1 2012 Application Instructions

All AmeriCorps Application Instructions: State, National Direct, State Education Award Program, Direct Education Award Program, National Professional Corps, Indian Tribes, State & Territories..

2013 Application Instructions FINAL for Publication

All AmeriCorps Application Instructions: State, National Direct, State Education Award Program, Direct Education Award Program, National Professional Corps, Indian Tribes, State & Territories..

OMB: 3045-0047

⚠️ Notice: This form may be outdated. More recent filings and information on OMB 3045-0047 can be found here:

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2013 AmeriCorps State and National

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

State and National Competitive New and Continuation

including

AmeriCorps Indian Tribes

AmeriCorps National Direct

AmeriCorps National Education Awards Program

AmeriCorps National Fixed-amount Grants

AmeriCorps Tribes and Territories Fixed-amount Grants

AmeriCorps Territories without Commissions

State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive

State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive Fixed Amount Grants

State Commission Competitive Education Awards Program

OMB Control #: 3045-0047 Expiration Date: ??/??/??

IMPORTANT NOTICE

These application instructions conform to the Corporation for National and Community Service’s online grant application system, eGrants. All funding announcements by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) are posted on www.nationalservice.gov and www.grants.gov.

Public Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 40 hours per submission, including reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing the form. Comments on the burden or content of this instrument may be sent to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Attn: Amy Borgstrom, 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20525. CNCS informs people who may respond to this collection of information that they are not required to respond to the collection of information unless the OMB control number and expiration date displayed on page one are current and valid. (See 5 C.F.R. 1320.5(b)(2)(i).)

Privacy Act Notice: The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C § 552a) requires that the following notice be provided to you: The information requested on the AmeriCorps Application Instructions is collected pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 12581 - 12585 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 as amended, and 42 U.S.C. § 4953 of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 as amended. Purposes and Uses - The information requested is collected for the purposes of reviewing grant applications and granting funding requests. Routine Uses - Routine uses may include disclosure of the information to federal, state, or local agencies pursuant to lawfully authorized requests. In some programs, the information may also be provided to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to determine the existence of any prior criminal convictions. The information may also be provided to appropriate federal agencies and Department contractors that have a need to know the information for the purpose of assisting the Department’s efforts to respond to a suspected or confirmed breach of the security or confidentiality or information maintained in this system of records, and the information disclosed is relevant and unnecessary for the assistance. Executive Summaries of all compliant applications received and applications of successful applicants will be published on the CNCS website as part of ongoing efforts to increase transparency in grantmaking. This is described in more detail in the Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity. The information will not otherwise be disclosed to entities outside of AmeriCorps and CNCS without prior written permission. Effects of Nondisclosure - The information requested is mandatory in order to receive benefits.

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act: Grant recipients will be required to report at www.FSRS.gov on all subawards over $25,000 and may be required to report on executive compensation for recipients and subrecipients. Recipients must have the necessary systems in place to collect and report this information. See 2 C.F.R. Part 170 for more information and to determine how these requirements apply.

Universal Identifier: Applications must include a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and register with the Central Contractor’s Registry (CCR). All grant recipients are required to maintain a valid registration, which must be renewed annually.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Important Notice 2

Guidance for State Commissions………………………………………………………………..4

New and Recompeting Programs 8

Application Resources 8

Submitting Your Application in eGrants 9

I. Applicant Info 10

II. Application Info 10

III. Narratives 11

IV. Performance Measures 15

V. Documents 15

VI. Budget Instructions 17

VII. Subapplications (National Direct and National Professional Corps Only)………….....18

VIII. Review, Authorize, and Submit 19

IX. Continuation Requests 20

Tables

Table 1: Requirements in the AmeriCorps Regulations 9

Table 2: Match Requirements in the AmeriCorps Regulations 17

ATTACHMENTS

These Attachments are Worksheets only. All information must be entered in eGrants.

A. SF-424 Facesheet

(eGrants Applicant Info and Application Info Sections) 24

B. Performance Measure Instructions for New/Recompeting Applicants

(eGrants Performance Measures Section) 28

C. Performance Measure Instructions for Continuation Applicants

(eGrants Performance Measures Section) 32

D. Detailed Budget Instructions 38

E. Budget Worksheet 44

F. Detailed Budget Instructions for Fixed-Amount Grants 48

G. Fixed-Amount Budget Worksheet 50

H. Budget Checklist 51

I. Alternative Match Instructions 53

J. National Operating Site Worksheet……………………………………………………………55

K. Beale Codes and County-Level Economic Data 56

L. Assurances and Certifications (eGrants Authorize and Submit Section) 59

M. Beneficiary Populations/Grant Characteristics

(eGrants Performance Measures Section) ……...……………………………….……………….66

GUIDANCE FOR STATE COMMISSIONS

Each State Commission is responsible for developing an application process that includes the review and selection of AmeriCorps programs for submission to CNCS for funding.

Resources

The AmeriCorps regulations 45 CFR §§ 2520 – 2550, contain program specific information and requirements that you need to understand and incorporate into your application instructions.

The Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (Notice) for the AmeriCorps State and National and the Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (Notice) for AmeriCorps State and National and Indian Tribe Planning Grant funding contain specific information about how much funding will be available for AmeriCorps grants, applicant eligibility, how to apply, and special considerations and priorities for funding that are not included in the applications instructions.

The Application Instructions for the State and National competitions are linked from the Notice web pages.

Requirements for Competitive Submission

Your State Commission Prime Application Package(s) for State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive, State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive Fixed Amount Grants, and/or State Commission Competitive Education Awards Program, and Planning grant funding must include:

Applicant information from the state commission (prime application).
Assurances and Certifications signed by the appropriate authorizing official.
The AmeriCorps State and National program applications you are recommending for funding.
Commission ranking of applications as outlined in the AmeriCorps regulations 45 CFR § 2522.465.
Recommendation summaries for each application submitted.

In addition, state commissions are responsible for ensuring that each recommended application complies with all of the submission requirements set forth in the Notice and Application Instructions. This means that in addition to the prime and sub-applications, the commission will ensure that required Evaluations, and Labor Union Concurrences will also have been submitted to CNCS by the submission due date, if applicable.

Do not submit supplementary materials such as videos, brochures, letters of support, or any other item not requested in the Application Instructions or the NOFO. CNCS will not review or return them.

State Competitive New or Re-Competing Selection Process

This is to assist you in developing your commission specific application materials and developing your selection processes for State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive, State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive Fixed Amount Grants, and/or State Commission Competitive Education Awards Program, and Planning funding. State commissions must follow state law requirements regarding requests for proposals and the selection of programs within their state. Commission outreach and review processes should be consistent with board approved policies and may be run concurrently with formula or other competitions. Commissions should provide information on the following topics to program applicants:

Funding availability.
State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive, State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive Fixed Amount Grants, and/or State Commission Competitive Education Awards Program, and Planning.
State maximum cost per MSY and budget guidelines.
State priorities.
Corporation priority areas.
Selection criteria.
Other information the commission or state may require.

The state commission is responsible for:

Submission of Competitive, Fixed-Amount, Professional Corps, Education Award Only and Planning Grant applications to CNCS for funding consideration.
Thoroughly reviewing the recommended applications to ensure they are complete, accurate, and in compliance with all program and budget requirements before submitting them to CNCS in eGrants.
Preparing ranking and recommendations for new/re-competing programs to fund.
Preparing recommendations for continuing programs to fund.
Reviewing Federal Financial Reports to monitor and report on continuing and re-competing programs’ progress toward the matching requirements stipulated in the AmeriCorps rule 45 CRF §§ 2521.35-2521.91.
Reading, understanding, and signing all assurances, certifications, and restrictions, including the certification of each program’s progress toward the matching requirements.
Assessing a program’s request for an Alternative Match Schedule and submitting the commission’s assessment and recommendation to CNCS for any program they are including on their prime application.
Assessing any other requests for allowable waivers, developing the commission’s recommendation for the waiver and submitting the materials to CNCS for consideration.

Be sure to set a due date for applications that allows adequate time before CNCS’ due date to review program applications, analyze budgets, and work with the programs on revisions to budgets, proposed activities, and performance measures, as necessary.

Commission Review Requirements

Commissions are required to conduct a competitive review to assess new and re-competing state Formula, Competitive, Fixed-Amount, Education Award Only, Professional Corps and Planning grant applications. Commissions must certify in eGrants that the selection process complied with the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA), as amended, AmeriCorps regulations, and all state laws and conflict of interest rules.

The AmeriCorps regulations, 45 CFR § 2522.460 and § 2522.475, describe the extent to which commissions must use the Corporation’s selection criteria and priorities when selecting programs and to what extent commissions may consider priorities other than those stated in the regulations or in the Notice. Include the criteria the commission will use to evaluate and select applications in your application materials.

State Commission Ranking and Recommendation Summaries

The AmeriCorps regulations, 45 CFR § 2522.465, include requirements regarding ranking applicants for State Competitive funding, including competitive planning grants. Submit the rankings in eGrants using the “Manage Subs” screen in the prime application to enter information on each of the new or re-competing sub-applications. Once the information for each sub-application has been entered, save and close. The main Manage Subs page will now include all subs listed under “For Competitive Submissions” with a “Rank: Select a Rank” drop down menu next to each. There will be no ranking drop down menu for continuation programs.

Provide rankings in order of funding priority in the sub-applications section of the Competitive Prime Application in eGrants. Each ranked program must have a different rank (i.e., no “ties”).If a state is responding to more than one NOFO and thus will rank the programs in each NOFO, please note applicant rank order in the Commission Rank Justification field of the commission competitive Prime Application.

Summarize the criteria and process used by the commission to arrive at the submitted rankings in the Commission Rank Justification field of the commission Competitive Prime Application. There is a character limit of 1,000 characters.

For each continuation, new and re-competing competitive application (including Competitive, Fixed-Amount, EAP, Professional Corps and Planning) that is being submitted to the Corporation, provide a “Recommendation Summary” including the information listed below:

Provide a summary of the program’s service activities.
Describe the program’s strengths and how it will complement the commission’s existing portfolio and address needs identified in the State Service Plan.

Discuss potential challenges to success and the commission’s strategy for meeting the challenges through training and technical assistance.
For continuing and re-competing programs, review the most recent financial report, list the overall percentage of match, and provide the commission assessment of the program’s ability to meet its match.
For continuing and re-competing programs, discuss any programmatic compliance issues, including enrollment, retention, performance and progress toward impact. If programmatic issues are identified, describe how the program will address them and what steps the commission will take to ensure success.
For continuing and re-competing programs, discuss each program’s record for submitting forms and reports in a timely manner (including 30-day enrollment, 30-day exits, fiscal reporting deadlines, and progress reporting deadlines).
For re-competing programs, provide either an assessment of each program’s evaluation efforts to date or a completed evaluation, as applicable.

Continuation Applications

The funding decision for continuation applications will be based on the sub-applicant continuation application, the commission’s recommendation summary, including whether to increase, maintain level, or decrease funding, the availability of funds, and information consistent with 45 CFR § 2522.470. All continuing sub-grantees will complete the continuation application in eGrants and submit it to the commission. The commission will complete a review and recommendation to the Corporation.

Matching Requirements

The state commission is responsible for meeting an aggregate overall match requirement based on the subgrantees’ individual match requirements. See 45 CFR §§ 2521.50-2521.90 and additional guidance from the Corporation for the matching requirements that apply to a given commission and its sub-grants. Section 121(e) of the National Community Service Act (NCSA) requires that grantees that use other federal funds as match for an AmeriCorps grant report the amount and source of these funds to the Corporation. If a grantee uses federal funds as match, they will be required to report the sources and amounts on the FFR.

State Commission One Percent Fixed Administrative Cost Option

While the Corporation encourages State Commissions to provide the full five percent to subgrantees for administrative costs, commissions may require subgrantees to allocate up to one-fifth of the five percent (i.e., one percent of the federal dollars awarded) to be retained by the commission to cover commission-level administrative costs. Any administrative funds retained by the commission must be used solely in support of the AmeriCorps programs from which they have been retained. The commission’s accounting system must track and allocate these administrative funds separately.

New and Recompeting Programs

Application Resources

If your proposed grant will be used to develop a program that will operate solely within one state, and you are not an Indian Tribe, you must apply through your state service commission for funding. The state service commission (commission) will provide you with the appropriate application materials and inform you of its application deadline.

A list of all State Service Commissions can be found here: http://www.americorps.gov/about/contact/statecommission.asp.

Commissions do not currently exist in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We are accepting grant applications from organizations applying solely within these locales.

Please use these application instructions to apply directly to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) only if your proposed grant will be developing a multi-state AmeriCorps program, if you are an Indian Tribe applying for the Indian Tribe-specific funds, or if your program is located in a state or territory that does not have a commission.

Indian Tribe Grants are competitively awarded to Indian Tribes. An Indian Tribe is defined as a federally recognized Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Native village, Regional Corporation, or Village Corporation, as defined under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. § 1602), that the United States Government determines is eligible for special programs and services provided under federal law to Indians because of their status as Indians.

Indian Tribes also include tribal organizations controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by one of the entities described above. A nonprofit that desires to apply for a grant as a “tribal organization” on behalf of a federally-recognized tribe, or multiple specific federally-recognized tribes, must submit a sanctioning resolution adopted by the Tribal Council (or comparable tribal governing body) of each tribe. The resolution must identify the nonprofit by name as a “tribal organization” and it must authorize the nonprofit organization to act on behalf of and include the tribe in a CNCS grant application for the purpose of conducting the activities and providing the services described in the application.

Indian Tribes can apply directly to CNCS. Indian Tribes have the option of applying through their local state commissions however if awarded funding, those funds do not come from Indian Tribes set aside funds.

Please use these application instructions if you are a new or recompeting applicant applying for the following grants: State and National Competitive including State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive, State Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive Fixed Amount Grants, and/or State Commission Competitive Education Awards Program, and Planning.

If you are submitting a request for continuation, please see the Continuation Instructions which begin on page 19.

