CNCS Performance Measures Instructions

AmeriCorps State and National

2014
2

Table of Contents

AmeriCorps State and National Performance Measures Selection Rules.....................................................3

DISASTER SERVICES................................................................................................................................7

Agency-Wide Priority Measures...................................................................................................................7

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ..................................................................................................................11

Agency-Wide Priority Measures.................................................................................................................11

Complementary Program Measures............................................................................................................14

EDUCATION .............................................................................................................................................27

Agency-Wide Priority Measures.................................................................................................................27

Complementary Program Measures ........................................................................................................38

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP.....................................................................................................59

Agency-Wide Priority Measures.................................................................................................................59

Complementary Program Measures............................................................................................................61

HEALTHY FUTURES...............................................................................................................................65

Agency-Wide Priority Measures.................................................................................................................65

Complementary Program Measures ........................................................................................................70

VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES ..............................................................................................77

Agency-Wide Priority Measures.................................................................................................................77

Complementary Program Measures............................................................................................................87

CAPACITY BUILDING ............................................................................................................................90

Agency-Wide Priority Measures.................................................................................................................94

Complementary Program Measures............................................................................................................99
3

AmeriCorps State and National Performance Measures Selection 

Rules

Note: These selection rules specify required output/outcome pairings for priority and complementary 

performance measures. Please see the NOFO for additional information about tiers.

Disaster Services

Type of Measure Selection Rule

Priority D1 + Applicant Determined Outcome

Priority D2 + Applicant Determined Outcome

Priority D3 + Applicant Determined Outcome

Priority D4 + Applicant Determined Outcome

Economic Opportunity

Type of Measure Selection Rule

Priority O5 + O11

Complementary O1 + O9

Complementary O4 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary O2 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary O3 + O10

Complementary O12 + O15

Complementary O13 + O16

Complementary O14 + O17
4

Education

Type of Measure Selection Rule

Priority ED21 + ED23, ED24 and/or ED25 (ED20 is optional)

Priority ED2 + ED5, ED6 and/or ED27 (ED1 is optional)

Priority ED4A + ED5, ED6 and/or ED27 (ED3A is optional)

Complementary ED20 + ED21 + ED22

Complementary ED1 and/or ED2 + at least one of the following: 

ED7, ED8, ED9, ED10, ED11, ED26

Complementary ED3A and/or ED4A + at lest one of the following: 

ED7, ED8, ED9, ED10, ED11, ED26

Complementary ED1 and/or ED2 + All of the following: ED12, ED13, 

ED14, ED17. (ED15, ED18, and ED19 are optional.)

Environmental Stewardship

Type of Measure Selection Rule

Priority EN4 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Priority EN5 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary EN1 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary EN2 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary EN3 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary EN6 + Applicant-Determined Outcome
5

Healthy Futures

Type of Measure Selection Rule

Priority H8 + H9

Priority H10 and/or H11 + H12

Complementary H1 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary H2 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary H3 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary H4 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary H5 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary H6 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary H7 + Applicant-Determined Outcmoe

Veterans and Military Families

Type of Measure Selection Rule

Priority V1 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Priority V2 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Priority V7 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Priority V8 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Priority V9 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Priority V10 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary V3 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary V4 + Applicant-Determined Outcome

Complementary V6 + Applicant-Determined Outcome
6

Capacity Building

Type of Measure Selection Rule

Priority G3-3.1 or G3-3.2 + G3-3.3

Complimentary Outputs G3-3.4, G3-3.5, G3-3.6, G3-3.7 and/or G3-

3.8 + Outcomes G3-3.9, G3-3.10, G3-3.11, G3-3.12, 

G3-3.13, G3-3.14, and/or G3-3.15, G3-3.16, G3-

3.17. (End outcomes G3-3.18 and G3-3.19 are 

optional.
7

DISASTER SERVICES

Agency-Wide Priority Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 3: Disaster Services

Measure 

D1

Number of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster preparedness.

Definition of 

Key Terms

CNCS-supported services: Could be a variety of different kinds of supports to help 

the individuals have a higher quality of life, but cannot only be referrals to federal 

services without supplementary assistance. The assistance may be delivered by phone, 

e-mail, or in person. It may be delivered individually or as a group.

Preparedness: Actions that involve a combination of planning, resources, 

training, exercising, and organizing to build, sustain, and improve operational 

capabilities. Preparedness is the process of identifying the personnel, training, 

and equipment needed for a wide range of potential incidents, and developing 

jurisdiction-specific plans for delivering capabilities when needed for an 

incident.

How to 

Calculate/

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster 

preparedness.

The data should be collected using a tracking mechanism appropriate for the type of 

service, such as: CNCS-supported agency’s call center records, referral logs, sign-in 

sheet, client tracking database, or other information management system.
8

Measure 

D2

Number of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster response.

Definition of 

Key Terms

CNCS-supported services: Could be a variety of different kinds of supports to help 

the individuals have a higher quality of life, but cannot only be referrals to federal 

services without supplementary assistance. The assistance may be delivered by phone, 

e-mail, or in person. It may be delivered individually or as a group.

Response: Immediate actions to save lives, protect property and the 

environment, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the 

execution of emergency plans and actions to support short-term recovery.

How to 

Calculate/

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster 

response.

The data should be collected using a tracking mechanism appropriate for the type of 

service, such as: CNCS-supported agency’s call center records, referral logs, sign-in 

sheet, client tracking database, or other information management system.
9

Measure 

D3

Number of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster recovery.

Definition of 

Key Terms

CNCS-supported services: Could be a variety of different kinds of supports to help 

the individuals have a higher quality of life, but cannot only be referrals to federal 

services without supplementary assistance. The assistance may be delivered by phone, 

e-mail, or in person. It may be delivered individually or as a group.

Recovery: The development, coordination, and execution of service- and siterestoration plans; the reconstitution of government operations and services; 

individual, private-sector, nongovernmental, and public-assistance programs to 

provide housing and to promote restoration; long-term care and treatment of 

affected persons; additional measures for social, political, environmental, and 

economic restoration; evaluation of the incident to identify lessons learned; post 

incident reporting; and development of initiatives to mitigate the effects of 

future incidents.

How to 

Calculate/

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster 

recovery.

The data should be collected using a tracking mechanism appropriate for the type of 

service, such as: CNCS-supported agency’s call center records, referral logs, sign-in 

sheet, client tracking database, or other information management system.
10

Measure 

D4

Number of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster mitigation.

Definition of 

Key Terms

CNCS-supported services: Could be a variety of different kinds of supports to help 

the individuals have a higher quality of life, but cannot only be referrals to federal 

services without supplementary assistance. The assistance may be delivered by phone, 

e-mail, or in person. It may be delivered individually or as a group.

Mitigation: Activities providing a critical foundation in the effort to reduce the 

loss of life and property from natural and/or manmade disasters by avoiding or 

lessening the impact of a disaster and providing value to the public by creating 

safer communities. Mitigation seeks to fix the cycle of disaster damage, 

reconstruction, and repeated damage. These activities or actions, in most cases, 

will have a long-term sustained effect.

How to 

Calculate/

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of individuals that received CNCS-supported services in disaster 

mitigation

The data should be collected using a tracking mechanism appropriate for the type of 

service, such as: CNCS-supported agency’s call center records, referral logs, sign-in 

sheet, client tracking database, or other information management system.
11

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Agency-Wide Priority Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Housing 

Measure O5 Number of economically disadvantaged individuals, including homeless individuals, 

receiving housing services.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Economically disadvantaged: Must be receiving or meet the income eligibility 

requirements to receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 

housing assistance OR have a poor credit score OR are at least 60 days behind on one 

or more personal/family accounts.

Homeless: Individuals who spend the night in a place not intended for human 

habitation, in an emergency shelter, or in a transitional housing facility. See the Dept. 

of Housing and Urban Development definition at 

http://www.hud.gov/homeless/definition.cfm

Individuals: Each unique person who will be occupying the unit legally including 

adults and children but not unborn children.

Housing services: Helps qualifying individuals find appropriate housing, find the 

resources to support use of appropriate housing, and assists individuals in accessing the 

appropriate housing. May or may not result in an actual placement. May also include 

hands-on housing development and repair activities. Housing development adds to the 

housing stock by building a new unit or substantially rehabilitating a unit that was 

either uninhabitable or soon would have become so. Involves replacing major systems 

such as the roof, the plumbing, the wiring, the foundation, or elevating the unit as 

required by a flood plain standard. Housing repair is a more modest level of physical 

work on the unit, such as weatherizing, painting, replacing appliances and removing 

safety hazards. Service requires an engagement with the individual in person, by phone, 

or through a web-interface. Pamphlets, brochures, or web-based information that does 

not involve a human interaction is not sufficient.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Count of Individuals as defined above benefitting from the housing service. Can only 

count each individual once during the program year even though it may be necessary to 

provide services to the individual more than once.

Programs that are only able to count Housing Units should report on Measure O4.
12

Collect Data The data should be collected using a tracking mechanism appropriate for the type of 

service, which may include: CNCS-supported agency’s administrative or call center 

records, referral logs, attendance logs or sign-in sheet, client tracking database, or other 

information management system.

The client tracking database should have unique IDs (e.g. Homeless Management 

Information System (HMIS).
13

Measure O11 Number of economically disadvantaged individuals, including homeless individuals, 

transitioned into safe, healthy, affordable housing.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Economically disadvantaged: Must be receiving or meet the income eligibility 

requirements to receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 

housing assistance OR have a poor credit score OR are at least 60 days behind on one 

or more personal/family accounts.

Homeless: Individuals who spend the night in a place not intended for human 

habitation, in an emergency shelter, or in a transitional housing facility. See the Dept. 

of Housing and Urban Development’s definition at 

http://www.hud.gov/homeless/definition.cfm

Individuals: Each unique person who will be occupying the unit legally including 

adults and children but not unborn children.

Safe, healthy, affordable housing: Family or individual moves into a housing unit 

with secure tenure (lease or ownership document). Grantee certifies that the housing is 

safe and healthy, based on an inspection or other documentation. Grantee defines 

affordability and certifies that the housing unit is affordable to the household. See the 

Dept. of Housing and Urban Development’s Affordable Housing page at 

http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of individuals. Can only count each person once during the program year even 

though it may be necessary to provide services more than once.

An inspection report and certificate of occupancy, proof of residence such as lease or 

mortgage, or other verification from an external agency that the work was completed 

and is being occupied might be used.
14

Complementary Program Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 1: Financial Literacy

Measure O1 Number of economically disadvantaged individuals receiving financial literacy 

services.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Economically disadvantaged: Must be receiving or meet the income eligibility 

requirements to receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 

housing assistance OR have a poor credit score OR are at least 60 days behind on one 

or more personal/family accounts. 

Individuals: May be a single individual or may represent a family; may be of any age 

considered an “adult” in the state where services are provided

Financial literacy services: Includes “financial literacy education with regard to credit 

management, financial institutions including banks and credit unions, and utilization of 

savings plans” (2009 Serve America Act).

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of individuals to whom the “financial literacy services” are 

provided. Note that this is not simply a referral service. Individuals may contact the 

organization more than once during the year to get help but each individual should be 

reported here only once. Services may be provided in-person, on the phone, or by 

email.

Tracking mechanism appropriate for type of service. May be a sign-in sheet or a 

tracking database.
15

Measure O9 Number of economically disadvantaged individuals with improved financial 

knowledge.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Disadvantaged individuals: those counted as participating in O1.

Improved Financial Knowledge: the financial literacy program should have learning 

objectives. The improved financial knowledge should be based on those pre-defined 

learning objectives. Individuals participating in the financial literacy services should 

know more after they participate than before.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of individuals provided services in O1 whose pre-test and post-test scores 

indicate that they know more about at least one of the financial literacy topics 

presented. 

Must conduct a pre-test/post-test to determine amount of knowledge gained. 
16

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Housing 

Measure O4 Number of housing units developed, repaired, or otherwise made available for lowincome individuals, families or people with disabilities.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Housing unit: A single-family home (including a mobile home if permanently 

placed), an apartment, or a room in a group home for people with disabilities.

Develop: Build new or substantially rehabilitate housing units that were uninhabitable 

or soon would have become so. Involves replacing major systems such as the roof, the 

plumbing, the wiring, the foundation, or elevating the unit as required by a flood plain 

standard. 

Repair: A more modest level of physical work on the unit, such as weatherizing, 

painting, replacing appliances and removing safety hazards.. 

Otherwise made available: Activities that make available through improved access a 

housing unit that is in the housing stock and likely to remain habitable. For example, 

assistance in searching for the unit, a rent subsidy that makes the unit affordable to the 

individual or family. 

Low-income: Must be receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to 

receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance 

OR have a poor credit score OR are at least 60 days behind on one or more 

personal/family accounts.

Individuals and families: The U.S. Census definition of “household,” which includes 

all the persons who occupy a housing unit. The occupants may be a single family, one 

person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related 

or unrelated persons who share living arrangements.

People with disabilities: Subset of individuals and families that meets a definition 

related to inability to live independently without support (could use HUD definition). 

Separate mention in this measure may not be needed, but could leave it in and count 

units for people with disabilities separately to acknowledge emphasis on this 

population.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of Housing Units developed, repaired, or otherwise made available 

as defined here for low income individuals, families or persons with disabilities. This 

count indicates that the work has been completed to make the units available but they 

may or may not have been occupied. 

Programs can use a dollar cut-off to distinguish “developed” from “repaired” (e.g., 

30K/unit) or can distinguish by whether major systems are replaced. Dollar cut-off 

would require valuing volunteer labor, distinguishing between skilled trades and other 

workers. 

Programs that are able to count Individuals placed in the housing units they develop, 

repair or make available should report on Measure O5.
17

Inspection report, certificate of occupancy, or other verification from an external 

agency that the work was completed.
18

Strategic Plan Objective 3: Employment

Measure O2 Number of economically disadvantaged individuals receiving job training and other 

skill development services.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Economically disadvantaged individuals: Must be receiving or meet the income 

eligibility requirements to receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, 

Section 8 housing assistance OR have a poor credit score OR are at least 60 days 

behind on one or more personal/family accounts.

Job training: occupational skill training delivered in an institutional or classroom 

setting or skill training provided in an experiential workplace setting (may be called onthe-job training or work experience). P. 3, Job Training Policy in the United States, The 

Upjohn Institute, 2004.

Other skill development services: these include:

 Remedial Education such as Adult Basic Education, GED Education, Adult 

ESL Education.

 Classroom soft skills training that provides information about appropriate 

workplace behavior or job search skills.

(Job Training Policy in the United States, The Upjohn Institute, 2004.)

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of individuals completing the job training or skill development 

service for which they enrolled.

Course attendance records.
19

Measure O3 Number of economically disadvantaged individuals receiving job placement services.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Economically disadvantaged individuals: Must be receiving or meet the income 

eligibility requirements to receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, 

Section 8 housing assistance OR have a poor credit score OR are at least 60 days 

behind on one or more personal/family accounts.

Job placement services: These services include job search and placement assistance 

(including career counseling); labor market information (which identifies job 

vacancies; skills needed for in-demand jobs; and local, regional and national 

employment trends); initial assessment of skills and needs; information about available 

services.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data:

Unduplicated count of individuals completing the job placement services for which 

they enrolled.

Course attendance records.
20

Measure O10 Number of economically disadvantaged individuals placed in jobs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Economically disadvantaged individuals: Individuals counted for O3

Placed in jobs: individual is hired in a new job as a result of job placement services 

provided; individual may have been previously working in a different job or previously 

unemployed.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of individuals receiving services in O3 who are hired into a new job. Count each 

individual only once even if the individual receives placement in more than one job.

Suggested method is a copy of acceptance letter from employer or copy of first pay 

stub. 
21

Finding Economic Opportunity for National Service Participants

Measure O12 Number of economically disadvantaged National Service Participants who are 

unemployed prior to their term of service.

Definition of 

Key Terms

This measure is a count of individuals who are entered into CNCS’ National Service 

Trust database, who complete their term of service, earn an education award, or leave 

service due to compelling circumstances (see 45 CFR §2522.200). Individuals who are 

not enrolled in the National Service Trust, or who are dismissed, will not be counted. 

Economically disadvantaged National Service Participants: Current National 

Service Participants who are receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to 

receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance. 

Unemployed: do not have paid, regular employment or were not serving in the 

military/national guard within the month prior to beginning their term of service. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of economically disadvantaged National Service Participants who are 

unemployed prior to their term of service according to above definition. 

Suggested: Self-report of National Service Participant at beginning of term of service. 

Program will have to wait until end of term of service to determine if the member 

should be counted here. Would only be counted if: (1) meet the count of individuals as 

define above and (2) have not been admitted for another term of service. 

Additional NotesIf the applicant’s or grantee’s goal is to help the National Service Participants obtain 

employment during their term of service that may result in the National Service 

Participants leaving service early, they should ensure that the program has approved 

design that includes exit for “compelling personal circumstances” as specified in 45 

CFR §2522.230.

The program should collect the data at the time the National Service Participant begins 

service. 

What were you doing most of last month? 

 Working at a regular job

 Serving in the military / reserves 

 Working sporadically

 Looking for work

 Other _____________________
22

Measure O15 Number of economically disadvantaged National Service Participants that secure 

employment during their term of service or within one year after finishing the program

Definition of 

Key Terms

This measure is a count of individuals who are entered into CNCS’ National Service 

Trust database, who complete their term of service, earn an education award, or leave 

service due to compelling circumstances (see 45 CFR §2522.200). Individuals who are 

not enrolled in the Education Trust, or who are dismissed, will not be counted. 

Economically disadvantaged National Service Participants: Current National 

Service Participants who are receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to 

receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance 

Securing employment refers to paid, regular employment or serving in the 

military/national guard within the past week. 

The span of time for which a member will be counted under this measure includes 

enrollment to 12 months after a member leaves service or within the subsequent cycle 

for the alumni survey. This enables the measure to include members who obtain 

employment while enrolled in the program.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

If the applicant’s or grantee’s goal is to help the National Service Participants obtain 

employment during their term of service that may result in the National Service 

Participants leaving service early, they should ensure that the program has approved 

design that includes exit for “compelling personal circumstances” as specified in 45 

CFR §2522.230.

