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>>: Hello everyone, good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. Before we 

begin, I’m going to go over a few housekeeping notes. 

The audio for this event is broadcasting by phone and online. This event is 

lecture only; the microphones are muted to reduce background noise. To adjust the audio 

through your computer, go to the bottom left of the screen, click the small arrow next to 

audio settings and select a speaker. 

Some viewers get better audio when streaming while others get better quality by 

phone so if you have any audio difficulties you may want to try a different connection 

method. There are several Zoom features that we will use. At the top of the screen, click 

the view options button and you can use the chat panel to receive links and resource 

information from the panelists or share an idea and respond to the session activities.

 When using the chat, please select everyone from the drop-down menu. Use the 

raise hand feature if you have any technical issues and need assistance. The support team 

will contact you individually via chat. Select the Q&A panel to ask questions during if 

you wish to view captioning in Spanish. we are recording this event, so let's start the 

recording and turn over to our presenters

>>: Thank you for joining us for our last of two webinars on the foster 

grandparent and senior companion mobilizing a generation.

Hello everyone and thank you for learning with us today. It is always a pleasure 

to host webinars like this. Today Amy joined and by my colleagues, Emily, and Calvin. 

You will see them and the Q&A pod, but I want to take the opportunity on behalf of 

AmeriCorps senior team to welcome into the AmeriCorps senior foster grandparent and

senior companion replacement opportunity. 

It is an opportunity available right now, I get excited about these opportunities 

because it is a great time to establish a program area that had been lost over the past year 

and the needs of the community. I do want to share some more planarians with you. I 

mention adding questions to the Q&A pod. I do want to manage expectations and say 

that it is my goal to get to all of your questions but also, we know we have an hour of 

content to get there.

One caveat about questions because this is competitive opportunity there are a 

few questions I may not be able to answer. If your particular question is specific or 

require a lot of discussion, we cannot address those today, so I want to make sure 

everyone gets all of the information they need. If that is the case, you can send your 

questions to the email address on the screen2022FGPSCPReplacement@cns.gov

The opportunity of funding pages has all of the information you need to submit an 

application. There is another question that none of us can answer today because of the 

type of opportunity this is. We cannot provide individual coaching or advice. This is a 

competitive like process and we want to get great applications and we want to make sure 

it is fair for everyone involved. I cannot tell you what to put in an application, I cannot 

tell you whether to start your program this way or that way.

 This is up to you as you complete the application, I can help you understand 

rules and regulations and tools available, but it is up to you to put together the best 

application for this process. This is one of six webinars that will be provided to help you 

through the process. All recordings will be posted on each opportunity funding page a 

week after their recording. All sessions are being recorded and will be posted again on 
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the opportunity of funding pages one think not listed on this page we are going to have a 

Q&A on January 12. So, I'm going to add that to the chat. 

It is also on the funding opportunity page. If you, are I and just said and not 

please feel free to attend but we do have samples for you. To get to know the audience 

and see who is here the first question, has organization received a federal grant before 

including one from an AmeriCorps program like AmeriCorps senior? We can go ahead 

an end the pole.

That is good to see. The next question, how well do you know AmeriCorps 

seniors? you are brand-new to all of this, I'm familiar with how this works but not a 

grantee or you are a current grantee. It looks like we have quite a few of current grantees 

on the line. And welcome to the new folks. How would you describe the primary filled 

of your organization? aging, volunteerism, community development, faith-based 

organization, higher education, state, county, municipal, or other local government, and 

something else it looks like we have a mix.

Thank you, guys, for coming. We are glad to have you. How did you hear about

us? I’m a current grantee, a local AmeriCorps employee told me about it, and email, 

email from a partner, other, or I am not sure. A current grantee knew it was coming up, 

emails, I'm glad the emails are reaching you. The last one, have you attended any of our 

other webinars? Yes, no, not sure.

Quite a few of you have attended other webinars. I hope they were helpful to 

view. For those of you who haven't, please again go to the funding of opportunity page 

for the page and watch those recordings. We are going to look over our agenda today. 

Before we dive into the heart of today, we will go over some of the basics of the 

opportunity. We will be talking about computing impact, talking about leveraging 

volunteers to make a difference.

We are using to give a little bit of a refresher to go over the foster grandparent and

senior companion programs and how they work. Two different things are very important 

to master for your application, we will look at sponsors and stations, two key terms and 

how those two kinds of organizations can come together for a great impact. And then we 

will look at some examples of AmeriCorps seniors and specific foster grandparent and 

senior companion program.