Use these instructions in conjunction with the 2013 Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (Notice), and the AmeriCorps Regulations, 45 CFR §§ 2520–2550. The Notice includes deadlines, eligibility requirements, submission requirements, maximum amount of funding per Member Service Year (MSY),¹ and other information that changes each year for all AmeriCorps grant programs.

The AmeriCorps regulations include pertinent information (see Table 1, below). The Notice can be found at http://www.americorps.org/for_organizations/funding/nofa.asp. The full regulations are available online at www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr.

Table 1: Requirements in the AmeriCorps Regulations

Topics	Citation in the AmeriCorps Regulations
Member Service Activities	§2520.20 - §2520.55
Prohibited Activities	§2520.65
Tutoring Programs	§2522.900-2522.950
Matching Funds	§2521.35-2521.90
Member Benefits	§2522.240-2522.250
Calculating Cost Per Member Service Year (MSY)	§2522.485
Performance Measures	§2522.500-2522.650
Evaluation	§2522.500-2522.540 and §2522.700-2522.740
Selection Criteria and Selection Process	§2522.400-2522.475

If there is any inconsistency between the AmeriCorps regulations, the Notice, and the Application Instructions, the order of precedence is as follows:

1. AmeriCorps regulations 45 CFR §§ 2520–2550 take precedence over the

2. Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity, which takes precedence over the

3. Application Instructions.

New and Recompeting Applicants

Submitting Your Application in eGrants

New applicants need to establish an eGrants account by accessing this link: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp and selecting “Don’t have an eGrants account? Create an account.”

In eGrants, before Starting Section I you will need to:

Start a new Grant Application
Select a Program Area (AmeriCorps)
Select a NOFA:
- AmeriCorps Indian Tribes FY 2013
- AmeriCorps National Direct FY 2013
- AmeriCorps National Education Awards Program FY 2013
- AmeriCorps National Fixed-amount Grants FY 2013
- AmeriCorps Tribes and Territories Fixed-amount Grants FY 2013
- AmeriCorps Territories without Commissions FY 2013 (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands)
- Commission AmeriCorps State FY 2013
- Commission AmeriCorps State Fixed Amount Grants FY 2013
- Commission Competitive Education Awards Program FY 2013

Your application consists of the following components. Make sure to complete each section.

I. Applicant Info

II. Application Info

Narratives

IV. Performance Measures

V. Documents

VI. Budget

VII. Review, Authorize, and Submit

Applicant Info

Information entered in the Applicant Info, Application Info, and Budget sections will populate the SF 424 Facesheet. If you are submitting your application in hard copy, you will find the SF 424 in Attachment A.

If you are recompeting (in year three of a competitive three-year funding cycle and applying for a new three-year grant), select Continuation/Renewal
If you are not a current grantee, but have received a competitive AmeriCorps grant in the past five years, select Continuation/Renewal
If you are applying for the first time, have only received formula funding in the past, or are a former grantee (non-formula) whose last AmeriCorps grant was received more than five years ago, select New
If you are a current planning grantee applying for a three-year implementation grant, select New
Enter, or update the requested information in the fields that appear. The contact person needs to be the person who can answer questions about the application.

II. Application Info

In the Application Info Section enter:

Areas affected by your proposed program. Please include the two-letter abbreviation with both letters capitalized for each state where you plan to operate. Separate each two-letter state abbreviation with a comma. For city or county information, please follow each one with the two-letter capitalized state abbreviation.
Requested project period start and end dates. You may not request a program start date earlier than June 15. First-time grantees should not expect to start until late summer or early fall. The project period is three years.
Indicate Yes or No if you are delinquent on any federal debt. If yes, send explanation as described in Section V.D.
State Application Identifier: Enter N/A.
The Application is Subject to Review by State Executive Order 12372 Process: This is pre-filled as “No, this is not applicable.”
If you plan to request a waiver of the volunteer leveraging requirement please select “Request a waiver” at the bottom of the screen. A pop-up screen will appear. Select a waiver type and enter your volunteer leveraging waiver request justification in the narrative field in 2,000 characters or less.
Leave the box for “Program Initiative” blank.
The “Estimated Funds Requested” box will be populated automatically after you complete the budget.

III. Narratives

The narrative section of the application is your opportunity to convince reviewers that your project meets the selection criteria. Below are some general recommendations to help you present your project in a way the reviewers will find compelling and persuasive.

Lead from your program strengths and be explicit. Do not make the mistake of trying to stretch your proposed program description to fit each funding priority and special consideration articulated in the regulations or the Notice.
Be clear and succinct. Reviewers are not interested in jargon, boilerplate, rhetoric, or exaggeration. They are interested in learning precisely what you intend to do, and how your project responds to the selection criteria presented below.
Avoid circular reasoning. The problem you describe should not be defined as the lack of the solution you are proposing.
Explain how. Avoid simply stating that the criteria will be met. Explicitly describe how the proposed project will meet the criteria.
Don’t make assumptions. Even if you have received funding from CNCS in the past, do not assume your reviewers know anything about you, your proposed program, your partners, or your beneficiaries. Avoid overuse of acronyms.
Use an impartial proofreader. Before you submit your application, let someone who is completely unfamiliar with your project read and critique the project narrative.
Follow the instructions and discuss each criterion in the order they are presented in the instructions. Use headings to differentiate narrative sections by criterion.

In eGrants, you will enter text for

Executive Summary.
Rationale and Approach (Program Design).
Organizational Capability.
Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy.
Evaluation Plan.

Note: The Narratives Section also includes fields for Clarification Information, Amendment Justification, and Continuation Changes. Please enter N/A in these fields. They will be used at a later date to enter information for clarification following review, to request amendments once a grant is awarded, and to enter changes in the narrative in continuation requests.

External and staff reviewers will assess your application against the selection criteria. To best respond to the criteria listed in the NOFO and Application Instructions, we suggest that you include a brief discussion of each bullet if it pertains to your application.

A. Executive Summary

Please provide a one-paragraph executive summary of your proposed program. This summary should be one-half page or less. The summary should include who, what, where, when, and why:

Who will be serving? Who will be served?
What will the AmeriCorps members do?
Where will the activity take place?
When does the project begin and end?
What is the expected outcome(s) of the project?
What is the CNCS investment? What is the match amount?

You may fill in the blanks in the following template to complete your executive summary.

[Number of] AmeriCorps members will leverage an additional [number of leveraged volunteers, if applicable] to [what the members will be doing] in [where they will be working]. At the end of the [duration of project] period, [anticipated outcome of project]. This project will focus on the CNCS focus area of [Focus Area(s)]. The CNCS investment of $[amount of request] will be matched with $[amount of projected match].

CNCS will post these summaries on www.nationalservice.gov in the interest of transparency and Open Government.

B. Selection Criteria

Each application must clearly describe a project that will effectively deploy AmeriCorps members to solve a significant community problem. Specifics about the selection criteria are published in the Notice.

1. Rationale and Approach/ Program Design (50 percent)

In assessing Rationale and Approach/ Program Design, reviewers will examine the degree to which the applicant demonstrates how AmeriCorps members are particularly well-suited to solving the identified community problem.

Organizational Capability (25 percent)

Reviewers will assess the extent to which the applicant demonstrates organizational background and staffing, sustainability, compliance and accountability, enrollment and retention (for current and former grantees), consultation with State Commissions(not required for Indian Tribes), and operating and member service sites (for multi-state applicants only.)

Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (25 percent)

For cost-reimbursement grants, reviewers will assess the extent to which:

The budget is clear, reasonable, cost-effective, and in alignment with the program narrative.
The requested funds do not exceed the maximum cost per Member Service Year (MSY), or for existing programs, have not increased over previous years. The amount requested is a competitive factor in the selection process. New applicants that submit a with a low cost per MSY and recompeting applicants that submit with a lower cost per MSY than previously funded may receive higher priority for funding.
The program is a cost effective approach for addressing the community need(s) identified in the application.

For EAPs other Fixed-amount grants, reviewers will assess:

The applicant’s demonstrated understanding of total program cost and capacity to raise the additional resources beyond the fixed-amount provided by CNCS.

The amount requested per member. Fixed-amount applicants are encouraged to request less than the maximum amount allowed per MSY. The amount requested is a competitive factor in the selection process. New applicants that submit with a low cost per MSY and recompeting applicants that submit with a lower cost per MSY than previously funded may receive higher priority for funding.
The program is a cost effective approach for addressing the community need(s) identified in the application.
Existing programs that are applying for a fixed amount grant for the first time should not request a cost per MSY higher that currently approved.

C. Evaluation Summary or Plan

If you are competing for the first time, please enter N/A in the Evaluation Summary or Plan field since it pertains only to recompeting grantees. If you are recompeting for AmeriCorps funds for the first time you must submit a summary of your evaluation efforts or plan to date in the Evaluation Summary or Plan field in eGrants. If you are recompeting for a subsequent time, you must submit your evaluation report according to the instructions in V. E., below. An evaluation report may be submitted in place of an evaluation plan.

Your evaluation requirements differ depending on the amount of your grant, as described in the AmeriCorps Regulations, Section 2522.710:

If you are a State and/or National grantee (other than an Education Award Program grantee), and your average annual CNCS program grant is $500,000 or more, you must arrange for an external evaluation of your program, and you must submit the evaluation with any application to CNCS for competitive funds as required in §2522.730 of this subpart.
If you are a State and/or National grantee whose average annual CNCS program grant is less than $500,000, or an Education Award Program grantee, you must conduct an internal or an external evaluation of your program, and you must submit the evaluation with any application to CNCS for competitive funds as required in §2522.730 of this subpart.

A formula program will be considered a recompeting application, if it satisfies the CNCS definition of “same project,” below, and has been funded in formula for at least one three-year cycle. If your project satisfies the definition of same project, and you have completed one three-year cycle, you will be required to submit an evaluation plan, summary, or evaluation report when you recompete for the first time. If your project does not satisfy the definition, it will be considered new and will not be required to submit an evaluation plan, summary, or completed evaluation.

Two projects will be considered the same if they:

Address the same issue areas.
Address the same priorities.
Address the same objectives.
Serve the same target communities and population.
Utilize the same sites.
Use the same program staff and members.

D. Amendment Justification

Enter N/A. This field will be used if you are awarded a grant and need to amend it.

E. Clarification Information

Enter N/A. This field will be used to enter information that requires clarification in the post-review period. Please clearly label new information added during clarification with the date.

F. Continuation Changes

Enter N/A. This field will be used to enter changes in your narratives in your continuation requests.

IV. Performance Measures

Applicants must check the relevant boxes in the Performance Measure tab in eGrants in order to be considered for CNCS’ assessment of the strategic considerations and Special Initiatives.

Grant Characteristics:

AmeriCorps member Population – Communities of Color
AmeriCorps member Population – Low-income individuals
AmeriCorps member Population – Native Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – New Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – Older Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – People with Disabilities
AmeriCorps member Population – Rural Residents
AmeriCorps member Population – Veterans, Active Military, or their Families
AmeriCorps member Population – Economically disadvantaged young adults/Opportunity Youth
AmeriCorps member Population – None of the above
Geographic Focus – Rural
Geographic Focus – Urban
Encore Program
Faith- and community-based organizations
Governor and Mayor Initiative
21^st Century Conservation Service Corps
SIG/Priority Schools
NCES School ID

All applicants must submit performance measures with their application. See Attachment B for instructions for entering performance measures.

For more information about Performance Measures go to: http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/star/ac

For more information about the National Performance Measures go to:

http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/national-performance-measures/home.

V. Documents

In addition to the application submitted in eGrants, you are required to provide your evaluation, labor union concurrence (if necessary – see B., below) a federally-approved indirect cost agreement (if budgeted by multi-state applicants, states and territories without commissions, and Tribes only), and a letter of endorsement from the Governor and Mayor (if participating in the Governor and Mayor Initiative) via the e-mail listed in the NOFO, as part of your application. After you have submitted the documents, change their status in eGrants from the default “Not Sent” to the applicable status “Sent,” “Not Applicable,” or “Already on File at CNCS.”.

A. Evaluation

Submit any completed evaluation plan or report as described in E., below. Select Evaluation and select “Sent” once you have submitted a completed evaluation plan or report. If an evaluation is required, you must submit a copy at the time of application even if you think CNCS may already have it on file.

B. Labor Union Concurrence

If a program applicant:
1. Proposes to serve as the placement site for AmeriCorps members; and
2. Has employees engaged in the same or substantially similar work as that proposed to be carried out by AmeriCorps members; and
3. Those employees are represented by a local labor organization, then the application must include the written concurrence of the local labor organization representing those employees. Written concurrence can be in the form of a letter or e-mail from the local union leadership.

If a program applicant:
1. Proposes to place AmeriCorps members at sites where they will be engaged in the same or substantially similar work as employees represented by a local labor organization, then the applicant must submit a written description of how it will ensure that:
  1. AmeriCorps members won’t be placed in positions that were recently occupied by paid staff.
  2. No AmeriCorps member will be placed into a position for which a recently resigned or discharged employee has recall rights as a result of a collective bargaining agreement, from which a recently resigned or discharged employee was removed as a result of a reduction in force, or from which a recently resigned/discharged employee is on leave or strike.

For the purposes of this section, “program applicant” includes any applicant to CNCS or a State Commission, as well as any entity applying for assistance or approved national service positions through a CNCS grantee or subgrantee.

If either 1) or 2) above applies to you, please select “Enter New,” name the new document 1) “Labor Union Concurrence,” or 2) “Displacement Assurance” and select “Sent.”

C. Federally-approved Indirect Cost Agreement

Multi-state, states and territories without commissions, and Indian Tribes applicants that include a federally approved indirect cost rate amount in their budget must submit the approved indirect cost rate agreement to americorpsgrants@cns.gov at the same time they submit their application.

D. Delinquent on Federal Debt

Any applicant that checks Yes to the question on federal debt delinquency must submit a complete explanation.

E. Submission Instructions for Evaluations, Labor Union Concurrence, Indirect Cost Rate Agreements, and Letter of Endorsement from the Governor and Mayor (if participating in the Governor and Mayor Initiative)

Please submit the required documents to americorpsgrants@cns.gov. This information must be received at CNCS by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline.

