FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2020
Contact: Jamie Orozco Nagel, Volunteer Iowa
515.348.6233 / 800.308.5987
2021-2022 Iowa AmeriCorps State Funding Opportunity Announcement
Funding Opportunity
Volunteer Iowa is pleased to announce the availability of grant funding to plan for and establish AmeriCorps State programs within the State of Iowa. AmeriCorps State and National grants provide funding to help organizations manage an AmeriCorps program, which involves recruiting, training, and supporting AmeriCorps members who serve on a full-time or part-time basis to help the organization address a community need. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that support organizational capacity-building, education, healthy futures, environmental stewardship, veterans and military families, economic opportunities, public safety, disaster preparedness/response, and other identified community issues in Iowa. Successful programs utilize service as a strategy to meet community needs, while supporting the development and growth of the AmeriCorps members serving with the organization.
An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community service through an approved national service position. AmeriCorps members also mobilize community volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations they serve. Members typically receive a living allowance and other benefits from the sponsor organization while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust that they can apply to qualified student loans or use to pay for higher education expenses.
For the 2021-2022 competition, Volunteer Iowa particularly seeks programs that address the following priorities, drawn from Iowa's State Service Plan:
- Programs that are part of or utilize a comprehensive community strategy
- Programs or strategies that engage underrepresented populations and those that provide a high return on investment
- Programs in geographic areas that are underserved or have the highest need
- Programs that address disparities in rural communities or with minorities
- New service opportunities to develop community capital in the following areas:
- State legislative & national service focus areas
- Governor’s priority areas such as Future Ready Iowa, supporting Iowa’s energy plan, childcare and enrichment, digital literacy and education
- Programming to mitigate disproportionate outcomes for minority populations with regard to school discipline, foster care, juvenile justice, corrections, and similar systems
Application Materials
Applicants for this funding will need to reference the complete application materials to be posted to IowaGrants, including the Volunteer Iowa PreApplication Instructions, the Volunteer Iowa Request for Applications (RFA) and appendices, the Volunteer Iowa Final Application Instructions, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Mandatory Supplemental Guidance (“Guidance”), and the CNCS Performance Measure Instructions. Applications will be accepted only from organizations seeking funding to operate a program wholly within the state of Iowa (multi-state applicants apply directly to the Corporation for National and Community Service). Multi-state AmeriCorps National Direct applicants that intend to place members in Iowa must consult with Volunteer Iowa regarding these intended placements using the process and link provided in the RFA.
Key Dates & Deadlines
Deadlines for submission of the required Pre-Application and Final Application are listed below. Please note that several other listed dates (marked with *) are anticipated dates only and may be updated throughout the grant application and review period. Check the IowaGrants funding opportunity and sign up for the mailing list to be informed of changes to this timeline.
- Funding Opportunity Announcement & Pre-Application Instructions Published: 8/18/2020
- RFA & Final Application Instructions Release Date: 9/29/2020*
- Pre-Application Deadlines: 9/15/2020 (for Returning programs); 10/6/2020, 1/19/2021, or 3/16/2021 (for New programs)
- Final (including Continuation) Application Deadlines: 11/10/2020 (for Competitive applicants); 3/2/2021 or 4/6/2021 (for Formula applicants, Volunteer Iowa will assign a final deadline following review of the PreApplication)
- Funding Announcement: 5/2021* (for Competitive programs and Formula programs)
- Program Start Date: 8/1/2021, 9/1/2021, or 1/1/2022 (applicant chooses from these start dates)
Definitions:
- Returning Program: a program proposal from a current competitive or formula program sponsor seeking funding for the same AmeriCorps project. Potential funding statuses for returning projects are: recompeting for formula funding, recompeting for competitive funding, formula continuation funding, or competitive continuation funding. Current Iowa AmeriCorps State program sponsors who wish to develop a new project for 2021-2022 must submit a separate New Program Pre-Application for that proposal. If your organization has previously supported an AmeriCorps State program but does not have an active program in 2020-2021, contact Volunteer Iowa for guidance on which Pre-Application Instructions to follow (for New or Returning Projects).
- New Program: a program proposal from a new legal applicant or a new project from an existing/recent legal applicant
- Competitive: Programs competed and funded at the national level; funds are from CNCS federal resources allocated to Volunteer Iowa programs on a competitive basis
- Formula: Programs competed and funded at the state level; funds are from CNCS federal resources allocated to Volunteer Iowa on a formula basis
Disclosure: Publication of this Funding Opportunity Announcement does not obligate Volunteer Iowa or the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to award any specific number of grants or to obligate any particular amount of funding. The actual level and timing of grant funding will be subject to the availability of annual federal appropriations.
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About Volunteer Iowa
Volunteer Iowa and its partner agencies work with organizations and individuals on three main fronts. The first is to help agencies develop quality programs that use service as a strategy to fulfill their missions and address Iowa’s greatest areas of need. The second is to help engage Iowans in their communities by promoting service and expanding the volunteer base. Finally, the third area of work is to connect individuals with appropriate service opportunities by building the volunteer infrastructure. More information is available at volunteeriowa.org.
About the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.