Let's start with the competition basics. We at AmeriCorps seniors are currently 

accepting applications for the AmeriCorps seniors and grandparent and senior companion 

replacement opportunities. Even go into our system at any time and begin your 

application or submit an application.3 now and 5 PM February 3, 2022. 

I've got the screen right now, a color-coded map of the open states. And bluegill 

C states and which there are opportunities for the foster grandparent program. And 

purple he was see states for which there are opportunities for the AmeriCorps Senior 

companion program. Those opportunities are listed on a table called appendix a which 

shows all of the open funding opportunities. We will talk later in the hour about how to 

propose what you and your organization would like to serve. Just know for now 

appendix a is an important document.

It is an appendix to the notice of funding opportunity. One of the many resources 

that you will use. Many of your first questions are likely along the line of what you are 

seeing on the screen right now. How long is the award? what is the review process? Are
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any matching refunds required? what information should I include in my application? 

What kind of projects are AmeriCorps hoping to find?

The vast majority of these answers to these questions are actually included in that 

document, the notice of funding opportunity. This is your gateway to the opportunity.

Again, it is your map to the competition that means all of the information you need will 

either be available in this document or link and this document. Again, this is the notice 

of funding opportunity.

This is where you should start, read it, know it upside down and backwards. It is 

a very critical document. You can find this again on the FGP funding opportunity page,

which is on the screen now, and we circled where these notices are. On the screen now 

we have the resources to get you through the application process. In addition to the 

NOFA or notice of funding opportunity, there are other resources that will be important 

to you.

As we talked about the appendix a, the list of priority areas, this is an available 

resource service area, you must be serving in one or more of those counties listed. We 

have the appendix B which explains our national performance measure and depth. We 

offer a specific webinar on this topic that goes more in depth on the national performance 

measure. We will cover how to enter your information or performance measure today. 

There is also appendix C, it is a helpful document that lists all the terms and 

definitions used by AmeriCorps seniors so if you're ever in a document and think what 

was a vsys again or anything like that, you can refer to that document. There are three 

grant application instructions, it is a step-by-step guide to navigating our electronic grant 

system. We have the work plan development worksheets which is very helpful as you 

begin to work on your performance measure plan and activities you plan to do with 

AmeriCorps. 

Again, this can be found in the grant application instruction. Another one is the 

budget checklists; I highly recommend that to. Lastly, we have the frequently asked 

questions, we update this as we get questions it is good to check the website frequently 

and see if there has been any updates there. All of these resources are available to you on 

the AmeriCorps funding opportunity homepage. 

If you don't get the information, you need today and is not and one of those 

resources you can email the 2022FGPSCPReplacement@cns.gov Here we are in our 

agenda now. Before we dive into the heart of today, we will go over some basics of the 

competition. We will talk their community impact, talking about leverage volunteers to 

make a difference. We are going to give you a little bit of a refresher to go over to the 

foster grandparent and senior companion within the impact and what they do. Then we 

will start to get practical. We will look up focus areas and funding priorities.

Two different things that are very important to master for your application. We 

will look at sponsor and stations, two key terms and how those make an impact. The 

foster grandparent program also referred to as FGP. The program engages older 

Americans as April models and mentors to help children with special and exceptional 

needs. It is all about building supportive one-on-one relations between younger people 

and need an older Americans. It has an exclusive
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purpose of engaging older Americans in-service act or near the poverty level. Anyone 

can be a volunteer but older Americans who are within 200% of the poverty line, may 

receive a small stipend to defray the cost of service. 

This is to make sure they get the opportunity to serve that they cannot be limited 

to those circumstances it is a very similar to the senior companion program known as 

SCP which provides assistant and friendships to adults who have difficulty with daily 

living tasks such as shopping or paying bills, helping them remain independent in their 

homes.

AmeriCorps senior volunteers and SCP do all things like help with daily chores, 

directed doctors’ appointments. They can provide information to older Americans to 

help them do things like avoid Ellerbe's or fraud in their home. Serving to make 

independent reality. And again, eligible volunteers may receive a small stipend for the 

service. That stipend is actually three dollars an hour. 

Now that we've got a picture in our mind, let's get a little more technical peer 

going to spend some time working with specific terms there are two team terms that you 

need to really know. The first is a sponsor which we synonymously to a grantee. An 

organization that receives AmeriCorps senior funding and is legally responsible for the 

grant funding so, if you submit application to this opportunity, you both need someone to 

sign the yes, I officially accept responsibility that I have seen.