Or, you may send hard copy information to:

Corporation for National and Community Service

ATT: AmeriCorps State and National

1201 New York Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20525

Please use an alternative service to the U.S. Postal Service to send hard copy. U.S. Postal Service deliveries to government agencies often are delayed and sometimes damaged due to security measures. Attach a hard copy of the program’s SF424 Facesheet to each document so that we know which application corresponds to each document. Documentation submitted without the SF 424 will not be considered.

VI. Budget Instructions

For Fixed-Amount grants, including EAPs: Use the Budget Instructions for Fixed-Amount applicants (Attachment E) and the Budget Worksheet (Attachment F) to prepare your budget.

Match Requirements

Program requirements, including requirements on match are located in the AmeriCorps regulations and summarized below.

Table 2: Match Requirements in the AmeriCorps Regulations

Competition	Match Requirement
State and National Competitive including Professional Corps, States and Territories without Commissions, Indian Tribes	Minimum grantee share is 24% of program costs for the first three years. Overall grantee share of total program costs increases gradually beginning in Year 4 to 50% by the tenth year of funding and any year thereafter.
State and National EAP Fixed-amount Grants	There are no specific match requirements for fixed-amount grants. Grantees pay all program costs over $800 per MSY provided by CNCS.
Professional Corps Fixed-amount Grants	There are no specific match requirements for fixed-amount grants. Grantees pay all program costs over the $2,000 per MSY provided by CNCS.
Stipended Fixed-amount Grants	There are no specific match requirements for full-time Fixed-amount grants. Grantees pay all program costs over the maximum $13,000 per MSY provided by CNCS

Grantees are required to meet an overall matching rate that increases over time. You have the flexibility to meet the overall match requirements in any of the three budget areas, as long as the minimum match of 24% for the first three years, and the increasing minimums in years thereafter, are maintained. See 45 CFR §§ 2521.35–2521.90 for the specific regulations.
If you are applying for the first time, you must match with cash or in-kind contributions at least 24% of the project’s total Operating Costs (Section I) plus Member Costs (Section II) plus Administrative Costs (Section III). If you are recompeting, please see 45 CFR §§ 2521.40-2521.95 for the match schedule.
The acceptable sources of matching funds are federal, state, local, private sector, and/or other funds in accordance with applicable AmeriCorps requirements.
In Section III of the budget, enter a brief description of the source of match. Identify each match source separately. Include dollar amount, the match classification (cash, in-kind, or Not Available) and the source type (Private, State/Local, Federal, Other or Not Available). Define all acronyms the first time they are used.
See Attachment I for instructions for applying for the Alternative Match Schedule.

Note: The CNCS legislation permits the use of non-CNCS federal funds as match for the grantee share of the budget. Please discuss your intention of using federal funds to match an AmeriCorps grant with the other agency prior to submitting your application. Section 121(e)(5) of the National Community Service Act requires that grantees that use other federal funds as match for an AmeriCorps grant report the amount and source of these funds to CNCS. If you use other federal funds as match, you must ensure you can meet the requirements and purpose of both grants. The Federal Financial Report (FFR) will be used to collect the federal match data. Grantees that use federal funds as match will be required to report the sources and amounts on the FFR.

B. Preparing Your Budget

Your proposed budget should be sufficient to allow you to perform the tasks described in your narrative. Reviewers will consider the information you provide in this section in their assessment of the Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy selection criterion.

Follow the detailed budget instructions in Attachment C to prepare your budget. We recommend that you prepare your budget in the same order as indicated in the Budget Worksheets in Attachments C and D.

As you enter your detailed budget information, eGrants will automatically populate a budget summary and budget narrative report. Prior to submission be sure to review the budget checklist (Attachment G) to ensure your budget is compliant. In addition, eGrants will perform a limited compliance check to validate the budget. If it finds any compliance issues you will receive a warning and/or error messages. You must resolve all errors before you can submit your budget.

As you prepare your budget:

All the amounts you request must be defined for a particular purpose. Do not include miscellaneous, contingency, or other undefined budget amounts.
Itemize each cost and present the basis for all calculations in the form of an equation.
Do not include unallowable expenses, e.g., entertainment costs (which include food and beverage costs) unless they are justified as an essential component of an activity.
Do not include fractional amounts (cents).

Please refer to the relevant OMB Circulars on allowable costs for further guidance. The OMB circulars are online at www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/circulars.

A-21 - Cost Principles for Educational Institutions, 2 CFR 220
A-87 - Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments, 2 CFR 225
A-122 - Cost Principles for Non Profit Organizations, 2 CFR 230

Programs must comply with all applicable federal laws, regulations, and OMB circulars for grant management, allowable costs, and audits, including providing audits to the A-133 clearinghouse if expending over $500,000 in federal funds, as required in OMB Circular A-133.

VII. Subapplications (National Direct and National Professional Corps Only)

eGrants requires National Direct and National Professional Corps programs to enter additional information regarding their subgrantees. You are required to enter identifying information and budgets for each site, including the organization’s name, EIN and DUNS numbers, organization type, organizational characteristics, and contact information. Appendix I is a worksheet you can use to prepare to enter identifying information for your sites.

Enter the following budget information:

Section I: Program Operating Costs, I. Other Program Operating Costs: Please put all your program’s expenses in one line entitled Program Costs.
Section II: Enter all member costs per the Instructions in Attachment C
Section III: Enter administrative/indirect costs per the Instructions in Attachment C.

VIII. Review, Authorize, and Submit

eGrants requires that you review and verify your entire application before submitting, by completing the following sections in eGrants:

Review
Authorize
Assurances
Certifications
Verify
Submit

Read the Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications carefully (Attachment K). The person who authorizes the application must be the applicant’s Authorized Representative or his/her designee and must have an active eGrants account to sign these documents electronically. An Authorized Representative is the person in your organization authorized to accept and commit funds on behalf of the organization. A copy of the governing body’s authorization for this official representative to sign must be on file in the applicant’s office.

Be sure to check your entire application to ensure that there are no errors before submitting it. eGrants will also generate a list of errors if there are sections that need to be corrected prior to submission when you verify the application. If someone else is acting in the role of the applicant’s authorized representative, that person must log into his/her eGrants account and proceed with Authorize and Submit. After signing off on the Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications, his/her name will override any previous signatory that may appear and show on the application as the Authorized Representative.

Note: Anyone within your organization who will be entering information in the application at any point during application preparation and submission in the eGrants system must have their own eGrants account. Individuals may establish an eGrants account by accessing this link: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp and selecting “Don’t have an eGrants account? Create an account.”

CONTINUATION REQUESTS

The following instructions for submitting a continuation request apply only to programs that are currently in their first or second year of operation within a three-year grant cycle. If your program is currently in the final year of its grant cycle, you must apply using the application instructions for new and recompeting programs. In addition, if you are in year two or three of a cost-reimbursement grant three-year cycle you need to submit a new application to participate in the fixed-amount pilot; you cannot continue your existing three-year project period and switch from cost-reimbursement to fixed-amount. CNCS reserves the right to consider your continuation request if your fixed-amount application is not funded.

Continuation funding is contingent upon satisfactory performance, a grantee’s demonstrated capacity to manage a grant and comply with grant requirements, and availability of Congressional appropriations. CNCS reserves the right to adjust the amount of an additional grant award in subsequent years, or elect not to continue funding, on these bases.

When to Submit Your Continuation Request:

The date for the submission of continuation requests is the same as new and recompeting applications.

How to Submit Your Continuation Request:

Submit your continuation request in eGrants.
Click Continuation/Renewal on your eGrants home page. You will be shown a list of grants that are eligible to be continued. Select the grant you wish to continue. Make sure you select the correct one. Do not start a new application. The system will copy your most recently awarded application.
Edit your continuation application as directed in the continuation request instructions below. When you have completed your work, click the SUBMIT button.

Be sure you also review the Notice when preparing your request. If you have questions about the content of your continuation request, please contact your Program Officer.

What to Include in Your Continuation Request:

I. Applicant Info and Application Info

Update the Applicant Info and Application Info Sections in eGrants if necessary. Note in the Continuation Changes field that you have updated the Applicant Info or Application Info Section(s).

II. Narrative (Narratives Section)

Your original application will appear in the Executive Summary and in the narrative sections Rationale and Approach, Organizational Capability, Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy, Evaluation Summary or Plan, Amendment Justification, Clarification Information, and Continuation Changes, as appropriate.

Do not enter continuation changes in the original narrative fields. If you are not proposing changes to your continuation request, simply leave your original narrative as it is, and enter No Changes in the Continuation Changes field.

If you have changes in any of these areas, please document them in the Continuation Changes field in eGrants. Clearly differentiate Year 2 and Year 3 continuation changes by using headings that label these as such. Continuation changes may include, but are not limited to:

New site locations.
Expansion to new sites, including the need that will be met in expansion communities, activities of expansion members, and organizational capacity to support the expansion.
Any changes in the budget.
Any increase in requested cost per MSY. This applies even if the increased cost per MSY is less than the maximum or if the increase is due to increased costs set by CNCS.

Plans for improving enrollment, retention, or other compliance issues. If you enrolled less than 100% of slots received during your last full year of program operation, provide an explanation, and describe your plan for improvement in the Continuation Changes field.

If you were not able to retain all of your members during your last full year of program operation, provide an explanation, and describe your plan for improvement in the Continuation Changes field. We recognize retention rates may vary among equally effective programs depending on the program model. We expect grantees to pursue the highest retention rate possible.

If you are requesting to conduct new activities or additional MSYs, these also need to be reflected in the budget and the performance measures. The page limit for the Continuation Changes field is 6 pages, as the pages print out from eGrants.

For Multi-state Continuations: Describe the manner and extent to which you consulted with the State Commission in the states in which you plan to operate.

III. Performance Measures (Performance Measures Section)

Applicants must check the relevant boxes in the Performance Measure tab in eGrants.

Grant Characteristics:

AmeriCorps member Population – Communities of Color
AmeriCorps member Population – Low-income individuals
AmeriCorps member Population – Native Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – New Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – Older Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – People with Disabilities
AmeriCorps member Population – Rural Residents
AmeriCorps member Population – Veterans, Active Military, or their Families
AmeriCorps member Population – Economically disadvantaged young adults/Opportunity Youth
AmeriCorps member Population – None of the above
Geographic Focus – Rural
Geographic Focus – Urban
Encore Program
Faith- and community-based organizations
Governor and Mayor Initiative
21^st Century Conservation Service Corps
SIG/Priority Schools
NCES School ID

Your performance measures are copied from your previous year’s application into your continuation request. If you made changes to your program, such as adding or changing grant-funded activities, or requesting additional slots or MSYs, you may need to revise your performance measures, To revise performance measures, “View/Edit” the performance measures that copy over from your original application, or add new performance measures. Note in the Continuation Changes field that you have updated your performance measures.

IV. Budget (Budget Section)

Your budget from the previous year’s application is copied into your continuation request so you can make the necessary adjustments. Revise your detailed budget for the upcoming year. Incorporate any required CNCS increases, such as an increase to the member living allowance into your budget. Justify any increases not required by CNCS. CNCS expects that the Cost per MSY for continuation applicants will decrease or remain the same. Any increase in Cost per MSY must be justified in the Continuation Changes field.

Subapplications (National Direct and National Professional Corps Only)

Enter the following budget information:

Section I: Program Operating Costs, I. Other Program Operating Costs: Please put all your program’s expenses in one line entitled Program Costs.
Section II: Enter all member costs per the Instructions in Attachment C
Section III: Enter administrative/indirect costs per the Instructions in Attachment C.

Source of Match

In the “Source of Match” field that appears at the end of Budget Section III, enter a brief description of the Source of Match, the amount, the match classification (Cash, In-kind, or Not Available) and Match Source (State/Local, Federal, Private, Other) for your entire match. Define any acronyms the first time they are used.

V. Increasing Grantee Overall Share of Total Budgeted Costs

Grantees are required to meet an overall matching rate that increases over time. You have the flexibility to meet the overall match requirements in any of the three budget areas, as long as the minimum match of 24% for the first three years, and the increasing minimums in years thereafter, are maintained. See 45 CFR §§ 2521.35–2521.90 for the specific regulations.

See Attachment H for instructions for applying for the Alternative Match Schedule.

ATTACHMENT A: Facesheet Instructions
(eGrants Applicant Info and Application Info Sections)

Modified Standard Form 424 (Rev. 11/02 to conform to eGrants)

This form is required for applications submitted for federal assistance.

Item #

1. Filled in for your convenience.

2. Self-explanatory.

3. 3. a. and 3. b. are for state use only (if applicable).

4. Item 4. a: Leave blank.

Item 4. b: If you are a recipient in year 2 or 3 of an already-awarded grant, enter the grant number, otherwise, leave blank.

5. Enter the following information:

a. The complete name of the organization that will be legally responsible for the grant, not the name of the organizational unit within the legally responsible organization. (For example, indicate “National University” instead of “Liberal Arts Department.”)

b. Your organization’s DUNS number (received from Dun and Bradstreet). This is a required field. Please see the Notice for instructions on how to obtain a DUNS number.

c. The name of the primary organizational unit that will undertake the assistance activity, if different from 5. a.

d. Your organization’s complete address with the 9 digit ZIP+ 4 code.

e. The name and contact information of the project director or other person to contact on matters related to this application.

6. Enter your Employer Identification Number (EIN) as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service.

7. Item 7. a.: Enter the appropriate letter in the box.

Item 7. b.: Please enter the characteristic(s) that best describe your organization.