Count of individuals in O12 who are hired into a job within one year after finishing the 

program. Count each individual only once even if the individual receives placement in 

more than one job.

What were you doing most of last week? 

 Working at a regular job

 Serving in the military / reserves 

 Working sporadically

 Looking for work

 Other _____________________

Suggested: Copy of acceptance letter from employer or copy of first pay stub. 
23

Measure O13 Number of economically disadvantaged National Service Participants who have not 

obtained their high school diploma or equivalent prior to the start of their term of 

service.

Definition of 

Key Terms

This measure is a count of individuals who are entered into CNCS’ National Service 

Trust database, who complete their term of service, earn an education award, or leave 

service due to compelling circumstances (see 45 CFR §2522.200). Individuals who are 

not enrolled in the National Service Trust, or who are dismissed, will not be counted. 

Economically disadvantaged National Service Participants: Current National 

Service Participants who are receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to 

receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Program will have to wait until end of term of service to determine if the member 

should be counted here. Would only be counted if member meets the count of 

individuals as defined above. 

The program should collect the data at the time the National Service Participant begins 

service. 

Have you obtained your GED/diploma?

 Yes

 No 

 Not sure. Explain. _____________________________________
24

Measure O16 Number of National Service Participants that obtain a GED/diploma while serving in a 

CNCS program or within one year after finishing the program.

Definition of 

Key Terms

This measure is a count of individuals who are entered into CNCS’ National Service 

Trust database, who complete their term of service, earn an education award, or leave 

service due to compelling circumstances (see 45 CFR §2522.200). Individuals who are 

not enrolled in the Education Trust, or who are dismissed, will not be counted. 

. 

The span of time for which a member will be counted under Economically 

disadvantaged National Service Participants: Current National Service Participants

who are receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to receive: TANF, Food 

Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistancethis measure includes 

enrollment to 12 months after a member leaves service or within the subsequent cycle 

for the alumni survey. This enables the measure to include members who obtain their 

GED/diploma while enrolled in the program.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Of the members counted in O13, count of how many obtained a GED/diploma either 

during their term of service or within 12 months after the term of service ends.

Have you obtained your GED/diploma since [enter date of enrollment]?

 Yes

 No 

Have you obtained your GED/diploma since leaving the program?

 Yes

 No
25

Measure O14 Number of economically disadvantaged National Service Participants who have their 

high school diploma or equivalent but have not completed a college degree prior to 

their term of service.

Definition of 

Key Terms

This measure is a count of individuals who are entered into CNCS’ National Service 

Trust database, who complete their term of service, earn an education award, or leave 

service due to compelling circumstances (see 45 CFR §2522.200). Individuals who are 

not enrolled in the National Service Trust, or who are dismissed, will not be counted. 

College, as defined for this performance measure, refers to any postsecondary higher 

education institution. Therefore, it includes colleges, universities, and technical and 

vocational schools (definition of college per US Census).

Economically disadvantaged National Service Participants: Current National 

Service Participants who are receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to 

receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Program will have to wait until end of term of service to determine if the member 

should be counted here. Would only be counted if member meets the count of 

individuals as defined above.

The program should collect the data at the time the National Service Participant begins 

service. 

Have you obtained your GED/diploma?

 Yes

 No 

 Not sure. Explain. _____________________________________

Have you completed a college degree?

 Yes

 No 

 Not sure. Explain. _____________________________________
26

Measure O17 Number of economically disadvantaged members that complete a college course 

within one year after finishing a CNCS-supported program

Definition of 

Key Terms

This measure is a count of individuals who are entered into CNCS’ National Service 

Trust database, who complete their term of service, earn an education award, or leave 

service due to compelling circumstances (see 45 CFR §2522.200). Individuals who are 

not enrolled in the National Service Trust, or who are dismissed, will not be counted. 

College, as defined for this performance measure, refers to any postsecondary higher 

education institution. Therefore, it includes colleges, universities, and technical and 

vocational schools (definition of college per US Census).

Complete a college course: may have enrolled in course during term of service and 

completed after term of service ends or may enroll and complete after term of service 

ends; may or may not pass course but did not drop out and did not take an 

“incomplete”; course schedule would indicate that course has finished by the time 

measure has been taken

Within one year refers to 12 months after a member leaves service, or within the 

subsequent cycle for the alumni survey.

Economically disadvantaged National Service Participants: Current National 

Service Participants who are receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to 

receive: TANF, Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Of the members counted in O14, count of how many complete a college course as 

defined above within 12 months after a member leaves service.

Have you obtained your completed a college course since leaving the program?

 Yes

 No

If yes, does this course contribute toward a recognized college degree or educational 

credential?

 Yes

 No
27

EDUCATION

Agency-Wide Priority Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 1: School Readiness

Measure ED21 Number of children that completed participation in CNCS-supported early childhood 

education programs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Children: Children up through the age of kindergarten enrollment who are enrolled in 

early childhood education programs with a majority of economically disadvantaged 

children and/or a majority of children with special or exceptional needs. 

Economically disadvantaged: Eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or 

reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be 

accessing free/reduced lunch. See: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ChildNutrition/lunch.htm

Special or exceptional needs: Children who are developmentally disabled, such as 

those who are autistic, have cerebral palsy or epilepsy, are visually impaired, speech 

impaired, hearing impaired, orthopedically impaired, are emotionally disturbed or have 

a language disorder, specific learning disability, have multiple disabilities, other 

significant health impairment or have literacy needs. Children who are abused or 

neglected; in need of foster care; adjudicated youth; homeless youth; teenage parents; 

and children in need of protective intervention in their homes. 

Completed participation: At the outset of the activity, the program should indicate 

how much time (i.e. how many days or hours) is required in order to complete the 

activity. Then they will only count the number of students who meet that threshold by 

the end of the program or activity. This number will be used as the denominator for 

selected measures and therefore the amount of participation should be enough to 

influence the results.

Early childhood education program: A program in which CNCS-supported activities 

help pre-K students maintain enrollment in and succeed in early childhood education 

programs. The ‘help’ that grantees provide does not need to be in direct service to the 

students. However, the CNCS-supported activities must provide direct support that 

makes the program possible. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of students who complete participation in the activity as indicated by above 

definition. 

Grantees must demonstrate that the sites/programs they will engage already have a 

participant population in which the largest percentage of children in the program come 

from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or have special or exceptional 

needs, or explain an outreach strategy to increase the proportions of economically 

disadvantaged children and/or children with special or exceptional needs in the program.
28

Notes Applicants and grantees are encouraged to also track the number of children that enroll 

in early childhood education programs. Tracking your program’s retention and attrition 

rates is a good performance management practice. 

For AmeriCorps State & National ONLY: The optional enrollment measure (ED20), 

combined with this measure, will indicate how many children drop out/are retained by 

these programs.
29

Measure ED23 Number of children demonstrating gains in school readiness in terms of social and/or 

emotional development.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Children: See definition under ED21.

Social and emotional development: An indicator and element of school readiness that 

measures a child’s development in one or more of the following domains: self-concept, 

self-control, cooperation, social relationships, and knowledge of families and 

communities. Each domain of social and emotional development has a set of specific, 

measurable indicators. The applicant/grantee should identify at the outset those specific 

domain(s) and indicator(s) of social and emotional development that (a) directly 

corresponds to the program intervention and (b) will be measured by the particular 

standardized data collection instrument you choose.

School readiness: Preparation for Kindergarten which includes multiple indicators 

assessed across multiple developmental and behavioral domains including but not 

limited to physical well-being, health and motor development, social and emotional 

development, approaches to learning, language development, cognitive development, 

and age-appropriate academic skills and behavior.

How to 

Calculate

Measure/

Collect Data

Programs should obtain counts of the number of children demonstrating gains in school 

readiness based on social and/or emotional development. 

Accredited early childhood education programs may already have state requirements in 

place for assessing the social and emotional development of children to determine 

school readiness. For example, such a measure may be:

“The number of children who often or very often exhibit positive social behaviors when 

interacting with their peers”.

This suggested measure is from the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative 

Project (Feb 2005) 

http://www.gettingready.org/matriarch/d.asp?PageID=303&PageName2=pdfhold&p=&

PageName=Getting+Ready+%2D+Executive+Summary%282%29%2Epdf
30

Measure ED24 Number of children demonstrating gains in school readiness in terms of literacy skills

Definition of 

Key Terms

Children: See definition under ED21.

Literacy skills: An indicator and element of school readiness that measures a child’s 

development in one or more of the following domains: phonological awareness, book 

knowledge and appreciation, print awareness and concepts, early writing, and alphabet 

knowledge. Each domain of literacy skills development has a set of specific, measurable 

indicators. The applicant/grantee should identify at the outset those specific domain(s) 

and indicator(s) of literacy skills development that (a) directly corresponds to the 

program intervention and (b) will be measured by the particular standardized data 

collection instrument you choose.

School readiness: Preparation for Kindergarten which includes multiple indicators 

assessed across developmental and behavioral domains including but not limited to 

physical well-being, health and motor development, social and emotional development, 

approaches to learning, language development, cognitive development and ageappropriate skills and behavior.

How to 

Calculate

Measure/

Collect Data

Programs should obtain counts of the number of children demonstrating gains in school 

readiness based on their literacy skills.

Accredited early childhood education programs have state requirements for assessing 

literacy skills of children to determine school readiness. For example, such a measure 

may be “Number of children almost always recognizing the relationships between letters 

and sounds at kindergarten entry”.

This suggested measure is from the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative 

Project (Feb 2005)

http://www.gettingready.org/matriarch/d.asp?PageID=303&PageName2=pdfhold&p=&

PageName=Getting+Ready+%2D+Executive+Summary%282%29%2Epdf

There is a fairly short list of pre-K assessments that are recognized as measuring the 

skills needed for kindergarten-first grade.

A Review of School Readiness Factors in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and 

Assessments, http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends2010_06_18_ECH_SchoolReadiness.pdf
31

Measure ED25 Number of children demonstrating gains in school readiness in terms of numeracy 

(math) skills.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Children: See definition under ED21.

Numeracy skills: An indicator and element of school readiness that measures a child’s 

development in one or more of the following domains: numbers and operations, 

geometry and special sense, and pattern and measurement. Each domain of math 

(numeracy) skills development has a set of specific, measurable indicators. The 

applicant/grantee should identify at the outset those specific domain(s) and indicator(s) 

of math (numeracy) skills development that (a) directly corresponds to the program 

intervention and (b) will be measured as defined by the particular standardized data 

collection instrument you choose.

School readiness: Preparation for Kindergarten which includes multiple indicators 

assessed across developmental and behavioral domains including but not limited to 

physical well-being, health and motor development, social and emotional development, 

approaches to learning, language development, cognitive development and ageappropriate skills and behavior.

How to 

Calculate

Measure/

Collect Data

Programs should obtain counts of the number of children demonstrating gains in school 

readiness based on their numeracy (math) skills.

Accredited early childhood education programs have state requirements for assessing 

numeracy (math) skills of children to determine school readiness. For example, such a 

measure may be “Number of children at kindergarten entry who can count beyond 10, 

sequence patterns and use nonstandard units of length to compare number”.

This suggested measure is from the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative 

Project (Feb 2005)

http://www.gettingready.org/matriarch/d.asp?PageID=303&PageName2=pdfhold&p=&

PageName=Getting+Ready+%2D+Executive+Summary%282%29%2Epdf

There is a fairly short list of pre-K assessments that are recognized as measuring the 

skills needed for kindergarten-first grade.

A Review of School Readiness Factors in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and 

Assessments, http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends2010_06_18_ECH_SchoolReadiness.pdf
32

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Succeeding in Kindergarten through 12th 

Grade 

Measure ED2 Number of students that completed participation in CNCS-supported K-12 education 

programs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: Students enrolled in grades K-12 in schools with a majority of economically 

disadvantaged students and/or a majority of children with special or exceptional needs. 

Economically disadvantaged: Eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or 

reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be 

accessing free/reduced lunch. See: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ChildNutrition/lunch.htm

Special or exceptional needs: Children who are developmentally disabled, such as 

those who are autistic, have cerebral palsy or epilepsy, are visually impaired, speech 

impaired, hearing impaired, orthopedically impaired, are emotionally disturbed or have 

a language disorder, specific learning disability, have multiple disabilities, other 

significant health impairment or have literacy needs. Children who are abused or 

neglected; in need of foster care; adjudicated youth; homeless youth; teenage parents; 

and children in need of protective intervention in their homes. 

Completed participation: At the outset of the activity, the program should indicate 

how much time (i.e. how many days or hours) is required in order to complete the 

activity. Then they will only count the number of students who meet that threshold by 

the end of the program or activity. This number will be used as the denominator for 

selected measures and therefore the amount of participation should be enough to 

influence the results.

Education program: A program in which CNCS-supported activities help students 

maintain enrollment in and succeed in school (except mentoring programs). The help 

that grantees provide does not need to be in direct service to the students. However, 

the CNCS-supported activities must provide direct support that makes the program 

possible. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of students who complete participation in the activity as indicated by above 

definition. 

Grantees must demonstrate that the sites/schools they will engage already have a 

student population in which the largest percentage of students in the school come from 

economically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or have special or exceptional needs, or 

explain an outreach strategy to increase the proportions of economically disadvantaged 

students and/or students with special or exceptional needs in the program.

The data should be available from agency records, either the applicant’s own records or 

it may obtain this data through a data sharing partnership with the school

Notes Applicants and grantees are encouraged to also track the number of students that enroll 

in CNCS-supported education programs. Tracking your program’s retention and 

attrition rates is a good performance management practice. 

For AmeriCorps State & National ONLY: The optional enrollment measure (ED1), 

combined with this measure, will indicate how many students drop out/are retained by 

these programs.
33

Measure ED4A Number of disadvantaged youth/mentor matches or children with special or exceptional 

needs/mentor matches that were sustained by the CNCS-supported program for at least 

the required time period.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Mentors are adults who provide CNCS-sustained support to children or youth through 

either community based programs or school based programs. Programs that involve 

peer to peer support should not be included in this measure- for those programs use 

Tutoring measures. For school-based mentorships, count mentees in those matches 

that are intended to be continuous, with the same mentor for one hour per week (or as 

age-appropriate for older mentees), for at least 6 months of one school year. For 

community-based mentorships, count mentees in those matches that are intended to 

be continuous, with the same mentor for two to three hours per week, for at least 12 

months and up to 24 months. Mentoring relationships are ideally one mentor per 

child, but could be small group with a ratio of no more than 1:3.

Disadvantaged youth: “includes those youth who are economically disadvantaged and 

1 or more of the following: (A) Who are out-of-school youth, including out-of-school 

youth who are unemployed. (B) Who are in or aging out of foster care. (C) Who have 

limited English proficiency. (D) Who are homeless or who have run away from home. 

(E) Who are at-risk to leave secondary school without a diploma. (F) Who are former 

juvenile offenders or at risk of delinquency. (G) Who are individuals with disabilities.” 

(from SAA) It is the grantee’s responsibility to ensure the beneficiaries of service meet 

the eligibility requirements provided in the definition.

Economically disadvantaged: eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or 

reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be 

accessing free/reduced lunch. See: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ChildNutrition/lunch.htm

Children: Individuals younger than 21 years of age.

Special or exceptional needs: Children who are developmentally disabled, such as 

those who are autistic, have cerebral palsy or epilepsy, are visually impaired, speech 

impaired, hearing impaired, orthopedically impaired, are emotionally disturbed or have 

a language disorder, specific learning disability, have multiple disabilities, other 

significant health impairment or have literacy needs. Children who are abused or 

neglected; in need of foster care; adjudicated youth; homeless youth; teenage parents; 

and children in need of protective intervention in their homes.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Programs will count the number of qualifying mentor-mentee matches that were 

sustained over the course of the program. If the program model allows for “small 

group” mentoring instead of one-on-one matches, all participating mentees who 

remained in the group should be counted.

Notes Applicants and grantees are encouraged to also track the number of students that enroll 

in CNCS-supported mentoring programs. Tracking your program’s retention and 

attrition rates is a good performance management practice. 

For AmeriCorps State & National ONLY: The optional enrollment measure (ED3A), 

combined with this measure, will indicate how many students drop out/are retained by 

these programs.
34

Measure ED5 Number of students with improved academic performance in literacy and/or math.

Definition of Key 

Terms

Students: Those reported in either ED2 or ED4A.

Improved academic performance in literacy and/or math: as measured by an 

improved demonstration of skill/knowledge at post-test as compared to pre-test (gain 

score) using a standardized test/instrument. 

Standardized test/instrument: has been validated externally on a randomly-selected 

population of students. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Programs will report the number of students from ED2 or ED4A who:

(1) achieved the “gain” or amount of progress that was approved at grant award, and/or

(2) performed on grade level if the post-test only method is being used. 

Amount of progress required:

The amount of progress required to count as “improved academic performance” must be 

specified in the approved grant application. If the program is using different tests for 

different groups of children, then different amounts of progress may be specified by test. 

Some tests may specify different amounts of progress based on the pre-test results. 

Standardized tests:

Many standardized test instruments provide expected levels of improvement for 

particular starting levels. Those would be the most appropriate improvement levels for 

programs to select. Only programs that demonstrate they are serving below grade level 

students and that demonstrate a sufficient reason for not conducting a pre-test/post-test 

may request a “post-test only” assessment option. In these specific cases, only a post-test 

is required to show those previously below-grade-level students are performing at grade 

level after the program. 

Programs should select a standardized test that:

(1) measures the types of student skills/knowledge the program is trying to improve 

through its efforts, (2) is appropriate for the grade level, (3) has demonstrated validity or 

reliability for the population they are serving, and (4) is compatible with, and acceptable 

to, the school where the program is providing services (different tests may be used at 

different schools).