This is the sponsor that is legally responsible then there is another set of 

organization, if you will, called station they commuted partner where AmeriCorps senior 

volunteers and FGP and SCP serve. Again, volunteers where AmeriCorps seniors and 

foster grandparent and senior companion program serving. They can be nonprofit 

organizations, healthcare facilities, or public agencies. Some organizations may choose to 

operate like a volunteer matchmaker, recruiting a diverse--

your sponsor organization can also serve as an AmeriCorps senior volunteer 

station. So, you can have volunteer serving at your own program if you are the 

organization applying for the funds. The relationship between sponsors and station is 

formalized and a veranda and understanding. AmeriCorps senior sponsors formally work 

with the volunteer stations under a sign memorandum of understanding and your project 

would assign AmeriCorps senior volunteer to that particular volunteer station.

What that really means is that a grantee or the sponsor is receiving the funds and 

as such you have stations out there in the community the grants you provide the 

management of the grant volunteers, and the station provides on-site supervision and 

management also comes performance data back to the grantee so they can enter it back to 

us at AmeriCorps. 

That is all formalized in the memorandum of understanding again, so us here at 

AmeriCorps, the agency, and AmeriCorps seniors we provide funds to that sponsoring 

organization, the grantee that then becomes legally responsible for managing the grant 

they go out and recruit volunteers in their community and they place them at community 

stations now that you know more about the AmeriCorps senior foster grandpa and senior 

companion program, you have probably already realized some of the benefits that 

AmeriCorps seniors could bring to your organization.

If you were awarded a grant through this opportunity AmeriCorps senior

volunteers can be used to build the capacity of your organization through their service. 
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Your organization would become part of the larger AmeriCorps and National Service 

network. Your AmeriCorps FGP or SCP project with strengthen other organizations in 

your community and throughout the service area. Finally, your award would demonstrate 

that your application was strong enough to be awarded to this opportunity grant process.

There are federal programs I'm sorry, these are federal programs. What that means 

is the funds come with a basket of rules and regulations. This is not meant to be an indepth description of all of the rules and regulations. This is just meant to indicate some 

things you are going to need to fill my eyes yourself with if you are interested in applying 

for these programs. I will go over these briefly, but I will say these are not meant to be 

all-inclusive.

If you want to learn more, come back to our webinars later this week when we

will talk about the more in-depth each program has a specific assignment and mind and 

those are one-to-one supportive relationships an example, it might mean a foster 

grandparent volunteer should be working with one or two or three specific children in 

need in some kind of special support and generally not doing broad base teacher aide 

activities, cleaning up the classroom or that kind of thing.

That's generally not what AmeriCorps senior volunteer for be doing. All 

volunteers will need to go through the specific criminal history check. There is more 

information in the NOFA. Just keep in mind you can include that in your budget. There 

are minimum and maximum amounts of service weekly or hourly. All grantees must 

measure their performance according to a certain set of performance measure. You can 

find appendix B to the nova. And attend next week's sessions.

Because of these programs come with a stipend for volunteers, you have to 

manage the stipend expanders are carefully over the course of the year, you have to 

provide a certain amount of preservice orientation as well. Finally, this might be familiar 

to those of you who have federal grants, you must use a fun that is reasonable, allowable, 

allocable, and necessary. To see F are 200 the Code of Federal Regulations for more 

detail.

There is also a match associated with these grants. And terms of rules and 

regulations, this is not all the homework you need to do but this is a general reminder that 

says before you apply to the programs you want to read through the regulations and make 

sure it makes sense with you and aligns with your vision. We think they have a terminus 

power to affect communities. We also want to make sure people go into this with their 

eyes wide open and make sure it meets your vision.

On the screen we have the match requirement of 10%, an agent is requesting 

$260,000, they are required by the regulation to have a 10% match you can use the 

formula on the screen of 260,000÷.9 -260,000 and that would equal, the required 

nonfederal share of 28,889. The project for grants for this competition is three years. 

AmeriCorps generally funds one year of the three-gear award at first. Organizations are 

then eligible for continuation funding for year two and three as long as they, demonstrate 

satisfactory performance that any kids the grant is on track to achieve the proposed 

performance at the end of the three-year period.

Demonstrate the capacity to manage the grant. RN compliant with the grant 

requirements per coat this includes terms and conditions of the grant, they requirement 

for biannual reporting of performance measurement and securing the required nonfederal 
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share of the budget. And the availability of congressional appropriations. After three 

years, the grant may be renewed, a noncompetitive process printing appropriation and 

satisfactory performance.

