201 4 COMMISSION SUPPORT GRANTS

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

HOW TO APPLY FOR

State Service Commission Support Grants

OMB Approval Number TBD Expiration Date TBD

IMPORTANT NOTICE

These application instructions conform to the Corporation for National and Community Service’s ( CNCS ) online grant application system, eGrants

. The eGrants system is designed to

serve CNCS ’s applicants and grantees

. All CNCS funding announcements are posted on our web site www.NationalService.gov and at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/find_grant_opportunities.jsp

.

Public Burden Statement : The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 requires C NCS to inform all potential persons who are to respond to this collection of information that such persons are not required to respond unless it displays a currently valid OMB

control number

. (See 5 CFR 1320.5(b)(2)(i))201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

2 Time Burden : The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 37 hours per applicant, including the time to review instructions; search existing data resources; gather the data needed; and complete and review the

information collection

.

Use of Information : The information collected constitutes an application to CNCS for grant funding

. CNCS evaluates the application and makes funding decisions through the CNCS ’s grant review and selection process

.

Effects of Non

- Disclosure: Providing this infor mation is voluntary; however, failure to provide the information would not

allow CNCS to assess the applicant’s request for funding

. Therefore it would not be possible to consider granting funds to the applicant

.

Privacy Act: 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 di sclosure 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 brea ch 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

successf ul applicants will be published on the CNCS website as part of ongoing efforts to increase transparency in grantmaking. 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.

Public Comments : Comments on the burden or content of this instrument may be sent to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Attn: Mr. James Stone , 1201 New York Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20525.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

3

STATE COMMISSION SUPPORT GRANT APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT NOTICE

................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 1

I. PURPOSE

................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 5

II. DEADLINE

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 5

III. USING EGRANTS

................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 5

IV. COLLABORATION

................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 6

V. COMMISSION SUPPORT FUNDS

................................ ................................ .................... 6

VI. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

................................ ................................ ...................... 8

VII. BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

................................ ................................ ............................... 12

APPENDIX I: GRANT PROVISIONS

................................ ................................ ..................... 14

APPENDIX II: COMMISS ION ALTERNATIVE MATC H SCHEDULE

........................... 15

APPENDIX III: THEORY OF CHANGE LOGIC MODE L

................................ ................. 19

APPENDIX IV : EGRANTS PERFORMANCE MEASURE S INSTRUCTIONS

................ 20

Changes in the 201 4 Instructions : 1. Changed application deadline.

2. Notice. Time burden changed from 25 to 37 hours.

3. Section II. Change in deadline.

4. Section III. Change to include publishing executive summary on CNCS website.

5. Section IV. Removal of multi

- state grantee expectations from instruction for state service

commissions.

6. Section V. C. Changes to supplemental funding eligibility criteria

. 7. Section V.E. Addition of a capacity, accomplishment performance section.

8. Section VI Changes to application instructions to include language related to CNCS review of applications (formerly Appen dix I)

9. Section VI. Changes to application instructions components to include performance

measures. 10. Section VI.C Addition of an executive summary and theory of change logic model.

11. Section VI.C R eorganization of compliance and performance and collaboration and sustainability sections.

12. Section VI C. Modifications to narrative section to include additional questions

13. Section VI.D. Addition of performance measures.

14. Section VI.E. Addition of required theory of change logic model

15. Appendix I: Moved Previous Appendix I content (Review of Applications) to Section VI.

16. Previous Appendix II (Grant Provisions) moved to Appendix I.

17. Appendix II: Previous Appendix II (Grant Provisions) moved to Appendix I.

18. Previous Appendix III (Commission Alternative Match Schedule ) moved to Appendix II.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

4 19. Appendix III Previous Appendix III (Commission Alternative Match Schedule) moved to Appendix II.

20. Addition of instructions for theory of change logic model.

21. Addition of instructions for commission support grant performance measures module.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

5

COMMISSION SUPPORT GRANT APPLICATION I NSTRUCTIONS

I. PURPOSE

State Commission Support grant s support the operation of State Commission s and Alternative

Administrative E ntities (AAEs) in implementing their duties as required by the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA) , as amended

. (See 42 U.S.C. § 12638)

A State Commission is a bipartisan or nonpartisan State entity, approved by the Corporation for National and Community Service ( CNCS ), consisting of 15

– 25 members appointed by the chief executive officer of the State. The State Commission is responsible for developing a comprehensive national service plan, assembling applications for funding and national service positions, and administering CNCS grants in the State.