	K-12 Education		Non-Profit Organizations
1	School (K-12)	11	Community-Based Organization
2	Local Education Agency	12	Faith-Based Organization
3	State Education Agency	13	Chamber of Commerce/ Business Association
		14	Community Action Agency/ Program
	Higher Education	15	Service/Civic Organization
4	Vocational/Technical College	16	Volunteer Management Organization
5	Community College	17	Self-Incorporated Senior Corps Project
6	2-year College	18	Statewide Association
7	4-year College	19	National Non-Profit (Multistate)
8	Hispanic Serving College or University	20	Local Affiliate of National Organization
9	Historically Black College or University	21	Tribal Organization (Non-government)
10	Tribally Controlled College or University	22	Other Native American Organization


	Government
23	Local Government-Municipal	28	Other State Government
24	Health Department	29	Tribal Government Entity
25	Law Enforcement Agency	30	Area Agency on Aging
26	Governor’s Office	31	U.S. Territory
27	State Commission/Alternative Administrative Entity

8. Check the appropriate box for type of application and enter the appropriate letter(s) in the lower boxes:

Check “New” if your organization has never held a competitive AmeriCorps State or National grant before. If your organization had a state formula grant, check “New.”
Check “New Application/Previous Grantee” if your organization has held an AmeriCorps State or National grant in the past and this application is for a new grant.
Check “Continuation” if you are a grantee applying for an additional year of funding within an existing multi-year grant project period. AmeriCorps State and National grants are typically awarded for three-year periods.

9. Filled in for your convenience.

10. Use the following list of CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) numbers for the applicable program listing, or other source if so instructed in the Notice: 94.006 AmeriCorps State and National.

11. Enter the project title.

a. When applying for a “Continuation” or “Amendment” applicants should use the same title as used for their existing grant program. When applying as a “New Applicant/Previous Grantee” if the application is for re-funding of a previous grant program, use the same title as was used in the prior grant program if appropriate (i.e., if the program is unchanged).

b. Enter the name of the program initiative, if any, as provided in the instructions corresponding to the Notice for which you are applying; otherwise, leave blank.

12. List only the largest political entities affected (e.g., counties, and cities). Please include the two-letter abbreviation with both letters capitalized for each state where you plan to operate. Separate each two letter state abbreviation with a comma. For city or county information, please follow each one with the two-letter capitalized state abbreviation.

13. (See item 8) “New” application or “New application/previous grantee:” Enter the dates for the proposed three-year project period. “Continuation” or “Amendment” application: Enter the dates of the approved three-year project period.

Performance Period: this appears only in eGrants, and is for the use of staff only.

14. Leave blank, staff use only.

15. Estimated Funding. Check the appropriate box to indicate the grant year for which funding is being requested. Enter the amount requested or to be contributed during this budget period on each appropriate line, as shown below. The value of in-kind contributions should be included in these amounts, as applicable. For revisions (See item 8), if the action will result in a dollar change to an existing award, include only the amount of the change. For decreases, enclose the amounts in parentheses.

a. Federal	The total amount of federal funds being requested in the budget.
b. Applicant	The total amount of the applicant share as entered in the budget.
State	The amount of the applicant share that is coming from state sources.
d. Local	The amount of the applicant share that is coming from local governmental sources (e.g., city, county and other municipal sources).
e. Other	The amount of the applicant share that is coming from non-governmental sources.
f. Program Income	The amount of the applicant share that is coming from income generated by programmatic activities (i.e., use of the additive option where program income is used to increase the size of the program).
g. Total	The applicant's estimate of the total funding amount for the agreement.

16. Pre-filled for your convenience. This program is excluded from coverage by Executive Order 12372.

17. Check the appropriate box. This question applies to the applicant organization, not the person who signs as the authorized representative. Categories of debt include delinquent audit allowances, loans, and taxes. If Yes, attach an explanation.

18. The person who signs this form must be the applicant’s authorized representative. A copy of the governing body’s authorization for this official representative to sign must be on file in the applicant’s office.

Note: Falsification or concealment of a material fact, or submission of false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representations to any department or agency of the United States Government may result in a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or both. (18 U.S.C. § 1001)

APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE

Standard Form 424 (Rev. 2-2007) Prescribed by OMB Circular A-102

1. TYPE OF SUBMISSION:

Application Non-Construction

2. a. DATE SUBMITTED:

3. a. DATE RECEIVED BY STATE:

3. b. STATE APPLICATION IDENTIFIER:

2. b. APPLICATION IDENTIFIER:

4. a. DATE RECEIVED BY FEDERAL AGENCY:

4. b. FEDERAL IDENTIFIER: (Staff Only)

5. APPLICANT INFORMATION

5. a. LEGAL NAME:

5. b. ORGANIZATIONAL DUNS:

5. c. ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT (DEPARTMENT/DIVISION):

5. e. NAME AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF PERSON TO BE CONTACTED ON

MATTERS INVOLVING THIS APPLICATION (give area code):

5. d. ADDRESS (give street address, city, county, state and zip code):

STREET:

CITY: COUNTY:

STATE: COUNTRY:

NAME:

TELEPHONE NUMBER: ( ) -

FAX NUMBER: ( ) - EMAIL:

INTERNET E-MAIL ADDRESS:

WEBSITE:

6. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (EIN):

7. a. TYPE OF APPLICANT: (enter appropriate letter in box)

A. State H. Independent School District

B. County I. State Controlled Institution of Higher Learning

C. Municipal J. Private University

D. Township K. Indian Tribe

E. Interstate L. Individual

F. Intermunicipal M. Profit Organization

G. Special District N. Private Non-Profit Organization

O. Federal Government P. HQ Internal Organizations

Q. State Education Agency R. Territory

S. Other (specify)

7. b. CNCS APPLICANT CHARACTERISTICS Enter appropriate codes:

8. TYPE OF APPLICATION

NEW NEW/PREVIOUS GRANTEE

CONTINUATION REVISION

If Revision, enter appropriate letter(s) in box(es):

A. AUGMENTATION B. BUDGET REVISION:

C. NO COST EXTENSION to (enter date)

E. OTHER (specify below)

9. NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY:

Corporation for National and Community Service

10. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER:

11. a. DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF APPLICANT’S PROJECT:

12. AREAS AFFECTED BY PROJECT (List Cities, Counties, States, etc.):

11.b. CNCS PROGRAM INITIATIVE (IF ANY):

13. PROPOSED PROJECT: START DATE: ENDING DATE: 14. Performance Period (Staff Use Only_ 

15. ESTIMATED FUNDING: Check applicable box: Yr 1: Yr.2: Yr. 3:

16. IS APPLICATION SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY STATE EXECUTIVE

ORDER 12372 PROCESS?

a. YES. THIS PREAPPLICATION/APPLICATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE

TO THE STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372 PROCESSS FOR

REVIEW ON:

DATE ___________________________________

b. NO. PROGRAM IS NOT COVERED BY E.O. 12372

17. IS THE APPLICANT DELINQUENT ON ANY FEDERAL DEBT?

YES If “Yes,” attach an explanation. NO

a. FEDERAL

b. APPLICANT

c. STATE

d. LOCAL

e. OTHER

f. PROGRAM INCOME

g. TOTAL

18. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF, ALL DATA IN THIS APPLICATION/PREAPPLICATION ARE TRUE AND CORRECT, THE DOCUMENT HAS BEEN

DULY AUTHORIZED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE APPLICANT AND THE APPLICANT WILL COMPLY WITH THE ATTACHED ASSURANCES IF THE ASSISTANCE IS AWARDED.

a. TYPED NAME OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE:

b. TITLE:

c. TELEPHONE NUMBER:

d. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE:

e. DATE SIGNED:

ATTACHMENT B: Performance Measures Instructions for New/Recompeting Applicants

(eGrants Performance Measures Section)

eGrants Performance Measures Module Instructions

About the Performance Measures Module

In the performance measures module, you will:

Provide information about your program’s connection to CNCS focus areas and objectives.
Show MSY and slot allocations.
Create one or more aligned performance measure.
Set targets and describe data collection plans for your performance measures.

Home Page

To start the module, click the “Begin” button on the Home Page.

As you proceed through the module, the Home Page will summarize your work and provide links to edit the parts of the module you have completed. You may also navigate sections of the module using the tab feature at the top of each page.

Once you have started the module, clicking “Continue Working” will return you to the tab you were on when you last closed the module.

To edit the interventions, objectives, MSYs, and slot allocations for your application, click the “Edit Objectives/MSYs/Slots” button.

After you have created at least one aligned performance measure, the Home Page will display a chart summarizing your measures. To edit a performance measure, click the “Edit” button. To delete a measure, click “Delete.” To create a new performance measure, click the “Add New Performance Measure” button.

Objectives Tab

An expandable list of CNCS focus areas appears on this tab. When you click on a focus area, a list of objectives from the CNCS strategic plan appears. A list of common interventions appears under each objective.

First click on a focus area. Then click on an objective and select all interventions that are part of your program design. Interventions are the activities that members and volunteers will carry out to address the problem(s) identified in the application. Select “other” if one of your program’s interventions does not appear on the list. Repeat these actions for each of your program’s focus areas. Select “other” for your focus area and/or objective if your program activities do not fall within one of the CNCS focus areas or objectives.

Choose your program’s primary focus area from the drop-down list. Only the focus areas that correspond to the objectives you selected above appear in the list. Next, select the primary intervention within your primary focus area. You will be required to create an aligned performance measure that contains your primary intervention.

You may select a secondary focus area and a secondary intervention. The primary and secondary focus area may be the same if you have more than one intervention within the focus area.

MSYs/Slots Tab

On this tab, you will enter information about the allocation of MSYs and slots across the focus areas and objectives you have selected. Begin by entering the total MSYs for your program.

Next, enter the number of MSYs your program will allocate to each objective. Only the objectives that were selected on the previous tab appear in the MSY chart. If some of your program’s objectives are not represented in the chart, return to the previous tab and select additional objectives. The MSY chart must show how all your program’s resources are allocated.

As you enter MSYs into the MSY column of the chart, the corresponding percentage of MSYs will calculate automatically. When you have finished entering your MSYs, the total percentage of MSYs in the chart must be 100%. The total number of MSYs in the chart must equal the number of MSYs in your budget (+/- 1 MSY).

In the slots column, enter the number of members that will be assigned to each objective. Some members may perform services across more than one objective. If this is the case, allocate these members’ slots to all applicable objectives. For example, if one member works on both school readiness and K-12 success, allocate one slot to each of these objectives. It is acceptable for slots in this table to exceed total slots requested in the application due to double counting members’ service across multiple objectives.

Performance Measure Tab

This tab allows you to create sets of aligned performance measures for all the grant activities you intend to measure. You must create at least one aligned performance measure that includes your primary intervention. You may create additional aligned performance measures.

To create an aligned performance measure, begin by selecting an objective. The list of objectives includes those you selected on the objectives tab.

Provide a short, descriptive title for your performance measure.

Briefly describe the problem your program will address in this performance measure.

Select the intervention(s) to be delivered by members and member-supported volunteers. The list of interventions includes the ones you selected previously for this objective. Select only the interventions that will lead to the outcomes of this aligned performance measure. If you selected “other” as an intervention and wish to include an applicant-determined intervention in your aligned performance measure, click “add user intervention” and enter a one or two word description of the intervention.

Select output(s) for your aligned performance measure. The output list includes only the National Performance Measure outputs that correspond to the objectives you have selected. If you do not wish to select National Performance Measures, you may create an applicant-determined output by clicking “Add User Output.”

Select outcome(s). If you have selected a National Performance Measures output with a corresponding National Performance Measures outcome, these outcomes will be available to select. If you have not selected a National Performance Measures output, or if there is no corresponding outcome, create an applicant-determined outcome by clicking “Add User Outcome.”

For Capacity Building National Performance Measures, you may select optional end outcomes. Complete the corresponding drop-down box for any end outcome selected.

Enter the number of MSYs and slots your program will allocate to achieving the outcomes you have selected in this performance measure. Since programs are not required to measure all grant activities, the number you enter does not have to correspond to the MSY chart you created on the MSY/Slots tab; however, the total number of MSYs across all performance measures within a single objective cannot exceed the total number of MSYs previously allocated to that objective. Slots may be double-counted across performance measures, but MSYs may not.

Click “next” to proceed to the data collection tab. Later you can return to this tab to create additional aligned performance measures.

Data Collection Tab

On this tab, you will provide additional information about your interventions, instruments and plan for data collection.

Describe the design and dosage (frequency, intensity, duration) of the interventions you have selected.

Expand each output and outcome and enter data collection information.

Select the data collection method you will use to measure the output or outcome.

Describe the specific instrument(s) you will use to measure the output or outcome. Include the title of the instrument(s), a brief description of what it measures and how it will be administered, and details about its reliability and validity if applicable.

Enter the target number for your output or outcome. Targets must be numbers, not percents.

For applicant-determined outputs and outcomes, enter the unit of measure for your target. The unit of measure should describe the population you intend to count (children, miles, etc.). Do not enter percents or member hours as units of measure.

After entering data collection information for all outputs and outcomes, click “Mark Complete.” You will return to the Performance Measure tab. If you wish to create another performance measure, repeat the process. If you would like to continue to the next step of the module, click “Next.”

Summary Tab

The summary tab shows all of the information you have entered in the module.

To print a summary of all performance measures, click “Print PDF for all Performance Measures.”

To print one performance measure, expand the measure and click “Print This Measure.”

Click “Edit Performance Measure” to return to the Performance Measure tab.

Click “Edit Data Collection” to return to the Data Collection tab.

“Click Validate Performance Measures” to validate this module prior to submitting your application.

ATTACHMENT C: Performance Measures Instructions for Continuation Applicants

(eGrants Performance Measures Section)

AmeriCorps Performance Measures

To begin entering performance measures, from your eGrants grant application page select Performance Measures.

All applicants must complete Steps 1-6. Then, if you are:

Entering applicant-determined performance measures, follow steps 7A-18A.
Opting in to the National Performance Measures, follow steps 7B-17B.

Step 1: Select Characteristics.

To begin, click one or more boxes in the “Grant Characteristics”

Step 2: Select Focus Areas

Select the Focus Area in which your primary service activity fits. You may also select “Capacity Building” if this is a significant area of member activity. If your primary service activity does not fit into a Focus Area, select “Other” and skip to Step 5. You may select multiple Focus Areas to represent significant areas of AmeriCorps member activity. Do not include multiple Focus Areas to describe the same activity. Select the Focus Area that best describes the activity.

