeriCorps?

Maximizes the power of service and volunteering to improve lives in communities across the country

Provides grants to organizations to operate AmeriCorps programs that engage individuals in service as AmeriCorps members.

Funds high-quality programs that are developed by an applicant who designs a set of activities that demonstrate an evidence-based approach to creating community impact and solving community problems.

AmeriCorps MembersIndividuals enrolled for an intensive term of service (300-1700 hours per year) in an AmeriCorps program

U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States

At least 17 years of age (no upper age limit)

Not a volunteer or a staff person

Receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for successful completion of a term of service

Some AmeriCorps members receive a living allowance and are eligible for health and childcare benefits

AmeriCorps State and National Grant Funds

Provide partial funding to support AmeriCorps programs

Require recipients to contribute match funding

Include an allotment of AmeriCorps member positions

Are directly tied to a specific number of member positions

Are solely for program-related expenses

AmeriCorps State and National Grant Funds are

NOT

Used to duplicate or supplant pre-existing activities, staff, or volunteers.

For general organizational expenses.

Enough to support all program-related expenses.

Benefits of an AmeriCorps Grant

Expands the capacity of organizations to meet critical community needs

Provides funds to support program administration, access to training and technical assistance resources, and entrance into a national network of organizations

Allows organizations to recruit individuals from the community to serve as AmeriCorps members

Community members who serve as AmeriCorps members gain skills, experience, and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to be used to further their education or repay student loans

Eligible Grant Applicants

Non-profit organizations

Institutions of higher education

Government entities within states or territories

Indian tribes

Non-profit or higher education partnerships or consortia

Intermediaries that provide support to organizations with limited organizational capacity are encouraged to apply

EDUCATIONEnvironmental StewardshipHealthy FuturesEconomic OpportunityDisaster ServicesVeterans & Military Families

2011 Funding Priorities

Education Focus Area

The Corporation seeks to fund research- and evidence-based programs that improve academic outcomes for young children, youth and young adults by helping them:

Prepare for school

Perform at grade level

Graduate from high school ready for college, work and life

Succeed in college and university

Emphasis on the lowest-performing schools

Mentoring ProgramsMatch disadvantaged youth with an adult who provides support through either community based programs or school based programs.

Sustain that match for a prescribed period of time:

School-Based mentoring requires a continuous match, with the same mentor for one hour per week (or as age-appropriate for older mentees), for at least 6 months of one school year.

Community-Based mentoring requires a continuous match, with the same mentor for two to three hours per week, for at least 12 months and up to 24 months.

Mentoring relationships are ideally one mentor per child, but could be small group with a ratio of no more than 1:3.

Parental Engagement Programs

Increase parental involvement in preparing a child for academic success

Increase family involvement and volunteerism in schools

Increase parental leadership in school-based programs

Increase parental and family involvement on advisory councils, committees

Increase parental and family organizing for school and district improvement

Mentoring & Parental Engagement Outcomes

Sustained mentor/mentee match for the prescribed period of time (mentoring)

Improved academic performance

Improved school attendance

Decreased disciplinary referrals and suspensions

Decreased substance abuse, arrest, or gang involvement

Increased graduation rates or GED acquisition

Entrance into post-secondary institutions

Attainment of a post-secondary degree

How AmeriCorps Defines Disadvantaged Youth:

• Economic Disadvantage: eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be accessing free/reduced lunch.

• Disadvantaged youth: includes those youth who are economically disadvantaged AND 1 or more of the following:

Who are out-of-school youth, including out-of-school youth who are unemployed

Who are in or aging out of foster care.

Who have limited English proficiency.

Who are homeless or who have run away from home.

Who are at-risk to leave secondary school without a diploma.

Who are former juvenile offenders or at risk of delinquency.

Who are individuals with disabilities.

Examples of Current Mentoring Programs

• Grantee: Boys Hope Girls Hope

Program Initiative: Links

Boys Hope Girls Hope (BHGH) operates a network of residential homes for at- risk children who are abandoned or homeless, or who come from home environments marked by drug abuse, extreme poverty, or neglect. Through the AmeriCorps grant, BHGH adds a national mentoring component to its program. AmeriCorps members mobilize long-term volunteer mentors from the local communities, build volunteer recruitment infrastructure at BHGH affiliates, and expand the network of community partnerships at each site.