An AAE is a State or non

- State entity approved by CNCS to perform the duties of a State Commission, including developing a State Service Plan , preparing applications to CNCS for funding and national service positions, and administering CNCS grants.

II. DEADLINE

The d eadline to apply for Commission Support grants is Tuesday

, July 1

, 201 4

. We wi ll

consider an extension to the application deadline only for extenuating circumstances clearly beyon d your co n trol

. Submit your request for an extension stating the rationale to CommissionFormula@cns.gov via email or letter submitted via courier service ; the request must be received on or before the grant due date

.

II I

. USING EGRANTS To submit your application, access eGrants ( https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp )

, CNCS’s integrated, secure, web

- based system for applications

. The Notice of Funding Availability ( NOF A ) is :

 Commission Support Grants FY 201 4

If you are applying for your first request for funds in a given year, s elect the

“ Continuation/Renewal ” option when setting up your application

. If you are applying for a subsequent round of funding in a given year, select the “ Amend ” option and specify the type of

amendment

. Your previous year’s application and budget will be imported

, and available for you to edit

. In addition:

 We suggest you first prepare and save your application as a word processing document, then copy and paste the document into eGrants

.

 Use only UPPERCASE letters for all section headings and other information you would like to highlight in your narrative

. Bold face, bullets, underlines, or other types of formatting, charts, diagrams, and tables will not copy into eGrants

.

 If your narrative exceeds 32,000 characters (approximately 10 single

- spaced pa g es ) , enter the remaining information in the “Program Narrative Continued” text box. Characters include all the letters, punctuation, and spaces in your document. Your word processing software can provide a character count. eGrants will not alert you if you ex ceed the201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

6

character limits until you review and submit. Check character limits in your word processing document before you copy and paste into eGrants.

 Please be advised that by submitting your application, you consent to the publication of

the executive summary section on the CNCS website

.

I V

. COLLABORATION

CNCS expects all national service programs to collaborate at the local level

. State C ommissions are expected to communicate and coordinate with AmeriCorps multi

- state parent organization s and sites in your state, as well as Senior Corps site s

. Multi

- state parent organizations include recipients of any AmeriCorps program grant, including Indian Tribe grants.

Likewise, AmeriCorps multi

- state parent organizations and Senior Corps program s are expected

to communicate and coordinate with Commission s in the states where they operate and to share resources as appropriate.

As a State Commission , you are expected to:

 Review information from multi

- state AmeriCorps applicants submitting applications to operate in y our state.

 Develop a process to solicit the needs of all national service programs in your annual needs

assessment

, training and disability inclusion plan development activities, and in the development of your State Service Plan

.

 Add appropriate personnel from all na tional service programs in your state to your mailing list and invite them to appropriate training and other events.

V

. COMMISSION SUPPORT GRANT FUNDS

A. Allowable Uses of Commission Support Grant Funds

The activities propose d must be consistent with the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended, AmeriCorps Regulations 45 C F R § 2 5 50.80, these I nstructions, the Commission Support Grant Provisions , and with your State Service Plan

.

B

. Available Resources

Each State Commission is eligible for an annual allocation of Commission Support Grant funding if and when funds are available

. You will r eceive guidance on submission deadline, the amount of unexpended funds you may carryover into a new program year and the level of funding up to which you may request. A basic appropriated level allocation chart is prepared

each fiscal year after CNCS’s appropriation is enacted

. If the basic appropriated allocation chart

is not available before the application is due, use the prior fiscal year allocation amount to complete your budget

. D O NOT includ e any carryover or supplemental funding received

when preparing your budget if it is based on the prior year basic allocation

. The basic allocation is restricted to the amount allocated to a commission in a given year and not the

amount budgeted for activities in that year that included supplemental funds or prior year unexpended funds.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

7

When CNC S’s appropriation is enacted and you receive the basic appropriated funds allocation chart, if you are in a continuation year, you may include the unexpended funds you intend to

carry over from the previous year in an amended budget up to the CNCS allowed limit

.

C. Supplemental Commission Support Grant Funds CNCS will allocate unrequested commission support grant funds to eligible commissions that

request supplemental funds . No commission’s basic plus supplemental funding award may

exceed $850,000

.

Supplemental funds are available to commissions that:

 Request their full allocations and any allowable unexpended funds;

 Demonstrate the capacity to use the additional funds before the start of the next grant year and meet the additional match requirement;

 Do not have unexpended funds from the immediate prior

- year allocation higher than allowed by CNCS;

 Are not on the commission alternative match schedule;

 Are free of outstanding compliance or audit issues ;

 Qualify for at least a $2,000 allocation of supplemental funds based on the supplemental Commission Support Grant allocation methodology ; and

 Meet all other commission support funding requirements including submission deadlines.