Step 3: Choose whether to Opt-in to National Performance Measures:

When you select a Focus Area, eGrants automatically pre-populates the selection “No” in response to the question “Will you be using a national performance measure related to this Focus Area?”

Leave this selection as “No” if you do not want to participate in the National Performance Measures for that Focus Area.

Change the selection to “Yes” if you want to opt-in to the National Performance Measures for that Focus Area.

You must consult the “National Performance Measures Instructions” to determine which performance measures are appropriate for your program: http://www.americorps.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=91. You may also find resources at this link to be helpful:

http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/national-performance-measures/home

If you selected “Other” as your only Focus Area, you will skip this step as there are no National Performance Measures for “Other”.

Step 4: Complete the MSY Chart(s)

For each Focus Area selected, complete a Member Service Years (MSY) Chart. If you have selected Capacity Building or Other, complete an MSY Chart for these selections as well. Click the “view/edit MSY Slots” orange link. There are two sets of numbers to enter in each MSY Chart. First, for each slot type, enter the number of members that will be providing service in that Focus Area.

Second, enter the percent of time that members of each slot type will spend on activities in that Focus Area. Use whole numbers to represent the percent. Do not use a % or a decimal. (For example, for 100 percent, type “100.”) eGrants will calculate the total MSYs for each slot type, then aggregate the MSYs for the entire chart in the “Total MSYs Devoted to Priority” field at the bottom of the chart.

Note that MSYs in each category should be mutually exclusive. Do not double count MSYs. The total MSYs across all Focus Areas, Capacity Building, and Other should not exceed the total MSYs requested in the budget.

Step 5: Add a Service Category

For each Focus Area selected above, as well as Capacity Building and Other, you must select a Primary Service Category. Click the “Add a Service Category” orange link. Select your Focus Area from the drop-down menu and click “Go.” (See Attachement B for a list of service categories)

Select your Service Category from the options provided in the pop-up menu. The Service Category you select will determine the Indicator drop-down options in later steps.

If this is the first or only Service Category you select, eGrants will automatically check “Primary” to indicate this is your primary activity. To select more than one Service Category, simply click the “add a service category” link. Only one Service Category should be indicated as the primary per Focus Area. You may add additional service categories if appropriate for your program design. Additional service categories may be labeled as “Secondary.”

Step 6: Add a Performance Measure

You must create at least one aligned set of Performance Measures representing your Primary Service Activity, which is achieved through either National Performance Measures or applicant-determined performance measures. An aligned measure includes and output and an outcome.

If you have opted-in to National Performance Measures, you will see the links for both

“add a national performance measure” and “add an applicant performance measure.” If you have not opted-in to National Performance Measures, you will only see the link for “add an applicant performance measure.”

Choose National Performance Measures or Applicant-Performance Measures or

Follow the instructions 7A – 17A for each aligned set of applicant-determined measures you need to create.

Follow the instructions for 7B – 17B for each aligned set of national performance measures you need to create.

Applicant Performance Measures

Step 7A: Add a Performance Measure

Follow the instructions for 7A – 18A for each applicant-determined performance measure you will create. Begin by creating the Performance Measure Output and then repeat steps 13A-18A to create an aligned Intermediate Outcome.

Step 8A: Select a Focus Area

The Focus Area drop-down box will consist of all the focus areas that were initially select in the main Focus Area section.

Step 9A Add Performance Measure Title

Give this performance measure a title—usually 3-4 words that describe the activity— and enter it in the text box.

Step 10A: Select a Service Category

Service Category is a drop-down menu of choices based on your earlier identification of Service

Categories; select one and continue by pressing the “go” button

Step 11A: Describe Strategies to Achieve Result

Briefly describe the intervention that will lead to the outcome you are proposing. Keep statements to one or two paragraphs with a maximum of 500 characters.

Step 12A: Select a Result Type

You will need to select the Result Type that you intend to track for this activity – output or intermediate outcome – and click “Add New Results Section.” You should begin each aligned

measure with the selection of an Output Measure.

Step 13A: Write a Result Statement

Enter 1-2 sentences stating the expected output or outcome.

Step 14A: Select an Indicator

Select an Indicator from the drop- down menu. If the options provided do not include the

Indicator you are measuring, select “other” and describe the Indicator in the text box that will appear.

Step 15A: Write a Target Description

In 250 characters or less, include a description of the target. Be sure to include how you

determine what is counted in this target. For example: 100 parents will attend the eight-week parenting skills/drop-out prevention class.

Step 16A: Select a Target Number or Percent

Write the number from your target statement in the Target box and indicate whether it is a whole number or percent

Step 17A: Identify your Instruments

Describe the Instruments that will be used to measure your output/outcome in 250 characters or less. These are specific tools to collect information such as a behavior checklist, tally sheet, attitude questionnaire, or interview protocol.

Step 18A: Write a Performance Measure Statement

Provide the expected result and target combined into one or two sentences in 1,000 characters or less.

Once you have completed the output performance measurement information, do the same for your intermediate outcome and/or additional measures, if necessary. Begin by identifying the Result Type as “intermediate outcome” and complete Steps 13A through 18A again. If you would like to enter an “end outcome”, you may do so by completing Steps 13A through 18A again. End outcomes are not required.

National Performance Measures

Follow the instructions for 7B –17B for each aligned set of National Performance Measures you need to create. You will use these instructions to complete measures if you have opted in to National Performance Measures for any Focus Area. Please refer to National Performance Measures Instructions for complete instructions for aligning measures.

If you select the Education Focus Area and opt-in to National Performance Measures, you are only allowed to select National Performance Measures. You are not allowed to add any additional, applicant-determined measures.

If you select the Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, or Veterans Focus Areas, or Capacity Building, and opt-in to National Performance Measures, you will enter your National Performance Measures. If you choose, you may add additional, applicant-determined Measures after you enter the National Performance Measures.

Step 7B: Add a National Performance Measure

Click the “add a national performance measures” orange link. Then select the Focus Area. Only those Focus Areas that were checked as participating in the National Performance Measures will be displayed.

Step 8B: Add a Performance Measurement Title

Give this performance measure a title — usually 3-4 words that describe the activity — and enter it in the text box. Continue by pressing the “go” button.

Step 9B: Describe Strategies to Achieve Result

Briefly describe the intervention that will lead to the outcome you are proposing. Keep statements to one or two paragraphs with a maximum of 500 characters.

Step 10B: Select a Result Type

You will need to select the Result Type that you intend to track for this activity – output or

intermediate outcome– and click “Add New Results Section.” You should begin each aligned measure with the selection of an Output Measure.

Step 11B: Select the Indicator

This is where you select your National Performance Measure. There is a drop-down list containing the National Performance Measures for the Focus Areas that you have selected.

Once you select your first National Performance Measure, eGrants will provide onscreen instructions about other National Performance Measures you must use in conjunction with this measure or if you need to add an applicant-determined intermediate outcome.

If you need to add an applicant-determined intermediate outcome measure, you will select

“Other” from the pop-up list.

Step 12B: Write Result Statement

Enter 1-2 sentences stating the expected output or outcome.

Step 13B Write a Target Description

In 250 characters or less, include a description of the target. Be sure to include how you determine what is counted in this target. For example: 100 parents will attend the eight-week parenting skills/drop-out prevention class.

Step 14B: Select a Target Number

Write the number in the Target box from your target description. You are only allowed to use a number.

Step 15B: Identify your Instruments

page: http://nationalserviceresources.org/national-performance-measures/home

Step 16B: Write a Performance Measures Statement

Provide the expected result and target combined into one or two sentences (1,000 characters or less).

Step 17B: Create Aligned Measure

After completing the output performance measurement information, do the same for your intermediate outcome. Begin by identifying the Result Type, and then complete Steps 11B to 16B again.

Once you complete entering an aligned measure as defined by the National Performance Measure, you will return to Step 7 and create any other aligned measures to report member activities in Focus Areas or other areas of service either by:

Following Steps 7A – 18A for an applicant-determined measure or
Following Steps 7B – 17B for an aligned National Performance Measure.

ATTACHMENT D: Detailed Budget Instructions (eGrants Budget Section)

Section I. Program Operating Costs

Complete Section I, Program Operating Costs, of the Budget Worksheet by entering the “Total Amount,” “CNCS Share,” and “Grantee Share” for Parts A-I, for Year 1 of the grant, as follows:

A. Personnel Expenses

Under “Position/Title Description,” list each staff position separately and provide salary and percentage of effort as percentage of FTE devoted to this award. Each staff person’s role listed in the budget must be described in the application narrative and each staff person mentioned in the narrative must be listed in the budget as either CNCS or Grantee share. Because the purpose of this grant is to enable and stimulate volunteer community service, do not include the value of direct community service performed by volunteers. However, you may include the value of volunteer services contributed to the organization for organizational functions such as accounting, audit work, or training of staff and AmeriCorps members.

B. Personnel Fringe Benefits

Under “Purpose/Description,” identify the types of fringe benefits to be covered and the costs of benefit(s) for each staff position. Allowable fringe benefits typically include FICA, Worker’s Compensation, Retirement, SUTA, Health and Life Insurance, IRA, and 401K. You may provide a calculation for total benefits as a percentage of the salaries to which they apply or list each benefit as a separate item. If a fringe benefit amount is over 30%, please list covered items separately and justify the high cost. Holidays, leave, and other similar vacation benefits are not included in the fringe benefit rates, but are absorbed into the personnel expenses (salary) budget line item.

C. 1. Staff Travel

Describe the purpose for which program staff will travel. Provide a calculation that includes itemized costs for airfare, transportation, lodging, per diem, and other travel-related expenses multiplied by the number of trips/staff. Where applicable, identify the current standard reimbursement rate(s) of the organization for mileage, daily per diem, and similar supporting information. Reimbursement should not exceed the federal mileage rate unless a result of applicant policy and justified in the budget narrative. Only domestic travel is allowable.

We expect all State Commissions and National Direct applicants to include funds in this line item for travel for staff and site staff to attend CNCS-sponsored technical assistance meetings. There are two to three such opportunities per year, including the Financial Management Institute and the Annual Grantee Meeting in Washington, DC in the fall.

Please itemize the costs. For example: Two staff members will attend the Annual Grantee Meeting in Washington, DC.

2 staff X $750 airfare + $50 ground transportation + (1 day) X $400 lodging + $35 per diem = $2,470 for Annual Grantee Meeting.

C. 2. Member Travel

Describe the purpose for which members will travel. Provide a calculation that includes itemized costs for airfare, transportation, lodging, per diem, and other related expenses for members to travel outside their service location or between sites. Costs associated with local travel, such as bus passes to local sites, mileage reimbursement for use of car, etc., should be included in this budget category. Where applicable, identify the current standard reimbursement rate(s) of the organization for mileage, daily per diem, and similar supporting information.

D. Equipment

Equipment is defined as tangible, non-expendable personal property having a useful life of more than one year AND an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (including accessories, attachments, and modifications). Any items that do not meet this definition should be entered in E. Supplies below. Purchases of equipment are limited to 10% of the total CNCS funds requested. If applicable, show the unit cost and number of units you are requesting. Provide a brief justification for the purchase of the equipment under Item/Purpose.

E. Supplies

Include the amount of funds to purchase consumable supplies and materials, including member service gear and equipment that does not fit the definition above. You must individually list any single item costing $1,000 or more. Except for safety equipment, grantees may only charge the cost of member service gear to the federal share if it includes the AmeriCorps logo. Grantees may also add the AmeriCorps logo to their own local program uniform items using federal funds. Please note that your program will be using the AmeriCorps logo in the budget description. All safety gear may be charged to the federal share, regardless of whether it includes the AmeriCorps logo. All other service gear must be purchased with non-CNCS funds.

F. Contractual and Consultant Services

Include costs for consultants related to the project’s operations, except training or evaluation consultants, who will be listed in Sections G. and H., below.

G. 1. Staff Training

Include the costs associated with training staff on project requirements and training to enhance the skills staff need for effective project implementation, i.e., project or financial management, team building, etc. If using a consultant(s) for training, indicate the estimated daily rate.

G. 2. Member Training

Include the costs associated with member training to support them in carrying out their service activities. You may also use this section to request funds to support training in Life after AmeriCorps. If using a consultant(s) for training, indicate the estimated daily rate, not to exceed the daily rate limit.

H. Evaluation

Include costs for project evaluation activities, including additional staff time or subcontracts, use of evaluation consultants, purchase of instrumentation, and other costs specifically for this activity not budgeted in Personnel Expenses. This cost does not include the daily/weekly gathering of data to assess progress toward meeting performance measures, but is a larger assessment of the impact your project is having on the community, as well as an assessment of the overall systems and project design. Indicate daily rates of consultants, where applicable.

I. Other Program Operating Costs

Allowable costs in this budget category should include when applicable:

Criminal history background checks for all members and for all employees or other individuals who receive a salary, education award, living allowance, or stipend or similar payment from the grant (federal or non-federal share).
Office space rental for projects operating without an approved indirect cost rate agreement that covers office space. If space is budgeted and it is shared with other projects or activities, the costs must be equitably pro-rated and allocated between the activities or projects.
Utilities, telephone, internet and similar expenses that are specifically used for AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps project staff, and are not part of the organization’s indirect cost allocation pool. If such expenses are budgeted and shared with other projects or activities, the costs must be equitably pro-rated and allocated between the activities or projects.
Recognition costs for members. List each item and provide a justification in the budget narrative. Gifts and/or food in an entertainment/event setting are not allowable costs.
Multi-state applicants: Indicate the number of subgrants and the average amount of subgrants. Indicate any match that you will require of your subgrants under the “grantee share” column in this category. Subgranted funds may only cover costs allowable under federal and AmeriCorps regulations and provisions.

Section II. Member Costs

Member Costs are identified as “Living Allowance” and “Member Support Costs.” Your required match can be federal, state, local, or private sector funds.

A. Living Allowance

The narrative should clearly identify the number of members you are supporting by category (i.e., full-time, half-time, reduced-half-time, quarter-time, minimum-time) and the amount of living allowance they will receive, allocating appropriate portions between the CNCS share (CNCS Share) and grantee match (Grantee Share).