For consideration of exception regarding the use of the state standardized test, please 

provide a justification that explains how the test is sufficiently tailored to the material 

taught, the timeline for obtaining test data in order to meet AmeriCorps reporting 

requirements, and why gains in the test are likely to be attributable, in part, to the efforts 

of AmeriCorps members and not the classroom teacher. The justification should also 

confirm that the test will be administered at the end of the prior year and again at the end 

of the current year. It should also describe what the test measures and why it is a better 

option than another standardized pre/post test.
35

Regarding the use of state standardized tests administered by the school: 

State standardized tests generally should NOT be used as it is expected that they will not 

be sufficiently tailored to the material taught, may involve long delays before the data 

became available, and the child’s classroom teacher would have the primary effect on 

these scores. However, programs may request to use the state, standardized test but need 

to demonstrate that it is appropriate for their circumstances.(NOTE: These tests may not 

be used unless an exception has been granted.) These tests have the advantage of already 

being in place and having an infrastructure to support their use, and students would have 

taken these tests anyway. State standardized tests can only be used if they are 

administered at the end of the prior year and then again at the end of the current year. 

(This will not be the case for all grade levels.)

Obtaining test scores from school systems: 

For programs not themselves administering the test, the program will need to have some 

form of agreement, such as an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the school to 

ensure that data for the needed children can be secured. Data are needed on the group of 

children you are serving, but not on individual children. Requesting data in this way is 

not likely to violate FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). 

You are not likely to be able to count children who were in a different school district in 

the year prior to service or transfer away from the school during the school year. See the 

Education Focus Area Instrument Packet for a suggested method of requesting the data 

your program needs. 

Regarding the use of other standardized tests: The test should be administered to the 

students participating in the program before they begin service and again near the end of 

the service delivery period. Some tests suggest measuring improvement at more points 

during the year. Programs should follow the instructions provided by the test they have 

selected. 

The National Center on Response to Intervention website of the U.S. Department of 

Education provides some information about assessment tools (they call them progress 

monitoring tools) at the following site: 

http://www.rti4success.org/chart/progressMonitoring/progressmonitoringtoolschart.htm

Note that these are not specifically recommended, nor are these the only instruments that 

programs could use but the site provides good information about how to consider which 

tool your program might choose.
36

Measure 

ED27

Number of students in grades K-12 that participated in the mentoring or tutoring or 

other education program, including CNCS-supported service learning, who 

demonstrated improved academic engagement.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Service learning: Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates 

meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning 

experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

Improved academic engagement: A positive and significant change in one of the 

following student behaviors or attitudes over the course of a school year. Measures of 

student behaviors include: increased attendance, increased completion of assignments 

including homework, increased teacher-reported participation, decreased disciplinary 

referrals and decreased reports of substance abuse. Measures of student attitudes 

include: increased interest in school, improved perspective on school climate, increased 

attachment to school and increased educational aspirations. (ED6 reports on the 

attendance characteristic separately and ED7 [Tier 3 measure] reports on the 

disciplinary referrals separately.) 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Applicants and grantees should identify the measures of academic engagement that 

their programs most closely align with. Selection of measures should be based on 

whether the measures have been shown to be valid and reliable.

Programs should collect academic engagement data from school records, teacher 

surveys and/or student surveys at the beginning and end of the school year. If any one 

of these elements shows substantial improvement, without any of the other elements 

worsening, the student should be counted as having demonstrated improved academic 

engagement. 

A survey or questionnaire should be used for grantee administration. See the CNCS 

Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for performance 

measurement tools that CNCS has developed for volunteer and service programs. 

Determining whether a positive change in student behavior is significant may be 

limited by small sample sizes. Applicants and grantees are encouraged to track the 

average size of the increase among service-learning participants as well as the percent 

of students with a positive increase.

Additional 

Notes

Applicants and grantees may report on either ED27 or ED6 but not both measures to 

ensure an unduplicated count. Applicants are encouraged to select ED27, which is a 

more direct measure of academic engagement than ED6, but ED6 may be preferred if it 

is significantly easier to collect school attendance data than to obtain parental consent 

and administer a pre-post survey.
37

Measure ED6 Number of students that improved their school attendance over the course of the CNCSsupported program’s involvement with the student.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: Those reported in either ED2 or ED4A.

CNCS-supported program involvement: Starts on the date national service participants 

begin working with students and ends with the date their involvement with the students 

ends or the end of the grant year, whichever comes first. “Working with students” does 

not need to be in direct work with the students. However, the national service participant 

must provide direct support that makes the program possible.

School attendance: NCLB approved definition. Based on the academic literature, the 

desired target is “attended 90% of school days.” However, CNCS recognizes that some 

students might make huge improvements without hitting the 90% target and we want to 

capture that change over time.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Will need to determine total possible school days between start and end date. Then using 

attendance records determine the actual number of days attended/absent. 

School / classroom attendance logs. To assess improvement over time, programs will 

need to obtain data on attendance prior to the CNCS-supported activity’s involvement 

with student. 

Additional 

Notes

This measure is appropriate only for programs serving students with previously 

demonstrated attendance problems. Program should demonstrate that students previously 

had poor attendance and that after attending the program, the students’ attendance 

improved.

Applicants and grantees may report on either ED27 or ED6 but not both measures to 

ensure an unduplicated count. Applicants are encouraged to select ED27, which is a more 

direct measure of academic engagement than ED6, but ED6 may be preferred if it is 

significantly easier to collect school attendance data than to obtain parental consent and 

administer a pre-post survey.
38

Complementary Program Measures 

Strategic Plan Objective 1: School Readiness

Measure ED20: Number of children who start in an CNCS-supported early childhood education 

program.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Education program: CNCS-supported National Service Participants help pre-K 

students maintain enrollment in and succeed in early childhood education programs. 

The help that CNCS-supported National Service Participants provide does not need to 

be in direct service to the students. However, the CNCS-supported National Service 

Participants must provide direct support that makes the program possible.

Start in: students enrolled in the early childhood education program at the beginning of 

the program. Counts may be updated if the number of participants increases.

How to 

Calculate/

Measure/

Collect Data:

Count of students who enroll in the program. Students may or may not complete the 

program. Each student should be counted only once during the program. 
39

Measure ED21* Number of children that completed participation in CNCS-supported early childhood 

education programs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Children: Children up through the age of kindergarten enrollment who are enrolled in 

early childhood education programs with a majority of economically disadvantaged 

children and/or a majority of children with special or exceptional needs. 

Economically disadvantaged: Eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or 

reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be 

accessing free/reduced lunch. See: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ChildNutrition/lunch.htm

Special or exceptional needs: Children who are developmentally disabled, such as 

those who are autistic, have cerebral palsy or epilepsy, are visually impaired, speech 

impaired, hearing impaired, orthopedically impaired, are emotionally disturbed or have 

a language disorder, specific learning disability, have multiple disabilities, other 

significant health impairment or have literacy needs. Children who are abused or 

neglected; in need of foster care; adjudicated youth; homeless youth; teenage parents; 

and children in need of protective intervention in their homes. 

Completed participation: At the outset of the activity, the program should indicate 

how much time (i.e. how many days or hours) is required in order to complete the 

activity. Then they will only count the number of students who meet that threshold by 

the end of the program or activity. This number will be used as the denominator for 

selected measures and therefore the amount of participation should be enough to 

influence the results.

Early childhood education program: A program in which CNCS-supported activities 

help pre-K students maintain enrollment in and succeed in early childhood education 

programs. The ‘help’ that grantees provide does not need to be in direct service to the 

students. However, the CNCS-supported activities must provide direct support that 

makes the program possible. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of students who complete participation in the activity as indicated by above 

definition. 

Grantees must demonstrate that the sites/programs they will engage already have a 

participant population in which the largest percentage of children in the program come 

from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or have special or exceptional 

needs, or explain an outreach strategy to increase the proportions of economically 

disadvantaged children and/or children with special or exceptional needs in the program.

Notes Applicants and grantees are encouraged to also track the number of children that enroll 

in early childhood education programs. Tracking your program’s retention and attrition 

rates is a good performance management practice. 

For AmeriCorps State & National ONLY: The optional enrollment measure (ED20), 

combined with this measure, will indicate how many children drop out/are retained by 

these programs.

*ED21 can be either an Agency-Wide Priority Measure or a 

Complementary Program Measure depending upon which outcome it uses.
40

Measure ED22 Number of children accessing high quality early childhood education programs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

High quality: Early childhood education programs with all four of the following 

characteristics--

 Teacher & Assistant teacher qualifications

 Class size limits

 Appropriate teacher to child ratios 

 Learning and development occurs across all domains with programs that 

address children’s physical well-being and motor development, social/emotional 

development, approaches towards learning, language development and 

cognition.

Access: By “accessing” we are referring to children enrolled in high quality early 

childhood education programs as opposed to children to whom such programs are 

available.

How to 

Calculate

Measure/

Collect Data

Count of students from ED21 who are enrolled in an CNCS-supported early childhood 

education program that is either a high quality program or is conducted through or in 

addition to a high quality early childhood education program. Programs providing 

services or supplementary instruction to children in early childhood education programs 

that are not high quality according to the definition above, should not select this 

measure.

Citations that may be helpful on “high quality” early education programs include:

The State of Preschool, 2009, National Institute for Early Education Research, 

www.nieer.org 

Prepared for Kindergarten: What does readiness mean? D. Ackerman and W.S. Barnett, 

www.nieer.org

Head Start Impact Study, Final Report, January 2010, US Dept. of Health and Human 

Services, Administration on Children and Families

Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 1997-2010 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/

A Review of School Readiness Factors in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and 

Assessments, http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child Trends2010_06_18_ECH_SchoolReadiness.pdf.

(Teacher/child ratios) Research Reviews on Child-staff Ratios and Group Size, 

http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/ratios-size-reviews.html. 
41

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Succeeding in Kindergarten through 12th 

Grade

Measure ED1 Number of students who start in a CNCS-supported education program.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Education program: National Service Participants help students maintain enrollment 

in and succeed in school (mentoring programs use ED3A). The help that National 

Service Participants provide does not need to be in direct service to the students. 

However, the National Service Participants must provide direct support that makes the 

program possible. 

Elementary and secondary school students: students enrolled in grades K-12.

Start in: students enrolled in the education program at the beginning of the program. 

Counts may be updated if the number of participants increases.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of students who enroll in the program. Students may or may not complete the 

program. Each student should be counted only once during the program. 
42

Measure ED2* Number of students that completed participation in CNCS-supported K-12 education 

programs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: Students enrolled in grades K-12 in schools with a majority of economically 

disadvantaged students and/or a majority of children with special or exceptional needs. 

Economically disadvantaged: Eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or 

reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be 

accessing free/reduced lunch. See: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ChildNutrition/lunch.htm

Special or exceptional needs: Children who are developmentally disabled, such as 

those who are autistic, have cerebral palsy or epilepsy, are visually impaired, speech 

impaired, hearing impaired, orthopedically impaired, are emotionally disturbed or have 

a language disorder, specific learning disability, have multiple disabilities, other 

significant health impairment or have literacy needs. Children who are abused or 

neglected; in need of foster care; adjudicated youth; homeless youth; teenage parents; 

and children in need of protective intervention in their homes. 

Completed participation: At the outset of the activity, the program should indicate 

how much time (i.e. how many days or hours) is required in order to complete the 

activity. Then they will only count the number of students who meet that threshold by 

the end of the program or activity. This number will be used as the denominator for 

selected measures and therefore the amount of participation should be enough to 

influence the results.

Education program: A program in which CNCS-supported activities help students 

maintain enrollment in and succeed in school (except mentoring programs). The help 

that grantees provide does not need to be in direct service to the students. However, 

the CNCS-supported activities must provide direct support that makes the program 

possible. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of students who complete participation in the activity as indicated by above 

definition. 

Grantees must demonstrate that the sites/schools they will engage already have a 

student population in which the largest percentage of students in the school come from 

economically disadvantaged backgrounds and/or have special or exceptional needs, or 

explain an outreach strategy to increase the proportions of economically disadvantaged 

students and/or students with special or exceptional needs in the program.

The data should be available from agency records, either the applicant’s own records or 

it may obtain this data through a data sharing partnership with the school

Notes Applicants and grantees are encouraged to also track the number of students that enroll 

in CNCS-supported education programs. Tracking your program’s retention and 

attrition rates is a good performance management practice. 

For AmeriCorps State & National ONLY: The optional enrollment measure (ED1), 

combined with this measure, will indicate how many students drop out/are retained by 

these programs.

*ED2 can be either an Agency-Wide Priority Measure or a Complementary 

Program Measure depending upon which outcome it uses.
43

Measure ED3A Number of disadvantaged youth/mentor matches that are commenced by the CNCSsupported education program.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Mentors are adults who provide support to children or youth through either 

community-based or school-based programs:

School-based: A continuous match, with the same mentor for one hour per week (or as 

age-appropriate for older mentees), for at least 6 months of one school year.

Community-based: A continuous match, with the same mentor for two to three hours 

per week, for at least 12 months and up to 24 months.

Mentoring relationships are ideally one mentor per child, but could be small group 

with a ratio of no more than 1:3.

Disadvantaged youth: “includes those youth who are economically disadvantaged and 

1 or more of the following: (A) Who are out-of-school youth, including out-of-school 

youth who are unemployed. (B) Who are in or aging out of foster care. (C) Who have 

limited English proficiency. (D) Who are homeless or who have run away from home. 

(E) Who are at-risk to leave secondary school without a diploma. (F) Who are former 

juvenile offenders or at risk of delinquency. (G) Who are individuals with disabilities.” 

(From SAA). It is the grantee’s responsibility to ensure the beneficiaries of service 

meet the eligibility requirements provided in the definition.

Economically disadvantaged: eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or 

reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be 

accessing free/reduced lunch. See: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ChildNutrition/lunch.htm

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data:

Programs will count the number of qualifying mentor-mentee matches that are initiated 

over the course of the program year. If the program model allows for “small group” 

mentoring instead of one-on-one matches, all participating mentees in the group should 

be counted. 
44

Measure ED4A* Number of disadvantaged youth/mentor matches or children with special or exceptional 

needs/mentor matches that were sustained by the CNCS-supported program for at least 

the required time period.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Mentors are adults who provide CNCS-sustained support to children or youth through 

either community based programs or school based programs. Programs that involve 

peer to peer support should not be included in this measure- for those programs use 

Tutoring measures. For school-based mentorships, count mentees in those matches 

that are intended to be continuous, with the same mentor for one hour per week (or as 

age-appropriate for older mentees), for at least 6 months of one school year. For 

community-based mentorships, count mentees in those matches that are intended to 

be continuous, with the same mentor for two to three hours per week, for at least 12 

months and up to 24 months. Mentoring relationships are ideally one mentor per 

child, but could be small group with a ratio of no more than 1:3.

Disadvantaged youth: “includes those youth who are economically disadvantaged and 

1 or more of the following: (A) Who are out-of-school youth, including out-of-school 

youth who are unemployed. (B) Who are in or aging out of foster care. (C) Who have 

limited English proficiency. (D) Who are homeless or who have run away from home. 

(E) Who are at-risk to leave secondary school without a diploma. (F) Who are former 

juvenile offenders or at risk of delinquency. (G) Who are individuals with disabilities.” 

(from SAA) It is the grantee’s responsibility to ensure the beneficiaries of service meet 

the eligibility requirements provided in the definition.

Economically disadvantaged: eligible for free (at or below 130% of poverty) or 

reduced (between 130% to 185% of poverty) lunch; may or may not actually be 

accessing free/reduced lunch. See: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ChildNutrition/lunch.htm

Children: Individuals younger than 21 years of age.

Special or exceptional needs: Children who are developmentally disabled, such as 

those who are autistic, have cerebral palsy or epilepsy, are visually impaired, speech 

impaired, hearing impaired, orthopedically impaired, are emotionally disturbed or have 

a language disorder, specific learning disability, have multiple disabilities, other 

significant health impairment or have literacy needs. Children who are abused or 

neglected; in need of foster care; adjudicated youth; homeless youth; teenage parents; 

and children in need of protective intervention in their homes.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Programs will count the number of qualifying mentor-mentee matches that were 

sustained over the course of the program. If the program model allows for “small 

group” mentoring instead of one-on-one matches, all participating mentees who 

remained in the group should be counted.

Notes Applicants and grantees are encouraged to also track the number of students that enroll 

in CNCS-supported mentoring programs. Tracking your program’s retention and 

attrition rates is a good performance management practice. 

For AmeriCorps State & National ONLY: The optional enrollment measure (ED3A), 

combined with this measure, will indicate how many students drop out/are retained by 

these programs.

*ED4A can be either an Agency-Wide Priority Measure or a 

Complementary Program Measure depending upon which outcome it uses.
45

Measure ED7 Number of students with no or decreased disciplinary referrals and suspensions over the 

course of the CNCS-supported program’s involvement.

Additional 

Notes

This measure is appropriate only for programs serving students with previously 

demonstrated disciplinary or suspension problems. The program should demonstrate that 

students previously had disciplinary or suspension problems and that after attending the

program, they had fewer disciplinary referrals and suspensions.
46

Measure ED8 Number of youth with decreased substance abuse, arrest, or gang involvement.

Definitions Youth: Those reported in ED1, ED2, ED3A or ED4A.

Gang involvement: May mean associating with gang members or participating in gang 

activities. 

Substance abuse: May mean use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs, including abuse 

of prescription drugs. 

Arrest: Means an action by a police officer that is called “arrest” by that law 

enforcement agency regardless of whether the arrest results in a conviction.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Measure gets at the instances of substance abuse, arrest, or gang involvement before 

and after the CNCS-supported program.

Either official police records or pre-program and post-program surveys; Pre-program 

survey should refer to at least prior year. If surveys are used, they need to be validated 

instruments. As this information is highly sensitive, the survey process is also very 

important. 

Additional 

Notes:

This measure is appropriate only for programs serving students with previously 

demonstrated substance abuse, arrest, or gang involvement problems. The program 

should demonstrate that students have had at least one of these problems in the past and 

that after attending the program, they experienced a decline in that problem.
47

Measure ED26 Number of students acquiring a GED.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: Those reported in ED1, ED2, ED3A or ED4A.

How to 

Calculate/

Measure/ 

Collect Data

GED completion records of individual students who participated in CNCS-supported 

program. 

Notes This performance indicator is best suited for CNCS-supported programs that primarily 

serve 11th and 12th graders and whose objective is promoting GED completion. 

 Can you develop a reasonable baseline or “comparison” group consisting of the 

population you plan to serve? For example, what is the typical GED completion 

rate of the population you intend to serve? This will become your comparison 

group or serve as your baseline. The youth served in your program should have 

a higher rate of GED completion than this group.

