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2021 AmeriCorps Indian 

Tribes Mandatory 

Supplemental Information
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The AmeriCorps Indian Tribes Mandatory Supplemental Information is intended to provide applicants 

with additional information for the preparation of their applications under the AmeriCorps Indian Tribes

Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity. The Supplemental Information provides both detailed definitions 

of certain terms included in the Notice, as well as additional details regarding how to properly file an 

application under the Notice. This Supplemental Information is incorporated by reference in the Notice, 

and applicants must comply with any requirements stated in this Supplemental Information.

Capacity Building: A set of activities that expand the scale, reach, efficiency, or effectiveness of 

programs and organizations. These activities achieve lasting positive outcomes for the beneficiary 

populations served by AmeriCorps-supported organizations (i.e., AmeriCorps programs). As a general 

rule, AmeriCorps considers capacity building activities to be indirect services that enable AmeriCorpssupported organizations to provide more, better, and sustained direct services. 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 program’s goal of increasing, expanding, or enhancing services in order to address 

the most pressing needs identified in the community; and 

3) Enable the program to provide a sustained level of more or better direct services after the capacity 

building services end.

Cost Reimbursement Grants: These grants fund a portion of program operating costs and member 

living allowances, with flexibility to use all of the funds for allowable costs regardless of whether or not 

the program recruits and retains all AmeriCorps members. Cost reimbursement grants include a formal 

matching requirement and require the submission of a budget and financial reports. 

Enrollment Rate: The enrollment rate is calculated as slots filled, plus refill slots filled, divided by slots 

awarded.

Evidence-based: Evidence-based programs that have been rigorously evaluated and have demonstrated 

positive results for at least one key desired outcome. Rigorous evaluation means conducting at least one 

Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) or Quasi-Experimental Design (QED) evaluation of the same 

intervention described in the application. 

Evidence-informed: Programs in this category use the best available knowledge, research, and evaluation 

to guide program design and implementation, but do not have scientific research or rigorous evaluation of 

the intervention described in the application. 

Applicants may be evidence-informed if they have incorporated research from other evidence-based 

programs into their program designs and/or have collected performance measurement data on the 

intervention described in the application.

Evidence Tiers

Pre-preliminary evidence means the applicant has not submitted an outcome or impact evaluation of the 

same intervention described in the application, although the applicant may have collected some 

performance data on the intervention (e.g., data on intervention outputs and/or outcomes). Applicants in 

this tier must describe in the Evidence Base section of the application how their program design is 
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evidence-informed (see definition above). Applicants may also cite prior performance measure data if 

applicable. 

Preliminary evidence means the applicant has submitted up to two outcome evaluation reports that 

evaluated the same intervention described in the application and yielded positive results on one or more 

key desired outcomes of interest as depicted in the applicant’s logic model. The outcome evaluations may 

either have been conducted internally by the applicant organization or by an entity external to the 

applicant. The study design must include pre and post-assessments without a comparison group or a postassessment comparison between intervention and comparison groups. In some cases a retrospective prepost assessment may be considered, but its use must be justified in the text of the evaluation report.

AmeriCorps grantees recompeting for their third competitive grant cycle are required to submit an 

evaluation report of their AmeriCorps funded program. The AmeriCorps-required evaluation report may 

count towards one of the two reports allowed for the Preliminary evidence tier or may be submitted in 

addition to this. In the latter case, all three evaluation reports will be considered against the review 

criteria. 

If the applicant is not required to submit an evaluation report of their AmeriCorps funded program, then 

more than two reports will not be considered. 

Moderate evidence means the applicant has submitted up to two well-designed and well-implemented 

evaluation reports that evaluated the same intervention described in the application and identified 

evidence of effectiveness on one or more key desired outcomes of interest as depicted in the applicant’s 

logic model. Evidence of effectiveness (or positive findings) is determined using experimental design 

evaluations (i.e., Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT)) or Quasi-Experimental Design evaluations (QED) 

with statistically matched comparison (i.e., counterfactual) and treatment groups. The ability to generalize 

the findings from the RCT or QED beyond the study context may be limited (e.g., single-site.) The 

evaluations were conducted by an independent entity external to the organization implementing the 

intervention. 

AmeriCorps grantees recompeting for their third competitive grant cycle are required to submit an 

evaluation report of their AmeriCorps funded program. The AmeriCorps-required evaluation report may 

count towards one of the two reports allowed for the Moderate evidence tier or may be submitted in 

addition to this. In the latter case, all three evaluation reports will be considered against the review 

criteria. 

