Request for Concept Papers

AmeriCorps VISTA

May 2021
What are we discussing today?

• What is AmeriCorps VISTA

• What it can and can’t do 

for your organization

• Who does what

• How can you connect to 

AmeriCorps staff and 

Additional Resources
What is AmeriCorps VISTA?

Volunteers in Service To America

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Core Principles

• Fighting Poverty

• Empowering Low-income 

Communities

• Building Capacity for Communities 

and Organizations

• Creating sustainable solutions
Key Definitions and Terms

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• VISTA Project

• Project Sponsor

• Project Director

• Supervisor

• AmeriCorps Regional Office

• VISTA member

• Leader 

• Summer Associate
Tell us about yourself!

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What type of organization do you represent?

• Local nonprofit

• State-wide nonprofit

• Multi-state nonprofit

• City or municipal government

• State government

• Tribal organization or Tribal government

• Educational Institution (local, higher ed, HBCU)

• Other
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And now a word from our Sponsors...

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Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky 

The only statewide advocacy organization that addresses homelessness and 

affordable housing. Coalition of individuals and organizations working together to 

eliminate the threat of homelessness and fulfill the promise of safe, decent, and 

affordable housing.

• In FY18, 23 VISTA members recruited 2,155 volunteers, serving more than 40,000

service hours

• $738,105 in cash resources; $880,625 in-kind resources

• 1,078 individuals received housing placement services, and 320 individuals

transitioned into housing
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Audubon Area Community Services 

This small project utilizes 5 VISTA members to build capacity for self-sufficiency programs in 

several rural counties in Western Kentucky. The program has an emphasis on healthy 

futures, particularly opiate addition and recovery programs. VISTAs build capacity by 

creating resource directories, preparing presentations on opiate use and addiction, 

developing life skills classes, improving community awareness, and preparing informational 

packets for families of incarcerated adults in treatment programs. In the past program year 

VISTAs have:

• Recruited 127 Community Volunteers 

• Managed 144 Volunteers

• Leveraged over $110,000 of cash and in-kind resources for the project

• Developed and delivered numerous public presentations to increase awareness 

of substance abuse and related resources. For example, VISTAs helped 

implement a Recovery Celebration event in Owensboro, KY with over 600 

community members attending. 
AmeriCorps VISTA Project 

Sponsors

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VISTA Program Models

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Single site model • Supervisor • VISTA member(s)

Intermediary model • VISTA sub-sites are located in the 

state and may include sites in 

another state or cluster

• Sub-site supervisors

• VISTA member(s)
Responsibilities: Project Management

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• Obtain community input – work WITH, not just for 

the target population(s)

• Performance measures – measuring results 

through outputs and outcomes

• Reporting

• Project Progress Reports (PPRs) – two a year

• VISTA Progress Report Supplement (VPRS) – annual, due 

mid November
Responsibilities: Member Management

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• Recruit and place VISTA members • Provide workspace, equipment 

and supplies

• Professional development and on-

site orientation & training

• Assist VISTA members with 

community entry

• VISTA supervision and 

performance appraisals

• Sponsor Verification Form 
Capacity Building vs Direct Service

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Capacity Building

Tasks and activities to expand 

the scale, reach, efficiency or 

effectiveness of specific 

antipoverty projects

Direct Service

Providing services to the 

identified project recipients or 

clients of a project
Cost Sharing

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• Affordable way to increase the number of AmeriCorps VISTA 

members

• Demonstrates that sponsors are invested in the VISTA 

project’s success

• Help expand VISTA resources across the country
AmeriCorps VISTA 

Members

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The Basics

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• 18+ years of age

• U.S. citizens or legal permanent 

residents

• Must pass a criminal history review

• May have specific knowledge, skills, 

or abilities required by the 

sponsoring organization

• Local or national recruits
VISTA Leaders

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• Projects with eight or more VISTAs may have a Leader assigned to support the members

• Leaders guide data collection & interpret data (they do not perform the reporting)

• Coordinate, facilitate, and support the efforts of VISTA members (do not supervise)
What do VISTA Members Do?

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• Create powerful partnerships with 

businesses, community leaders, and 

other stakeholders 

• Expand current programs in 

demographic, geographic, and/or 

programmatic scope

• Build volunteer management, 

leadership and training systems

• Leverage both cash and in-kind 

resources by building development 

systems
What do VISTA Members NOT do?

Also known as “prohibited activities”

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• International work

• Religious activity

• Prohibited political activity

Hatch Act

Voter registration 

Union organizing 

• Supplanting staff or existing 

volunteers
Benefits for VISTA Members

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• Clearly shows how the capacity building activities you 

are proposing directly ties into anti-poverty outcomes in 

the community you’re serving

• Includes deliberate engagement of your beneficiary 

population and communities

• Is designed with the end in mind – when will your project 

become self-sustaining and how? With additional staff? 

Community volunteers? Partnerships with other 

organizations and agencies? 

• Focuses not only on the project activities but on the 

development of members. VISTAs may be younger and 

in need of greater supervisor or they maybe retired 

community members that can work on their own. As a 

project director and VISTA Supervisor, you will have to 

flex your skills to adapt to the people you recruit. It will be 

worth it in the end!