 Will you be able to set a “reach” target, the minimum anticipated percent of 

students participating in your education or mentoring program who you hope 

will acquire a GED; will the percentage you set challenge your program to reach 

that target?
48

Strategic Plan Objective 3: Post-secondary Education Support

Measure ED9 Number of students graduating from high school on time with a diploma.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: Those reported in ED1, ED2, ED3A or ED4A.

On Time: Within four years.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

School/district promotion and graduation records of individual students who 

participated in CNCS-supported program. 

Notes This performance indicator is best suited for CNCS-supported programs that primarily 

serve 11th and 12th graders and whose objective is promoting high school graduation. 

· Can you develop a reasonable baseline or “comparison” group consisting of the 

population you plan to serve? For example, what is the typical high school 

graduation rate of the population you intend to serve? This will become your 

comparison group or serve as your baseline. The youth served in your program 

should have a higher rate of high school graduation than this group.

· Will you be able to set a “reach” target, the minimum anticipated percent of 

students participating in your education or mentoring program who you hope will 

graduate from high school; will the percentage you set challenge your program to 

reach that target?
49

Measure ED10 Number of students entering post-secondary institutions.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: those reported in ED1, ED2, ED3A or ED4A.

Post-secondary institutions may include two-year and four-year colleges 

Entering: means matriculating as a full-time or part-time student. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Registration records that confirm student enrollments or self-report on follow up 

surveys. 

Notes This performance indicator is best suited for CNCS-supported programs that focus on 

preparing high school students for college.

 Can you develop a reasonable baseline or “comparison” group consisting of the 

population you plan to serve who enter post-secondary institutions? Or, what is 

the typical post-secondary school enrollment rate of the population you intend 

to serve? This will become your comparison group or serve as your baseline. 

The youth served in your program should have a higher rate of post-secondary 

school enrollment than this group.

 Will you be able to set a “reach” target, the minimum anticipated percent of 

students participating in your education or mentoring program who you hope 

will enter a post-secondary institution; will the percentage you set challenge 

your program to reach that target?
50

Measure ED11 Number of students earning a post-secondary degree.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: those reported in ED1, ED2, ED3A or ED4A.

Degree: may include an associate degree from an accredited academic program or an 

occupational or vocational program; a bachelor’s degree (ex., BA, AB, BS); a master’s 

degree (ex.: MA, MS, MEng, MEd, MSW); a professional school degree (ex.: MD, 

DDS, DVM); or a doctorate degree (ex.: PhD, EdD).

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Registration records that confirm degree was earned or self report on follow up 

surveys.

Notes This performance indicator is best suited for CNCS-supported programs that focus on 

preparing high school students for college or programs that work with students in 

college to help them succeed.

 Can you develop a reasonable baseline or “comparison” group? For example, 

of the students you plan to serve, what proportion of those who graduate from 

high school typically complete a post-secondary degree? This would be your 

comparison group or the group who do not receive your service.

 Will you be able to set a “reach” target, the minimum anticipated percent of 

students participating in your education or mentoring program who you hope 

will earn a post-secondary degree; will the percentage you set challenge your 

program to reach that target? Remember that the target you set would need to 

be higher than what occurs already in the comparison group so that you can 

show the difference that your program is making.
51

Teacher Corps 

Measure ED12 Number of CNCS-supported National Service Participants who begin serving as 

teachers through a Teacher Corps program.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Teacher: Is responsible for leading one or more classes of students in grades K-12. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Teacher Corps programs will identify the number of CNCS-supported National Service 

Participants who are working as teachers.
52

Measure ED13 Number of CNCS-supported National Service Participants who completed serving as 

teachers through a Teacher Corps program.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Number of CNCS-supported National Service Participants identified in D12 who 

completed their term of service.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Teacher Corps programs will identify the number of CNCS-supported National Service 

Participants who complete the Teacher Corps program. 
53

Measure ED14 Number of individuals teaching in high need schools during the term of service.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Individuals: Teachers counted in ED13.

High need: Any school that meets the definitions outlined in the Race to the Top 

Notice of Funding Opportunity (CFDA #:84.395A) for High Poverty School or 

Persistently Low Achieving School. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-

27427.pdf
54

Measure ED17 Number of teachers remaining in the education field, but not teaching in a school 

(school support staff, school administration, district administration policy, education 

nonprofits, etc.) after their term of service.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Teachers: CNCS-supported teachers counted in ED13

Not teaching in a school: school support staff, school administration, district 

administration policy, education non-profits, etc.

After Term of Service: refers to the school year after the term of service ends. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Follow-up survey of Teacher Corps members; program administrative records
55

Measure ED15 Number of students in CNCS-supported teacher classrooms with improved academic 

performance in literacy and/or math.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Students: The students completing the school year who are enrolled in the classes 

taught by teachers counted in ED13 and who are counted in ED2.

Improved academic performance: as measured by an improved demonstration of 

skill/knowledge at post-test as compared to pre-test (gain score) using a standardized 

instrument. Many standardized test instruments provide expected levels of improvement 

for particular starting points. Those would be the most appropriate improvement levels 

for programs to select. Programs may request a post-test only assessment option that 

would count as “improved” only those students who perform at grade level on the posttest. Only those programs that demonstrate they are serving below grade level students 

and that demonstrate a sufficient reason for not conducting a pre-test/post-test may 

request this option.

Standardized test/instrument: has been validated externally on a randomly-selected 

population of students; may be a state, standardized test or other standardized test.
56

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Programs will report the number of students from ED2 who:

(1) achieve the “gain” or amount of progress that was approved at grant award, and/or

(2) perform on grade level if the post-test only method is being used. 

Amount of progress required:

The amount of progress required to count as “improved academic performance” must be 

specified in the approved grant application. If the program is using different tests for 

different groups of children, then different amounts of progress may be specified by test. 

Some tests may specify different amounts of progress based on the pre-test results. 

Programs should select a standardized test that:

(1) measures the types of student skills/knowledge the program is trying to improve 

through its efforts, (2) is appropriate for the grade level, (3) has demonstrated validity or 

reliability for the population they are serving, and (4) is compatible with and acceptable 

to the school where the program is providing services (different tests may be used at 

different schools).

Regarding the use of state standardized tests administered by the school: These 

tests have the advantage of already being in place and having an infrastructure to 

support their use, and of course students would have taken these tests anyway. State 

standardized tests can only be used if they are administered near the end of the prior 

year and then again near the end of the current year (this will not be the case for all 

grade levels). Programs may request a post-test only assessment option that would 

count as “improved” only those students who perform at grade level on the post-test. 

Only those programs that demonstrate they are serving below grade level students and 

that demonstrate a sufficient reason for not conducting a pre-test/post-test may request 

this option. 

Obtaining test scores from school systems: 

For programs not themselves administering the test, the program will need to have some 

form of agreement, such as an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the school to 

ensure that data for the needed children can be secured. Data are needed on the group of 

children you are serving, but not on individual children. Requesting data in this way 

does not violate FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). 

These data have the disadvantage that you will not be able to count children who were 

in a different school district in the year prior to service or transfer away from the school 

during the school year unless the two school systems are within the same state and 

efforts are made to match pre-service scores in one district with post-service scores in 

another. See the Resource Packet for a suggested method of requesting the data you 

need. 

Regarding the use of other standardized tests: The test should be administered to the 

students participating in the program before they begin service and again near the end of 

the service delivery period. Some tests suggest measuring improvement at more points 

during the year. Programs should follow the instructions provided by the test they have 

selected. 
57

Measure ED18 Number of teachers who have had a positive impact on student learning as determined 

by observation-based assessments of teacher performance.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Teachers: CNCS-supported teachers counted in ED13.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Consistent with Race to the Top, this measure can be used as an optional supplement to 

academic achievement for assessing teacher effectiveness. 

Other Notes Race to the Top suggests an observation-based assessment approach to supplement 

student performance. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-27427.pdf
58

Measure ED19 Number of individuals receiving certification to teach in schools after their term of 

service.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Receiving certification: according to NCLB standard.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Follow-up survey of Teacher Corps members; program administrative records
59

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Agency-Wide Priority Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Improving Lands or Habitats

Measure EN4 Number of acres of national parks, state parks, city parks, county parks, or other public 

and tribal lands that are improved.

Definition of 

Key Terms

National parks, State parks, city parks, county parks: Park/recreation areas that are 

designated by national, state, city, or county governments (not trails or rivers; see #5)

Other public lands: Other publicly owned lands

Tribal lands: Same meaning as imparted by the definitions of “Indian Lands” and 

“Indian Tribes” provided in. SEC. 101. [42 U.S.C. 12511] Definitions 

(http://www.americorps.gov/help/ac_sn_all/ASN_Megasearch_Site.htm)

Improved: Restored to reduce human impact, removed invasive species, established 

native plants, built riparian buffers, cleared of natural debris (such as fallen trees/limbs) 

and unnatural debris (such as hazardous fuel and waste). Improvements must go 

beyond basic trash removal. 

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of number of acres that are improved. Count each acre that is improved only

once during the program year. It may be necessary to improve an acre more than once, 

but it should be counted only once. Only count the acres that are actually improved; do 

not count the entire park/land area unless your project improves the entire area. 

Tracking document, survey or acknowledgement of receipt of services from entity that 

owns or administers the area improved. 

CNCS encourages applicants and grantees to perform service with the greatest impact 

versus providing minimal impact to the highest number of acres. The applicant or 

grantee should identify a certain deficiency or serious environmental risk or describe a 

compelling problem that is well documented and propose an evidence-based 

intervention to address the problem and restore the land or habitat to a quality 

ecosystem. The evidence-base could be a governmental land management improvement 

plan if it addresses the targeted problem, and is preferably an identified priority in the 

plan, although it is preferable to also describe how the proposed intervention will return 

the targeted area to a quality environment and relevant evidence to support the value of 

the intervention. For example, while conducting seasonal maintenance may allow a 

grantee to report greater numbers of acres “improved”, it is less likely to be selected for 

funding if it does not address a compelling environmental problem, deficiency, risk or 

priority (ideally one that has been documented in a governmental land management 

improvement plan).
60

Measure EN5 Number of miles of trails or waterways (owned/maintained by national, state, county, 

city or tribal governments) that are improved, and/or created.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Trails: For walking, running, biking, or horses.

Waterways: Includes rivers, lakes and other bodies of water used for swimming, 

boating, fishing, or other forms of water-based recreation.

Improved: Restored to reduce human impact, removed invasive species, established 

native plants, built riparian buffers, cleared of natural debris (such as fallen trees/limbs) 

and unnatural debris (such as hazardous fuel and waste). Improvements must go 

beyond basic trash removal. 

Created: Implementing safety measures, making handicapped accessible, or 

environmental protection measures such as boardwalks, grading, trail-blazing, 

converting a railroad bed to a trail, etc. that make trails newly available.

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Sum of number of miles of trails and/or waterways that are improved, and/or created. 

Count each mile only once during the program year. Count the area improved on/in the 

trail/waterway and immediately next to the trail/waterway. It may be necessary to 

improve the same mile of trail/waterway more than once but include in count only 

once. If, for example, the program or project is to improve a trail, then the whole width 

of the trail that is being improved can be counted, not just the width of the fencing. If 

the lack of a trail has led to damage in the area, then the area of that restoration/repair 

work would count too.

If you measure your work in feet and not miles, you may convert square feet into 

square miles. 1 square foot = 0.0000000358700643 square miles.

As a general rule of thumb, adhere to the resource management standards for riparian 

work specified by USDA’s Natural Conservation Practice Standard “Riparian 

Herbaceous Cover”: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/Standards/nhcp.html.

Additional Criteria to Maintain or Improve Water Quality and Quantity: Minimum 

width shall be increased to 2.5 times the stream width (based on the horizontal distance 

between bank-full elevations) or 35 feet for water bodies.

CNCS encourages applicants and grantees to perform service with the greatest impact 

versus providing minimal impact to the highest number of miles. The applicant or 

grantee should identify a certain deficiency or serious environmental risk or describe a 

compelling problem that is well documented and propose an evidence-based 

intervention to address the problem and restore the trail or waterway to a quality 

ecosystem. The evidence-base could be a governmental land management improvement 

plan if it addresses the targeted problem, and is preferably an identified priority in the 

plan, although it is preferable to also describe how the proposed intervention will return 

the targeted area to a quality environment and relevant evidence to support the value of 

the intervention. For example, while conducting seasonal maintenance may allow a 

grantee to report greater numbers of miles “improved”, it is less likely to be selected for 

funding if it does not address a compelling environmental problem, deficiency, risk or 

priority (ideally one that has been documented in a governmental land management 

improvement plan).

Tracking document, survey or acknowledgement of receipt of services from entity that 

owns or administers the trail or waterways improved. 
61

Complementary Program Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 1: Improving the Energy Efficiency of Structures 

Measure EN1 Number of housing units of low-income households and structures weatherized or 

retrofitted to significantly improve energy efficiency.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Housing Unit: single family home, mobile home, apartment unit, each side of duplex 

would count as 1.

Low income: 200% of poverty or the updated level as found at: 

http://www.waptac.org/ 

Weatherization/retrofitted: See the U.S. Department of Energy. Helpful information 

can be found at the following links:

http://www.waptac.org/ or http://www.energysavers.gov/

Weatherization: Modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and costs and 

optimize energy efficiency. Whole-house weatherization includes the installation of 

modern energy-saving heating and cooling equipment and looks at how the house 

performs as a system.

Retrofit: An energy conservation measure applied to an existing building or the action 

of improving the thermal performance or maintenance of a building.

Structures: Shelters, such as homeless shelters or emergency shelters operated by 

nonprofit or public organizations; each structure would count as 1.

Significantly improve energy efficiency: Physical improvements to housing or 

building structures that improve energy-efficiency by greater than 15% compared to 

standard new units built to local building code or the unit’s existing energy efficiency, 

respectively.

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count only those units/structures where the work was fully completed as evidenced by 

a Certificate of Occupancy; where not required, get a written statement from resident or 

owner or some other certification of completion.

Additional 

Notes

U.S. Department of Energy has training programs, definitions, and tools to assist in 

these efforts. Your program is not required to exactly match the way that DOE 

provides weatherization but we encourage you to create programs that reflect “the spirit 

of” the DOE programs.

Many energy- and green-rating programs require energy reductions that meet or exceed 

the 15% energy reduction in this measure. For example, 

ENERGY STAR (ENERGY STAR-Qualified New Homes: 

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=new_homes.nh_features and 

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR for existing homes: 

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=hpwes_profiles.showSplash), 

LEED for Homes (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2135), the 

NAHB National Green Building Program (http://www.nahbgreen.org) and other energy 

and green building programs’ certifications provide measures for the level of efficiency 

that qualify towards the above 15% grouping.
62

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Improving Lands or Habitats

Measure EN6 Number of tons of materials collected and recycled.

Definition of 

Key Terms

See the following link at the Environmental Protection Agency for helpful information 

on recycling: http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/recycle.htm

1 Ton = 2,000 pounds.

Collected: Materials may be brought to your program or your program may collect 

them from places that would otherwise not benefit from free recycling programs.

Recycled: Your program may deliver them to a reputable recycling site or may recycle 

the materials directly; recycling includes a variety of techniques including composting, 

re-using, and take back programs in addition to programs typically called recycling.

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of tons of materials collected AND recycled; both steps must be performed to 

count. Use the EPA volume translator to add up the number of pounds of materials 

collected and recycled: 

http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/recmeas/docs/guide_b.pdf. Then perform the 

following calculation to get number of tons: # of pounds/2,000 = # of tons.

EPA has suggested tracking methods at: 

http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/recmeas/index.htm
63

Strategic Plan Objective 3: Improving Awareness of Environmental 

Stewardship Issues

Measure EN2 Number of low-income households home and public building energy audits conducted.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Home: single family home, mobile home, apartment unit, each side of duplex would 

count as 1.

Public building: buildings owned by public entities and used to serve the public; might 

include public schools, local/state/national government buildings.

Energy Audit: See U.S. Dept. of Energy information for suggested definition 

http://www.waptac.org/

Low income: 200% of poverty or the updated level as found at: 

http://www.waptac.org/ 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

U.S. Dept. of Energy provides some tracking tools at: 

http://www.waptac.org/Technical-Tools/Energy-Audits.aspx

May create own tracking mechanism.

Other Notes This may be the first step toward weatherization. It is an activity recommended by the 

DOE to determine what weatherization/energy improvement strategies would be best 

suited for each home/structure. Your program is not required to exactly match the way 

that DOE provides energy audits but we encourage you to create programs that reflect 

“the spirit of” the DOE programs.
64

Strategic Plan Objective 4: Formal Green Job Training

Measure EN3 Number of individuals receiving education or training in energy-efficient and 

environmentally-conscious practices, including but not limited to sustainable energy 

and other natural resources, and sustainable agriculture.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Education or Training: May be one-time or an on-going series; cannot just be 

distribution of pamphlets or information available on a web-site; should have learning 

objectives; may be in person or through a web-based interface.

Energy-efficient and environmentally conscious practices: U.S. Dept. of Energy has 

some suggested materials at http://energizedlearning.lbl.gov/

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of each individual participating in the training. Some individuals may attend 

multiple trainings but they should only be counted once. If providing the training 

through classroom training, count the individuals present not just those enrolled. If 

providing the training through a school assembly, get the best estimate from school 

officials of the number in attendance.

Sign-in or attendance sheets from education/training sessions when possible. Tracking 

needs to enable unduplicated count when possible.
65

HEALTHY FUTURES

Agency-Wide Priority Measures 

Strategic Plan Objective 1: Homebound Seniors and Disabled Individuals

Measure H8 Number of homebound OR older adults and individuals with disabilities receiving 

food, transportation, or other services that allow them to live independently.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Homebound: Individuals unable to leave their personal residence due to disability, 

injury, or age; may be a short term or long term need; for example, an individual may 

have a broken hip that prevents them from driving for a few months but after the injury 

has healed they no longer require help to live independently.

Older Adults: Individuals age 65 or older.

Individual with a Disability: An individual who has a physical or mental 

impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a 

record of such an impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment.

Receiving food, transportation, or other services: Individual should receive the 

supports needed to maintain independent living; not all individuals will require the 

same supports; may include food deliveries, legal and medical services, nutrition 

information, transportation, etc.

