(Updated May 2021) 1

Hint

“Potential Applicants” records include applicants to other projects whom you 

can invite to apply for your position.

Searching for Applicants in My AmeriCorps

What you will need to know:

❑ Do you have an eGrants user account? (For more information read the Creating an

Account in eGrants resource.)

❑ Do you have a list of criteria you want to use to search for applicants (e.g., zip codes 

for your project area, language skills, application status)?

Process Overview

1. Review search criteria options

This document includes menu options from the My AmeriCorps applicant search screens. 

Preview the search options below to help you plan.

2. Identify how you will be using the search feature

Do you need to see a list of applicants who have applied to your project who are “pending 

State Office Approval?” Will you be using the search feature to find and reach out to 

applicants who indicate they have specific skills? Is your project looking for someone who 

currently lives in your city?

The search feature includes options to search for “potential applicants” and “submitted 

applications.”

• Potential Applicants include records submitted for other VISTA andAmeriCorps 

projects but not necessarily for your project. Search results will include old 

applications that have remained on file.

• Submitted Applications include applications that were submitted specifically for 

one or more of your service opportunity listings (see p. 5).

Step-by-step instructions for searching for and inviting applicants to apply to your 

project in My AmeriCorps
(Updated May 2021) 2

Hints

• You do not need to enter full names to find applicant submissions. For example, searching for "J" as the 

first name and "Smith" as the last name will give results for John Smith, Jane Smithson, and so on.

• Narrow your search results by choosing multiple search criteria. Widen your search results by choosing 

fewer search criteria.

1. Log-in to eGrants at: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp

2. Connect to the My AmeriCorps Portal and access the Search Potential Applicants section. 

Goto: Portal Home.

3. Access the Search Potential Applicants screen.

4. Search for potential applicants.

To search for applicant submissions, select search options from the fields on the screen and 

click the search button.

Search Fields 
(Updated May 2021) 3

Applicant ID: 

Member ID:

First Name:

Last Name:

Date of Birth:

Email Address:

Highest Education Level 

Available from: (mm/dd/yyyy)

Skills

Counseling 

Architectural Planning 

Business/Entrepreneur 

Communications

Community Organization 

Computers/Technology 

Conflict Resolution 

Education

Fine Arts/Crafts 

First Aid

Fundraising/Grant Writing 

Law

Leadership 

Medicine 

Public Health

Public Speaking 

Recruitment 

Teaching/Tutoring 

Trade/Construction 

Writing/Editing 

Youth Development 

General Skills 

Environment

Non-Profit Management 

Social Services

Urban Planning 

Disaster Services 

Veterans 

Teamwork 

Other:

Applicant has:

❑ Any of these skills

❑ All of these skills

Language:

Arabic

ASL

Chinese

Creole 

English 

French 

German 

Greek

Hmong Italian

Japanese 

Korean 

Polish Portuguese Russian 

Spanish 

Thai 

Vietnamese

Other
(Updated May 2021) 4

Hint

Narrow your search to recent local candidates by searching for your city and latest availability date.

Fluency: 

Basic 

Good

Excellent

Age between: and

City:

State:

Zip Code: (5 digits only) 

Area Code:

5. Review your search result(s) and learn more about applicants.

Click on an applicant name to view the individual’s information including:

• current address

• permanent address

• contact information

• earliest availability date

• latest availability date

• moving in six months (yes or no)

• skills

• languages

• interests (open ended comments from applicant)

6. Notify a potential applicant about your service opportunity through the My AmeriCorps 

Portal.

The portal allows you to send a standard invitation email to applicants through the portal

emailer. You will not be able to see or edit the message prior to sending. 

The message appears like this: 

Inbox:
(Updated May 2021) 5

Hints

Personalize your outreach by:

• Copying and pasting an email address and sending a direct message to the applicant through 

your organization’s email program. Applicants may be more responsive to a personalized

message.

• Consider calling applicants directly and inviting them to apply to your project.

• When reaching out directly by email or phone, briefly explain what the VISTA program is, as well 

as describing your VISTA project and your open position.

• When sending an email to multiple people, be sure to blind copy recipients to keep from 

disclosing their email addresses.

