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AmeriCorps State and National FY 2018 Annual Plan

FY Appropriation: $373,009,000 (after reduction of 179j and Subtitle J Funds)

Target Member Level: 58,903

Key Milestones:

 FY 2018 application deadline – January 17, 2018

 FY 2018 awards – May 15, 2018

 FY 2019 NOFO release – Summer 2018

 Grantee Meeting – August/September 2018

Funding Priorities:

Consistent with the Serve America Act, AmeriCorps State and National will seek to fund 

programs in the following six focus areas that use an evidence-based approach to create 

community impact and solve community problems. 

 Disaster Services

 Education

 Environmental Stewardship

 Healthy Futures

 Economic Opportunity

 Veterans and Military Families 

CNCS is required to select at least two focus areas in making competitive AmeriCorps State 

and National Grants. For the 2018 AmeriCorps State and National competition, CNCS seeks 

to prioritize investment of national service resources in the following priority areas: 

 Disaster Services - improving community resiliency through disaster preparation, 

response, recovery, and mitigation

 Education - improving student academic performance in Science, Technology, 

Engineering, and/or Mathematics (STEM) 

 Economic Opportunity - increasing economic opportunities for communities by 

engaging opportunity youth, either as the population served and/or as AmeriCorps 

members, to prepare them for the workforce 

 Healthy Futures – reducing and/or preventing prescription drug and opioid abuse.

 Veterans and Military Families - positively impacting the quality of life of veterans and 

improving military family strength

 Governor and Mayor Initiatives 

 Rural intermediaries that demonstrate measureable impact and primarily serve 

communities with limited resources and organizational infrastructure 

 Safer communities 

 Evidence-Based Intervention Planning Grants
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 Encore Programs – programs that engage Americans age 55 and older

Accountability: AmeriCorps State and National will continue to place a high priority on 

accountability and will devote significant effort and resources to oversight and monitoring 

to maximize compliance with all applicable rules and regulations. Special efforts will be 

made to help partners and grantees implement performance measurement and comply 

with all administrative and financial reporting requirements.

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: For FY 2018, AmeriCorps State and 

National will continue to make available to its grantees all of the agency’s 16 Priority 

Performance Measures and will continue to allow the use of Complementary Program 

Measures and applicant determined Performance Measures. 
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AmeriCorps VISTA FY 2018 Annual Plan

FY Appropriation: $92,364,000

Target Member Level: 7,500 

Key Milestones: 

 October 2017: Issue Program Guidance (which articulates AmeriCorps VISTA 

programming priorities) to CNCS State Offices and Field

 October 2017 – September 2018: Hold 35-40 Pre-Service Orientations and 

Supervisor Trainings (a combination of in-person and virtual events) to train new 

AmeriCorps VISTA members and supervisors

 November 2017: Host convening of VISTA sponsor organizations, in collaboration 

with Senior Corps, to facilitate long-term planning of disaster recovery efforts for 

those affected by recent Hurricanes

Programming Priorities: 

Founded in 1965, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) is a federal anti-poverty 

program designed to provide needed resources to nonprofit organizations and public 

agencies to increase their capacity to lift Americans out of poverty. AmeriCorps VISTA 

members build the organizational and financial capacity of local programs that help lowincome Americans gain the skills and resources they need to break the poverty cycle. 

This year, AmeriCorps VISTA will prioritize rural community development, Veterans, 

STEM, workforce development (e.g., apprenticeships), and projects that help prevent and 

treat opioid/drug abuse. 

Ultimately, CNCS expects to invest no less than 80 percent of AmeriCorps VISTA resources 

toward building the capacity of programs and organizations in the following focus areas:

 Economic Opportunity (Workforce Development, Employment, Financial Literacy, 

Housing) 

 Education (STEM, School Readiness, High School Graduation, and Post-Secondary 

Success) 

 Healthy Futures (Opioid Recovery, Food Security)

 Veterans and Military Families

AmeriCorps VISTA continues to build out its virtual training resources and is intensifying 

training and technical assistance for VISTA supervisors in FY18.

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: AmeriCorps VISTA will seek to 

support projects that demonstrate the effectiveness of their proposed intervention in 

addressing community needs. In addition to measuring project performance in 
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organizational and financial capacity building, AmeriCorps VISTA will measure the value 

members receive from their national service experience.
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AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC)

FY 2018 Annual Plan 

FY Appropriation: $30,000,000

Target Member Level (Traditional): 1,200

Target Member Level (FEMA Corps): 1,000 (FEMA Corps members are supported by FEMA 

funds)

Key Milestones & Campus Start Dates:

 October 2017: Southwest Region (Denver, CO) and Pacific Region (Sacramento, CA) 

Traditional 

 February 2017: Southwest Region (Denver, CO), North Central Region (Vinton, IA) 

and Atlantic Region (Baltimore, MD) Traditional

 February 2018: Southern Region (Vicksburg, MS) FEMA Corps 

 July 2018: Southern Region (Vicksburg, MS) Traditional 

 July 2018: Pacific Region (Sacramento, CA), North Central Region (Vinton, IA) FEMA 

Corps 

Funding Priorities: 

The Serve America Act authorizes the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps 

(NCCC) to operate a residential national service program that provides young people with 

leadership and team-building opportunities to meet national and community needs.