CNCS will consider supplemental fund requests from states that received a decreased allocation

from their immediate prior year allocation first and will make any remaining supplemental funds available to other states that apply and qualify for them.

Instructions to request supplemental funds will be sent after the CNCS appropriation is enacted.

D O NOT include supplemental fund ing request s in your initial Commission Support

narrative or budget request

. All supplemental awards wil l be incorporated in an amended application once the supplemental allocation has been determined.

Commissions desiring to request supplemental funding must submit their requests via email to CommissionFormula@cns.gov once the y have been notified of the basic appropriated allocation amount. Commissions will be notified of the deadline at the time they are notified of the ir basic

allocation

.

D

. Match Requirements As provided in the NCSA ( 42 U

. S

. C

. § 12576), costs you incur in the context of your Commission Support grant require a 50 percent match.

The NCSA allows CNCS to “permit a State that demonstrates hardship or a new State Commission to meet alternative matching requirements.” The law allows an alternative schedule in hardship cases as follows:

 First $100,000 of CNCS Funds

– no match required

 $101,000

- $250,000 of CNCS Funds

- $1 match for every $2 CNCS grants201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

8

 Over $250,000 of CNCS Funds

- $1 match for every $1 CNCS grants

See Append ix I I for additional information, the indicators that CNCS considers in determining if a state is experiencing hardship

, and instructions for submitting a request for the Alternative

Match Schedule. Only submit a request a fter reading Appendix II and only if you think your

C ommission qualifies for a lesser matching schedule

. CNCS requires at least 60 days to review a

request

. If approved, your grants officer will help with the process to submit your budget under

the Alternative schedule

.

Please note that the threshold for approving the Alternative Schedule is high. The burden is on the Commission to demonstrate unusual hardship that has led to a decrease in support and inability to meet the 50

- 50 matching requirement. CNCS will take decrea sed capacity into consideration in making funding decisions for other grant applications, including

, but not limited

to

, State Competitive f

unds and Education Award grants.

E

. Capacity, Accomplishment

, and Performance Measurement State Commission performance is a factor in considering the capacity of the commission to manage a competitive subgrant portfolio.

CNCS will assess State Commission performance based on multiple factors, including:

 Progress toward objectives outlined in the State Service Plan as articulated through the theory of change logic model

 Progress toward meeting targets of an aligned capacity building national performance

measure

 Monitoring and oversight execution

 Commission budget planning and execution

 Statewide member enrollment rates

 State wide member retention rates

 Progress of programs towards meeting performance measures

VI

. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

A pplication s consist of the following components. Please make sure to complete each one. CNCS staff will review completed applications to determine technical assistance needs for State

Commissions. CNCS will also review your application for compliance with grant provisions and applicable federal laws and regulations.

 Applicant Info

 Applic ation Info

 Narratives

 Performance Measures

 Documents

 Budget

 Funding/Demographics

 Review

, Authorize

, and Submit

 Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants (Optional)201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

9

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

 Start a “Continuation/Renewal” Grant Application

 Select a Program Area (AmeriCorps)

 Select a NOF A : Commission Support Grants FY 201 4

A

. Applicant Info In eGrants, complete the Appli cant Info Section . This section is particularly important for CNCS

data collection and evaluation. Please take the time to complete this section carefully

.

 In the Applicant Info /Applying Type Section, select Continuation/ Renewal unless you are applying for the first time

. If you are a new commission applying for the first time, select

New.

 If you are a new program, enter your contact information into the fields that appear.

B

. Application Info Information entered in the Applicant Info, Application Info, and Budget sections will populate

the SF 424 F acesheet.

In the Application Info Section enter:

 Areas affected by your program.

 Requested project period start and end dates. The project period is one year (January 1, 201 4

– December 31, 201 4 )

 Subject to Review by State Executive Order 12372 : This is pre

- filled as “No, this is not applicable.” Please do not change the pre

- filled statement in this section

.

 If you are delinquent on any federal debt.

C

. Narrative s Executive Summary: The Executive Summary will be displayed on the CNCS website. The information provided should capture the essence of commission operations and objectives for the

state. Use the text below and fill in the blanks to guide the composition of your Executive Summary :

[Name of Commission], the [State] Commission, administers [number of AmeriCorps programs] that address the State’s needs in the areas of [focus areas of the AmeriCorps portfolio]. In addition, the Commission [brief list of other Commission activities ].

Program Narrative: Your program narrative consists of your response s to the following questions

. In responding to each question, please include information on the 20 13 outcomes and accompl ishments as well as your plan for 2014.