Live independently: Individuals live in a private residence (house, apartment, mobile 

home, etc.) rather than in an assisted living facility, nursing home, or group home. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

At the outset of the activity the grantee should indicate the “dosage,” or how many 

sessions, days or hours of the service are required to influence the desired outcomes. 

Only count clients who received some minimum “dosage” that can be expected to have 

some effect in terms of reducing social isolation. 

Count number of qualifying individuals as defined above who receive the service. 

Each individual should be counted only once. If two eligible individuals live at the 

same address, they should both be counted. If an eligible individual lives with 

someone else who is not eligible, the non-eligible individuals in the household should 

not be counted. Each individual should be counted only once during the program year 

even though most individuals are likely to need on-going support.

Grantees need to develop a tracking system to record the number of individuals 

receiving companionship services. 
66

Measure 

H9

Number of homebound OR older adults and individuals with disabilities who 

reported having increased social ties/perceived social support.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Homebound: Individuals unable to leave their personal residence due to disability, 

injury, or age; may be a short term or long term need; for example, an individual may 

have a broken hip that prevents them from driving for a few months but after the injury 

has healed they no longer require help to live independently.

Older Adults: Individuals age 65 or older.

Individual with a Disability: An individual who has a physical or mental impairment 

that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such an 

impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment.

Social ties/perceived social support: Relationships with other people and/or the belief 

that these people will offer (or have offered) effective help during times of need.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

At the outset of the activity the grantee should indicate the “dosage,” or how many 

sessions, days or hours of the service are required to influence the desired outcomes. 

Only count clients who received some minimum “dosage” that can be expected to have 

some effect in terms of reducing social isolation. 

Programs should collect data for this measure from surveys of the homebound 

older adults/individuals with disabilities who received companionship services or a 

survey of a family member or caseworker for those unable to respond to a survey 

themselves.

Grantees are encouraged to use the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement 

Study Survey which is available free of charge. The link to the resource is listed 

below. The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) surveys more 

than 22,000 Americans over the age of 50 every two years. Supported by the National 

Institute on Aging (NIA U01AG009740) and the Social Security Administration, the 

HRS is a large-scale longitudinal project that studies the labor force participation and 

health transitions that individuals undergo toward the end of their work lives and in the 

years that follow. Health and Retirement Study data products are available without 

cost to researchers and analysts; certain Conditions of Use apply. Registration is 

required in order to download files. 

HRS http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/index.php

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search 

for performance measurement tools that CNCS has developed for volunteer and 

service programs.
67

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Reducing Childhood Obesity and Increasing 

Access to Nutritious Food

Measure H10 Number of individuals receiving emergency food from food banks, food pantries, or 

other nonprofit organizations.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Emergency food: “Emergency” food assistance is not meant to designate routine help 

in meeting a family’s needs. The emergency may be experienced by the family 

personally, such as their house burning down, or it may be experienced by the 

community more broadly, such as a natural disaster.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of unduplicated individuals for whom the distributed food is intended. Should 

only be counted the first time they are served. 

All members of a family should be counted. For example, if the food is given to an 

individual to bring home to a family of “4” including the individual, then the count is 

“4” rather than “1”.

Client tracking database or tracking form.
68

Measure H11 Number of individuals receiving support, services, education and/or referrals to 

alleviate long-term hunger.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Long-term hunger: refers to the USDA’s definition of “low food security” or “very

low food security” See 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/labels.htm#labels

Support, services, education, or referrals: helps qualifying individuals access food, 

provides nutritional services, education and life skills to alleviate the food insecurity 

experienced by the individual/family. May include community garden programs. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

At the outset of the activity the grantee should indicate the “dosage,” or how many 

sessions, days or hours of the service are required to influence the desired outcomes. 

Only count clients who received some minimum “dosage” that can be expected to have 

some effect in terms of alleviating hunger. 

Service requires an engagement with the individual in person, by phone, or through a 

web-interface. Pamphlets, brochures, or web-based information that does not involve a 

human interaction is not sufficient.

Count of unduplicated individuals receiving the support, services, education or referrals 

as a result of the grantee’s activities. If more than one method of delivery is used (e.g., 

a group-level interaction followed by an individual-level interaction), count the 

individual only once. Only count individuals directly engaged in the service. 

Grantee client tracking database or tracking forms or logs of interactions with clients. 

Other Notes Programs may not focus their services solely on providing referrals to Federal 

assistance programs.
69

Measure

H12

Number of individuals that reported increased food security of themselves and their 

children (household food security) as a result of CNCS-supported services.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Food security: “Access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all 

household members. Food security includes at a minimum: (1) the ready availability of

nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable

foods in socially acceptable ways (e.g., without resorting to emergency food supplies,

scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies).” USDA, 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/labels.htm#labels

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Data collection for H12 will be based on a survey of the adult family member who 

received the food services. See the CNCS Resource Center, 

www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for performance measurement tools 

that CNCS has developed for volunteer and service programs. 

Survey questions could be modeled after those used to assess household food security 

for the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. The Household Food

Security Survey is administered annually as a supplement to the Monthly Current 

Population Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The questionnaire includes 

about conditions and behaviors known to characterize households having

difficulty meeting basic food needs. 

The report on Household Food Security in the United States (2007) measures the food 

security status of households by determining “the number of food-insecure conditions 

and behaviors the household reports. Households are classified as food secure if they 

report no food insecure conditions or if they report only one or two food-insecure 

conditions. (Food-insecure conditions are indicated by responses of “often” or 

“sometimes” to questions 1-3 and 11-13, “almost every month” or “some months but 

not every month” to questions 5, 10, and 17, and “yes” to the other questions.) They are 

classified as food insecure if they report three or more food-insecure conditions.” The 

referenced question items can be found in the report: 

www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR66/ERR66b.pdf

Two different approaches to administering the survey could be used. 

(1) “Pre/post” questionnaire. The same questionnaire would be administered to the 

adult family member at the beginning of the education/training program. The 

questionnaire would ask about the food security of the adults and children in the 

household. The same questionnaire would be administered three to six months after 

completion of the education/training. 

(2) Post-program questionnaire only. Three to six months after completion of 

receiving the education/training, a questionnaire would be administered to the adult 

family member asking about a) the current level of food security of the adults and 

children in the household and b) their level of food security prior to receiving the 

service. The questions would address the same topics as those in the pre/post 

questionnaire but reworded to ask separately about current and prior food security.

Survey responses can be analyzed to calculate the differences in the number and 

percent of respondents who reported being food insecure prior to receiving the service 

and after receiving the service. Each individual should be surveyed only once 

regardless of the number or type of different services (e.g., education/training, 

counseling) received during the year. 
70

Complementary Program Measures 

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Reducing Childhood Obesity and Increasing 

Access to Nutritious Food

Measure H5 Number of children and youth engaged in in-school or afterschool physical education 

activities with the purpose of reducing childhood obesity.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Children and youth must be enrolled in elementary, middle, or high school programs 

within a public, charter, private, or home-school arrangement.

Physical education activities must be in addition to regular activities that would have 

been provided by the school or afterschool program (cannot supplant existing 

activities). One goal of the physical activity should be to reduce or prevent childhood 

obesity.

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of the number of children actively participating in the activities. Not just the 

number enrolled or even the number attending, but rather the number who engage in 

the activities. Count each child only once.
71

Measure H6 Number of children and youth receiving nutrition education with the purpose of 

reducing childhood obesity.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Children and youth must be enrolled in elementary, middle, or high school programs 

within a public, charter, private, or home-school arrangement.

Nutrition education must be in addition to what they would have regularly received as 

part of planned school curriculum or afterschool activity (cannot supplant existing 

activities). The education should be appropriate to the grade level. 

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of the number of children attending the nutrition education sessions. If delivered 

to a classroom, count the number of children in attendance that day (not the enrollment 

of children in the classroom). Every effort should be made to count each child only 

once. If the nutrition education program includes multiple topics or sessions, count 

each child once.
72

Strategic Plan Objective 3: Preventive and Primary Health Care

Measure H1 Number of individuals who are uninsured, economically disadvantaged, medically 

underserved, or living in rural areas utilizing preventive and primary health care 

services and programs. 

Definition of 

Key Terms

Uninsured: An individual lacks insurance coverage. (This definition is consistent with 

the National Health Information Survey (NHIS). 

Economically disadvantaged: Meet income eligibility criteria for Medicaid or SCHIP 

in the state where the individual/family accessing services resides; do not have to meet 

other eligibility criteria.

Medically underserved: An individual who lives in a medically underserved area or is 

a member of a medically underserved population, as defined by HHS. HHS makes

these designations to identify areas and population groups with a shortage of primary 

care health services. The criteria for these designations include indicators of health 

status, ability to pay for and access to health services, and availability of health 

professionals. (per the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)). Programs 

may also provide justification for other medically underserved populations.

Healthcare services: Accessible, comprehensive, continuous, and coordinated care to 

preserve health and prevent, treat or manage disease or infirmity, provided and 

consistently available in the context of family and community.

Preventive health care services: Preventive health behavior is "any activity 

undertaken by an individual who (believed to be) healthy for the purpose of preventing 

or detecting illness in an asymptomatic state" (Kasl and Cobb 1966, p.246). 

Primary health care: The concept of primary health care was defined by the World 

Health Organization in 1978 as both a level of health service delivery and an approach 

to health care practice. Primary care, as the provision of essential health care, is the 

basis of a health care system. This is in contrast to secondary health care, which is 

consultative, short term, and disease oriented for the purpose of assisting the primary 

care practitioner.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count unduplicated new individuals who actually use the preventive and primary 

health care services and programs, as a result of the grantee’s activities.

Grantee records that are follow-up data on clients referred to health care services and 

programs. Requires grantee to follow-up with client.
73

Measure H2 Number of clients to whom information on health insurance, health care access and 

health benefits programs is delivered.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Health insurance: Risk arrangement that assures financial coverage for a defined 

range of health care services, known as benefits, only if these are required. Coverage is 

offered to an individual or group in exchange for regular payments (premiums paid 

regardless of use of benefits) by a licensed third party (not a health care provider) or 

entity, usually an insurance company or government agency that pays for medical 

services but does not receive or provide health care services. 

Preventive health care services: Preventive health behavior is "any activity 

undertaken by an individual who is (believed to be) healthy for the purpose of 

preventing or detecting illness in an asymptomatic state" (Kasl and Cobb 1966, p.246). 

In the context of healthcare services this may include the provision of a range of 

activities such as immunizations, family planning, and health/wellness education. More 

broadly this includes individuals engaging in lifestyle changes (e.g., nutrition, exercise) 

to help mitigate risk of disease.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

The information may be delivered using methods such as individual-level interactions, 

group-level interactions, hotlines, clearinghouses, etc. 

Count unduplicated new individuals who are provided with information, as a result of 

the grantee’s activities. If more than one method of delivery is used (e.g., a group-level 

interaction followed by an individual-level interaction), count the client only once. 

Grantee reports and logs of interactions with clients.
74

Measure H3 Number of clients enrolled in health insurance, health services, and health benefits 

programs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Enrolled: Newly enrolled as a result of grantee activities. Clients may or may not have 

existing health insurance, or previous use of health services and health benefits 

programs. 

Health insurance: Risk arrangement that assures financial coverage for a defined 

range of health care services, known as benefits, only if these are required. Coverage is 

offered to an individual or group in exchange for regular payments (premiums paid 

regardless of use of benefits) by a licensed third party (not a health care provider) or 

entity, usually an insurance company or government agency that pays for medical 

services but does not receive or provide health care services. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

The new unduplicated clients that were ultimately enrolled in a health insurance, health 

services, or health benefits program. Count each client only once. For example, 

enrolling a client in health insurance and then enrolling that same client in a health 

service would count as one client.

Grantee records or data (application and follow-up) on client enrollment and health 

insurance status.
75

Measure H4 Number of clients participating in health education programs.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Health education program: “Any planned combination of learning experiences 

designed to predispose, enable, and reinforce voluntary behavior conducive to health in 

individuals, groups or communities.” (Green, LW and Kreuter, MW. Health Promotion 

Planning: An Educational and Ecological Approach, 3rd ed. Mountain View, CA: 

Mayfield Publishing Company; 1999.) An educational process by which the public

health system conveys information to the community regarding community health 

status, health care needs, positive health behaviors and health care policy issues. 

(National Public Health Performance Standards Project.) 

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count unduplicated new clients who participate in the grantee’s health education 

program. If the health education program has multiple sessions, topics, etc., count the 

client once. Do not count clients by number of sessions. For example, if a health 

education program meets once a month for one year, and has 12 participants who 

complete, then only report 12 (not 144).

Grantee collects data on clients attending each session. Logs, case management 

systems, etc.
76

Measure H7 Number of clients receiving language translation services at clinics and in emergency 

rooms.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Clinic: Any medical facility or establishment where medical services are provided, and 

where more than one medical specialty is practiced. This may include public health 

clinics, hospitals, etc.

Emergency rooms: Located in hospitals or care facilities and handle cases that require 

immediate attention.

Translation: Includes both written and verbal, interpretive services to help patients not 

fluent in English writing and/or speaking better communicate their medical needs and 

understand their medical instructions.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count unduplicated new clients who receive the language translation services. If an 

encounter involves more than one person (e.g., family members), count each individual 

separately. 

Grantee collects data on clients who received translation services at clinics or 

emergency rooms. Logs, case management systems, etc.
77

VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES

Agency-Wide Priority Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 1: Veterans Served

Measure V1 Number of veterans that received CNCS-supported assistance.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Veteran: “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who 

was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” 

section 101 of title 38,23 United States Code, 

http://veterans.house.gov/sites/republicans.veterans.house.gov/files/documents/

Title%2038-SCRAPrint3.pdf

CNCS-supported assistance: A variety of different supports that enhance the quality 

of life of veterans, military members, and their families, including:

 Coordinate community needs for military families during pre-deployment, 

deployment, and reintegration.

 Promote community-based efforts to meet the unique needs of military families 

while a family member is deployed and upon that family member’s return 

home.

 Recruit veterans for national service and volunteer opportunities, including 

opportunities that utilize their military experience, such as disaster response 

projects.

 Assist veterans with access to educational benefits and services.

 Develop educational opportunities for veterans, including opportunities for 

professional certification, licensure, or other credentials.

 Coordinate activities with and assist State and local agencies that provide 

veterans with educational benefits.

 Assist veterans with access to employment benefits and services. 

 Coordinate activities with and assist agencies that serve veterans and military 

families with internships and fellowships that may lead to employment in the 

private and public sectors.

 Assist veterans and active-duty military to access state and federal benefits.

 Promote efforts within a community to serve the needs of veterans and activeduty military.

 Assist veterans to file benefits claims.

 Mentor military children.

 Develop mentoring relationships between veterans and economically 

disadvantaged students.

 Assist veterans with transportation. 

 Develop projects to assist veterans with disabilities, veterans who are 

unemployed, older veterans, and veterans in rural communities with 
78

transportation and other supportive services.

 Provide veterans with legal assistance, assistance accessing mental healthcare, 

and assistance accessing affordable housing.

Assistance cannot simply be referrals to federal services without supplementary 

assistance.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of veterans receiving services or assistance from the CNCSsupported program. Regardless of the number of times the veteran returns for services 

or the number of different services the veteran may receive from the CNCS-supported 

program, each veteran should be counted only once per grant year.

Requires a tracking system appropriate to the service. Sign-in sheet, database tracking 

system, etc.
79

Measure V7 Number of family members of active duty military service members that received 

CNCS-supported assistance.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Active duty military service member: The term ‘‘active duty’’ means

“Full-time duty in the active military service of the United States, including the United 

States Army, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, the United States 

Marine Corps, and the United States Coast Guard. This includes members of the 

Reserve Component serving on active duty or full-time training duty, but does not 

include full-time National Guard duty.” (Department of Defense Dictionary of Military 

and Associated Terms, As Amended Through 15 May 2011. 

http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf). CNCS considers National Guard 

members and reservists and wounded warriors sub-groups of active duty military 

service members for the purposes of grant applications and performance measure 

reporting.

Family members: Immediate family members related by blood, marriage, or adoption 

to a current member of the U.S. armed forces including one who was deceased. 

CNCS-supported assistance: A variety of different supports that enhance the 

quality of life of veterans, military members, and their families, including:

 Coordinate community needs for military families during pre-deployment, 

deployment, and reintegration.

 Promote community-based efforts to meet the unique needs of military families 

while a family member is deployed and upon that family member’s return 

home.

 Recruit veterans for national service and volunteer opportunities, including 

opportunities that utilize their military experience, such as disaster response 

projects.

 Assist veterans with access to educational benefits and services.

 Develop educational opportunities for veterans, including opportunities for 

professional certification, licensure, or other credentials.

 Coordinate activities with and assist State and local agencies that provide 

veterans with educational benefits.

 Assist veterans with access to employment benefits and services. 

 Coordinate activities with and assist agencies that serve veterans and military 

families with internships and fellowships that may lead to employment in the 

private and public sectors.

 Assist veterans and active-duty military to access state and federal benefits.

 Promote efforts within a community to serve the needs of veterans and activeduty military.

 Assist veterans to file benefits claims.

 Mentor military children.

 Develop mentoring relationships between veterans and economically 

disadvantaged students.

 Assist veterans with transportation. 

 Develop projects to assist veterans with disabilities, veterans who are 

unemployed, older veterans, and veterans in rural communities with 

transportation and other supportive services.
80

 Provide veterans with legal assistance, assistance accessing mental healthcare, 

and assistance accessing affordable housing.

Assistance cannot simply be referrals to federal services without supplementary 

assistance.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of family members receiving services or assistance from the 

CNCS-supported program. Count is based on the member of the family who is an 

active duty military service member. Services may be provided to the family as a 

group or to individual members but each family member, even if they are part of the 

same military family, should receive a count of “1”. Regardless of the number of times 

the family member returns for services or the number of different services the family 

member may receive from the CNCS-supported program, each family member should 

be counted only once per grant year.

Services may include referrals to federally supported military services but cannot be 

exclusively referrals/education about those services. Services may be provided in 

person, on the phone, or by email. 

Requires a tracking system appropriate to the service. Sign-in sheet, database tracking 

system, etc.
81

Measure V8 Number of veterans’ family members that received CNCS-supported assistance.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Veteran: “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who 

was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” 

section 101 of title 38,23 United States Code, 

http://veterans.house.gov/sites/republicans.veterans.house.gov/files/documents/

Title%2038-SCRAPrint3.pdf

Family members: Immediate family members related by blood, marriage, or 

adoption to a veteran of the U.S. armed forces, including one who is deceased.

