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2022 Terms and Conditions for Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Grants

These AmeriCorps (AmeriCorps is the operating name for the Corporation for National and Community 

Service) Grant Program Specific Terms and Conditions and the General Terms and Conditions, are 

binding on the recipient.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

I. Changes from the 2021 RSVP Program Grants Terms and Conditions 1

II. Award Period and Incremental Funding 1

III. Prohibition on Use of Funds 1

IV. External Evaluation and Data Collection 3

V. Lobby Disclosure 3

VI. Reporting Requirements 4

VII. Program Income 5

VIII. Budget and Programmatic Changes 5

IX. National Service Criminal History Check Training 6

I. CHANGES FROM THE 2021 RSVP GRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

- Section III.H. Added Abortion Services or Referrals to Prohibited Activities. 

- Section VI.A. Added a Progress Report Lite. 

- Section VI.D. Emphasized that grantees must submit a quarterly Federal Financial Report (FFR)/Federal 

Cash Transaction Report to the Dept. of Health and Human Services/Payment Management System 

(HHS/PMS) as part of the final financial reconciliation of the grant. 

- Section IX: Updated the links for the required National Service Criminal History Check Training.

II. AWARD PERIOD AND INCREMENTAL FUNDING

For the purpose of this award, a project period is the complete length of time the recipient is proposed to be 

funded to complete approved activities under the award. A project period may contain one or more budget 

periods. A budget period is a specific interval of time for which Federal funds are being provided to fund a 

recipient’s approved activities and budget. 

 

Unless otherwise specified, the award covers a three-year project period. In approving a multi-year project 

period, AmeriCorps generally makes an initial award for the first year of operation. Additional funding is 

contingent upon satisfactory performance, a recipient’s demonstrated capacity to manage an award and 

comply with award requirements, and the availability of Congressional appropriations. AmeriCorps 

reserves the right to adjust the amount of an award or elect not to continue funding for subsequent years. 

The project period and the budget period are noted on the award document. 

 

III. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS

As specified in 42 U.S.C. § 5043(c) and 45 CFR § 2553.91, while charging time to an RSVP grant,

accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the RSVP grant or 

AmeriCorps, staff and volunteers may not engage in the following activities:
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A. Political activities.

1. No part of any award shall be used to finance, directly or indirectly, any activity to influence 

the outcome of any election to public office, or any voter registration activity.

No project shall be conducted in a manner involving the use of funds, the provision of 

services, or the employment or assignment of personnel in a matter supporting or resulting in 

the identification of such project with:

a. Any partisan or nonpartisan political activity associated with a candidate, or contending 

faction or group, in an election; or

b. Any activity to provide voters or prospective voters with transportation to the polls or 

similar assistance in connection with any such election; or

c. Any voter registration activity, except that voter registration applications and nonpartisan 

voter registration information may be made available to the public at the premises of the 

sponsor. But in making registration applications and nonpartisan voter registration 

information available, employees of the sponsor shall not express preferences or seek to 

influence decisions concerning any candidate, political party, election issue, or voting 

decision.

2. Notwithstanding 42 U.S.C. § 5043(c) and 45 CFR § 2553.91(a)(3), in accordance with 

AmeriCorps’ current appropriations legislation all recipients are prohibited, without exception, 

from using AmeriCorps funds to pay the salary or expenses of any grant or contract recipient, 

or agent acting for such recipient, related to any activity designed to influence the enactment 

of legislation, appropriations, regulation, administrative action, or executive order proposed or 

pending before the Congress or any State government, State legislature or local legislature or 

legislative body, other than for normal and recognized executive-legislative relationships or 

participation by an agency or officer of a State, local or tribal government in policymaking 

and administrative processes within the executive branch of that government.

B. Non-displacement of employed workers. An AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer shall not perform any 

service or duty or engage in any activity that would otherwise be performed by an employee of the 

sponsor, or that would supplant the hiring of, or result in the displacement of, employees, or impair 

existing contracts for services.

C. Compensation for service. An agency or organization to which AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers are 

assigned, or which operates or supervises any RSVP program shall not request or receive any 

compensation from AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers or from beneficiaries for services of AmeriCorps 

Seniors volunteers.

1. The regulations do not prohibit a sponsor from soliciting and accepting voluntary 

contributions from the community at large to meet its local support obligations under the 

award or from entering into agreements with parties other than beneficiaries to support 

additional volunteers beyond those supported by the AmeriCorps award.

2. A volunteer station may contribute to the financial support of the RSVP Program. However, 

this support shall not be a required precondition for a potential station to obtain RSVP

Program services.
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3. If a volunteer station agrees to provide funds to support additional RSVP volunteers or pay for 

other volunteer support costs, the agreement shall be stated in a written Memorandum of 

Understanding. The sponsor shall withdraw services if the station's inability to provide 

monetary or in-kind support to the project under the Memorandum of Understanding 

diminishes or jeopardizes the project's financial capabilities to fulfill its obligations.