The minimum and maximum living allowance amounts are provided in the NOFO.

In eGrants, enter the total number of members you are requesting in each category. Enter the average amount of the living allowance for each type of member. In addition, enter the number of members for which you are not requesting funds for a living allowance, but for which you are requesting education awards.

B. Member Support Costs

Consistent with the laws of the states where your members serve, you must provide members with the benefits described below.

FICA. Unless exempted by the IRS, all projects must pay FICA for any member receiving a living allowance, even when CNCS does not supply the living allowance. If exempted, please note in the narrative. In the first column next to FICA, indicate the number of members who will receive FICA. Calculate the FICA at 7.65% of the total amount of the living allowance.

Worker’s Compensation. Some states require worker’s compensation for AmeriCorps members. You must check with State Departments of Labor or State Commissions where members serve to determine if you are required to pay worker’s compensation and at what level. If you are not required to pay worker’s compensation, you must obtain Occupational, Accidental, Death and Dismemberment coverage for members to cover in-service injury or accidents.
Health Care. You must offer or make available health care benefits to full-time members in accordance with AmeriCorps requirements. Except as stated below, you may not pay health care benefits to less-than-full-time members with CNCS funds. You may choose to provide health care benefits to less-than-full-time members from other sources (i.e., non-federal) but the cost cannot be included in the budget. Less-than-full-time members who are serving in a full-time capacity for a sustained period of time (such as a full-time summer project) are eligible for health care benefits. In your budget narrative, indicate the number of members who will receive health care benefits. CNCS will not pay for dependent coverage.
Unemployment Insurance and Other Member Support Costs. Include any other required member support costs here. Some states require unemployment coverage for their AmeriCorps members. You may not charge the cost of unemployment insurance taxes to the grant unless mandated by state law. Programs are responsible for determining the requirements of state law by consulting State Commissions, legal counsel, or the applicable state agencies.

Section III. Administrative/Indirect Costs

Definitions

Administrative costs are general or centralized expenses of the overall administration of an organization that receives CNCS funds and do not include particular project costs. These costs may include administrative staff positions. For organizations that have an established indirect cost rate for federal awards, administrative costs mean those costs that are included in the organization’s indirect cost rate agreement. Such costs are generally identified with the organization’s overall operation and are further described in Office of Management and Budget Circulars A-21, A-87, and A-122.

Options for Calculating Administrative/Indirect Costs (choose either A OR B)

Applicants choose one of two methods to calculate allowable administrative costs – a CNCS-fixed percentage rate method or a federally approved indirect cost rate method. Regardless of the option chosen, the CNCS shareof administrative costs is limited to 5% of the total CNCS funds actually expended under this grant. Do not create additional lines in this category.

A. CNCS-Fixed Percentage Method

Five Percent Fixed Administrative Costs Option

The CNCS-fixed percentage rate method allows you to charge administrative costs up to a cap without a federally approved indirect cost rate and without documentation supporting the allocation. If you choose the CNCS-fixed percentage rate method (Section IIIA in eGrants), you may charge, for administrative costs, a fixed 5% of the total of the CNCS funds expended. In order to charge this fixed 5%, the grantee match for administrative costs may not exceed 10% of all direct cost expenditures.

1. To determine the maximum CNCS share for Section III: Multiply the sum of the CNCS funding shares of Sections I and II by 0.0526. This is the maximum amount you can request as Corporation share. The factor 0.0526 is used to calculate the 5% maximum amount of federal funds that may be budgeted for administrative (indirect) costs, rather than 0.0500, as a way to mathematically compensate for determining Section III costs when the total budget (Sections I + II + III) is not yet established. Enter this amount as the CNCS share for Section III A.

2. To determine the Grantee share for Section III: Multiply the total (both Corporation and grantee share) of Sections I and II by 10% (0.10) and enter this amount as the grantee share for Section III A.

3. Enter the sum of the CNCS and grantee shares under Total Amount.

If a commission elects to retain a share of the 5% of federal funds available to programs for administrative costs, that decision is identified within each subgrant’s budget. To calculate these fractional shares, within Section III of the subgrant budget, one-fifth (20%) of the federal dollars budgeted for administrative costs is allocated to the commission’s share and four-fifths (80%) of the federal dollars budgeted for administrative costs are allocated to the program’s share. The allocation between commission and program shares would be calculated as follows:

([Section I] + [Section II] x 0.0526) x (0.20) = Commission Share

([Section I] + [Section II] x 0.0526) x (0.80) = Subgrantee Share

If a commission elects to retain a share that is less than 1% budgeted for administrative costs, adjust the calculation above, as appropriate.

B. Federally Approved Indirect Cost Rate

If you have a federally approved indirect cost rate and choose to use it, the rate will constitute documentation of your administrative costs, including the 5% maximum payable by CNCS. Specify the Cost Type for which your organization has current documentation on file, i.e., Provisional, Predetermined, Fixed, or Final indirect cost rate. Supply your approved IDC rate (percentage) and the base upon which this rate is calculated (direct salaries, salaries and fringe benefits, etc.). It is at your discretion whether or not to claim your entire IDC rate to calculate administrative costs. If you choose to claim a lower rate, please include this rate in the Rate Claimed field.

1. Determine the base amount of direct costs to which you will apply the IDC rate, including both the CNCS and Grantee shares, as prescribed by your established rate agreement (i.e., based on salaries and benefits, total direct costs, or other). Then multiply the appropriate direct costs by the rate being claimed. This will determine the total amount of indirect costs allowable under the grant.

2. To determine the CNCS share: Multiply the sum of the CNCS funding share in Sections I and II by 0.0526. This is the maximum amount you can claim as the CNCS share of indirect costs.

If a commission elects to retain a share of the 5% of federal funds available, please note the percentage or amount in the text. There is no separate line item to show this calculation.

3. To determine the Grantee share: Subtract the amount calculated in step b (the CNCS administrative share) from the amount calculated in step a (the Indirect Cost total). This is the amount the applicant can claim as grantee share for administrative costs.

Source of Match

In the “Source of Match” field that appears at the end of Budget Section III, enter a brief description of the Source of Match, the amount, the match classification (Cash, In-kind, or Not Available) and Match Source (State/Local, Federal, Private, Other or Not Available) for your entire match. Define any acronyms the first time they are used.

ATTACHMENT E: Budget Worksheet (eGrants Budget Section)

Section I. Program Operating Costs

A. Personnel Expenses

Position/Title/Description

Qty

Annual Salary

% Time

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

B. Personnel Fringe Benefits

Purpose/Description	Calculation	Total Amount	CNCS Share	Grantee Share

Totals

C.1. Staff Travel

Purpose	Calculation	Total Amount	CNCS Share	Grantee Share

Totals

C. 2. Member Travel

Purpose	Calculation	Total Amount	CNCS Share	Grantee Share

Totals

D. Equipment

Item/ Purpose/Justification	Qty	Unit Cost	Total Amount	CNCS Share	Grantee Share

Totals

E. Supplies

Purpose	Calculation	Total Amount	CNCS Share	Grantee Share

Totals

F. Contractual and Consultant Services

Purpose

Calculation

Daily Rate

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

G.1. Staff Training

Purpose

Calculation

Daily Rate

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

G.2. Member Training

Purpose

Calculation

Daily Rate

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

H. Evaluation

Purpose

Calculation

Daily Rate

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

I. Other Program Operating Costs

Purpose

Calculation

Daily Rate

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

Subtotal Section I:

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Section II. Member Costs

A. Living Allowance

Item	# Mbrs	Allowance Rate	# w/o Allowance	Total Amount	CNCS Share	Grantee Share
Full Time (1700 hrs)
Half Time (900 hrs)
1st Year of 2-Year Half Time
2^nd Year of 2-Year Half Time
Reduced Half Time (675 hrs)
Quarter Time (450 hrs)
Minimum Time (300 hrs)
Totals

B. Member Support Costs

Purpose

Calculation

Daily Rate

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

Subtotal Section II:

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Subtotal Sections I + II:

Section III. Administrative/Indirect Costs

A. CNCS-fixed Percentage Rate

Purpose

Calculation

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Totals

B. Federally Approved Indirect Cost Rate

Cost Type

CostBasis

Calculation

Rate

Rate Claimed

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Total Sections I + II + III:

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Budget Total: Validate this budget

Required Match Percentages:

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Source of Match

Source(s), Type, Amount, Intended Purpose

	Private	State and/or Local	Federal	Sources
In-kind	$	$	$	.
Cash	$	$	$
Total	$	$	$

ATTACHMENT F: Detailed Budget Instructions for Fixed-amount Grants (eGrants Budget Section)

These instructions apply only to applicants for fixed-amount grants, including education award programs (EAPs).

EAP and Fixed-amount Grant applicants may only request a fixed amount of funding per MSY. Therefore, Fixed-amount applicants are not required to complete a detailed budget. In addition, the matching requirements in 45 CFR §§ 2521.40– 2521.95 do not apply to EAP and other Fixed-amount grant applicants. If you are applying for a Stipended Fixed-amount grant, you must pay at least the minimum living allowance listed in the NOFO for each type of position you are proposing.

Budget Section II. AmeriCorps Member Positions

Member Positions

Identify the number of members you are requesting by category (i.e. full-time, half-time, reduced half-time, quarter-time, minimum-time) and list under the column labeled #w/o Allow (without CNCS-funded living allowance.) Leave all other columns blank.

The total number of member service years (MSY) will automatically calculate at the bottom of the Member Positions chart. The MSY are calculated as follows:

ou are the best!Member Positions	Calculation	MSY
_____Full-time (1700 hours)	(______ members x 1.000)	=
_____1-Year Half-time (900 hours)	(______ members x 0.500)	=


_____Reduced half-time (675 hours)	(______ members x 0.3809524)	=
_____Quarter-time (450 hours)	(______ members x 0.26455027)	=
_____Minimum-time (300 hours)	(______ members x 0.21164022)	=
	Total MSY

* Grantees receive the total amount for 2-Year Half-time members in the first year. Therefore, 2-Year Half-time members serving in their second year are not included in the calculation for funds.

Under “Calculation,” you will enter the calculation for your grant request. Applicants may request up to $800 per member service year (MSY).

Display your calculation in the following format:

Total # of MSYs ________

x MSY amount (up to $800 for EAP, $2,000 for Professional Corps and $13,000 for Stipended Fixed Amount)_______

= Total Grant Request $____

Type the total amount requested in the “Total Amount” & “CNCS Share” columns. Leave the “Grantee Share” blank. See example below (applies to a Stipended Fixed Amount grant):

Purpose

Calculation

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

edit

del

Program Grant Request

47.5 MSY

X $9,500/MSY

$451,250

view

Subtotal

$451,250

ATTACHMENT G: Budget Worksheet for Fixed-Amount Grants (eGrants Budget Section)

Complete the fields for the # w/o Allowance only.

Member Positions

Item	# Mbrs	Allowance Rate	# w/o Allow	Total Amount	CNCS Share	Grantee Share
Full Time (1700 hrs)
1-Year Half Time (900 hrs)
2-Year Half Time (1^st Year)
2-Year Half Time (2^nd Year)
Reduced Half Time (675 hrs)
Quarter Time (450 hrs)
Minimum Time (300 hrs)
Subtotal							MSY	Cost/MSY

Purpose

Calculation

Total Amount

CNCS Share

Grantee Share

Program Grant Request

Subtotal

ATTACHMENT H: Budget Checklist

Below is a checklist to help you make certain that you submit an accurate budget narrative that meets AmeriCorps requirements. Note: This does not apply to Fixed-amount Grants.

In Compliance?	Section I. Program Operating Costs
Yes __ No __	Costs charged under the Personnel line item directly relate to the operation of the AmeriCorps project? Examples include costs for staff that recruit, train, place, or supervise members as well as manage the project.
Yes __ No __	Staff indirectly involved in the management or operation of the applicant organization is funded through the administrative cost section (Section III.) of the budget? Examples of administrative costs include central management and support functions.
Yes __ No __	Staff fundraising expenses are not charged to the grant? You may not charge AmeriCorps staff members’ time and related expenses for fundraising to the federal or grantee share of the grant. Expenses incurred to raise funds must be paid out of the funds raised. Development officers and fundraising staff are not allowable expenses.
Yes __ No __	All positions in the budget are fully described in the narrative?
Yes __ No __	The types of fringe benefits to be covered and the costs of benefit(s) for each staff position are described? Allowable fringe benefits typically include FICA, Worker’s Compensation, Retirement, SUTA, Health and Life Insurance, IRA, and 401K. You may provide a calculation for total benefits as a percentage of the salaries to which they apply or list each benefit as a separate item. If the fringe amount is over 30%, please list separately.
Yes __ No __	Holidays, leave, and other similar vacation benefits are not included in the fringe benefit rates but are absorbed into the personnel expenses (salary) budget line item?
Yes __ No __	The purpose for all staff and member travel is clearly identified?
Yes __ No __	You have budgeted funds for State Commission and National Direct staff travel to CNCS sponsored meetings in the budget narrative under Staff Travel?
Yes __ No __	Funds to pay relocation expenses of AmeriCorps members are not in the federal share of the budget?
Yes __ No __	Funds for the purchase of equipment (does not include general use office equipment) are limited to 10% of the total grant amount?
Yes __ No __	All single equipment items over $5000 per unit are specifically listed?
Yes __ No __	Justification/explanation of equipment items is included in the budget narrative?
Yes __ No __	All single supply items over $1000 per unit are specifically listed?
Yes __ No __	You only charged to the federal share of the budget member service gear that includes the AmeriCorps logo and noted that the gear will have the AmeriCorps logo, with the exception of safety equipment?
Yes __ No __	Are all consultant services budgeted below the maximum federal daily rate of $750/day? Is the daily rate noted in all sections of the budget narrative where consultants are proposed?
Yes __ No __	Does the budget reflect adequate budgeted costs for project evaluation?
Yes __ No __	Have you provided budgeted costs for criminal history checks of members and grant-funded staff that are in covered positions per 45 CFR 2522.205?
Yes __ No __	Are all items in the budget narrative itemized and the purpose of the funds justified?