CNCS-supported assistance: could be a variety of different supports to help the 

veterans’ family members have a higher quality of life, but cannot simply be referrals 

to federal services without supplementary assistance. The assistance may be delivered 

by phone, e-mail, or in person. It may be delivered individually or as a group.

CNCS-supported assistance: A variety of different supports that enhance the quality 

of life of veterans, military members, and their families, including:

 Coordinate community needs for military families during pre-deployment, 

deployment, and reintegration.

 Promote community-based efforts to meet the unique needs of military families 

while a family member is deployed and upon that family member’s return 

home.

 Recruit veterans for national service and volunteer opportunities, including 

opportunities that utilize their military experience, such as disaster response 

projects.

 Assist veterans with access to educational benefits and services.

 Develop educational opportunities for veterans, including opportunities for 

professional certification, licensure, or other credentials.

 Coordinate activities with and assist State and local agencies that provide 

veterans with educational benefits.

 Assist veterans with access to employment benefits and services. 

 Coordinate activities with and assist agencies that serve veterans and military 

families with internships and fellowships that may lead to employment in the 

private and public sectors.

 Assist veterans and active-duty military to access state and federal benefits.

 Promote efforts within a community to serve the needs of veterans and activeduty military.

 Assist veterans to file benefits claims.

 Mentor military children.

 Develop mentoring relationships between veterans and economically 

disadvantaged students.

 Assist veterans with transportation. 

 Develop projects to assist veterans with disabilities, veterans who are 

unemployed, older veterans, and veterans in rural communities with 

transportation and other supportive services.

 Provide veterans with legal assistance, assistance accessing mental healthcare, 

and assistance accessing affordable housing.
82

Assistance cannot simply be referrals to federal services without supplementary 

assistance.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of family members receiving services or assistance from the 

CNCS-supported program. Regardless of the number of times the family member 

returns for services or the number of different services the family member may receive 

from the CNCS-supported program, each family member should be counted only once 

per grant year.

Requires a tracking system appropriate to the service. Sign-in sheet, database tracking 

system, etc.
83

Measure V9 Number of active duty military service members that received CNCS-supported 

assistance.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Active duty military service member: The term ‘‘active duty’’ means

“Full-time duty in the active military service of the United States, including the United 

States Army, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, the United States 

Marine Corps, and the United States Coast Guard. This includes members of the 

Reserve Component serving on active duty or full-time training duty, but does not 

include full-time National Guard duty.” (Department of Defense Dictionary of Military 

and Associated Terms, As Amended Through 15 May 2011. 

http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf). CNCS considers National Guard 

members and reservists and wounded warriors sub-groups of active duty military 

service members for the purposes of grant applications and performance measure 

reporting.

CNCS-supported assistance: A variety of different supports that enhance the quality 

of life of veterans, military members, and their families, including:

 Coordinate community needs for military families during pre-deployment, 

deployment, and reintegration.

 Promote community-based efforts to meet the unique needs of military families 

while a family member is deployed and upon that family member’s return 

home.

 Recruit veterans for national service and volunteer opportunities, including 

opportunities that utilize their military experience, such as disaster response 

projects.

 Assist veterans with access to educational benefits and services.

 Develop educational opportunities for veterans, including opportunities for 

professional certification, licensure, or other credentials.

 Coordinate activities with and assist State and local agencies that provide 

veterans with educational benefits.

 Assist veterans with access to employment benefits and services. 

 Coordinate activities with and assist agencies that serve veterans and military 

families with internships and fellowships that may lead to employment in the 

private and public sectors.

 Assist veterans and active-duty military to access state and federal benefits.

 Promote efforts within a community to serve the needs of veterans and activeduty military.

 Assist veterans to file benefits claims.

 Mentor military children.

 Develop mentoring relationships between veterans and economically 

disadvantaged students.

 Assist veterans with transportation. 

 Develop projects to assist veterans with disabilities, veterans who are 

unemployed, older veterans, and veterans in rural communities with 

transportation and other supportive services.

 Provide veterans with legal assistance, assistance accessing mental healthcare, 

and assistance accessing affordable housing.

Assistance cannot simply be referrals to federal services without supplementary 
84

assistance.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of active duty military service members receiving services or 

assistance from the CNCS-supported program. Regardless of the number of times the 

military service member returns for services or the number of different services the 

military service member may receive from the CNCS-supported program, each military 

service member should be counted only once per grant year.

Requires a tracking system appropriate to the service. Sign-in sheet, database tracking 

system, etc.
85

Strategic Plan Objective 2: Veterans Engaged in Service

Measure V2 Number of veterans engaged in service opportunities as a National Service Participant 

or volunteer

Definition of 

Key Terms

Veterans: See definition under V1.

Engaged in: Not simply enrolled or signed up to participate; program should set a 

minimum level at start of year for what “engaged in” means and then count based on 

that level. 

Service opportunities: Helping others through actions including but not limited to: 

disaster services assistance; education services (including tutoring and mentoring); 

environmental stewardship and conservation; independent living; housing, financial 

services or employment assistance (including training and/or job placement services); 

and access to health care services (mental health and/or family supports). The 

assistance may be provided to other veterans, people within the military community or 

external to it.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of veterans (who are either National Service Participants or are 

recruited as volunteers) participating in service opportunities either directly sponsored 

by the CNCS-supported project or for which the CNCS-supported project acted as a 

direct connection between the veteran and the service opportunity. Regardless of how 

many times the veteran participates or in how many different service opportunities, 

each veteran should only be counted once. It is suggested that service hours be tracked 

as well.

Aligned outcome may focus on benefits to the veterans, benefits to the population they 

are serving, or both.

If the veteran is engaged in a CNCS-sponsored opportunity, s/he should sign in on a 

tracking sheet. If it is an opportunity to serve through another organization, proof of 

service may be documented by a letter from the organization indicating the veteran’s 

level of service or a tracking sheet from that organization.
86

Measure V10 Number of military family members engaged in service opportunities as a National 

Service Participant or volunteer

Definition of 

Key Terms

Military family members: Immediate family members related by blood, marriage, or 

adoption to a current member of the U.S. armed forces including one who was 

deceased. 

Active duty military service member: See definition under V7.

Engaged in: Not simply enrolled or signed up to participate; program should set a 

minimum level at start of year for what “engaged in” means and then count based on 

that level. 

Service opportunities: Helping others through actions including but not limited to: 

disaster services assistance; education services (including tutoring and mentoring); 

environmental stewardship and conservation; independent living; housing, financial 

services or employment assistance (including training and/or job placement services); 

and access to health care services (mental health and/or family supports). The 

assistance may be provided to veterans, other people within the military community or 

external to it.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of military family members (who are either National Service 

Participants or are recruited as volunteers) participating in service opportunities either 

directly sponsored by the CNCS-supported project or for which the CNCS-supported 

project acted as a direct connection between the military family member and the 

service opportunity. Regardless of how many times the military family member 

participates or in how many different service opportunities, each military family 

member should only be counted once. It is suggested that service hours be tracked as 

well.

Aligned outcome may focus on benefits to the military family member, benefits to the 

population they are serving, or both.

If the military family member is engaged in a CNCS-sponsored opportunity, s/he 

should sign in on a tracking sheet. If it is an opportunity to serve through another 

organization, proof of service may be documented by a letter from the organization 

indicating the military family member’s level of service or a tracking sheet from that 

organization.
87

Complementary Program Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 1: Veterans Served

Measure V3 Number of veterans assisted in pursuing educational opportunities.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Veterans: See definition under V1.

Assisted in: Does not include educational counseling or referrals; service must result in 

enrollment of veteran in an educational program.

Pursuing educational opportunities: Enrollment in GED, post-secondary programs, 

proprietary schools, certification programs (including on-line educational 

opportunities) as indicated in the GI Bill 

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_info/programs.htm#IHL and at institutions approved 

by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs 

http://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub/buildSearchInstitutionCriteria.do

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of veterans (beneficiaries of service, not members) enrolling in an 

approved educational program. It may be necessary to assist the same veteran more 

than once but each individual should be counted only once during the program year.

Proof of school enrollment and grantee service tracking documents.
88

Measure V4 Number of veterans assisted in receiving professional certification, licensure, or 

credentials.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Veterans: see definition under V1.

Assisted in: Helping the veteran stay in school, earn passing grades, and achieve the 

certification, licensure, credentials, or degree. 

Receiving professional certification, licensure, credentials: licensing board, degree 

granting authority, credentialing organization, etc. certifies that the veteran has 

successfully completed their educational program.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of veterans (beneficiaries of service, not members) successfully 

completing their educational program. A single veteran may complete more than one 

educational program during the year but each individual should be counted only once 

during the program year.

Official copy of educational attainment (transcript, diploma, etc.) and grantee service 

tracking documents.
89

Measure V6 Number of housing units developed, repaired, or otherwise made available for veterans.

Definition of 

Key Terms

Veterans: See definition under V1.

Housing unit: A single-family home (including a mobile home if permanently 

placed), an apartment, or a room in a group home for people with disabilities.

Develop: Build new or substantially rehabilitate a unit was uninhabitable or soon 

would have become so. Involves replacing major systems such as the roof, the 

plumbing, the wiring, the foundation, or elevating the unit as required by a flood plain 

standard. 

Repair: A more modest level of physical work on the unit, such as weatherizing, 

painting, replacing appliances. 

Can use dollar cut-off to distinguish “developed” from “repaired” (e.g., 30K/unit) or 

can distinguish by whether major systems are replaced. Dollar cut-off would require 

valuing volunteer labor, distinguishing between skilled trades and other workers. 

Otherwise made available: Activities that make available through improved access a 

housing unit that is in the housing stock and likely to remain habitable. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Unduplicated count of housing units developed, repaired, or otherwise made available 

as defined here for veterans. This count indicates that the work has been completed to 

make the units available but they may or may not have been occupied. 

Inspection report, certificate of occupancy, or other verification from an external 

agency that the work was completed.
90

CAPACITY BUILDING

Goal 3 Capacity Building Performance Measures

Through Goal 3 of the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan, CNCS seeks to strengthen its collective capacity 

and that of the national service network to measure performance and evaluate program outcomes and 

impact. National service has always been a vehicle for public-private partnership through match 

requirements and strategies requiring local collaboration to receive our resources. 

The performance measures herein are intended to measure the impact of capacity building activities 

that leverage private investment in community solutions. These capacity building activities may be 

provided by national service participants working through our grantees and programs. 

Examples of both planning and implementation of capacity building activities are included in a 

Strategic Plan Framework for Capacity Building companion document that is available at the CNCS 

Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org. That framework, and the standard National 

Performance Measures for capacity building included in this document, should not be construed to 

represent the full universe of activities that could be associated within a given area of capacity 

building. 

As a general rule, CNCS considers capacity building activities to be indirect services that enable 

CNCS-supported organizations to provide more, better and sustained direct services. To determine 

whether assigned national service participants’ activities qualify as capacity building, think about the 

intended results of those activities. Applicants must understand and distinguish activities that build 

capacity. Capacity building activities cannot be solely intended to support the administration or 

operations of the organization. Capacity building activities must: 

1) Be intended to support or enhance the program delivery model. 

2) Respond to the organization’s goal of increasing, expanding or enhancing services in order to 

address the most pressing needs identified in the community, and 

3) Enable the organization to provide a sustained level of more or better direct services after the 

national service participant’s term of service has ended.
91

Definition of Key Terms

Aligned Outcome Measures: AmeriCorps programs are required to have at least one outcome 

measure aligned with each output measure they select. The opt-in rules (in blue boxes before the 

measures) provide guidance to applicants by indicating the required or recommended pairing, or 

alignment, of output and outcome measures. The rules also denote any constraints that may apply to 

reporting of performance measurement data to CNCS.

Applicant-Determined Performance Measure: Output and outcome measures that are identified by 

the program (vs. pre-determined national performance measures).

Capacity Building: A set of activities that expand the scale, reach, efficiency, or effectiveness of 

programs and organizations. Activities may also leverage resources for programs and/or 

organizations. For example, capacity building activities may expand services, enhance delivery of 

services, or generate additional resources. These activities achieve lasting positive outcomes for the 

beneficiary populations served by CNCS-supported organizations. 

CNCS’ six Focus Areas: The 2009 Serve America Act directs CNCS to focus national service on a 

core set of six priority issue areas, as follows: Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, 

Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures and Veterans and Military Families. 

CNCS-Supported Organization: Comprises a) organizations that have national service participants 

(AmeriCorps, VISTA and NCCC members, Senior Corps volunteers and Learn and Serve 

participants) and, b) organizations that receive CNCS funding. This may include K-12 local 

education agencies, state health agencies, other non-federal government agencies, tribes and tribal 

governments, tax-exempt, charitable organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

Code, grantees and their sub grantees, and partner organizations with which the aforementioned 

organizations have developed formal collaborations and whose mission supports CNCS issue areas. 

Community Volunteer: Citizens or residents in the community who are recruited and/or managed 

by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned national service participant(s) to offer time, 

knowledge, skills, and expertise for free to support the CNCS-supported program or organization. 

Community volunteers differ from national service participants in that they are under no formal 

obligation to provide a specified amount of assistance (e.g., as measured by service hours), and said 

volunteers are not enrolled in a national service program. Also referred to as “leveraged volunteers.”

Direct Service: Within the context of our framework, direct service refers to any form of assistance 

provided directly to the individuals, targeted groups and communities that make up the beneficiary 

population. For example, direct service may entail face-to-face housing assistance, tutoring, or 

disaster response services. Direct service may also entail hands-on environmental improvements 

performed by national service participants. 

Effectiveness: Improved ability of the organization to achieve outcomes resulting in better success 

rates or better quality of outcomes achieved.
92

Efficiency: Improved outcomes with the same level of resources; improved or consistent quality of 

services with fewer resources.

Indirect Service: Within the context of our framework, indirect service refers to the provision of 

skills, abilities, knowledge, and efforts to support a program or organization in fulfilling its primary 

mission, obligations and programming. For example, indirect services do not involve the one-to-one 

provision of benefits between a national service participant and a member of the beneficiary 

community. Indirect services are capacity building activities provided by the national service 

participants to affect institutional change within CNCS-supported organizations with the intention of 

supporting or enhancing the program delivery model. 

Intermediary or Intermediary Organization: Within the context of our framework, an 

intermediary or intermediary organization coordinates the fundraising, logistics, and operations for 

multiple partner organizations or their own service sites. The intermediary organization typically has 

a primary mission to strengthen partner organizations and their programs. This may include grant 

making organizations.

Leveraged Resources: Additional resources or assets garnered through capacity building activities 

(such as funding, volunteers, in-kind support, and partnerships).

National Performance Measure: Common outputs and outcomes that are pre-determined by CNCS. 

For information on specific measures, see 2012 National Performance Measures: Performance 

Measures Instructions and National Performance Measurement Instrument Packets located at the 

Resource Center: http://nationalserviceresources.org/national-performance-measures/home. 

National service participant: Refers to the individuals supported by CNCS who carry out service 

activities. CNCS’ various programs refer to people who participate in national service in different 

ways, e.g. AmeriCorps members, Learn and Serve America participants and Senior Corps volunteers. 

The broad term “national service participant” encompasses individuals in all CNCS programs. 

National service participants are NOT staff members of the CNCS-supported organization.

Outcome Measures: An assessment of the results of a program activity compared to its intended 

purpose (GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, SEC. 3 (h) DEFINITIONS). In the context of service, 

outcomes describe the intended result of carrying out a program or activity. They define an event or 

condition that is external to the program or activity and that is of direct importance to the intended 

beneficiaries and/or the public. 

Intermediate-outcomes specify changes that have occurred in the lives of national service 

participants and/or beneficiaries, but are short of a significant benefit for them. 

End-outcomes specify changes that have occurred in the lives of national service participants 

and/or beneficiaries that are significant and lasting. End outcomes are the long term impact of 

the service and may not always become evident until more than three years after the initial 

intervention.
93

Output Measures: The tabulation, calculation, or recording of activity or effort that can be 

expressed in a quantitative or qualitative manner (GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, SEC. 3 (h) 

DEFINITIONS). In the context of service, outputs refer to the internal activities of a program (i.e., 

the products and services delivered). Outputs are counts of the amount of service that national service 

participants (NSPs) or volunteers have completed, but do not provide information on benefits to or 

other changes in the lives of NSPs and/or beneficiaries.

Scale/ Reach: The scope of a program’s services. Increased scale/reach can be measures by the 

number of new people served, new populations served, and/ or new or expanded services. 

Supporting / Enhancing the Program Delivery Model: Specifies that the services provided by the 

CNCS-supported organization or the national service participant engaged in the capacity building 

activity must be for the intended purpose of supporting or enhancing the CNCS-supported program 

delivery model. Said capacity building activities cannot be solely intended to support the 

administration or operations of the organization.

Sustainability: Within the context of our framework, sustainability is a lasting outcome of the 

capacity building activity or intervention. This may include maintaining service after the CNCS 

resource is gone, maintaining enhanced or increased services after the CNCS resource is gone, or 

both. Sustainable projects and programs have institutional procedures, resources and processes that 

assure the continuation of expanded or enhanced beneficiary services. 

Underserved Populations: Populations or groups that are specifically identified by the program as 

in need of program services or that currently receive inadequate service.
94

Agency-Wide Priority Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 3: Leverage community assets through publicprivate partnerships

Measure 

G3-3.1

Number of community volunteers recruited by CNCS-supported organizations 

or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Community volunteers: Citizens or residents in the community who are 

recruited and/or managed by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned 

national service participant(s) to offer time, knowledge, skills, and expertise for 

free to support the CNCS-supported program or organization. Community 

volunteers differ from national service participants in that they are under no 

formal obligation to provide a specified amount of assistance (e.g., as measured by 

service hours), and said volunteers are not enrolled in a national service 

program. Also referred to as “leveraged volunteers.”