4. Under no circumstances shall an RSVP volunteer receive a fee for service from service 

recipients (i.e., program beneficiaries), their legal guardians, members of their families, or 

friends.

D. Labor and anti-labor activity. The sponsor shall not use award funds directly or indirectly to 

finance labor or anti-labor organizations or related activities.

E. Fair labor standards. A sponsor that employs laborers and mechanics for construction, alteration, or 

repair of facilities shall pay wages at prevailing rates as determined by the Secretary of Labor in 

accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act, as amended, 40 U.S.C. 276a.

F. Religious activities. Neither an RSVP volunteer nor a member of the project staff funded by 

AmeriCorps shall give religious instruction, conduct worship services, or engage in any form of 

proselytization as part of his or her service or duties.

1. A sponsor or volunteer station may retain its independence and may continue to carry out its 

mission, including the definition, development, practice, and expression of its religious 

beliefs, provided that it does not use AmeriCorps funds to support any inherently religious 

activities, such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization, as part of the programs or 

services funded. If an organization conducts such activities, the activities must be offered 

separately, in time or location, from the programs or services funded under this part.

G. Nepotism. Persons selected for project staff positions shall not be related by blood or marriage to 

other project staff, sponsor staff or officers, or members of the sponsor Board of Directors, unless 

there is written concurrence from the community group established by the sponsor under Subpart B of 

this part and upon prior notification and approval by AmeriCorps.

H. Abortion Services or Referrals.

While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise 

performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps Seniors program or AmeriCorps Seniors, staff and 

volunteers may not engage in providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of service. 

IV. EXTERNAL EVALUATION AND DATA COLLECTION

The recipient must cooperate with AmeriCorps and its evaluators in all monitoring and evaluation efforts. 

As part of this effort, the recipient must collect and submit certain project data, as defined in the Progress 

Report Supplement (PRS) and must provide data as requested or needed to support external evaluations.

V. LOBBY DISCLOSURE

A. No Federal appropriated funds may be used by the recipient to pay to any person for influencing or 

attempting to influence an officer or employee of any Federal agency, a Member of Congress, an 

officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the 

awarding of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative 
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agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, 

loan, or cooperative agreement.

B. Any recipient who requests or receives a grant from AmeriCorps Seniors shall file with AmeriCorps a 

certification, set forth in 31 U.S.C. Section 1352 (“Limitation on use of appropriated funds to 

influence certain Federal contracting and financial transactions”), which generally prohibits recipients 

of Federal grants and cooperative agreements from using Federal (appropriated) funds for lobbying 

the Executive or Legislative branches of the Federal Government in connection with a specific grant 

or cooperative agreement. By signing and submitting an application, the application provides 

certification that the recipient understands and will comply with this statutory requirement and that 

the recipient has not made, and will not make, any payment prohibited under section V.A. above.

C. For RSVP awards exceeding $100,000, pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352, the recipient is required to file 

with AmeriCorps a disclosure report, Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, in 

accordance with its instructions, at the end of any quarter, when the recipient has paid or agreed to 

pay, using non-appropriated funds (including any profits from any covered Federal action) any 

lobbying entity for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a 

Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress 

in connection with a covered Federal action. If applicable, the report must be submitted to the 

grantee’s AmeriCorps Senior Portfolio Manager.

VI. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 

The recipient is responsible for timely submission of periodic financial and progress reports during the 

project period and a final financial report at the end of the period. 

A. Progress Reports. The recipient shall complete and submit a full progress report at the end of the 

budget period. The report is submitted through the appropriate electronic system no later than 30 

days after the end of the budget period. The recipient shall also submit a Progress Report Lite six 

months after the start of the budget period through the appropriate electronic system.

B. Financial Reports. The recipient shall complete and submit financial reports in eGrants to report the 

status of all funds. The recipient must submit timely financial reports, reporting on a cumulative 

basis from the start of the award over the performance period of the award, in accordance with 

AmeriCorps guidelines. 

Recipients with budget periods starting in April or October submit according to the following 

schedule:

Due Date Reporting Period Covered 

April 30 October 1 - March 31 

October 30 April 1 – September 30 

Recipients with budget periods starting in January or July submit according to the following schedule:

Due Date Reporting Period Covered 

July 30 January 1 – June 30 

January 30 July 1 – December 31 

C. Final Financial Report. Recipients completing the final year of their award must submit, in lieu of 

the last semi-annual financial report, a final financial report in eGrants. This final financial report is 
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due no later than 120 days after the end of the project period. Additionally, grantees must submit a 

quarterly FFR/Federal Cash Transaction Report to PMS no later than 120 days after the end of the 

project period.