If the applicant is not required to submit an evaluation report of their AmeriCorps funded program, then 

more than two reports will not be considered. 

Strong evidence means the applicant has submitted up to two evaluation reports demonstrating that the 

same intervention described in the application has been tested nationally, regionally, or at the state-level 

(e.g., multi-site) using a well-designed and well-implemented experimental design evaluation (i.e., 

Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)) or a Quasi-Experimental Design evaluation (QED) with statistically 

matched comparison (i.e., counterfactual) and treatment groups. Alternatively, the proposed 

intervention’s evidence may be based on multiple (up to two) well-designed and well-implemented QEDs 

or RCTs of the same intervention described in the application in different locations or with different 

populations within a local geographic area. The overall pattern of evaluation findings must be consistently 

positive on one or more key desired outcomes of interest as depicted in the applicant’s logic model. 

Findings from the RCT or QED evaluations may be generalized beyond the study context. The 
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evaluations were conducted by an independent entity external to the organization implementing the 

intervention. 

AmeriCorps grantees recompeting for their third competitive grant cycle are required to submit an 

evaluation report of their AmeriCorps funded program. The AmeriCorps-required evaluation report may 

count towards one of the two reports allowed for the Strong evidence tier or may be submitted in addition 

to this. In the latter case, all three evaluation reports will be considered against the review criteria. 

If the applicant is not required to submit an evaluation report of their AmeriCorps funded program, then 

more than two reports will not be considered. 

Impact evaluation An evaluation that provides statistical evidence of how well a program achieves its 

desired outcomes and what effect it has on service recipients and/or service participants compared to what 

would have happened in the absence of the program. Impact evaluations must be designed to provide 

evidence of a causal relationship between program activities and outcomes (45 C.F.R. § 2522.700). 

Grantees must use an experimental or quasi-experimental evaluation design (i.e., the evaluation must 

include a control group or a statistically matched comparison group).

Same intervention described in the application The intervention evaluated in submitted evaluation 

reports must match the intervention proposed in the application in the following areas, all of which must 

be clearly described in the Program Design and Logic Model sections of the application:

• Characteristics of the beneficiary population 

• Characteristics of the population delivering the intervention 

• Dosage (frequency, duration) and design of the intervention, including all key components and 

activities

• The setting in which the intervention is delivered 

• Outcomes of the intervention

Submitted reports that do not sufficiently match the intervention proposed by the applicant in all of these 

areas will not be considered applicable and will not be reviewed or receive any points. 

Fixed Amount Grants: These grants provide a fixed amount of funding per Member Service Year 

(MSY) that is substantially lower than the amount required to operate the program. Organizations use 

their own or other resources to cover the remaining costs. Programs are not required to submit budgets or 

financial reports, there is no specific match requirement, and programs are not required to track and 

maintain documentation of match. However, AmeriCorps provides only a portion of the cost of running 

the program and organizations must raise the additional resources needed to run the program. Programs 

can access all of the funds, provided they recruit and retain the members supported under the grant based 

on the MSY level awarded. Professional Corps programs applying for operational funding through a 

Fixed Amount Grant must submit a budget in support of their request for operational funds. 

• Full-cost Fixed amount grants: Fixed amount grants are available for programs that enroll all 

types of member slots. Professional Corps may only have full-time members. Programs can

access funds under the grant based on enrolling and retaining the full complement of members 

supported under the grant.

• Education Award Grants (EAP) Fixed amount grant: Programs apply for a small fixed 

amount per MSY, can enroll less than full-time members, and use their own resources to cover all 

other costs. Programs can access funds under the grant based on enrolling the full complement of 
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members supported under the grant. As with full-time fixed amount grants, there are no specific 

match or financial reporting requirements for EAP fixed amount grants. 

Member Service Location: A member service location is the site at which an AmeriCorps member is 

placed to provide his/her service to the community.

Member Service Year (MSY): One Member Service Year (MSY) is equivalent to a full-time 

AmeriCorps position (at least 1,700 service hours.) 

National Direct Applicants

Multi-state: Organizations that propose to operate AmeriCorps programs in more than one state or 

territory apply directly to AmeriCorps. 

Federally-recognized Indian Tribes: Applicants that are Indian Tribes apply directly to AmeriCorps (see 

the Eligible Applicants section in the Notice.)

State and Territories without Commissions: Applicants in South Dakota, American Samoa, the 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands apply directly to 

AmeriCorps because this State and Territories have not established a State Commission. 