Each C ommission must complete a Theory of Change L ogic Model (see Appendix III ) that

outlines the Commission ’s theory of change

. Commissions are required to submit a copy of their state service plan upon request by CNCS

.

AMERICORPS GRAN T OUTREACH AND SELECTION201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

10  What are your strategies or approaches for outreach to eligible organizations that may be interested in operating an AmeriCorps program ?

 What is your process for receiving , reviewing, and deciding what applications are submitted for the competitive and formula process ? Is the competitive process separate from the

formula process or is it inter

- related ?

 What process does the Commission engage in either directly with its applicants or independently to ensure the competitive applications that are submitted to CNCS have a strong theory of change, allowable AmeriCorps member activities, and are responsive to the

NOFO?

 What processes have you established to assess an organization’s capacity to manage Federal grant funds and raise the additional funds necessary to operate an AmeriCorps program? How do you assess potential grantees’ financial systems before you approve the applicant for funding? If risks are identified, h ow do you take those risks into consideration when making funding decisions?

 What pre

- award review process have you established to assess whether o rganizations will

meet the needs expressed in th eir proposals and manage a high quality AmeriCorps program?

COMPLIANCE AND PERFORMANCE

 How do you plan to train and monitor subgrantees for full compliance with the applicable Regulations, Provisions, and OMB Circulars?

 What support will you provide to subgrantees to ensure a thorough understanding of performance measurement and the ability to demonstrate outcomes?

 D escribe your performance and continuous improvement strategies for s t atewide member

enrollment and retention rates.

 How do you develop and execute your Commission budget in order to fully and properly use

all awarded funds? How do you ensure accurate and timely reporting of CNCS and match expenditures?

 How will you ensure the commission meet the outcomes/results outlined on the theo ry of change logic model and your S tate S ervice P lan ?

COLLABORATION AND SU STAINABILITY

 What are your ongoing efforts or special initiatives that involve convening of and/or collaborating with the CNCS State Offices, multi

- state AmeriCorps programs, AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps NCCC, Senior Corps, State Education Agencies, state networks of volunteer centers, and/or other volunteer service organizations within the state?

 D escribe how you leverag e community and private sector resources in support of the goals

identified in the State Service Plan.

 How do you ensure the sustainability of your national service and volunteerism efforts ? Please include information on financial resources, continuity of operations and staff succession planning

, and bi

- partisan political support.

Your narrative is not limited to responses to the points listed above, and may also include other elements that you and your service partners find useful.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

11 D. Performance Measures The role of State Commissions includes building the capacity of national service programs and other organizations in the state. In order to track performance in capacity building

, Commissions must select from Capacity Building National Performance Measures to create at least one aligned performance measure. The National Performance Measures can be found at : http://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/upload/ACSN_2014_PM_Instructions.pdf

For more information about the CNCS Capacity Building Measures go to: https://www.nationalserviceresources.org/npm/goal3

.

See Appendix IV for specific information on entering performance measures in eGrants.

E . Documents

All required documents must be submitted to CommissionFormula@cns.gov by the

submission deadline.

T heory of Change Logic Model. Complete the chart with your major Commission activities and

submit via email to CommissionFormula@cns.gov on or before the application deadline.

Indirect Cost Rate. If you are a State Commission using a federally approved indirect cost rate

, you must submit a copy of your current approved indirect cost rate agreement via email to CommissionFormula@cns.gov on or before the application deadline

.

Commission Board Composition. You are required to create a separate word processing or spreadsheet document which includes information about each Commission er, based on the example be low

. Submit this document via email to CommissionFormula@cns.gov on or before the application deadline. CNCS will use this information to determine State Commission compliance with the State Commission composition regulation (45 CFR § 2550.50)

. Commissions not compliant with board composition requirements will be asked to provide a corrective action plan.

Information Example Prefix, First, Middle, Last, Suffix Ms. Jane Commissioner
Title (Commissioner, Chair , Vice Chair, Treasurer, etc. ) Commissioner
Term Expiration Date and Voting Status (Voting, Non

- Voting,

Ex

- Officio) 12/31/ 16 (Voting)

Organizational Affiliat ion
(See examples below

— do NOT enter the name of the organization where the Commission er works but the type of organization )

. Community

- based Agency, State Education Agency, Local Government, Local Labor Organization, Business, Youth, National Service Program, Education/Training, Older Adults in Service, Higher Education, Local Education Agency, Human Community

- based
Agency201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

12 Services Expert, Education Expert Environmental Expert, Public Safety Expert, Indian Tribes, Out of School Program, DVSA Program, State Agency , Volunteer

Sector Street Address, City, State, ZIP and if the commissioner is a State Government Employee Community Foundation 12 My Street Name My Town, My State

12345

Verify that all required documents have been submitted to CommissionFormula@cns.gov before the application deadline.