Here on the screen, you can safely break down of the performance. Two and 

three will be a continuation and then we see the renewal. Then we see the continuations 

and then you would start the process all over again. On the chat we have some more 

additional resources. AmeriCorps senior serve, share information from volunteers’

perspective. We also have AmeriCorps grantee and sponsor page; this provides all the 

guidance that we provide for our current grantees. 

There is also the National Service in your state, which provides a state-by-state 

guide to all National Service in a single state. You can choose a state and then view the 

year in review for report for more information. We also include the code of Federal 

regulation, the official regulation governing FGP and SCP programs. FCP is 45 CFR 

2551, and for FGP a5 and CFR 2552. I'm going to include that in the chart as well. We 

will do a quick pull and check in to see how everyone is doing.

Which of these reasons for applying for AmeriCorps seniors FGP – SCP grant is 

more important to you? It looks like helping older Americans in my community as the 

winner of the options as well as furthering my organizations mission. Those are great 

reasons. Last question, if I am awarded and AmeriCorps senior FGP/SCP grant, I am 

likely to, which of the following?

How volunteers primarily serve, and programs managed by the sponsor, primarily 

place volunteers and service opportunities and other organizations, have roughly an equal 

mix of the two options below, and I am not sure. It looks like the primary answer is, 

within the sponsor, we do have a couple that use station and the mix of the two as well. 

Good to see.

Now we are going to look at what to do next, let's talk about how you can actually 

get started with their application of. We will go through a checklist about what to do.

The first thing is to find the geographic service area that you are interested in serving on 

appendix a. I showed you a screenshot at the beginning of the session of appendix a, for 

the AmeriCorps senior foster grandpa program. You look at appendix a, think about the 

capacity of your organization and what you can visibly serve God kill think about the 

vsys, volunteer service year.

What is unique about this particular competition in these opportunities that you 

can design your own program. You propose to us what you want to serve within the 

confines of our rules and regulations. Let's start by talking about what a vsys a volunteer 

service year. It's a way to count volunteer hours, particular stipend hours one vsys equal 

to 1044 hours. There are 1044 hours in a vsys. That number comes from an estimate 

volunteer would serve if they served 20 hours per week, every week of the year for 52.2 

weeks.

Let's do a simple example. Using the formula of 52.2 weeks at 20 hours per week 

one vsys close 1044. What would 10 vsys equal based on not formula? In the chat can 

anyone tell me what 10 vsys would equal? If I can at least get one or two responses and 

the chat, that lets me know I still have participants. Thank you, Mary, you are correct. 

10,440 so you are going to take being 1044×10.
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Moving forward, we are going to look at the appendix a, and all of the open 

counties in your states and you get to propose what you will serve. Applicants must 

propose to serve one or more open geographic service areas and their applications for 

example. If you were in a fictional state of Verona, you could propose to serve Montague 

County. Or you could propose to serve Montague and Capulet counties.

Once you have decided what you want to do, you will get to proposing the 

funding amount that will allow you to meet the needs of your respective geographic 

service area. Regardless of the funding request, all applicants are required to follow the 

calculation of one vsys for every 6500 and their funding request. You will hear me talk 

about these 6500 requirements and what that means for performance measure and the 

national performance webinar.

There is currently a recording posted and there will be another webinar. I know 

some people like to start from total federal funding, they want to request a ventricle 

down. I like to think of the opposite manner. So back to our proposed geographic service 

area of Monta gate and Capulet, let's say I think in order to meet our communities I'm 

going to need 40 vsys, 40 vsys times 6500 gives the maximum amount we can request 

$260,000 again, you're going to take that 40 times that 144 hours and that gives you the 

total number there too.

That would be your baseline funding request. So, what do we do next? We talk 

about determining next you want to review the notice of funding opportunity, and depth, 

your blueprint to the opportunity. This document will help you understand what 

AmeriCorps seniors is looking for and is opportunity. What makes a good application, 

the evaluation the AmeriCorps the agency, so that using. This is not all you should be 

paying attention to in the notice of funding opportunity, of course you should read it 

through. But know this is an incredibly important document.

When you are actually putting your application together, we recommend using a 

word processor word or Google docs. You can find more information Andy NOFA, 

notice of funding opportunity. It is an online tool, and it is a little clunky when drafting 

your application. It is not meant for drafting like Word documents, that is why we 

recommend drafting and or document and copying pasting into egrets. It is kind of like a 

table where those of you heart familiar with the logic module or Free mark it is based on 

that model. 

We have a template you can use within the grant application instructions to help 

you formulate that. Again, you pasted into e-Grants. Of e-Grants are electronic grant, 

you need to create make sure you do that. Your authorized representative, the individual 

legal authorized to bind your organization in a contractual agreement or co-very often it 

will be the Executive Director or something at that level will need to actually certify the 

application.