D. Reporting at the Dept. of Health and Human Services/Payment Management System 

(HHS/PMS). All recipients must submit the Federal Financial Report (FFR) Cash Transactions 

Report on a quarterly basis to the HHS/PMS per the Electronic Funds Transfer Agreement.

E. Requests for Extensions. Each recipient must submit required reports by the given dates. 

Extensions of reporting deadlines will be granted only when: 1) the report cannot be furnished in a 

timely manner for reasons, in the determination of AmeriCorps, which are legitimately beyond the 

control of the Recipient, and 2) AmeriCorps receives a written request explaining the need for an 

extension before the due date of the report.

Extensions of deadlines for reports may only be granted by the AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager, as 

appropriate. 

VII. PROGRAM INCOME

A. General. Income, including fees for service earned as a direct result of the award-funded program 

activities during the award period, must be retained by the recipient and used to finance the award’s 

non-AmeriCorps share.

B. Excess Program Income. Program income earned in excess of the amount needed to finance the 

recipient share must follow the appropriate requirements of 2 CFR Parts 200 and 2205, in particular, 

2 CFR 200.307 – Program Income and be deducted from total claimed costs, or with approval from 

AmeriCorps, through a budget amendment used to enhance the program (additive process). 

Recipients that have unexpended program income must report it on line “o” of the Federal Financial 

Report (FFR). 

C. Fees for service. When using assistance under this award, the recipient may not enter into a contract 

for or accept fees for service performed by participants when:

1. The service benefits a for-profit entity.

2. The service falls within the other prohibited activities set forth in statute, regulation, or these 

award terms and conditions.

VIII. BUDGET AND PROGRAMMATIC CHANGES

A. Programmatic Changes. The recipient must first obtain the prior written approval of the 

AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager before making any of the following changes (1-3):

1. Changes in the scope, objectives or goals of the project, transfer of the project effort, or 

project timeline whether or not they involve budgetary changes.

2. Substantial changes in key personnel specified in the application.
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3. The disengagement from the project for more than three months, or a 25 percent reduction in 

time devoted to the project by the approved Project Director. Upon notification to the 

AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager, recipients may make programmatic changes due to, or in 

response to, an officially declared state or national disaster without written approval from

AmeriCorps. As soon as practicable, recipients making disaster-related programmatic changes 

must discuss the performance measure adjustments, and other AmeriCorps award 

requirements with the AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager. While written approval from 

AmeriCorps is not required before making disaster-related programmatic changes, 

AmeriCorps reserves the right to limit or deny disaster-related programmatic changes, 

including disallowing costs associated with the disaster related activities.

B. Budgetary Changes. The recipient must obtain the prior written approval of AmeriCorps’ Portfolio 

Manager before deviating from the approved budget in any of the following ways:

1. Specific Costs Requiring Prior Approval before Incurrence under the uniform administrative 

requirement, cost principles, and audit requirements for Federal awards at 2 CFR § 200.407. 

Certain cost items in 2 CFR § 200.407 require prior written approval of the awarding agency 

for the cost to be allowable such as pre-award costs. Please ensure you consult the regulations 

prior to incurring costs to ensure allowability. 

2. Purchases of Equipment over $5,000 using award funds, unless specified in the approved 

application and budget. 

3. Unless the AmeriCorps share of the award is $100,000 or less, changes to cumulative and/or 

aggregate budget line items that amount to 10 percent or more of the total budget must be 

approved in writing in advance by AmeriCorps. The total budget includes both the 

AmeriCorps and recipient shares. Recipients may transfer funds among approved direct cost 

categories when the cumulative amount of such transfers does not exceed 10 percent of the 

total budget. 

C. Approval of Programmatic and Budget Changes. AmeriCorps’ Portfolio Managers are the only 

officials who have the authority to alter or change the terms and conditions or requirements of the 

award. Portfolio Managers will execute written amendments and recipients should not assume 

approvals have been granted unless documentation from AmeriCorps’ Office of Grant 

Administration (OGA) has been received via a notice of grant award. Programmatic changes also 

require final approval of AmeriCorps’ OGA after written recommendation for approval is received 

from the Portfolio Manager.

IX. NATIONAL SERVICE CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECK TRAINING

All recipients must complete and retain a certificate of completion of the AmeriCorps’ National Service 

Criminal History Check (NSCHC) e-course training every year to ensure that recipients conducting 

criminal history background checks comply with all NSCHC requirements. The AmeriCorps designated 

e-course provides a thorough overview of the requirements and can be found at: 

https://americorpsonlinecourses.litmos.com. 
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Each grant recipient must identify at minimum one staff person who has some responsibility for NSCHC 

compliance to fulfill this requirement on behalf of the grant recipient. The grant recipient must retain 

the certificate of completion and assign staff to retake the course annually prior to the expiration of the 

certificate. Grant recipients must save certificates of completion from each year as grant records.