Message: 

To send the automated message, select one of your service opportunity listings from the 

drop-down menu and click the "send email” button.
(Updated May 2021) 6

Hints

• These records include applications that were submitted specifically for one or more of 

your service opportunity listings.

• Only click on the “Sponsor Recommendation” tab if you are ready to select or reject an 

applicant, as clicking on this tab automatically changes the applicant’s status to “Under 

Review.”

Step-by-step instructions for filtering applicant submissions in My AmeriCorps

1. Log in to eGrants at: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp

2. Connect to the My AmeriCorps Portal and access the Service Opportunities section. Go to: 

Portal Home.

3. Access the Search Submitted Applications screen.

4. Choose Basic Search Options.

Applicant ID:

First Name:

Last Name:

Listing:

(The Listing drop down menu includes a list of all Service Opportunity Listings available for 

your project. Be sure to have the listing number or opportunity title available.)

Status:

Includes a drop-down menu that allows you to search for applicants in various stages of 

the process including:

Under Review 

Submitted 

Assigned 

Accepted 

Disqualified 
(Updated May 2021) 7

Hints

The two most common statuses are “Submitted” and “Under Review.” VISTA candidates who are 

offered the position are “Selected.” Once they log-in to My AmeriCorps and click “Accept” they move to 

“Pending State Office Approval.” Once approved by the AmeriCorps Region Office and placed with a 

project, they are “Assigned.”

Understanding what each status means:

• Submitted – Applicant has completed the application and clicked Apply Now on the listing.

• Under Review – Application is being reviewed by the project. When in this status, projects 

commonly contact applicant and request additional information or request an interview.

• Selected – The project is offering the applicant the position. To accept the offer, applicant must, login to their My AmeriCorps profile and accept the position.

• Pending State Office Approval – Applicant has accepted the position and an AmeriCorps Portfolio 

Manager is making a final review.

• Approved – The final review has been completed and applicant has been approved forservice.

• Assigned – The next step for the candidate is attending Pre-Service Orientation.

Hint

Applications from many previous years will show up in your search results. To narrow your search results, 

specify dates that align with your current outreach period or the date you posted the Service Opportunity 

Listing.

Pending Clearance

Deferred

Pending Partial Award Acknowledgement 

Partial Award Acknowledgement 

Pending Waitlist

Pending Placement 

Selected

Assessment Complete 

Re-Assign

Rejected 

Waitlisted 

Withdrawn

Pending State Office Approval 

Approved

Administrative Decline 

Declined

Date between: (mm/dd/yyyy) 

And: (mm/dd/yyyy)

These dates correspond to the date the applicant submitted their application.
(Updated May 2021) 8

Hint

Using the advanced search options can help narrow down a large pool of applicants.

5. Choose Advanced Search Options.

Highest Education Level: 

Associates degree (AA) 

College graduate

Some college

Graduate degree (e.g., MA, PhD, MD, JD) 

High school diploma/GED

Less than high school

Technical school/apprenticeship/vocational

Skills:

Counseling 

Architectural Planning 

Business/Entrepreneur 

Communications

Community Organization 

Computers/Technology 

Conflict Resolution 

Education

Fine Arts/Crafts 

First Aid

Fundraising/Grant Writing 

Law

Leadership 

Medicine 

Public Health

Public Speaking 

Recruitment 

Teaching/Tutoring 

Trade/Construction 

Writing/Editing 

Youth Development 

General Skills 

Environment

Non-Profit Management 

Social Services

Urban Planning 

Disaster Services 

Veterans 

Teamwork 

Other:

Applicant has:

❑ Any of these skills

❑ All of these skills
(Updated May 2021) 9

Disclaimer: The fields and options listed in this document are subject to change. 

Consult the Search Potential Applicants and Search Submitted Applications pages in My 

AmeriCorps for the current list of field options.

Language:

Arabic

American Sign Language 

Chinese

Creole 

English 

French 

German 

Greek 

Hmong

Italian

Japanese 

Korean 

Polish 

Portuguese 

Russian 

Spanish 

Thai 

Vietnamese 

Other

Fluency:

Basic 

Good 

Excellent

Age Between: _and

City:

State: drop down 

Zip:

Area Code:

This address corresponds to the applicant’s current mailing address.