In Compliance?	Section II. Member Costs
Yes __ No __	Are the living allowance amounts correct? Full-time AmeriCorps members must receive at least the minimum living allowance. Note: Programs in existence prior to September 21, 1993 may offer a lower living allowance than the minimum. If such a program chooses to offer a living allowance, it is exempt from the minimum requirement, but not from the maximum requirement.
Yes __ No __	Living allowances are not paid on an hourly basis? They may be calculated using service hours and program length to derive a weekly or biweekly distribution amount. Divide the distribution in equal increments that are not based on the specified number of hours served.
Yes __ No __	Is FICA calculated correctly? You must pay FICA for any member receiving a living allowance. Unless exempted by the IRS, calculate FICA at 7.65% of the total amount of the living allowance.
Yes __ No __	Is the Worker’s Compensation calculation correct? Some states require worker’s compensation for AmeriCorps members. Check with your local State Department of Labor or State Commission to determine whether or not you are required to pay worker’s compensation and at what level (i.e., rate). If you are not required to pay worker’s compensation, you need to provide similar coverage for members’ on-the-job injuries through their own existing coverage or a new policy purchased in accordance with normal procedures (i.e., Death and Dismemberment coverage).
Yes __ No __	Health care is provided for full-time AmeriCorps members only (unless part-time serving in a full-time capacity)? If your project chooses to provide health care to other half-time members, you may not use federal funds to help pay for any portion of the cost. Projects must provide health care coverage to all full-time members who do not have adequate health care coverage at the time of enrollment or who lose coverage due to participation in the project. In addition, projects must provide coverage if a full-time member loses coverage during the term of service through no deliberate act of his/her own.
Yes __ No __	Unemployment insurance is only budgeted if state law requires it?

In Compliance?	Section III. Administrative/Indirect Costs
Yes __ No __	Applicant has chosen Option A – CNCS-fixed percentage method and the maximum federal share of administrative costs does not exceed 5% of the total federal funds budgeted? To determine the federal administrative share, multiply all other budgeted federal funds by .0526.
Yes __ No __	Applicant has chosen Option A – CNCS fixed percentage method and the maximum grantee share is at 10% or less of total budgeted funds?
Yes __ No __	Applicant has chosen Option B – federally approved indirect cost rate method and documentation submitted to CNCS if multi-state, state or territory without commission or Indian Tribe applicant? Administrative costs budgeted include the following: (1) indirect costs such as legal staff, central management and support functions; (2) costs for financial, accounting, audit, internal evaluations, and contracting functions; (3) costs for insurance that protects the entity that operates the project; and (4) the portion of the salaries and benefits of the director and any other project administrative staff not attributable to the time spent in direct support of a specific project.
Yes __ No __	Applicant has chosen Option B – The maximum grantee share does not exceed the federally approved rate, less the 5% CNCS share?
Yes __ No __	Applicant has chosen Option B-the type of rate, the IDC rate percentage, the rate claimed and the base to which the rate is applied has been specified?

In Compliance?	Match
Yes __ No __	Is the overall match being met at the required level, based on the year of funding?
Yes __ No __	For all matching funds, the source(s) [private, state and local, and federal], the type of contribution (cash or in-kind), and the amount (or an estimate) of match, are clearly identified in the narrative and in the Source of Match field in eGrants?

ATTACHMENT I: Alternative Match Instructions

Special Circumstances for an Alternative Match Schedule: Under certain circumstances, applicants may qualify to meet alternative matching requirements that increase over the years to 35% instead of 50% as specified in the regulations at §2521.60(b). To qualify, you must demonstrate that your program is either located in a rural county or in a severely economically distressed community as defined below.

A. Rural County: In determining whether a program is rural, CNCS will consider the most recent Beale code rating published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the county in which the program is located. Any program located in a county with a Beale code of 6, 7, 8 or 9 is eligible to apply for the alternative match requirement. See Attachment K for the Table of Beale codes.

B. Severely Economically Distressed County: In determining whether a program is located in a severely economically distressed county, CNCS will consider the following list of county-level characteristics. See Attachment K for a list of website addresses where this publicly available information can be found.

The county-level per capita income is less than or equal to 75 percent of the national average for all counties using the most recent census data or Bureau of Economic Analysis data;
The county-level poverty rate is equal to or greater than 125 percent of the national average for all counties using the most recent census data; and
The county-level unemployment is above the national average for all counties for the previous 12 months using the most recently available Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
The areas served by the program lack basic infrastructure such as water or electricity.

C. Program Location: Except when approved otherwise, CNCS will determine the location of your program based on the legal applicant’s address. If you believe that the legal applicant’s address is not the appropriate way to consider the location of your program, you must provide relevant facts about your program location in your request. CNCS will, in its sole discretion, determine whether some other address is more appropriate for determining a program’s location.

If your program is located in one of these areas, see the instructions below for applying for this alternative match schedule. You must submit your request to the alternative schedule at least 60 days before the AmeriCorps application is due. CNCS will review your request and notify you within 30 days if you qualify for the alternative schedule and provide instructions for entering your budget into eGrants under the Alternative Match Schedule.

If approved for the alternative schedules, programs will base their budget in the upcoming application on the approved alternative match. The alternative match requirement will be in effect for whatever portion of the three-year project period remains or if applying as a new grantee, for the upcoming three-year grant cycle.

D. Instructions for the Alternative Match Schedule: Programs operating in one state must send their requests to the State Commission for review and approval. The Commission will then forward the approved request to CNCS for consideration.

Submit e-mail applications at least 60 days prior to the application deadline to:

State Programs – submit to your State Commission
Multi-state Programs – submit to ACAlternateMatchScheduleRequests@cns.gov
State Commissions (on behalf of state programs) – submit to ACAlternateMatchScheduleRequests@cns.gov

E-mail subject line: AmeriCorps Alternative Match Request

Send your request in memo format. You must respond to each item below. Please include both the item and your response in your request.

1. Basis of Request

Identify the basis for your request as either a rural county or a severely economically distressed community as described above.
Describe where your program operates and include the address of the legal applicant.

2. Rural Counties

Describe the economic conditions.
Confirm that your county has a Beale code of 6, 7, 8, or 9.

3. Economically Distressed Counties:

Provide your county per-capita income, poverty, and unemployment levels.
Demonstrate that your county per-capita income, poverty, and unemployment levels are above or below the national averages. Identify the data source(s) used to make your determination.
Provide any other statistics you deem relevant to demonstrate your county is economically distressed.

4. Program Location: If you believe the location of your program should not be based on the address of the legal applicant, describe your justification for requesting an alternative location(s).

5. Other: Provide any other justification and information for your request that is not presented in the responses to the above.

APPENDIX J: National Operating Site Worksheet (Subapplication Section)

The following information is required for each operating site.

Legal Name
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
DUNS Number
Organization Type*
Organization Characteristic*
Contact Name
Address
City/ State/ Zip
Phone
Fax
Email
Service Categories**

Project Title
Address
City/ State/ Zip
Phone
Fax
Email

* See Appendix A

** See Appendix B

ATTACHMENT K: Beale Codes and County-Level Economic Data

Rural Community

Beale codes are published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are used to classify counties as being more urban or more rural. Counties are designated on a scale from one to nine according to the following descriptions:

2003 Beale Codes
Code#	Metropolitan Type	Description
1	Metropolitan	Counties in metro areas of 1 million population or more
2	Metropolitan	Counties in metro areas of 250,000 to 1 million
3	Metropolitan	Counties in metro areas of fewer than 250,000
4	Non-metro	Urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a metropolitan area
5	Non-metro	Urban population of 20,000 or more, not adjacent to a metropolitan area
6	Non-metro	Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, adjacent to a metropolitan area
7	Non-metro	Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, not adjacent to a metropolitan area
8	Non-metro	Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, adjacent to a metropolitan area
9	Non-metro	Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, not adjacent to a metropolitan area

Any program located in a county with a Beale code of 6, 7, 8, or 9 is eligible to apply for the alternative match.

Severely Economically Distressed Community

The following table provides the website addresses where the publicly available information on county-level economic data including per capita income, poverty rate, and unemployment levels can be found.

WEBSITE address	EXPLANATION
www.econdata.net	Econdata.Net: This site Links to a variety of social and economic data by states, counties and metro areas.
http://www.bea.gov/regional/	Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Regional Economic Information System (REIS): Provides data on per capita income by county for all states except Puerto Rico.
www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/index.html	Census Bureau’s Small Area Poverty Estimates: Provides data on poverty and population estimates by county for all states except Puerto Rico.
www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html	Census Bureau’s American Fact-finder: Provides all 1990 and 2000 census data including estimates on poverty, per capita income and unemployment by counties, states, and metro areas including Puerto Rico.
www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm	Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS): Provides data on annual and monthly employment and unemployment by counties for all states including Puerto Rico.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/RuralUrbanContinuumCodes/	US Department of Agriculture’s Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (Beale codes): Provides urban rural code for all counties in US.
www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/index.html	Census Bureau’s Small Area Poverty Estimates: Provides data on poverty and population estimates by county for all states except Puerto Rico.
www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html	Census Bureau’s American Fact-finder: Provides all 1990 and 2000 census data including estimates on poverty, per capita income and unemployment by counties, states, and metro areas including Puerto Rico.
www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm	Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS): Provides data on annual and monthly employment and unemployment by counties for all states including Puerto Rico.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/RuralUrbanContinuumCodes/	US Department of Agriculture’s Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (Beale codes): Provides urban rural code for all counties in US.

WEBSITE address

EXPLANATION

www.econdata.net

Econdata.Net: This site Links to a variety of social and economic data by states, counties and metro areas.

http://www.bea.gov/regional/

Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Regional Economic Information System (REIS): Provides data on per capita income by county for all states except Puerto Rico.

www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/index.html

Census Bureau’s Small Area Poverty Estimates: Provides data on poverty and population estimates by county for all states except Puerto Rico.

www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html

Census Bureau’s American Fact-finder: Provides all 1990 and 2000 census data including estimates on poverty, per capita income and unemployment by counties, states, and metro areas including Puerto Rico.

www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS): Provides data on annual and monthly employment and unemployment by counties for all states including Puerto Rico.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/RuralUrbanContinuumCodes/

US Department of Agriculture’s Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (Beale codes): Provides urban rural code for all counties in US.

www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/index.html

Census Bureau’s Small Area Poverty Estimates: Provides data on poverty and population estimates by county for all states except Puerto Rico.

www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html

Census Bureau’s American Fact-finder: Provides all 1990 and 2000 census data including estimates on poverty, per capita income and unemployment by counties, states, and metro areas including Puerto Rico.

www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS): Provides data on annual and monthly employment and unemployment by counties for all states including Puerto Rico.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/RuralUrbanContinuumCodes/

US Department of Agriculture’s Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (Beale codes): Provides urban rural code for all counties in US.

ATTACHMENT L: Assurances and Certifications (eGrants Review, Authorize and Submit Section)

Instructions

By signing and submitting this application, as the duly authorized representative of the applicant, you certify that the applicant will comply with the Assurances and Certifications described below.

a) Inability to certify

Your inability to provide the assurances and certifications listed below will not necessarily result in denial of a grant. You must submit an explanation of why you cannot do so. We will consider your explanation in determining whether to enter into this transaction. However, your failure to furnish an explanation will disqualify your application.

b) Erroneous certification or assurance

The assurances and certifications are material representations of fact upon which we rely in determining whether to enter into this transaction. If we later determine that you knowingly submitted an erroneous certification or assurance, in addition to other remedies available to the federal government, we may terminate this transaction for cause or default.

c) Notice of error in certification or assurance

You must provide immediate written notice to us if at any time you learn that a certification or assurance was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous because of changed circumstances.

d) Definitions

The terms “covered transaction”, “debarred”, “suspended”, “ineligible”, “lower tier covered transaction”, “participant”, “person”, “primary covered transaction”, “principal”, “proposal”, and “voluntarily excluded” as used in this clause, have the meanings set out in the Definitions and Coverage sections of the rules implementing Executive Order 12549. An applicant shall be considered a “prospective primary participant in a covered transaction” as defined in the rules implementing Executive Order 12549. You may contact us for assistance in obtaining a copy of those regulations.

e) Assurance requirement for subgrant agreements

You agree by submitting this proposal that if we approve your application you shall not knowingly enter into any lower tier covered transaction with a person who is debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this covered transaction, unless authorized by us.

f) Assurance inclusion in subgrant agreements

You agree by submitting this proposal that you will obtain an assurance from prospective participants in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions that the participants are not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction.

g) Assurance of subgrant principals

You may rely upon an assurance of a prospective participant in a lower-tier covered transaction that is not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction, unless you know that the assurance is erroneous. You may decide the method and frequency by which you determine the eligibility of your principals. You may, but are not required to, check the List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement and Nonprocurement Programs.

h) Non-assurance in subgrant agreements

If you knowingly enter into a lower tier covered transaction with a person who is suspended, debarred, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in addition to other remedies available to the federal government, we may terminate this transaction for cause or default.

i) Prudent person standard

Nothing contained in the aforementioned may be construed to require establishment of a system of records in order to render in good faith the assurances and certifications required. Your knowledge and information is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings.