F . Funding/Demographics There are two questions under the demographics tab to determine if commission board composition complies with 42 U.S.C. 12638 (d)1 membership balance

, that not more than 50 percent of the voting members of a State Commission, plus one additional member, may be from

the same political party.

 Enter the number of voting commission board members for the first question.

 Enter the number of commission board members that form the largest contingent from one political party for the second question.

G

. Review, Authorize

, and Submit Read the Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications carefully. 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 e lectronically. An Authorized Representative

is a person in your organization authorized to accept and commit funds on behalf of the organization.

Be sure to check your entire application to ensure that there are no errors before submitting it.

The eGrants System will also generate a list of errors if there are sections that need to be corrected prior to submission when you verif y the application. If someone other than the person preparing the application is acting in the role of the applicant’s A uthorized R epresentative , 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. An appropriate delegation of authority do cument for the Authorized Representative should be retained on file by the commission.

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

his/her own active 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.

VII

. BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

13 Follow these instructions as you enter your budget information into eGrants

. The system will use this information to generate a budget narrative and a summary budget

.

Note that in the My Account section of eGrants, if you have the Grantee Admin Role, you can assign the role of Admin Bu dget to individual staff members who will then have access to all budget information in eGrants. Staff members who are not assigned this role will not be able to access the budget information in eGrants for Commission Support applications or grants.

Compl ete the budget for funds you are requesting from CNCS and any Grantee Share required

. For each line item provide a clearly stated explanation that shows how you calculated the cost, in an equation format where appropriate

. For example, you should break dow n staff travel into distinct components and prepare equations showing the number of anticipated trips, the number of travelers, and estimated costs

. Budget categories are:

 Project Personnel Expenses : Show each staff member working on the grant

, total annual salary

, and the percentage of time spent working on the grant

. Provide a very brief justification of staff member roles. Staff salaries can not exceed 100 percent across multiple grants. Fundraising and lobbying are not allowed if staff is budgeted at 100 percent on federal grants.

 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 amount is over 30 percent of total salary , please list each benefit separately. Holiday s, 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.

 Travel : Describe the purpose for which staff will travel. Provide a calculation to include 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

. For example: Two staff members will attend the ACSN Grantee Symposium 2 staff x ($750 airfare + $50 ground t ransportation + (1 day) x $ 2 00 lodging +$ 7 5 per diem) = $2, 15 0. Only domestic travel is allowable; other travel is allowable only if specifically identified and approved as a condition of a grant award. Travel for subgrantee monitoring and CNCS

- sponsored meetings should be budgeted or a justification why not should be provided.

 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 10201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

14 percent 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.

 Supplies : Supplies include any equipment that costs less than $5,000 per unit

. You must include any individual supply cost of more than $1,000 in a separate line item.

 Contractual and Consultant Services : Indicate the daily rate for consultants you are proposing to use and their contractual services. Indicate the daily rate, number of days, and

total cost and justifi cation in the narrative.

 Other Support Costs : Include costs that may not fit into the other categories, such as

newsletters. You must fully explain any costs in this category

. Please explain how you will meet criminal history check requirements if funds for criminal history checks are not budgeted. Provide the rate calculation for ASC dues and explain how the rate or amount was determined. Explain and justify any professional development costs. If food is included in the cost for an event please justify and i temize the cost separately. If mini

- grants are included in the budget, identify the number of grants and the approximated amount of each grant. If you

have VISTA members

, clarify the use of Commission Support Grant funds to support them

. If recognition events are part of the budget

, clarify the purpose if food is provided. The type, number, and value of recognition items should be described and the type of intended beneficiary identified.

 Indirect Costs : You may u se your negotiated indirect cost rate for your Commission Support

Grant budget, if you have one

.

 Source of Match : Enter match source information by clicking “ Enter Source of Matching

Funds” ( Budget Section I: Support Expenses )

. Indicate whether your State Commission share

is cash or in

- kind and the sources that provide the match

. The amount of match noted in the

source of match section must equal the amount indicated in the budget.

APPENDIX I: GRANT PROVISIONS By accepting funds, you agree to comply with the Commission Support Grant Provisions that apply to these funds and all applicable federal statutes, regulations, and guidelines. You agree to administer the grant in accordance with your approved grant application and budget, supporting documents, and other representations made in support of the approved grant application.