Instructions are available on the opportunity website. There are a couple of 

administered missteps that you need to take, make sure to register and Sam and request a 

done number if you don't have one already. These are easy to miss, and you don't want to 

wait until the end of the process to do that. It is not terribly labor-intensive, but none the 

less it is important and can take some time. That brings us to the last recommendation, 

please plan to submit your application early.
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We like to recommend 10 days in advance if that is not realistic just do what you 

can pick out you don't want to be submitting your application on Wednesday, February 3,

and it's 445 and then you hit a problem but then a grants and then it might make your 

application weight program we do have a hotline if you run into technical difficulties,

you need to do things like check word count, fill out budgets, performance measure, all of 

these things can take time, so you want to be ahead of the game and ready to submit your 

application early. 

I really can't stress this enough. You don't want to be in e-Grants at 459 and run 

into an issue. Get it in early. We have a video to show you.

(Video playing)

>>: We are on serve Street and Montana; we are currently building our 46 home we are 

building forth the middle stepfamily and what is priceless about the volunteers is using 

their labor and even in our office we are able to keep it affordable for these families they 

are priceless because there are allowing people to purchase a home and keep it affordable 

for them.

>>: Come on into the house, here is one of the kids’ bedrooms, and here is our room. I 

am glad to be a homeowner finally.

>>: At senior companion we go grocery shopping, pick up my prescription, Dr. 

appointments.

>>: We are all working together to keep these people safe and, in their homes, if we can.

>>: It saves the state a lot of money and saves me a lot of money and it is nice to live 

independently.

>>: If I didn't have a senior companion I would be really lost.

>>: I have been a principal for 20 years and I've worked with foster grandparents.

>>: Children benefit from that one-on-one attention that they get. We do have a 20 to 1 

ratio so having another person in the room another adult exits a lot easier for us to teach 

these kids.

>>: The progression for this is unbelievable, I had one girl who wouldn't say anything, 

by the end of the year she was talking, using please and thank you.

>>: I volunteer four hours a day, I could leave for lunch, but all of the kids want to eat 

lunch with me every day.

>>: One thing I really like about volunteer with our RSVP is not only are we giving back 

to our community, but we are also saving money for the library where we work mending 

books. If we were there mending books they would be thrown away, we were trained by a 

staff member, and she was able to go back to her regular job.

>>: We served on average a day of meals. Today we do nutritional follow-ups on clients 

to make sure they are being adequately required for.

>>: People sit at computer terminals, and I help them if they are not computer savvy to 

navigate the different plans on Medicare.gov

>>: Companionship is wonderful. There is grace. When I get back to the house after 

visiting with them it's like, it feels good.

>>: As a volunteer, it puts action into my life, I love the community and I love the 

service.

(Video ended)
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>>: We love ending with a video on the impact they have and that is real now let's move 

on to questions in the Q&A box some reminders of trainings that are coming. If you have 

any interest in those, please sign up for them. You can find the links to those on the 

funding opportune, which Mike has dropped in the chat box.

We have roughly 15 minutes to go so if you have any questions, please put them 

into the Q&A box if I don't get any questions by 3:50, I'm going to take it there are none 

and potentially close the webinar 10 minutes early. If you don't have any questions, fill 

free to leave the webinar.

Mary put a question in the chat box, it does vary on person to person and how 

experienced they are in completing the application. I think it could be between an hour 

and 1/2 or longer if they have to collect information or they do it section by section.

I'm going to do a two-minute warning for any additional questions, if not, we will 

be closing the webinar at 350, our time.

>>: We have one more question from Mary in the chat, is there a list of current 

and past awardees and sample documents Just learning how about this opportunity

>>: List that was designed by our office of grant administration to help with that.

On our AmeriCorps cover page, you can find previously aborted grantees as well as see if 

there's other grantees in the area through the Pathfinder so you can explore the 

AmeriCorps.gov website to view those.

I do want to do a plug, the budget the website, we do have a recording for best 

practice for budgeting, our office of grant administration did a great job on reviewing that 

and guiding applications through that process, so I highly recommend that as well. Again, 

if you are still thinking through questions, or if something comes up between now and

January 12, next Wednesday, we are offering a FAQ section.

Feel free to attend that that will be straight FAQs to process that if you have any 

additional questions. Hopefully to see you there thank you so much for your attendance 

and particularly your interests and establishing to make an impact in your communities

and thank you to my colleagues on the lines and for all of your support in this. We will 

end it now.