Recruited: Enlisted or enrolled as a direct result of an intentional effort to do 

so.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only count community volunteers that were specifically recruited by the CNCSsupported organization or the national service participant engaged in the 

capacity building activity for the intended purpose of supporting or enhancing 

the program delivery model may be counted. At the outset of the activity, the 

applicant/grantee should indicate a minimum number of days or hours, or other 

units of service, that must be performed by the individual in order for him or her 

to be counted as a recruited volunteer.

The organization must use some form of volunteer management system, having 

processes or capabilities that allow them to track information about individual 

volunteers such as but not limited to: the volunteer’s name, relevant 

demographic information including location of residence, method of 

recruitment, participation in orientation and/or training activities, planned and 

actual role, assignment(s) or activities, start and end dates of service, and hours 

served related to the program that the capacity building activities were intended 

to support or enhance. 

The total number of volunteers recruited (G3-3.1) and managed (G3-3.2) should 

be an unduplicated count of community volunteers engaged by the CNCSsupported organization or the national service participant during the program

year. Applicants/grantees should control for double counting or select the 

measure that best fits your program model.

Report a separate count of community volunteers recruited for each of the six 

Focus Areas.
95

Other Note National service participants may not recruit volunteers to do activities that they 

themselves are prohibited from doing, including but not limited to managing the 

CNCS-supported projects/grants or community organizing intended to promote 

advocacy activities.
96

Measure 

G3-3.2

Number of community volunteers managed by CNCS-supported organizations 

or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Community volunteers: Citizens or residents in the community who are 

recruited and/or managed by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned 

national service participant(s) to offer time, knowledge, skills, and expertise for 

free to support the CNCS-supported program or organization. Community 

volunteers differ from national service participants in that they are under no 

formal obligation to provide a specified amount of assistance (e.g., as measured by 

service hours), and said volunteers are not enrolled in a national service 

program. Also referred to as “leveraged volunteers.”

Managed: Includes training, direction, coordination and supervision of the 

community volunteer by the CNCS-supported organization or national service 

participant in tasks, duties and services for the intended purpose of supporting 

or enhancing the program delivery model. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only count community volunteers that were specifically managed of the CNCSsupported organization or the national service participant engaged in the 

capacity building activity for the intended purpose of supporting or enhancing 

the program delivery model may be counted. At the outset of the activity, the 

applicant/grantee should indicate a minimum number of days or hours, or other 

units of service, that must be performed by the individual in order for him or her 

to be counted as a managed volunteer.

The organization must use some form of volunteer management system, having 

processes or capabilities that allow them to track information about individual 

volunteers such as but not limited to: the volunteer’s name, relevant 

demographic information including location of residence, method of 

recruitment, participation in orientation and/or training activities, planned and 

actual role, assignment(s) or activities, start and end dates of service, and hours 

served related to the program that the capacity building activities were intended 

to support or enhance. 

The total number of volunteers recruited (G3-3.1) and managed (G3-3.2) should 

be an unduplicated count of community volunteers engaged by the CNCSsupported organization or the national service participant during the program 

year. Applicants/grantees should control for double counting or select the 

measure that best fits your program model. 

Report a separate count of community volunteers managed for each of the six 

Focus Areas.

Other Note National service participants may not manage volunteers in doing activities that 

they themselves are prohibited from doing, including but not limited to 

managing the CNCS-supported projects/grants or community organizing 

intended to promote advocacy activities.
97

Measure 

G3-3.3

Number of organizations implementing three or more effective volunteer 

management practices as a result of capacity building services provided by 

CNCS-supported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Volunteer management: A series of practices that collectively maximize the 

capacity of volunteers to have an impact on behalf of the organization or 

community. Examples of volunteer management practices include but are not 

limited to: development of a written volunteer generation plan, formal 

partnerships for volunteer recruitment, establishment of a volunteer unit within 

the program or organization, creation of volunteer manual/training/curriculum, 

regular supervision and communication with volunteers, liability coverage or 

insurance protection for volunteers, screening and matching volunteers to jobs*, 

regular collection of information on volunteer involvement, written policies and 

job descriptions for volunteer involvement, recognition activities, such as award 

ceremonies, for volunteers*, annual measurement of volunteer impact, training 

and professional development for volunteers*, and training for paid staff in 

working with volunteers.

* These practices correlate strongest to volunteer retention according to a 2004 

study by the Urban Institute, “Volunteer Management Capacity in America's 

Charities and Congregations: A Briefing Report.”

Additional resources on effective volunteer management practices are available 

at the CNCS Resource Center:

 http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/via

 http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/ep-vol-man

How to 

Calculate/ 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only volunteer management practices implemented specifically as a result of 

capacity building activities provided by the CNCS-supported organization or 

national service participant(s) intended to support or enhance the program 

delivery model may be counted.

Count of three or more effective volunteer management practices from the 

examples listed in the above definition, or included in the certification standards 

of an accredited volunteer administration program such as the Council for 

Certification in Volunteer Administration or university-based program, that 

were implemented by the CNCS-supported organization or national service 

participant(s). Each practice should support at least one of eight steps or 

functions for effectively managing volunteers as defined in the report 

“Volunteering Reinvented: Human Capital Solutions for the Nonprofit Sector.”

1. Market Research and Community Needs Assessments

2. Strategic Planning to Maximize Volunteer Impact

3. Recruiting and Marketing to Prospective Volunteers
98

4. Interviewing, Screening, and Selecting Volunteers

5. Orienting and Training Volunteers

6. Ongoing Supervision and Management

7. Recognition and Volunteer Development

8. Measuring Outcomes and Evaluating the Process

Source: Corporation for National and Community Service, 2007, page 4.

http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0719_volunteering_reinvented.pdf

Report a separate count of volunteer management practices implemented for 

each of the six Focus Areas. If the volunteer management practices do not fall 

solely within one focus area, for example the NSP manages volunteers for that 

organization’s housing program and health program, applicants should report 

this count under the focus area in which it operates its primary program. 

Organizations must use a pre-post organizational assessment tool that measures 

capacity in the area of volunteer management, and that includes questions 

related to the organization’s volunteer management practices. Intermediary 

applicants/grantees should ensure that their sub-grantees and/or host sites use 

the same tool. The pre-assessment should be administered before capacity 

building services are provided, and the post-assessment should be done at the 

end of the term of service of the national service participant engaged in the 

capacity building activity. Organizations should follow the guidance of the 

assessment tool they select with respect to which individual(s) at the 

organization respond to the assessment and other protocol for administering the 

tool. Alternatively, the applicant/grantee may choose to use a volunteer 

management tracking log or system to collect these data.

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for 

the organizational assessment tool that CNCS recommends applicants/grantees use to 

measure changes in organizational capacity.
99

Complementary Program Measures

Strategic Plan Objective 3: Leverage community assets through publicprivate partnerships

Measure 

G3-3.4

Number of organizations that received capacity building services from CNCSsupported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

CNCS-supported organizations: Comprises a) organizations that have 

national service participants (AmeriCorps, VISTA and NCCC members, Senior 

Corps volunteers and Learn and Serve participants), and b) organizations that 

receive CNCS funding. This may include K-12 local education agencies, state 

health agencies, tribes, tax-exempt, charitable organizations under section 

501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, grantees and their sub grantees, and 

partner organizations with which the aforementioned organizations have 

developed formal collaborations and whose mission supports CNCS issue areas.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of the total number of organizations that received capacity building 

activities intended to support or enhance the program delivery model from 

CNCS-supported organization or national service participants. The activities 

must meet the criteria for capacity building described in the Goal Overview 

section of the document. It is the applicant/grantee’s responsibility to ensure the 

capacity building activities meet the criteria provided in these definitions.
100

Measure 

G3-3.5

Number of staff and community volunteers that received training (of one or 

more types) as a result of capacity building services provided by CNCSsupported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Staff: Paid or unpaid employees of the CNCS-supported organization. National 

Service Participants are NOT considered staff members of the CNCS-supported 

organization.

Community Volunteer: Citizens or residents in the community who are 

recruited and/or managed by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned 

national service participant(s) to offer time, knowledge, skills, and expertise for 

free to support the CNCS-supported program or organization. Community 

volunteers differ from national service participants in that they are under no 

formal obligation to provide a specified amount of assistance (e.g., as measured by 

service hours), and said volunteers are not enrolled in a national service 

program. Also referred to as “leveraged volunteers.”

Training: An organized activity aimed at imparting information and/or 

instructions to improve the training recipient's performance or to help him or 

her attain a required level of knowledge or skill.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count the number of individual staff members who received training that was 

developed, organized or delivered by the CNCS-supported organization or 

national service participant. The training received should be intended to support 

or enhance the program delivery model. Count each staff member once, even if 

they receive multiple types of training.

At the outset of the activity, the applicant/grantee should indicate the minimum 

amount of days, hours, or other units of service required to complete the activity 

and/or achieve results. When reporting on this performance measure, the 

grantee should only count the number of service beneficiaries who met or 

received that minimum by the end of the year.
101

Measure 

G3-3.6

Number of organizations that completed a community assessment identifying 

goals and recommendations with the assistance of CNCS-supported 

organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Community Assessment: Involves comprehensive information gathering, 

analysis and documentation to understand a community's concerns, effectively 

characterize its needs and respond with appropriate interventions. Discovering 

those things that matter to the community, what issues the community feels are 

most important to address, and what resources are available to bring about 

change may be accomplished through interviews with community members, and 

by conducting listening sessions, public forums, and other place-based research, 

resulting in an assessment (or profile) of the community that helps identify and 

prioritize critical issues and plan future interventions.
102

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of organizations that received capacity building assistance from the 

CNCS-supported organization or assigned national service participant(s) intended 

to support or enhance the program delivery model, that reported having 

completed a community assessment containing goals and recommendations. 

At the outset of the activity, the applicant/grantee should indicate the minimum 

amount of days, hours, or other level of assistance required in order to 

determine that the assistance provided by the CNCS-supported organization or 

assigned national service participant was substantive and instrumental in 

completing the activity and/or achieving results. Applicants/grantees may define 

the level of assistance as including but not being limited to: coordinating the 

community assessment effort on behalf of the community and local 

organization; serving as the primary point of contact and liaison for all 

stakeholders involved in the community assessment effort; researching the 

community history, assets, issues, barriers, resources, goals etc. through 

document review, interviews, focus groups, etc., and/or writing or significantly 

contributing to the community assessment documentation.

Applicants are encouraged to use an established framework for conducting the 

community assessment. The framework should address the following core 

elements of a community assessment, as outlined by the Community Tool Box:

1. Describe the makeup and history of the community to provide a context 

within which to collect data on its current concerns. 

2. Describe what matters to people in the community.

3. Describe what matters to key stakeholders.

4. (For each candidate problem/goal) Describe the evidence indicating 

whether the problem/goal should be a priority issue.

5. Describe the barriers and resources for addressing the identified issue(s).

6. (Based on the assessment) Select and state the priority issue (or issues) 

to be addressed by the group.

Additional tools, examples and how-to information for assessing community 

needs and resources can be found on the Community Tool Box website: 

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/dothework/tools_tk_2.aspx
103

Measure 

G3-3.7

Hours of service contributed by community volunteers who were recruited by 

CNCS-supported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Hours of service: Consists of all the hours that recruited community volunteers 

devote to serving, including training time that they may have to participate in. 

Does not include hours served by community volunteers engaged in prohibited 

activities for CNCS-supported organizations, such as community organizing 

intended to promote advocacy activities (see Other Note below).

Community volunteers: Citizens or residents in the community who are 

recruited and/or managed by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned 

national service participant(s) to offer time, knowledge, skills, and expertise for 

free to support the CNCS-supported program or organization. Community 

volunteers differ from national service participants in that they are under no 

formal obligation to provide a specified amount of assistance (e.g., as measured by 

service hours), and said volunteers are not enrolled in a national service 

program. Also referred to as “leveraged volunteers.”

Recruited: Enlisted or enrolled as a direct result of an intentional effort to do 

so.
104

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

The count of hours served must include only those hours served by volunteers 

included in the count of community volunteers recruited by the CNCSsupported organization or assigned national service participant(s) engaged in the 

capacity building activity (measured in G3-3.1). This should be an unduplicated 

count of hours served by each recruited community volunteer during the 

program year.

The organization must use some form of volunteer management system, having 

processes or capabilities that allow them to track information about individual 

volunteers such as but not limited to: the volunteer’s name, relevant 

demographic information including location of residence, method of 

recruitment, participation in orientation and/or training activities, planned and 

actual role, assignment(s) or activities, start and end dates of service, and hours 

served related to the program that the capacity building activities were intended 

to support or enhance. 

Applicants/grantees may count both GAAP services (that may qualify as pro 

bono services) and non-GAAP volunteer services in the total count of hours 

served. GAAP stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. 

 Pro bono services are professional services that are donated that 

someone, or another business or organization would normally have to 

pay the donor for. 

 Volunteer services come from individuals that would not normally 

charge for their time and skills they donate. 

Report a separate count of hours served by recruited community volunteers for 

each of the six Focus Areas. If the service hours contributed by community 

volunteers do not fall neatly within one focus area, applicants should report this 

count under the focus area in which it operates its primary program.
105

Other Note The count of hours may not include time spent on activities that are outside the 

scope of allowable activity for Members and community volunteers, i.e. time 

spent doing activities that national service participants are prohibited from 

doing themselves. The following activities are prohibited in § 2520.65 

AmeriCorps subtitle C programs:

(a) While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or 

training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps 

program or CNCS, staff and members may not engage in the following 

activities: 

(1) Attempting to influence legislation; 

(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes; 

(3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing; 

(4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining 

agreements; 

(5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to 

influence the outcome of an election to any public office; 

(6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include 

advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, 

proposed legislation, or elected officials; 

(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing 

instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or 

worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or 

worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious 

instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization; 

(8) Providing a direct benefit to—

(i) A business organized for profit; 

(ii) A labor union; 

(iii) A partisan political organization; 

(iv) A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions 

contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 except 

that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent participants from 

engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and

(v) An organization engaged in the religious activities described in 

paragraph (g) of this section, unless Corporation assistance is not used to 

support those religious activities; 

(9) Conducting a voter registration drive or using Corporation funds to conduct 

a voter registration drive; 

(10) Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and 

(11) Such other activities as CNCS may prohibit. 

(b) Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate 

in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and 

using non-Corporation funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo 

while doing so. 
106

Measure 

G3-3.8

Hours of service contributed by community volunteers who were managed by 

CNCS-supported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Hours of service: Consists of all the hours that managed community volunteers 

devote to serving, including training time that they may have to participate in. 

Does not include hours served by community volunteers engaged in prohibited 

activities for CNCS-supported organizations, such as community organizing 

intended to promote advocacy activities (see Other Note below).

Community volunteers: Citizens or residents in the community who are 

recruited and/or managed by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned 

national service participant(s) to offer time, knowledge, skills, and expertise for 

free to support the CNCS-supported program or organization. Community 

volunteers differ from national service participants in that they are under no 

formal obligation to provide a specified amount of assistance (e.g., as measured by 

service hours), and said volunteers are not enrolled in a national service 

program. Also referred to as “leveraged volunteers.”

Managed: Includes training, direction, coordination and supervision of the 

community volunteer by the CNCS-supported organization or national service 

participant in tasks, duties and services for the intended purpose of supporting 

or enhancing the program delivery model.
107

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

The count of hours served must include only those hours served by volunteers 

included in the count of community volunteers managed by the CNCSsupported organization or assigned national service participant(s) engaged in the 

capacity building activity (measured in G3-3.2) . This should be an 

unduplicated count of hours served by each managed community volunteer 

during the program year.

The organization must use some form of volunteer management system, having 

processes or capabilities that allow them to track information about individual 

volunteers such as but not limited to: the volunteer’s name, relevant 

demographic information including location of residence, method of 

recruitment, participation in orientation and/or training activities, planned and 

actual role, assignment(s) or activities, start and end dates of service, and hours 

served related to the program that the capacity building activities were intended 

to support or enhance. 

Applicants/grantees may count both GAAP services (that may qualify as pro 

bono services) and non-GAAP volunteer services in the total count of hours 

served. GAAP stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. 

 Pro bono services are professional services that are donated that 

someone, or another business or organization would normally have to 

pay the donor for. 

 Volunteer services come from individuals that would not normally 

charge for their time and skills they donate. 

Report a separate count of hours served by managed community volunteers for 

each of the six Focus Areas. If the service hours contributed by community 

volunteers do not fall neatly within one focus area, applicants should report this 

count under the focus area in which it operates its primary program.
108

Other Note The count of hours may not include time spent on activities that are outside the 

scope of allowable activity for Members and community volunteers, i.e. time 

spent doing activities that national service participants are prohibited from 

doing themselves. The following activities are prohibited in § 2520.65 

AmeriCorps subtitle C programs:

(a) While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or 

training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps 

program or CNCS, staff and members may not engage in the following 

activities: 

(1) Attempting to influence legislation; 

(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes; 

(3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing; 

(4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining 

agreements; 

(5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to 

influence the outcome of an election to any public office; 

(6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include 

advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, 

proposed legislation, or elected officials; 

(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing 

instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or 

worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or 

worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious 

instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization; 

(8) Providing a direct benefit to—

(i) A business organized for profit; 

(ii) A labor union; 

(iii) A partisan political organization; 

(iv) A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions 

contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 except 

that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent participants from 

engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and

(v) An organization engaged in the religious activities described in 

paragraph (g) of this section, unless Corporation assistance is not used to 

support those religious activities; 

(9) Conducting a voter registration drive or using Corporation funds to conduct 

a voter registration drive; 

(10) Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and 

(11) Such other activities as CNCS may prohibit. 

(b) Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate 

in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and 

using non-Corporation funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo 

while doing so. 
109

Measure 

G3-3.9

Number of organizations reporting that capacity building activities provided by 

CNCS-supported organizations or national service participants have helped to 

make the organization more efficient

Definition of 

Key Terms

More efficient: Improved outcomes with the same level of resources, or 

improved or consistent quality of services with fewer resources.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of the number of organizations reporting that their organization is now 

more efficient as a result of the new capacity. The organizations included in the 

count should conform to what CNCS considers capacity building activities to be 

and not to be as defined in the Goal Overview section of this document. It is the 

applicant/grantee’s responsibility to ensure the activities performed by the 

CNCS-supported organization or national service participant(s) meet the eligibility 

requirements provided in these definitions.