ASSURANCES

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the applicant:

Has the legal authority to apply for federal assistance, and the institutional, managerial, and financial capability (including funds sufficient to pay the non-federal share of project costs) to ensure proper planning, management, and completion of the project described in this application.
Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General of the United States, and if appropriate, the state, through any authorized representative, access to and the right to examine all records, books, papers, or documents related to the award; and will establish a proper accounting system in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards or agency directives.
Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from using their position for a purpose that constitutes or presents the appearance of personal or organizational conflict of interest, or personal gain.
Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding agency.
Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4728-4763) relating to prescribed standards for merit systems for programs funded under one of the nineteen statutes or regulations specified in Appendix A of OPM’s Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration (5 CFR 900, Subpart F).
Will comply with all federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination. These include but are not limited to: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681-1683, and 1685-1686). which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability (d) The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6101-6107), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; (e) The Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-255), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of drug abuse; (f) The Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or alcoholism; (g) sections 523 and 527 of the Public Health Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. 290dd-3 and 290ee-3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing; (i) any other nondiscrimination provisions in the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended; and (j) the requirements of any other nondiscrimination statute(s) which may apply to the application.
Will comply, or has already complied, with the requirements of Titles II and III of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-646) which provide for fair and equitable treatment of persons displaced or whose property is acquired as a result of federal or federally assisted programs. These requirements apply to all interests in real property acquired for project purposes regardless of federal participation in purchases.
Will comply with the provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. 1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political activities of employees whose principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.
Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C 276a and 276a-77), the Copeland Act (40 U.S.C 276c and 18 U.S.C. 874), and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. 327-333), regarding labor standards for Federally assisted construction sub-agreements.
Will comply, if applicable, with flood insurance purchase requirements of Section 102(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) which requires the recipients in a special flood hazard area to participate in the program and to purchase flood insurance if the total cost of insurable construction and acquisition is $10,000 or more.
Will comply with environmental standards which may be prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institution of environmental quality control measures under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190) and Executive Order (EO) 11514; (b) notification of violating facilities pursuant to EO 11738; (c) protection of wetlands pursuant to EO 11990; (d) evaluation of flood hazards in floodplains in accordance with EO 11988; (e) assurance of project consistency with the approved state management program developed under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C 1451 et seq.); (f) conformity of federal actions to State (Clean Air) Implementation Plans under Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act of 1955, as amended (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.); (g) protection of underground sources of drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended (P.L. 93-523); and (h) protection of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (P.L. 93-205).
Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16 U.S.C 1271 et seq.) related to protecting components or potential components of the national wild and scenic rivers system.
Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470), EO 11593 (identification and protection of historic properties), and the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (16U.S.C. 469a-l et seq.).
Will comply with P.L. 93-348 regarding the protection of human subjects involved in research, development, and related activities supported by this award of assistance.
Will comply with the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-544, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) pertaining to the care, handling, and treatment of warm blooded animals held for research, teaching, or other activities supported by this award of assistance.
Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 4801 et seq.) which prohibits the use of lead based paint in construction or rehabilitation of residence structures.
Will cause to be performed the required financial and compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act of 1984, as amended, and OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.
Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws, executive orders, regulations, application guidelines, and policies governing this program.

Will comply with all rules regarding prohibited activities, including those stated in applicable Notice, grant provisions, and program regulations, and will ensure that no assistance made available by the Corporation will be used to support any such prohibited activities.

Will comply with the nondiscrimination provisions in the national service laws, which provide that an individual with responsibility for the operation of a project or program that receives assistance under the national service laws shall not discriminate against a participant in, or member of the staff of, such project or program on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, political affiliation, disability, or on the basis of religion. (NOTE: the prohibition on religious discrimination does not apply to the employment of any staff member paid with non-Corporation funds or paid with Corporation funds but employed with the organization operating the project prior to or on the date the grant was awarded. If your organization is a faith-based organization that makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, your organization may be entitled, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb, to receive federal funds and yet maintain that hiring practice, even though the national service legislation includes a restriction on religious discrimination in employment of staff hired to work on a Corporation-funded project and paid with Corporation grant funds. (42 U.S.C. §§ 5057(c) and 12635(c)). For the circumstances under which this may occur, please see the document “Effect of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act on Faith-Based Applicants for Grants” on the Corporation’s website at: http://www.usdoj.gov/archive/fbci/effect-rfra.pdf.

Will comply with all other federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination, including any self-evaluation requirements. These include but are not limited to: (a)Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681-1683, and 1685-1686). which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicaps (d) The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6101-6107), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; (e) The Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-255), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of drug abuse; (f) The Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or alcoholism; (g) sections 523 and 527 of the Public Health Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. 290 dd-3 and 290 ee-3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing; and (i) the requirements of any other nondiscrimination statute(s) which may apply to the application.

Will provide, in the design, recruitment, and operation of any AmeriCorps program, for broad-based input from – (1) the community served, the municipality and government of the county (if appropriate) in which the community is located, and potential participants in the program; and (2) community-based agencies with a demonstrated record of experience in providing services and local labor organizations representing employees of service sponsors, if these entities exist in the area to be served by the program;

Will, prior to the placement of participants, consult with the appropriate local labor organization, if any, representing employees in the area who are engaged in the same or similar work as that proposed to be carried out by an AmeriCorps program, to ensure compliance with the nondisplacement requirements specified in section 177 of the NCSA;

Will, in the case of an AmeriCorps program that includes or serves children, consult with the parents or legal guardians of children in developing and operating the program;

Will, before transporting minor children, provide the children’s parents or legal guardians with the reason for the transportation and obtain the parent’s or legal guardian’s permission for such transportation, consistent with state law;

Will, in the case of an AmeriCorps program that is not funded through a State, consult with and coordinate activities with the State Commission for the state in which the program operates.

Will ensure that any national service program carried out by the applicant using assistance provided under section 121 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and any national service program supported by a grant made by the applicant using such assistance will address unmet human, educational, environmental, or public safety needs through services that provide a direct benefit to the community in which the service is performed;

Will comply with the nonduplication and nondisplacement requirements set out in section 177 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, and in the Corporation’s regulations at § 2540.100;

Will comply with the grievance procedure requirements as set out in section 176(f) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and in the Corporation’s regulations at 45 CFR § 2540.230;

Will provide participants in the national service program with the training, skills, and knowledge necessary for the projects that participants are called upon to perform, including training on prohibited activities;

Will provide support services to participants, such as information regarding G.E.D. attainment and post-service employment, and, if appropriate, opportunities for participants to reflect on their service experiences;

Will arrange for an independent evaluation of any national service program carried out using assistance provided to the applicant under section 121 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 or, with the approval of the Corporation, conduct an internal evaluation of the program;

Will apply measurable performance goals and evaluation methods, which are to be used as part of such evaluation to determine the program’s impact on communities and persons served by the program, on participants who take part in the projects, and in other such areas as required by the Corporation;

Will ensure the provision of a living allowance and other benefits to participants as required by the Corporation;

Has not violated a Federal criminal statute;

If a state applicant, will ensure that the State subgrants will be used to support national service programs selected by the State on a competitive basis;

If a state applicant, will seek to ensure an equitable allocation within the State of assistance and approved national service positions, taking into consideration such factors as the locations of the programs, population density, and economic distress;

If a state applicant, will ensure that not less than 60% of the assistance will be used to make grants to support national service programs other than those carried out by a State agency, unless the Corporation approves otherwise.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification – Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters

This certification is required by the government-wide regulations implementing Executive Order 12549, Debarment and Suspension, 2 CFR Part 180, Section 180.335, What information must I provide before entering into a covered transaction with a Federal agency?

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that neither the applicant nor its principals:

Is presently excluded or disqualified;
Has been convicted within the preceding three years of any of the offenses listed in § 180.800(a) or had a civil judgment rendered against it for one of those offenses within that time period;
Is presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission or any of the offenses listed in § 180.800(a); or
Has had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated within the preceding three years for cause or default.

Certification – Drug Free Workplace

This certification is required by the Corporation’s regulations implementing sections 5150-5160 of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-690), 45 CFR Part 2545, Subpart B. The regulations require certification by grantees, prior to award, that they will make a good faith effort, on a continuing basis, to maintain a drug-free workplace. The certification set out below is a material representation of fact upon which reliance will be placed when the agency determines to award the grant. False certification or violation of the certification may be grounds for suspension of payments, suspension or termination of grants, or government-wide suspension or debarment (see 45 CFR Part 2542, Subparts G and H).

As the duly authorized representative of the grantee, I certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the grantee will provide a drug-free workplace by:

Publishing a drug-free workplace statement that:
1. Notifies employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the grantee’s workplace;
2. Specifies the actions that the grantee will take against employees for violating that prohibition; and
3. Informs employees that, as a condition of employment under any award, each employee will abide by the terms of the statement and notify the grantee in writing if the employee is convicted for a violation of a criminal drug statute occurring in the workplace within five days of the conviction;
Requiring that a copy of the statement described in paragraph (A) be given to each employee who will be engaged in the performance of any Federal award;
Establishing a drug-free awareness program to inform employees about:
1. The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace;
2. The grantee’s policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace;
3. Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs; and
4. The penalties that the grantee may impose upon them for drug abuse violations occurring in the workplace;
Providing us, as well as any other Federal agency on whose award the convicted employee was working, with written notification within 10 calendar days of learning that an employee has been convicted of a drug violation in the workplace;
Taking one of the following actions within 30 calendar days of learning that an employee has been convicted of a drug violation in the workplace:
1. Taking appropriate personnel action against the employee, up to and including termination; or
2. Requiring that the employee participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for these purposes by a Federal, State, or local health, law enforcement, or other appropriate agency;
Making a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of paragraphs (A) through (E).

Certification - Lobbying Activities

As required by Section 1352, Title 31 of the U.S. Code, as the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that:

No federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the applicant, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a member of Congress, an officer of Congress in connection with the awarding of any federal contract, the making of any federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, or modification of any federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement;
If any funds other than federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a member of Congress in connection with this federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the applicant will submit Standard Form-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions;
The applicant will require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subcontracts at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under grants, loans and cooperative agreements) and that all subrecipients will certify and disclose accordingly.

Erroneous certification or assurance

Notice of error in certification or assurance

You must provide immediate written notice to us if at any time you learn that a certification or assurance was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous because of changed circumstances.

Definitions

The terms “debarment”, “suspension”, “excluded”, “disqualified”, “ineligible”, “participant”, “person”, “principal”, “proposal”, and “voluntarily excluded” as used in this document have the meanings set out in 2 CFR Part 180, subpart I, “Definitions.” A transaction shall be considered a “covered transaction” if it meets the definition in 2 CFR part 180 subpart B, “Covered Transactions.”

Assurance requirement for subgrant agreements

Assurance inclusion in subgrant agreements

Assurance of subgrant principals

Non-assurance in subgrant agreements

Prudent person standard

Certification - Grant Review Process (State Commissions Only)

I certify that in conducting our review process, we have ensured compliance with the National and Community Service Act of 1990, the Corporation's peer review requirements, and all state laws and conflict of interest rules.

Assurances and Certifications

assurance signature: NOTE: Sign this form and include in the application.

SIGNATURE:

By signing this assurances page, you certify that you agree to perform all actions and support all intentions in the Assurances section.

Organization Name:

Program Name:

Name and Title of Authorized Representative:

Signature:

Date:

cERTIFICATION signature: NOTE: Sign this form and include in the application.

SIGNATURE:

By signing this certification page, you certify that you agree to perform all actions and support all intentions in the Certification sections of this application. The three Certifications are:

Certification: Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters
Certification: Drug-Free Workplace
Certification: Lobbying Activities

Organization Name:

Program Name:

Name and Title of Authorized Representative:

Signature:

Date:

ATTACHMENT M: Beneficiary Populations/Grant Characteristics

AmeriCorps member Population – Communities of Color
AmeriCorps member Population – Low-income individuals
AmeriCorps member Population – Native Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – New Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – Older Americans
AmeriCorps member Population – People with Disabilities
AmeriCorps member Population – Rural Residents
AmeriCorps member Population – Veterans, Active Military, or their Families
AmeriCorps member Population – Economically disadvantaged young adults/Opportunity Youth
AmeriCorps member Population – None of the above
Geographic Focus – Rural
Geographic Focus – Urban
Encore Program
Faith- and community-based organizations
Governor and Mayor Initiative
21^st Century Conservation Service Corps
SIG/Priority Schools
NCES School ID

1 One MSY is equivalent to at least 1700 service hours, a full-time AmeriCorps position. The CNCS cost per MSY is determined by dividing the CNCS share of budgeted grant costs by the number of MSYs requested in the application. It does not include childcare or the cost of the education award.

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File Created	2021-01-30

1 2012 Application Instructions

All AmeriCorps Application Instructions: State, National Direct, State Education Award Program, Direct Education Award Program, National Professional Corps, Indian Tribes, State & Territories..

2013 Application Instructions FINAL for Publication

All AmeriCorps Application Instructions: State, National Direct, State Education Award Program, Direct Education Award Program, National Professional Corps, Indian Tribes, State & Territories..

OMB: 3045-0047

IMPORTANT NOTICE

New and Recompeting Programs

II. Application Info

III. Narratives

Please provide a one-paragraph executive summary of your proposed program. This summary should be one-half page or less. The summary should include who, what, where, when, and why:

Who will be serving? Who will be served?

What will the AmeriCorps members do?

Where will the activity take place?

When does the project begin and end?

What is the expected outcome(s) of the project?

What is the CNCS investment? What is the match amount?

You may fill in the blanks in the following template to complete your executive summary.

CNCS will post these summaries on www.nationalservice.gov in the interest of transparency and Open Government.

C. Evaluation Summary or Plan

D. Amendment Justification

V. Documents

VII. Subapplications (National Direct and National Professional Corps Only)

VIII. Review, Authorize, and Submit

CONTINUATION REQUESTS

I. Applicant Info and Application Info

II. Narrative (Narratives Section)

IV. Budget (Budget Section)

Subapplications (National Direct and National Professional Corps Only)

ATTACHMENT A: Facesheet Instructions (eGrants Applicant Info and Application Info Sections)

ATTACHMENT B: Performance Measures Instructions for New/Recompeting Applicants

(eGrants Performance Measures Section)

ATTACHMENT C: Performance Measures Instructions for Continuation Applicants

(eGrants Performance Measures Section)

Following Steps 7B – 17B for an aligned National Performance Measure.

ATTACHMENT G: Budget Worksheet for Fixed-Amount Grants (eGrants Budget Section)

ATTACHMENT H: Budget Checklist

APPENDIX J: National Operating Site Worksheet (Subapplication Section)

ATTACHMENT K: Beale Codes and County-Level Economic Data

ATTACHMENT L: Assurances and Certifications (eGrants Review, Authorize and Submit Section)

ATTACHMENT A: Facesheet Instructions
(eGrants Applicant Info and Application Info Sections)