Operating Site: An operating site is the organization that manages the AmeriCorps program on behalf of 

the multi-state recipient of the grant from AmeriCorps. A multi-state grantee must have an operating site 

in each state in which it has AmeriCorps members. AmeriCorps members may be placed at the operating 

site, or an operating site may place AmeriCorps members at multiple member service locations. Multifocused intermediaries may also have operating sites.

AmeriCorps anticipates that applicants have a carefully considered plan for their project implementation 

and have identified operating sites based on demonstrated community needs. AmeriCorps expects the 

sites proposed at the time of application to align with those involved in project implementation. However, 

if necessary, applicants can modify their list of operating sites during the clarification process or through 

an amendment to the application, if funded.

Other Revenue: Funds necessary to operate an AmeriCorps program that are not AmeriCorps funds or 

grantee share (match) identified in the budget. Programs should not enter the total operating budget for 

their organization unless the entire operating budget supports the AmeriCorps program. Programs that 

have additional revenue sources not included in the matching funds section of the budget should provide 

the amount of this additional revenue that supports the program. This amount should not include the 

AmeriCorps or grantee share amounts in the budget. Fixed amount grantees should enter all nonAmeriCorps funds that support the program in this field. All fixed grants will have other revenue.

Planning Grants: A planning grant provides support to a grant recipient to develop an AmeriCorps 

program that will engage AmeriCorps members in implementing evidence-based interventions to solve 

community problems. Grant recipients are awarded up to $75,000 for a 12-month planning period and are 

expected to be better prepared to compete for an AmeriCorps program grant in the following grant cycle. 

A planning grant may not be used to support AmeriCorps members. Applicants will apply for a Cost 

Reimbursement grant. The project period is no more than a year, with a start date proposed by the 

applicant. The project start date may not occur prior to the date AmeriCorps awards the grant. 
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Professional Corps: A Professional Corps is a program model composed of AmeriCorps members 

serving as professionals; i.e. teachers, health care providers, police officers, engineers, attorneys, or other 

professionals. The programs recruit and place qualified members in communities with an inadequate 

number of such professionals. Professional Corps applicants and/or applicants determined to be a 

Professional Corps by AmeriCorps must demonstrate that the community in which it will place 

AmeriCorps members serving as professionals has an inadequate number of said professionals.

Professional Corps members’ salaries/compensation, including childcare, are paid entirely by the 

organizations with which the members serve, and are not included in the budget request to AmeriCorps. 

The living allowance or salary provided to AmeriCorps members in Professional Corps programs does 

not count toward the matching requirement. AmeriCorps requires Professional Corps programs to cover 

the operating expenses associated with the AmeriCorps program through non AmeriCorps resources. 

AmeriCorps will only consider operating funds of up to $1,000 per MSY if an applicant is able to 

demonstrate significant organizational financial need based on the materials reviewed by the Office of 

Grant Management/Grant Administration. These grants are fixed price grants.

Applicants may propose any authorized program type. In the case that a proposed program fits more than 

one program type (e.g., a program could be either a professional corps or a traditional program). 

AmeriCorps staff will make a determination as to program type that will be considered for funding. The 

determination will be based on data provided within the application and supplemental materials submitted 

with the application. The determination may be different from the program type proposed by the 

applicant. 

AmeriCorps reserves the right to determine whether an applicant (whether or not the applicant has applied 

as a Professional Corps) has sufficiently demonstrated that they cannot effectively operate an AmeriCorps 

program without receiving AmeriCorps operating funds. There may be specific circumstances where 

AmeriCorps determines that a legal applicant has not demonstrated the need for operational grant funds 

due to other funding resources. Where AmeriCorps’s due diligence review of an application shows that 

the applicant has a historically high level of support from non- AmeriCorps sources, and as a result has 

levels of unrestricted funding that is in excess of the requested level of AmeriCorps funding, AmeriCorps

may choose to not provide operational grant funding.

Prohibited Activities: While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or 

training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or AmeriCorps, 

staff and members may not engage in the following activities (see 45 CFR § 2520.65): 

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; 
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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— a. a business organized for profit; b. a labor union; c. a partisan political 

organization; d. a nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 

501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to engaging in political activities or substantial 

amount of lobbying except that nothing in these provisions shall be construed to prevent participants from 

engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and e. an organization engaged in the 

religious activities described in paragraph C. 7. above, unless AmeriCorps assistance is not used to 

support those religious activities;

9. Conducting a voter registration drive or using AmeriCorps funds to conduct a voter registration drive; 

10. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and 

11. Such other activities as AmeriCorps may prohibit. 

AmeriCorps members may not engage in the above activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, 

or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in one of the activities listed above. Individuals 

may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their own 

initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non- AmeriCorps funds. 