All applicable Provisions of the grant

, including regulations and OMB circulars that are incorporated by reference shall apply to any grantee, subgrantee, or other organization carrying

out activities under thi s award.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

15 APPENDIX II : COMMISSION ALTERNATIVE MATCH SCHEDULE

Instructions for Requesting the Commission Alternative Matching Schedule

Background

. The N ational and C ommunity S ervice A ct (NCSA) allows CNCS to approve an alternate match schedule for C ommissions that successfully demonstrate hardship in meeting the

50 percent required grantee share in the current economic climate. The NCSA allows an alternative schedule in hardship cases as follows:

 First $100,000 of CNCS Funds

- $0 match required

 $10 1,000

- $250,000 of CNCS Funds

- $1 match for every $2 CNCS

 Over $250,000 of CNCS Funds

- $1 match for every $1 CNCS

Example : The table below demonstrates how the alternative schedule applies to a $300,000

state allocation from CNCS . Calculating the aggregate required match for the overall budget

results in a commission share of 29.4 percent ($125,000 of a total budget of $425,000).

Amount CNCS Share Commission

Share Total Budget

0

- $100,000 (no grantee share) $100,000 $0 $100,000
$100,000

- $250,000 ($1 for $2) 150,000 75,000 $225,000
$251,000

- $300,000 ($1 for $1) 50,000 50,000 $100,000

Total Budget $300,000 $125,000 $425,000

The legislation did not identify specific indicators that C ommissions must use to demonstrate hardship. In developing these guidelines, CNCS reviewed fiscal data available through a variety of sources and considered several different criteria as measures of hardship, including data

available from the National Asso ciation of State Budget Officers, the National Council of State Legislators and Standard and Poor’s.

State budget data is difficult to compare because a budget shortfall may manifest itself more at the county and city level than the state level, makin g a state budget deficit appear less severe. In addition, a state’s budget situation does not necessarily affect the C ommission’s situation

. Therefore, CNCS has not identified specific budget or deficit information the C ommission must provide to demonstrat e hardship. The burden of proof is on the C ommission to clearly demonstrate that it is experiencing a period of unusual hardship that is having a serious impact

on the federal

- state partnership expected under the national service laws.

If you think you can demonstrate hardship for your C ommission to qualify for a n alternative match schedule on your C ommission Support grant, submit your request to the email address

below. CNCS will make decisions within 60 days of receipt of request

. Your program and grants

officer will assess the requests and prepare recommendations for Office of Grants Management

Director approval. If approved, your grants officer will instruct you to revise your budget to meet the new matching schedule.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

16 State and Comm ission Hardship Indicators

. Commissions seeking the alternative match schedule should provide all data available that illustrates hardship for the C ommission, such as:

 Overview of state fiscal health and its effect on the C ommission ;

 Decreases in state and non

- state support of the C ommission over the previous two years of Commission operation; and

 The effect of such decreases on C ommission operations and its capacity to meet its national service goals.

Other Considerations. A C ommission’s ability to meet its statutory match requirements and support national service in the state will decrease with the loss of matching funds. CNCS may take the decreased capacity into consideration in making funding decisions for other grant applic ations, including but not limited to , State Competitive Funds

, Education Award grants , and supplemental Commission Support Grant funding

.

Submit Applications to: StateAdminMatch@cns.gov (CNCS will not consider requests submitted to any other email address.)

E

- mail subject line is: [State Name] Commission Support Grant Alternative Match Request

Specific Instructions: You must make the strongest case possible that the C ommission cannot

continue to match at the required 50 percent gra ntee share of the total budget. The thresh old remains high for approval. You must r espond to each question below. Please include both the question and your response in your request:

1. Statement of Request: Submit your reque st by completing the chart below

. A) Include the dollar amounts of the request (CNCS Share) and the matching funds the C ommission can raise (Grantee Share). B) Indicate the time frame for which the alternative match schedule is reques ted (number of program years). An alternative match schedule is generally approved for one program year at

a time

.

Amount CNCS Share Commission

Share Total Budget

0

- $100,000 (no grantee share) $ $0 $
$100,000

- $250,000 ($1 for $2) $ $ $
$251,000

- $300,000 ($1 for $1) $ $ $

Total Budget: $ $ $
Program Year(s) for the AMS is Sought:

2. State and Commission Hardship :

a. Describe the state’s overall financial situation, including decreases in state revenues from
taxes and other sources, increased budget needs, and the reasons for such decreases and

increases.

b. Describe the affect that state hardship is having on the C ommission.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

17 c. Complete the following chart indicating the dollar amounts of state and non

- state support
the C ommission received for the p revious fiscal year and the current fiscal year

.