Organizations must use a pre-post organizational assessment tool to measure 

sustained changes in efficiency within the organization. Intermediary 

applicants/grantees should ensure that their sub-grantees and/or host sites use 

the same tool. Applicants/grantees should select a tool that includes questions 

that measure the areas of efficiency in which the organization seeks to improve, 

and that are intended to support or enhance the program delivery model. The 

pre-assessment should be administered before capacity building services are 

provided, and the post-assessment should be done at the end of the term of 

service of the national service participant engaged in the capacity building 

activity. Organizations should follow the guidance of the assessment tool they

select with respect to which individual(s) at the organization respond to the 

assessment and other protocol for administering the tool.

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for 

the organizational assessment tool that CNCS recommends applicants/grantees use to 

measure changes in organizational capacity.
110

Measure 

G3-3.10

Number of organizations reporting that capacity building activities provided by 

CNCS-supported organizations or national service participants have helped to 

make the organization more effective

Definition of 

Key Terms

More effective: Improved ability of the organization to achieve outcomes

resulting in better success rates or better quality of outcomes achieved. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of the number of organizations reporting that their organization is now 

more effective as a result of the new capacity. The organizations included in the 

count should conform to what CNCS considers capacity building activities to be 

and not to be as defined in the Goal Overview section of this document. It is the 

applicant/grantee’s responsibility to ensure the activities performed by the 

CNCS-supported organization or national service participant(s) meet the eligibility 

requirements provided in these definitions.

Organizations must use a pre-post organizational assessment tool to measure 

sustained changes in effectiveness within the organization. Intermediary 

applicants/grantees should ensure that their sub-grantees and/or host sites use 

the same tool. Applicants/grantees should select a tool that includes questions 

that measure the areas of effectiveness in which the organization seeks to 

improve, and that are intended to support or enhance the program delivery 

model. The pre-assessment should be administered before capacity building 

services are provided, and the post-assessment should be done at the end of the 

term of service of the national service participant engaged in the capacity building 

activity. Organizations should follow the guidance of the assessment tool they 

select with respect to which individual(s) at the organization respond to the 

assessment and other protocol for administering the tool.

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for 

the organizational assessment tool that CNCS recommends for measuring changes in 

organizational capacity.
111

Measure 

G3-3.11

Number of new systems and business processes (technology, performance 

management, training, etc.) or enhancements to existing systems and business 

processes put in place as a result of capacity building services provided by 

CNCS-supported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Business processes: A collection of related, structured activities or tasks that 

produce a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular 

customer or customers.

Enhancements: New features and functions or significant improvements made 

to existing systems or processes that improve efficiency and productivity or 

provide new capabilities that were not previously possible in support of the 

program delivery model. 

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of new and enhanced systems and business processes at organizations as 

a result of capacity building activities provided by the CNCS-supported 

organization or the national service participant(s) intended to support or 

enhance the program delivery model. Count each system or process only once. 

Do not count upgrades to new systems or processes already included in the 

count.
112

Measure 

G3-3.12

Number of organizations that monitored their progress towards the goals 

identified in their community assessment with the assistance of CNCSsupported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Monitor progress: Having a systematic process for collecting data and tracking 

outputs and outcomes related to goals and recommendations identified in the 

assessment. 

Community Assessment: Involves comprehensive information gathering, 

analysis and documentation to understand a community's concerns, effectively 

characterize its needs and respond with appropriate interventions. Discovering 

those things that matter to the community, what issues the community feels are 

most important to address, and what resources are available to bring about 

change may be accomplished through interviews with community members, and 

by conducting listening sessions, public forums, and other place-based research, 

resulting in an assessment (or profile) of the community that helps identify and 

prioritize critical issues and plan future interventions. 
113

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of organizations that received capacity building assistance from the 

CNCS-supported organization or assigned national service participant(s) 

intended to support or enhance the program delivery model, reporting that: they 

have completed a community assessment; their organization identified goals as 

a part of that process, and they have continued monitoring their progress toward 

those goals at the time of reporting.

At the outset of the activity, the applicant/grantee should indicate the minimum 

amount of days, hours, or other level of assistance required in order to 

determine that the assistance provided by the CNCS-supported organization or 

assigned national service participant was substantive and instrumental in 

completing the activity and/or achieving results. Applicants/grantees may define 

the level of assistance as including but not being limited to: establishing a 

performance management systems and processes, creating evaluation 

instruments, and/or developing a reporting template for the organization to 

monitor progress against the goals identified in the community assessment.

Organizations must use a pre-post organizational assessment tool that includes 

questions related to the organization’s capacity to monitor and evaluate goals 

and objectives. Intermediary applicants/grantees should ensure that their subgrantees and/or host sites use the same tool. The pre-assessment should be 

administered before capacity building services are provided, and the postassessment should be done at the end of the term of service of the national 

service participant engaged in the capacity building activity. Organizations 

should follow the guidance of the assessment tool they select with respect to 

which individual(s) at the organization respond to the assessment and other 

protocol for administering the tool.

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search 

for the organizational assessment tool that CNCS recommends for measuring 

changes in organizational capacity.

Other Note AmeriCorps State and National requirements that pertain to allowable capacity 

building activities (45 CFR 2520.30) stipulate that AmeriCorps capacity 

building activity must not include tasks that have to do with managing the 

CNCS-supported projects/grants such as measuring the impact of the 

AmeriCorps program.
114

Measure 

G3-3.13

Number of additional activities completed and/or program outputs produced by 

the program as a result of capacity building services provided by CNCSsupported organizations or national service participants in a) Disaster Services, b) 

Economic Opportunity, c) Education, d) Environmental Stewardship, e) Healthy 

Futures and/or f) Veterans and Military Families

Definition of 

Key Terms

Additional activities/program outputs: Can include any capacity building 

activities or outputs that have been completed or produced, such as the number 

of community outreach meetings coordinated, communication tools developed, 

manuals written, trainings piloted, etc., which is more than what the 

organization could have completed or produced absent the capacity building 

services. 

How to

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only additional activities and program outputs specifically resulting from 

capacity building activities provided by the CNCS-supported organization or 

assigned national service participant(s) intended to support or enhance the 

program delivery model may be counted.

Organizations must use a pre-post organizational assessment tool that measures 

capacity in the area of program and service delivery, and that includes questions 

related to the organization’s specific services, activities and/or program 

offerings. Intermediary applicants/grantees should ensure that their sub-grantees 

and/or host sites use the same tool. The pre-assessment should be administered 

before capacity building services are provided, and the post-assessment should 

be done at the end of the term of service of the national service participant

engaged in the capacity building activity. Organizations should follow the 

guidance of the assessment tool they select with respect to which individual(s) 

at the organization respond to the assessment and other protocol for 

administering the tool.

Alternatively, the applicant/grantee may choose to use a sample service request 

and program delivery tracking log to collect these data.

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for 

the organizational assessment tool that CNCS recommends for measuring changes in 

organizational capacity.

Report a separate count of activities and program outputs for each of the six 

Focus Areas.
115

Measure 

G3-3.14

Number of organizations that have experienced an increase in requests for their 

programs and services as a result of capacity building services provided by 

CNCS-supported organizations or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

N/A

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only requests specifically resulting from capacity building activities provided 

by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned national service participant(s) 

intended to support or enhance the program delivery model may be counted. 

Requests may come from community members, partners, or other organizations. 

The organization must keep administrative records or other information 

management systems that enable them to track details about service requests 

that allow them to verify the nature and intent of the request, such as but not 

limited to: the stated reason or rationale for the request for services related to 

the program that the capacity building activities were intended to support or 

enhance, the date of the request, and relevant demographic and organizational 

details about the person and/or organization that made the request. 

Organizations must use a pre-post organizational assessment tool that measures 

capacity in the area of program and service delivery, and that includes questions 

related to the organization’s specific services, program offerings and/or 

recruitment and outreach activities. Intermediary applicants/grantees should 

ensure that their sub-grantees and/or host sites use the same tool. The preassessment should be administered before capacity building services are 

provided, and the post-assessment should be done at the end of the term of 

service of the national service participant engaged in the capacity building 

activity. Organizations should follow the guidance of the assessment tool they

select with respect to which individual(s) at the organization respond to the 

assessment and other protocol for administering the tool.

Alternatively, the applicant/grantee may choose to use a sample service request 

and program delivery tracking log to collect these data.

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for 

the organizational assessment tool that CNCS recommends for measuring changes in 

organizational capacity.

Report a separate count of service requests for each of the six Focus Areas.
116

Measure 

G3-3.15

Number of additional types of services offered by organizations as a result of 

capacity building services provided by CNCS-supported organizations or 

national service participants in a) Disaster Services, b) Economic Opportunity, c) 

Education, d) Environmental Stewardship, e) Healthy Futures and/or f) 

Veterans and Military Families

Definition of 

Key Terms

Types of service: includes qualitatively distinct service activities that enable the 

program to address different needs or different populations in need of the 

organization’s services.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only additional types of service specifically resulting from capacity building 

activities provided by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned national 

service participant(s) intended to support or enhance the program delivery 

model may be counted.

Organizations must use a pre-post organizational assessment tool that measures 

capacity in the area of program and service delivery, and that includes questions 

related to the organization’s specific services, activities and/or program 

offerings. Intermediary applicants/grantees should ensure that their sub-grantees 

and/or host sites use the same tool. The pre-assessment should be administered 

before capacity building services are provided, and the post-assessment should 

be done at the end of the term of service of the national service participant

engaged in the capacity building activity. Organizations should follow the 

guidance of the assessment tool they select with respect to which individual(s) 

at the organization respond to the assessment and other protocol for 

administering the tool.

Alternatively, the applicant/grantee may choose to use a sample service request 

and program delivery tracking log to collect these data.

See the CNCS Resource Center, www.nationalserviceresources.org, to search for 

the organizational assessment tool that CNCS recommends applicants/grantees use to 

measure changes in organizational capacity.

Report a separate count of services for each of the six Focus Areas.
117

Measure 

G3-3.16

Dollar value of cash resources leveraged by CNCS-supported organizations or 

national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

Cash resources: Cash, check, or other monetary gift.

Leverage: To garner additional resources or assets through capacity building 

activities (such as funding, volunteers, in-kind support, and partnerships).

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only cash resources raised specifically as a result of capacity building activities 

provided by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned national service 

participant(s) engaged in the capacity building activity intended to support or 

enhance the program delivery model may be counted.

The organization must keep administrative records or other information 

management systems that enable them to track and verify the origin, intent and 

other transactional information on commitments and contributions of cash and 

in-kind resources. Inclusion of cash or in-kind resources in the count is subject 

to IRS limitations, and should not include contributions made to specific 

individuals, political organizations or candidates. Adhere to the following 

provisions adapted from the IRS’ Deducting Charitable Contributions, 

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=106990,00.html:

6. Regardless of the amount, to count a contribution of cash, check, or other 

monetary gift, the applicant/grantee must maintain a bank record, payroll 

deduction records or a written communication from the individual or 

organization containing the name of the organization, the date of the 

contribution and amount of the contribution. For text message donations, a 

telephone bill will meet the record-keeping requirement if it shows the name of 

the receiving organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount given.

Report a separate count of dollars raised for each of the six Focus Areas.

Other Note These activities and measure primarily apply to VISTA members. 

For AmeriCorps State & National: AmeriCorps members may not raise funds for 

the organization in general. Only program-specific fundraising is allowable. 

AmeriCorps State/National fundraising requirements are: AmeriCorps members 

may raise resources directly in support of the program's service activities. 

AmeriCorps members may not: (1) Raise funds for living allowances or for an 

organization's general (as opposed to project) operating expenses or 

endowment; (2) Write a grant application to CNCS or to any other Federal 

agency. 45 CFR 2520.40. An AmeriCorps member may spend no more than 

ten percent of his or her originally agreed-upon term of service, as reflected in 

the member enrollment in the National Service Trust, performing fundraising 

activities §2520.45.
118

Measure 

G3-3.17

Dollar value of in-kind resources leveraged by CNCS-supported organizations 

or national service participants

Definition of 

Key Terms

In-kind resources: Non-cash contributions, including donated goods or 

services, expert advice, equipment or property.

Leverage: To garner additional resources or assets through capacity building 

activities (such as funding, volunteers, in-kind support, and partnerships).

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Only in-kind resources raised specifically as a result of capacity building 

activities provided by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned national 

service participant(s) d engaged in the capacity building activity intended to 

support or enhance the program delivery model may be counted.

The organization must keep administrative records or other information 

management systems that enable them to track and verify the origin, intent and 

other transactional information on commitments and contributions of cash and 

in-kind resources. The estimated value of in-kind resources should be calculated 

following IRS guidance for determining the value of non-cash charitable 

contributions, including donated property, for purposes of claiming tax 

deductions. Inclusion of cash or in-kind resources in the count is subject to IRS 

limitations, and should not include contributions made to specific individuals, 

political organizations or candidates. Adhere to the following provisions 

adapted from the IRS’ Deducting Charitable Contributions, 

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=106990,00.html:

3. If the applicant/grantee receives a benefit because of the contribution such as 

merchandise, tickets to a ball game or other goods and services, then only the 

amount that exceeds the fair market value of the benefit received can be 

included in the calculated value.

4. Donations of stock or other non-cash property are usually valued at the fair 

market value of the property. Clothing and household items must generally be 

in good used condition or better to be deductible. Special rules apply to vehicle 

donations.

5. Fair market value is generally the price at which property would change 

hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither having to buy or 

sell, and both having reasonable knowledge of all the relevant facts. 

If the tangible expenses of providing pro bono services or the costs associated 

with volunteering are paid for by the volunteer or assumed by another 

organization, these costs can be at least partially included in the valuation of inkind resources contributed. Applicants/grantees should consult and conform to 

IRS regulations for deducting charitable contributions to determine whether to 

include such expenses in the value of non-cash contributions.

Examples of tools for calculating the value of in-kind resources include but are 

not limited to: Goodwill Industries’ Donation Value Guide 

(http://www.goodwill.org/get-involved/donate/taxes-and-your-donation/),

Charity Navigator’s Guide to Donating Noncash Items 

(http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=335), 
119

and TurboTax’s free ItsDeductible product (http://turbotax.intuit.com/personaltaxes/itsdeductible/). 

Report a separate count of in-kind resources raised for each of the six Focus 

Areas.

Other Note These activities and measure primarily apply to VISTA members. 

For AmeriCorps State & National: AmeriCorps members may not raise funds for 

the organization in general. Only program-specific fundraising is allowable. 

AmeriCorps State/National fundraising requirements are: AmeriCorps members 

may raise resources directly in support of the program's service activities. 

AmeriCorps members may not: (1) Raise funds for living allowances or for an 

organization's general (as opposed to project) operating expenses or 

endowment; (2) Write a grant application to CNCS or to any other Federal 

agency. 45 CFR 2520.40. An AmeriCorps member may spend no more than 

ten percent of his or her originally agreed-upon term of service, as reflected in 

the member enrollment in the National Service Trust, performing fundraising 

activities §2520.45.
120

Measure 

G3-3.18

Number of new beneficiaries that received services as a result of capacity 

building efforts in a) Disaster Services, b) Economic Opportunity, c) Education, 

d) Environmental Stewardship, e) Healthy Futures and/or f) Veterans and 

Military Families

Definition of 

Key Terms

New beneficiaries: Individuals who were clients or service recipients in the 

current reporting period who were not clients or service recipients in previous 

reporting periods.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of the number of new beneficiaries receiving assistance or services as a 

result of capacity building efforts provided by the CNCS-supported 

organization or assigned national service participant(s) in a) Disaster Services, 

b) Economic Opportunity, c) Education, d) Environmental Stewardship, e) 

Healthy Futures and/or f) Veterans and Military Families. Applicants/grantees 

consider beneficiaries as “new” if they have not received any services from the 

organization in the past grant cycle. At the outset of the activity, the 

applicant/grantee should indicate a minimum number of days or hours, or other 

units of service received are required in order for the person to be considered a 

beneficiary.

New beneficiaries of service should be the direct result of one or more capacity 

building activities intended to support or enhance the program delivery model, 

such as new or expanded programming, new outreach or marketing campaigns. 

Report a separate count of new beneficiaries served for each of the six Focus 

Areas. If a new beneficiary receives services in more than one focus area and/or 

more than one service within a focus area, the new beneficiary should be 

counted only once under the focus area in which it operates its primary 

program. 
121

Measure 

G3-3.19

Number of new beneficiaries from one or more targeted or underserved 

populations (counts by target population, e.g., racial or ethnic group) that 

received services as a result of capacity building efforts in a) Disaster Services, 

b) Economic Opportunity, c) Education, d) Environmental Stewardship, e) 

Healthy Futures and/or f) Veterans and Military Families

Definition of 

Key Terms

New beneficiaries: Individuals who were clients or service recipients in the 

current reporting period who were not clients or service recipients in previous 

reporting periods.

Underserved populations: Populations or groups that are specifically 

identified by the program as in need of program services or that currently 

receive inadequate service.

How to 

Calculate 

Measure/ 

Collect Data

Count of the number of new beneficiaries from one or more targeted or 

underserved populations (counts by target population, e.g., racial or ethnic 

group) receiving assistance or services as a result of capacity building efforts 

provided by the CNCS-supported organization or assigned national service 

participant(s) in a) Disaster Services, b) Economic Opportunity, c) Education, 

d) Environmental Stewardship, e) Healthy Futures and/or f) Veterans and 

Military Families. Applicants/grantees consider beneficiaries as “new” if they

have not received any services from the organization in the past grant cycle. At 

the outset of the activity, the applicant/grantee should indicate a minimum 

number of days or hours, or other units of service received are required in order 

for the person to be considered a beneficiary.

New beneficiaries of service should be the result of one or more capacity 

building activities intended to support or enhance the program delivery model, 

such as new or expanded programming, new outreach or marketing campaigns. 

The targeted or underserved population(s) that the applicant/grantee intends to 

reach should be identified in the application, or the position/assignment 

description of the national service participant before the start of the program. 

Report a separate count of new beneficiaries served in each targeted or 

underserved population for each of the six Focus Areas. If a new beneficiary 

receives services in more than one focus area and/or more than one service 

within a focus area, the new beneficiary should be counted only once under the 

focus area in which it operates its primary program.