FY 2021 AmeriCorps State and National Grants | CNCS 09 11 20

Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS 09 11 20

The FY 2021 AmeriCorps State and National Grants opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number CNCS 09 11 20) is a discretionary grant program offered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps. The basic purpose of this funding is to support organizations that want to build or operate AmeriCorps programs by placing AmeriCorps members in structured national service positions that deliver measurable community benefits. Rather than funding general operating costs, the program is aimed at supporting service-based solutions where members carry out organized activities that strengthen communities and address priority needs.

A central requirement of the opportunity is that proposed service activities be evidence-based or evidence-informed. In practice, this means applicants are expected to design interventions that draw on credible research, prior evaluations, strong performance data, or established best practices, and then implement them in a way that can be tracked and assessed. The goal is to ensure that funded programs do more than provide volunteer hours; they should produce clear outcomes in the communities they serve and be able to explain why the chosen approach is likely to work.

AmeriCorps members are the key workforce supported through these grants. A member is an individual serving in an approved national service position, typically for a defined term of service, carrying out community service tasks such as tutoring and mentoring students, supporting workforce readiness efforts, improving public health outreach, helping communities prepare for or recover from disasters, assisting with housing stability and homelessness interventions, improving food access and nutrition initiatives, or working on environmental and natural resource projects. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits during their service term, which is one way the program makes service accessible to people who might not otherwise be able to volunteer full-time. After successfully completing their service, members earn the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust, which can be used to pay for higher education costs or to repay qualified student loans, making the program both a community development tool and a pathway for member advancement.

The funding activity categories associated with this opportunity show how broad the program can be in terms of community impact. The listed categories include community development; disaster prevention and relief; education; employment, labor, and training; environment; food and nutrition; health; housing; and natural resources. The program is tied to CFDA number 94.006, which is the federal assistance listing historically used for AmeriCorps State and National funding.

Eligibility is wide and includes many types of public and private entities, reflecting the reality that effective national service programs can be housed in different kinds of institutions. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations, including both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). This broad eligibility allows everything from state agencies to school systems to community-based nonprofits and higher education institutions to propose service models that fit local or regional needs.

The award instrument type is a grant, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary, meaning funds are awarded through a competitive process rather than by formula. The posting record indicates an original closing date of January 6, 2021, with a creation date of September 11, 2020. The source data provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so an applicant would typically look to the full notice and related guidance for details such as funding ranges, match requirements, performance measure expectations, member slot structures, and compliance obligations.

Overall, this opportunity is designed for organizations that can responsibly manage a federal grant and operate an AmeriCorps program that deploys members in a disciplined, outcomes-focused way. The strongest fit is typically an organization that can articulate a clear community problem, select an intervention grounded in evidence, define what members will do day-to-day, and show how the program will measure results while also supporting members with appropriate supervision, training, and service-related benefits, culminating in members earning the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion.

• The Corporation for National and Community Service in the community development, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment, labor and training, environment, food and nutrition, health, housing, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 AmeriCorps State and National Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 94.006.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-09-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for CNCS 09 11 20

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