Funding Type Funding Amount Funding Amount (Previous FY) Funding Amount

(Current FY)

Total State Support $ $ $

% Change Between

Years % %

Total Non

- State Support $ $ $

% Change Between

Years % %

d. Explain the reasons for the changes in levels of support from year to year.

3. Fundraising:

a. Complete the following chart indicating the amounts of matching funds that were raised for the current grant year, that have been raised to date for the grant year of the request, and that are anticipated to be raised for the grant year(s) for which the alternat ive match schedule is requested

.

Source Amount Raised

for the Current

Grant Year Amount Raised To

Date For Grant Year

of Request Amount Anticipated

To Be Raised for Grant Year of Request

State Source:

1. $ $ $

2. $ $ $

3. $ $ $

Non

- State

Source:

1. $ $ $

2. $ $ $

3. $ $ $

4. $ $ $

Totals: $ $ $

b. Describe your efforts and plan to raise match funds and meet the statutory match requirement in the future. If an alternative match schedule is requested for more than one

grant yea r, explain the reasons why the C ommission cannot meet its matching requirements in those additional g rant year(s), i.e. what are your reasons for believing state hardship will continue?

4. Impact:201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

18 a. If approved for an alternative match schedule, the C ommission’s matching requirement

and total overall budget will decrease. Describe how the Commission will continue to meet its responsibilities and the challenges it will face with a decreased overall budget if

CNCS approves the request for the alternative match schedule.

b. If CNCS determines you have not made a sufficient argument for state hardship, what level of matching funds will you be able to raise to meet the full 50

- 50 requirement?

5. Other: Provide any other justification and information for your request that is not presented in the responses to the above.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

19 APPENDIX III: THEORY OF CHANGE LOGIC MODEL

Complete this chart with information summarized from the Commission’s three

- year national and community service plan (i.e. State Service Plan). Submit the chart as an email attachment to

CommissionFormula@cns .gov on or before the Commission Support Grant due date. The subject line of the e mail and file name of the attachment should be “[State Abbreviation] [Year] Commission Logic Model ”

. Commissions are required to submit a copy of the State Service Plan

to CNCS only upon request.

NEED INTERVENTION RESULT

PROBLEM Community

needs

identified in

the State

Service Plan INPUTS

T he human, financial, organizational, and community

resources the

C ommission has

available for conducting the

activities related

to the stated need

. ACTIVITIES

Commission strategies

described in the

State Service Plan OUTPUTS

Products resulting

from Commission

activities OUTCOMES

Resulting change (knowledge, attitude, behavior, or condition) from

Commission activities (Note:

Outcomes are the goals identified in

the State Service Plan)

APPENDIX IV: EGRANTS INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENTERING PERFORMANCE

MEASURES201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

20 Commissions must select at least one set of aligned Capacity Building National Performance

Measures. Commissions may also select additional applicant determined performance measures if appropriate.

CNCS Performance Measur es Home Page Tab

Welcome to the CNCS Performance Measures Module (PMM).

In this module, you will:

• Provide information about your program’s connection to the CNCS focus areas and objectives ; • Show how you plan to allocate resources to meet your program’s objectives ; and

• Create one or more performance measures , setting targets and describing data collection plans.

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

As y ou proceed through the module, the PMM Home Page will summarize your work. The Home Page contains links that will allow you to edit or delete previously completed performance

measures . You may also navigate to other sections of the module using the tab feature at the top of each page or the “Next” button at the button at the page.

Once you start using the module, you may return to your eGrants application at any time. Click the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen to save your data before exiting the PMM. When you reenter the PMM, click the “Continue Working” button to return to the tab that you were on when you last closed the modu le.

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

, click the “Add New Performance Measure” button.

CNCS Performance Measures Objective Tab

On the Objective tab, you will see an expandable list of the CNCS focus areas available to you (i.e. Capacity Building or Other). When you click on a focus area , a list of corresponding objectives appears for that focus area.

To select your objectives :

 Click on a focus area ;

 Select all objectives that are part of your program design;

 Click the “Refresh My Selections” button to view a list of selected objectives ; and

 Repeat these actions for e ach applicable focus area

.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

21 Select “other” for your focus area and objective if your program activities do not fall within one

of the CNCS

- defined focus areas.

Select your program’s primary focus area from the drop

- down list at the bottom of the screen.

Your choices for a primary focus area will be limited based on y our selected objectives

.

