2019 California For All AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity

Grant Description

The 2019 California For All AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity provides state and federal funds to engage AmeriCorps Fellows in intensive results-driven community service to help tackle critical state and local problems in the following San Joaquin Valley counties: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern. 

To help realize Governor Newsom’s vision and commitment to build a California For All, the 2019-20 California State Budget includes $20 million to support both the expansion of AmeriCorps service into the San Joaquin Valley and an augment to the education award for full-time Fellows completing a minimum of 1700 service hours in one program year. The San Joaquin Valley has been selected as the target region for this funding opportunity based on meeting the criteria of being the economic region with the highest need and lowest AmeriCorps footprint in the state. This opportunity provides substantial state and federal funds to support AmeriCorps programming with some cost-share from successful applicants and their community partners.

AmeriCorps is a national service program that provides full-time or part-time service opportunities for Americans to address critical community needs. An AmeriCorps service year is organized to have an important community impact while making a lasting difference in the lives of those who serve. Program service activities are delivered by eligible citizens serving as AmeriCorps Fellows who are recruited by grantees and their community partners. Fellows may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, Fellows earn an AmeriCorps Education Award that they can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans. For this funding opportunity, full-time Fellows who successfully complete a minimum of 1700 service hours will receive both a federal Segal AmeriCorps Education Award and a California For All Education Award for a combined value of $10,000.

Eligible Applicants

Nonprofit organizations and state and local government agencies proposing to operate in the targeted San Joaquin Valley counties (Fresno, Kings, Kern, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare) are eligible to apply. All applicants must have active registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) at to www.SAM.gov.

Estimated Funds Available

This opportunity includes approximately $14 million in both state and federal dollars that have been appropriated for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020. Applicants may apply for up to $27,920 per one Full-time (FT or 1700 hours) service position requested or an equivalent number of part-time service positions. Grant size vary depending upon the number of full-time equivalent service positions requested by an applicant (i.e. $558,000 to support a minimum of 20 full-time service positions).

Allowable Expenses

Grants pay for AmeriCorps Fellow living allowances and benefits, training, staff costs, operating costs, evaluation, and administration and cannot be used for general organizational operating expenses. AmeriCorps Fellows or grant funds can help meet unmet needs or can expand an organization’s ability to better address community needs, but cannot be used to duplicate, displace or supplant resources that already exist in a community.

Notice of Intent

Applicants are required to submit a Notice of Intent to Apply for this competition. Notices of Intent to Apply should be completed by Thursday, September 19, 2019. You can access to Notice of Intent to Apply here.

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications to the 2019 California For All AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity is Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Both the electronic submission and complete hardcopy application must be received by this deadline. The required electronic submission must be sent via email to Funding@cv.ca.gov. The hardcopy application can be mailed or hand-delivered to the following address:

CaliforniaVolunteers
ATTN: California For All AmeriCorps 2019
1400 10^th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Application Documents

The following documents are required to complete the 2019 AmeriCorps State Grant Application:

• Request for Applications
• Mandatory Supplemental Guidance
• Application Instructions
• National Performance Measures Instructions
• Application Forms
  • Application Checklist
  • Program Summary Form
  • Logic Model Template
  • California Performance Measurement Worksheet
  • Budget Form & Budget Narrative Template
  • Labor Organization Certification
  • Financial Management Survey
  • AmeriCorps Organizational Self-Assessment
  • Assurance and Certification
  • Planning Grant Budget Template

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions received by email or on the Technical Assistance Webinars will be collected and answered on a weekly Frequently Asked Questions document, found below.

Technical Assistance Documents & Resources

Organizations interested in applying for an AmeriCorps grant are encouraged to visit the resources below:

• How to Develop a Program Logic Model
• High Quality Performance Measures
• Building Effective Data Collection Plans
• Building Evidence of Effectiveness
• AmeriCorps Regulations (45 CFR 2520-2550)
• CV AmeriCorps Grantmaking & Program Design Policies