• Grantee: Notre Dame Mission Volunteers

Program Initiative: Children of Incarcerated Parents

AmeriCorps members identify children affected by parental incarceration and match them with caring adult mentors recruited from the community. They prepare mentees and mentors for matching by interviewing, screening, checking references, and leading pre-match meetings.

Examples of Parental Engagement Programs

• Grantee: Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters USA, Inc.

HIPPY is a home-based parent involvement and school readiness program that helps parents prepare children between the ages of 3 and 5 for success in school and beyond. AmeriCorps members teach parents and model how to use HIPPY learning activity packets, which focus on developing specific school readiness skills such as language and vocabulary development, problem solving, and pre-math concepts.

• Grantee: Institutes of Higher Learning

AmeriCorps Teacher Assistants increase parental involvement over the course of the academic. Each AmeriCorps Teacher Assistant will: (1) Publish and distribute a newsletter to parents twice a year, describing school activities and methods parents can use to increase student learning; (2) Invite all parents to attend classroom activities for one hour a month; (3) Conduct two "open houses" for parents; (4) Request parents of the students performing below average to attend tutor training, thus assisting parents on how to tutor their children. (5) Invite parents to participate in the service projects or service- learning projects.

AmeriCorps State (single-state)FormulaCompetitive

AmeriCorps National (multi-state)Indian Tribes

Applying for an AmeriCorps Grant

How to Apply for an AmeriCorps Grant

• Organizations proposing to operate within a single state must apply through their State Service Commission. Commissions have two ways of awarding AmeriCorps funds:

Formula

Competitive

• State Service Commissions have earlier deadlines for AmeriCorps applicants and may have additional requirements

• Organizations proposing to operate in more than one state apply directly to the Corporation.

• Indian tribes may apply through their State Service Commission or directly to the Corporation. The Corporation sets aside 1% of competitive funding specifically for Indian Tribes.

Application Materials

• AmeriCorps Regulations: 45 Code of Federal Regulations Sections 2520-2550 (www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr) are the rules governing AmeriCorps programs and includes important topics such as matching requirements and program management requirements.

• 2011 Notice of Funding Opportunity (http://www.americorps.gov/pdf/10_0831_ac_nofo.pdf) Outlines the available grant opportunities, maximum allowable program costs, funding priorities and other information pertinent to the year’s competitions.

• Application Instructions: Each section contains a description of the information that is to be addressed in that section of the application narrative.

• eGrants account: Applications are submitted via eGrants and applicants must create an account.

Next Steps for You• Participate in the AmeriCorps State and National Outreach Call Series:

Introductory call: Provides specific information about the various types of AmeriCorps grants and the roles and responsibilities of an AmeriCorps grantee

Next Steps call: Reviews the materials needed to apply for a grant and discusses the application content selection criteria

Budget Calls: Reviews the components of an AmeriCorps budget and fiscal responsibility of an AmeriCorps grantee

Go to eventbrite.com and search for AmeriCorps to register for an upcoming call or visit: http://www.americorps.gov/pdf/10_1005_nofa_ac_tta.pdf

• Review this online presentation in lieu of the Intro Call:

Link to AmeriCorps Grants 101 slide presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/AmeriCorpsOutreach2009/americorps-grants- 101-presentation

Important Dates for 2011 Applicants

Fall 2010 –State Service Commission deadlines vary, if you are a single-state program, contact your State Service Commission now!

January 25, 2011 –Multi-State and Indian tribes applications due to CNCS

June 2011 –Award Announcements

Resources to Assist Programs with the Application Process

www.americorps.gov

Click on: How to Apply / Eligibility

http://americorps.gov/for_organizations/apply/index.asp

Which takes you to: Link to State Competition information:http://www.americorps.gov/for_organizations/apply/state.asp

Link to National Competition information:http://www.americorps.gov/for_organizations/apply/national .asp

Link to eGrantshttp://www.nationalservice.gov/egrants/

Additional Resource

www.americorps.gov/fitfinder

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