If appropriate, select a secondary focus area from the drop

- down list at the bottom of the screen.

Your choices for a second ary focus area will be limited based on your selected objectives

.

Click the “Delete All Selections” button if you would like to erase all previously selected objectives and restart selecting your objectives

.

Click “Next” to proceed to the Resource Allocation tab , if applicable. You will not enter resources; click “next” to proceed to the Performance Measure tab

.

CNCS Performance Measure Tab

On the Performance Measure tab , you will develop performance measures for each grant activity that you intend to measure. Each performance measure will correspond to a previously selected objective

. Service activities/interventions

, outputs , and outcomes may be CNCS

- defined or user

defined.

Note: Please consult your application instructions for any performance measure requirements that are specific to your grant solicitation. Commissions must select a Capacity Building Performance Measure.

To create a new performance measure , first select an objective . The list of objectives is limited to those that you selected on the Objective tab.

Title: Enter a short, descriptive title for your performance measure

.

Problem Statement: Enter a brief description of the problem your program will addr ess in this performance measure

.

Select the service activities/interventions that your program will deliver. Select only the service

activities/in terventions that will lead to the outcomes of this performance measure . You may add an applicant

- determined service activity/intervention by selecting "Other".

E nter a brief description for each selected service activity/intervention . Your description should

include information about the design and dosage (frequency, intensity, duration) of the service activity/intervention.

Uncheck the box next the service activity/in tervention name and click “Save” to remove a previously selected service activity/intervention.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

22 Select output(s) . The output list includes only the CNCS

- defined outputs which correspond to your selected objective . If you do not wish to select a CNCS measure, or none are listed, you may create an applicant

- determined output by clicking the “Add User Defined Output” button. For each output:

• Describe the specific instrument that you will use to measure the output. Include the title of the instrument and a brief description of what it measures. Your description must explain how the instrument will be administered and any details about its reliability and validity. • Enter your output target and the unit of measure . For applicant

- determined outputs, the unit of measure must describe what you intend to count (children, miles, etc.

, e.g. numb er of organizations, etc.). Do not enter percent ages or hours as units of measure. Your target must be a whole number.

Select outcome(s) , if applicable. The outcome list includes only the CNCS

- defined outcomes which correspond to your selected objective . If you do not wish to select a CNCS measure, or none are listed, you may create an applicant

- determined outcome by clicking the “Add User

Defined Outcome” button.

• Describe the spe cific instrument that you will use to measure the outcome. Include the title of the instrument and a brief description of what it measures. Your description must explain how the instrument will be administered and any details about its reliability and validity. • Enter your outcome target and the unit of measure . For applicant

- determined outcomes, the unit of measure must describe what you intend to count (e.g. number of organizations, etc.). Do not enter percent or hours as units of measure. Your target must be a whole

number.

For C apacity Building performance measures, you may select optional end outcomes. Complete the corresponding drop

- down box for any end outcome selected.

Click “Add PM to Table” button to validate your performance measure . If any data is missing or there are errors, eGrants will return a list of errors at the top of the screen. You must address these errors before eGrants will allow you to work on the next measure. Click the “Complete

PM” button to re

- validate the measure. Once the measure is successfully validated, a blank performance measure entry screen will appear. You may create additional performance measure sets, repeating the instructions ab ove.

After you complete a performance measure , a summary of the measure will appear at the top of

the screen. Click the “Edit” button at the end of a row, to re

- open the measure for changes. Click

the “Delete” button to remove a measure.

Click “Next” to proceed to the Su mmary tab.

Note: You may delete one or more outputs or outcomes from a performance measure without deleting the entire measure

.201 4 Commission Support Grant Application Instructions

23 • To delete a CNCS

- defined output or outcome , change the method back to “

— Select

Method

— “ and delete all text from the instrument description and target number fields. Click “Save” or “Complete PM” to remove the output/outcome from the

measure. • To delete a user

- defined output or outcome, delete all text from the title field. Click “Save” or “Complete PM” to remove the output/outcome from the measure.

CNCS Performance Measures Summary Tab

The Summary tab provides an overview of all the information that you have entered in this module. When you click on a measure, it will expand to display more information about that measure. You may print either details for individual measures or a summary of all your performance measures

.

Click “Print All Performance Measures” to print a summary of all performance measures.

Click “Print This Measure” to print information for a single performance measure.

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

Click “ Validate Performance Measures ” to validate the information entered into this module. While you may exit the module and return to your application at any time, you will not be able to submit your application to CNCS until your performance measures have been validated.

Click “Back” to return to the Performance Measure tab