What Makes A VISTA Project – and 

Application – Successful?

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Beginning the Application 

Process

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VISTA Application Process

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Step 1- AmeriCorps VISTA Concept Paper

Organizations submit an AmeriCorps VISTA 

Concept Paper. The Concept Paper is a 

preliminary screening tool used to evaluate 

whether the organization would be an 

appropriate sponsor. 

Step 2- AmeriCorps VISTA Project Application

If AmeriCorps approves the Concept Paper, 

the 

organization submits an AmeriCorps VISTA 

Project Application based on the approved 

Concept Paper.
Characteristics of a Strong Concept Paper

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• Aligns with AmeriCorps focus areas/VISTA programming 

priorities

• Addresses the needs of a low-income community

• Involves the community in project development and 

implementation

• Leads to organizational capacity and sustainability

• Generates public or private sector resources

• Promotes local volunteer service

• Be specific
What Types of Programming Does VISTA Support?

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Focus Areas & Current Programming Priorities

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Economic Opportunity

• Housing

• Employment

• Bridging the Digital Divide

Healthy Futures

• Access to Health Care

• Food Security
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EDUCATION

• School readiness

• K-12 success 

• Post Secondary success

• Higher Ed

• Career & Technical Education

VETERANS & MILITARY FAMILIES
Which programming priority fits your organization?

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Housing

Employment/Workforce Development

Digital Divide

Access to Health Care

Food Security

School readiness/learning loss

K-12 success

Post-Secondary Success (College and/or Technical Education)

More than one of the above

None of the above
Concept Paper Submission

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Concept Papers are submitted in eGrants.

Create an eGrants account:

http://egrants.cns.gov NOT grants.gov 

• Click on: Don’t have an eGrants account? Create an account.

• Click on: Create a Grantee Account

• Click on: This is my first time. I want to create a new account with 

eGrants

You will need the following information:

• EIN Number

• DUNS Number (not required to create an account, but needed if 

your organization is awarded a grant)

• Your organization’s contact information

• Your contact information
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Under the Creating an 

Application section

• Click on Concept Paper

• Click on the link titled: 

FY2021 AmeriCorps 

VISTA State New NOFA
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Enter Narratives for each of the section:

Tip: Write all narrative responses in a word processing program (i.e. Word Pad), since 

eGrants does not have a spell check function and can timeout from inactivity. But be 

sure to check for strange characters after you paste, like upside-down question marks.
FY 2021 RFCP Timelines

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AmeriCorps VISTA Request for Concept Papers Timeline

Task Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4

VISTA 

Headquarters 

Webinar 

September 10, 2020

3 pm eastern December 2020 February 2021 May 2021

Concept Papers 

due by 11:59 pm

Thursday 

October 1, 2020

Monday 

January 4, 2021

Monday

March 15, 2021

Tuesday

June 1, 2021

Concept Paper 

decisions November 2020 February 2021 April 2021 July 2021

Application

decisions January 2021 April 2021 May 2021 August 2021
Completing the Application Process

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Submit a Full VISTA Application: If your 

organization’s concept paper is accepted, 

your AmeriCorps Regional Office will notify you 

and request that you submit a full application. 

Supervisor Orientation: AmeriCorps will provide 

a virtual orientation

Member Recruitment: The sponsoring 

organization will develop a Service 

Opportunity Listing on eGrants to recruit VISTA 

candidates. There are resources available to 

assist with this process.
Additional Resources

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Contacts and Resources

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Contact Your Regional Office: https://www.nationalservice.gov/stateoffices 

Request for Concept Papers Notice: https://www.nationalservice.gov/documents/2018/fy19-americorps-vistarequest-concept-papers-and-timeline

Concept Paper Instructions: 

https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/VISTA_Concept%20Paper.pdf

Sponsor a VISTA member: https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorpsprograms/americorps-vista/sponsor-vista-member

FY21 Program Guidance: https://www.nationalservice.gov/documents/fy21-annual-program-guidanceamericorps-vista

eGrants: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp

National Service Hotline: 1-800-942-2677

eGrants technical issues, option 3
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This video showcases stories of ordinary people meeting extraordinary 

challenges as VISTA members and describes the foundation of VISTA's legacy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QfYCddyQw6E#t=43

VISTA History and Legacy Video

1964 Presidential Address Highlighting VISTA

This video includes footage from 1964 when President Johnson declared the War on Poverty and 

proposed VISTA as part of this plan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ftv7wCbMbg

What can VISTA do for You?

This video explains how VISTAs bring enthusiasm, experience and commitment to the organizations 

they serve, helping sponsors deliver better education, health, nutrition. and other services to people in 

need. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zugQxvjgXAw
Questions and Answers

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Last Poll!

How likely is it that you will apply to become a 

VISTA project sponsor? 

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 Very likely and I plan on submitting a Concept Paper by June 1st.

 Very likely but I will wait until the fall or later.

 Maybe but I would like to talk to an AmeriCorps staff person first.

 Maybe but I need to to talk to my organization’s leadership first.

 Not likely because VISTA doesn’t seem a good fit for what my organization needs.

 Not likely but I will continue looking at other national service programs.
Thank You for Attending!

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