Reducing and/or Preventing substance abuse and suicide: AmeriCorps is interested in any program 

models that seek to address substance abuse and/or suicide prevention in Native communities including 

those that reduce risk factors and increase protective factors. 

• Protective factors are individual or environmental characteristics, conditions, or behaviors that 

reduce the effects of stressful life events, such as self-esteem, cultural identify, coping skills, 

problem solving, or connectedness.

Retention Rate: The AmeriCorps member retention rate is calculated as the number of members exited 

with education award (full or partial award) divided by the number of members enrolled.

Rural Communities: AmeriCorps uses rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) codes to classify program 

addresses as either rural or urban for analytic purposes. RUCA codes classify U.S. census tracts using 

measures of population density, urbanization, and daily commuting. Census tracts with an urban cluster 

population less than 50,000 are considered rural (RUCA codes 4-10). Applicants are encouraged to 

designate themselves as serving rural communities if some or all service locations are in rural areas as 

defined by RUCA codes or if the program can provide other compelling evidence that the program is 

rural in the narrative portion of the application. This self-designation will be considered in grant-making 

decisions. 

For more information about RUCA codes, please visit the USDA website found here: 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urban-commuting-area-codes.aspx

The Office of Grants Management uses Beale Codes when assessing alternative match requirements as 

the statue (45 CFR 2521.60(c)) requires it.
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Same Project: Two projects will be considered the same if they: address the same issue areas, address the 

same priorities, address the same objectives, serve the same target communities and population, or utilize 

the same sites.

Programs must get approval from their AmeriCorps ASN HQ staff to be considered a new project. 

If an applicant is applying for a different program model (a new project), select New. Current and 

previous grantees need to get approval from their Program Officer/Portfolio Manager to be considered a 

new project. AmeriCorps will consider a project to be new if there is a meaningful difference between it 

and previous projects in a comparison of the following characteristics, among others: the objectives and 

priorities of the projects; the nature of the services provided; the program staff, participants, and 

volunteers involved; the geographic locations in which the services are provided; the populations served; 

and the proposed community partnerships. (§ 2522.340). 

Requests to be considered a new project should include information about how the new project differs 

from the previous project in the characteristics noted above. The request should also include the proposed 

name of the new project. ASN HQ staff will review the request to determine if the proposed project does 

represent a meaningful difference from the previous project or if the proposed project is an example of 

natural program evolution over time. If it is determined that the project is new, ASN HQ staff will create 

a new project in eGrants. Applicants must request new projects significantly in advance of their 

application deadline. 

Unallowable Activities: In addition to the Prohibited Activities, the following restrictions also apply to 

the service of AmeriCorps members: 

Nonduplication. 

Corporation assistance may not be used to duplicate an activity that is already available in the locality 

of a program. Corporation assistance will not be provided to a private nonprofit entity to conduct 

activities that are the same or substantially equivalent to activities provided by a State or local 

government agency in which such entity resides unless the entity complies with the following 

“nondisplacement” requirements. 

Nondisplacement. 

(1) An employer may not displace an employee or position, including partial displacement such as 

reduction in hours, wages, or employment benefits, as a result of the use by such employer of a 

participant in a program receiving Corporation assistance. 

(2) An organization may not displace a volunteer by using a participant in a program receiving 

Corporation assistance. 

(3) A service opportunity will not be created under this chapter that will infringe in any manner on the 

promotional opportunity of an employed individual. 

(4) A participant in a program receiving Corporation assistance may not perform any services or duties or 

engage in activities that would otherwise be performed by an employee as part of the assigned duties 

of such employee. 

(5) A participant in any program receiving assistance may not perform any services or duties, or engage 

in activities, that—

(i) Will supplant the hiring of employed workers; or 

(ii) Are services, duties, or activities with respect to which an individual has recall rights pursuant 

to a collective bargaining agreement or applicable personnel procedures. 

(6) A participant in any program receiving assistance may not perform services or duties that have been 

performed by or were assigned to any—
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(i) Presently employed worker; 

(ii) Employee who recently resigned or was discharged; 

(iii) Employee who is subject to a reduction in force or who has recall rights pursuant to a 

collective bargaining agreement or applicable personnel procedures; 

(iv) Employee who is on leave (terminal, temporary, vacation, emergency, or sick); or 

(v) Employee who is on strike or who is being locked out.