The New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism (NMCCV) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) are pleased to announce the anticipated availability of federal funds to support AmeriCorps programs to start in 2012 for a 12-month program cycle.

For more than fifteen years, the Corporation—through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs—has helped to mobilize a new generation of engaged citizens. This year, more than 1.8 million individuals of all ages and backgrounds will serve with national and community non-profit organizations, faith-based groups, schools, and local agencies to meet needs in education, health, the environment, economic opportunity, veterans, disaster services, and other critical areas.

What is AmeriCorps?

Across America thousands of men and women, age 17 and older, are dedicating a year to serve their communities- tutoring children, building homes, helping fight wildfires, and restoring national parks.

In return, the benefits they receive are:

• An education award for college, graduate school or vocational school, or to pay off student loans
• A modest living allowance and health insurance
• Invaluable skills for the future- leadership, teamwork, and much more…

Who are we?

NMCCV is a bipartisan group appointed by the Governor. Our duties include the promotion and guidance of Corporation for National Service grant expenditures in the state and to promote an ethic of service across New Mexico.

Mission of the Commission

Our mission is to engage citizens of New Mexico of all ages and backgrounds in community based service to address the state’s human, educational, environmental, public safety, health, housing and other needs.

The NMCCV works to fulfill this mission through a number of programs, projects, and activities focused on service and volunteerism. In 2011, NMCCV distributed an estimated $2.9 million in national service and volunteerism grants and recognizes exemplary volunteers at the Spotlight Volunteer Conference.

Established in 1993, the Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS) engages more than a million Americans each year in service to their communities by providing a way to solve community problems. CNCS works with governor-appointed state commissions, nonprofits, faith-based groups, schools, and other civic organizations to provide opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve their communities. The Corporation's three major service initiatives are AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America and the National Senior Service Corps. CNCS partners with the NMCCV to administer AmeriCorps in New Mexico.

The Corporation is carrying out Congress’s intent by targeting AmeriCorps State and National funding in six focus areas, and is developing strategic objectives for each. The Corporation intends to:

• direct the power of national service to solve a common set of national challenges,
• expand opportunities to enable all Americans to enlist in community-based efforts that address national challenges,
• embrace innovative solutions that work, and
• build the enduring capacity of individuals, organizations and communities to effectively use service and volunteering to solve community problems.

AmeriCorps State grants support the efforts of national and community-based non-profit organizations to recruit and deploy AmeriCorps members and the volunteers with whom they work to tackle unmet needs. These grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible organizations that identify a problem(s) and persuasively demonstrate how deploying AmeriCorps members and community volunteers will produce significant impact.

What are the 2012 AmeriCorps State and National funding priorities?

On April 21, 2009, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, the most sweeping expansion of national service in a generation. This landmark law not only expands service opportunities, but also focuses national service on key outcomes; builds the capacity of individuals, nonprofits, and communities to succeed; and encourages innovative approaches to solving problems. In 2010, the Corporation awarded approximately 80 percent of its AmeriCorps State and National competitive funds to organizations meeting needs in the five priority areas identified in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

In alignment with the Serve America Act, AmeriCorps State and National (AmeriCorps) Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity will focus AmeriCorps grant making in six Focus Areas identified by the Act:

• Disaster Services
• Economic Opportunity
• Education
• Environmental Stewardship
• Healthy Futures
• Veterans and Military Families

In order to carry out Congress' intent and to maximize the impact of the investment in national service, CNCS is seeking to fund programs that can demonstrate community impact and solve community problems through an evidence-based approach (e.g. performance data, research, theory of change).

In the AmeriCorps competition this year, CNCS especially seeks to prioritize investment in three areas of its work. CNCS will continue to focus on national service programs that improve academic outcomes for children, youth, and young adults. This focus reflects the extensive experience and past success of national service programs in education, and aligns with the efforts of the Department of Education. In addition, CNCS seeks to increase its investment in programs that serve veterans and military families or engage veterans in service. CNCS will also focus investment in programs that increase community resiliency through disaster preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation.

In 2012, CNCS will implement the third year of the National Performance Measures Pilot. National Performance Measures allow CNCS to demonstrate the aggregated impact of all AmeriCorps programs. This year, we have focused and refined the Measures and aligned them with our Strategic Plan. This refinement process included adding a few new Measures to fill data gaps.

Why should my organization apply for an AmeriCorps Program?

AmeriCorps provides people power. Funds provided through AmeriCorps support a team of individuals (members) who provide direct service to build or improve communities and/or generate volunteers to support their efforts. If you have a critical education, public safety, human services, or environmental need you believe can be addressed by the involvement of people serving together, then this program is for you.

AmeriCorps is a not a bricks and mortar grant nor a staffing program. Members cannot displace existing staff. The AmeriCorps program is about recruiting, placing and supporting volunteers to get things gone for communities.

Eligible Applicants:

• A non- profit organization
• An institution of higher education
• A state agency
• A community or faith-based organization
• A subdivision of the state including: cities, counties and municipalities
• A partnership or consortia comprised of any of the above entities

Requirements and Criteria:

Program requirements, including the criteria against which applications will be assessed, are located in the new AmeriCorps regulations, 45 CFR §§ 2520 – 2550 www.americorps.gov/for_organizations/manage/index.asp. Application instructions for the program to which you are applying can be found at www.americorps.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa.asp

What type of grants are available?

NMCCV will release a single RFP for AmeriCorps funding for Competitive, Formula, Professional Corps, Indian Tribes and Education Award Only programs.

Applications soliciting Competitive funding are reviewed by NMCCV and recommended to CNCS. They are then placed in competition with proposals from other states and evaluated at the National level.

Applications soliciting Formula funding are reviewed at the state level. The amount of Formula funding available to each state is based on the federal allocation for AmeriCorps services and the state's population.

Education Award Programs do not have to provide child care, a living allowance, or health care to its members. Applicant organizations must obtain most or all of the AmeriCorps member and program costs from other sources.

Fixed-Amount Grant

Fixed-amount grants are available for programs that enroll full-time members only. Fixed-amount grants allow programs to apply for a fixed dollar amount per member. The fixed amount awarded per member is significantly less than the cost of running an AmeriCorps program and the applicant must raise the additional revenue necessary to operate the program.

An AmeriCorps program that receives a fixed-amount grant is like any other AmeriCorps program except that, unlike the more typical cost-reimbursement grant, the fixed amount grant does not require:

• Compliance with OMB Cost Principles
• Detailed, line-item budgets
• Corporation FFRs
• Match or documentation of match

The amount per full-time member requested will be a competitive factor in the Corporation's selection process. Priority will be given in the selection process to organizations that have demonstrated capacity to track and report on performance measures. The Corporation may also prioritize those organizations that adopt specific national performance measures or are aligned with national service priority areas.

All organizations that are currently receiving AmeriCorps funding are required to renew their application by re-applying for funding through a three year cycle based upon satisfactory performance.

How can I find out more about AmeriCorps?

To get additional information about AmeriCorps, CNS’s website at www.nationalservice.org or call (505) 841-4811.

In order to satisfy all of the requirements programs are encouraged to request the guidelines prior to November 1st, as PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 3PM ON DECEMBER 8, 2011 per the grant guidelines.