To evaluate the program’s effectiveness and efficiency, AmeriCorps NCCC measures key 

objectives and targets, including the impact of member service and the opportunities and 

training provided to its members. 

AmeriCorps NCCC Service Projects and Special Initiatives:

In 2018, AmeriCorps NCCC project outreach and implementation will reflect a continued 

focus on the NCCC specific service areas as outlined in the Serve America Act: response to 

natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and 

conservation, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. 

To further build upon programmatic strengths such as our residential design and intensive 

member training program, AmeriCorps NCCC will continue in its role as the agency’s lead 

responders in times of disasters as well as disaster preparation, mitigation, and recovery. 

AmeriCorps NCCC will continue its partnership with the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) to support the goal of an additional 1,000 AmeriCorps NCCC members, who 

will work solely on FEMA-sponsored projects during their term of service. 
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AmeriCorps NCCC Members:

The Serve America Act mandates that AmeriCorps NCCC engage participants from 

economically, geographically, and ethnically diverse backgrounds. Additionally, 

AmeriCorps NCCC was directed to conduct outreach to increase participation of 

disadvantaged youth to a target enrollment of 50 percent by the year 2012. In 2018, we 

anticipate reaching more than 40 percent, accompanied by an aggressive strategy for 

keeping us moving toward the very ambitious goal. To meet this goal, AmeriCorps NCCC 

will continue to implement measures as outlined in AmeriCorps NCCC’s Annual 

Recruitment plan, including:

 

 Leverage new contract recruiters to target all NCCC applicant requirements;

 Expand AmeriCorps NCCC recruitment efforts by conducting outreach to 

organizations and institutions that support youth from disadvantaged circumstances;

 Collaborate with state and local corps programs to promote second year of service 

opportunities with AmeriCorps NCCC among their membership;

 Promote AmeriCorps Week, Mayor’s Day and all National Days of Service as 

opportunities to introduce school-aged children to service and volunteering;

 Increase use of all social media outlets to recruit new members; and

 Expand the strategic use of the approximately 20,000 AmeriCorps NCCC alumni in 

recruitment efforts to increase the applicant pool for Corps Members and Team 

Leaders and aggressively promote national service.

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: 

AmeriCorps NCCC will contribute to seven of the 16 agency-wide priority performance 

measures. 
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Senior Corps: Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) 

FY 2018 Annual Plan 

FY Appropriation: $48,902,000

Target Volunteer Level: 200,810

Key Milestones:

 Total estimated grant awards in FY 2018: 597

 Administrative renewal of grants competitively awarded in FY 2015 (as required by 

statute), to also including

 Performance measures linking federal funding to outcomes

 Increased funding for grantees proposing evidence-based programing

 Increased funding to small grantees of up to $40K

 Continuation of grants competitively awarded in FY 2014, 2016, and 2017

 Possible additional grant and/or non-grant activities, to be determined based on 

availability of FY 2018 funds, to include, among other things, augmentations for 

evidence-based programming and disaster services

Funding Priorities:

 Competitive and continuation grants fulfilling program priorities

 Compete and award grant augmentation for evidence-based programing 

 Technical assistance and training for grantees’ compliance, financial management and 

tribal program implementation

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: 

All RSVP grants have been competed, and all successful applicants will have adopted the 

National Performance Measures. In FY 2018, all renewed grants will compete under a 

refinement of the previous performance measures. Previously, 10% of all volunteers 

need to be placed in outcome based performance measures. Beginning in 2016, in 

accordance with OMB’s Uniform Guidance for grants, we began to link federal funding to 

outcomes. At the time of their administrative renewal, grantees are required to place one 

volunteer in a service activity that either leads to an outcome, or supports an evidencebased health promotion activity for every $1,000 in annual federal funding. At the end of 

FY 2018, all grantees within the portfolio will have adopted the refined performance 

measure requirements.
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Senior Corps: Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) FY 2018 Annual Plan 

FY Appropriation: $107,702,000

Target Volunteer Level: 21,870

Key Milestones: 

 Total estimated grant awards in FY 2018: 328

 Competitive New Awards to Replace Relinquished in FY18: 10*

 FY 2018 renewal and continuation grants will be awarded non-competitively (as 

required by statute)

 Possible additional grant and/or non-grant activities, to be determined based on 

availability of FY 2018 funds

Currently, all grants and Volunteer Service Years relinquished in any state are centralized 

to CNCS for budget contingencies. Priority uses for centralized funding will be a FGP 

competitive process to award a combination of augmentation of grants supporting 

evidence-based programs and replacement sponsor competitions. 

*The final number of replacement awards will be determined by the number of 

relinquishments received throughout the year. Replacement competitions will be posted 

for geographic services areas relinquished before June 30th.

Funding Priorities:

 Competitive and continuation grants fulfilling program priorities

 Compete and award grant augmentation for evidence-based programing 

 Technical assistance and training for grantees’ compliance, financial management and 

program implementation

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: 

FGP performance measures are aligned with Strategic Plan Focus Areas, and the majority of 

FGP measures are subsets of CNCS agency-wide measures. The emphasis on education 

aligns with the Strategic Plan, as well as the purpose of the FGP program. In addition, all 

renewed grants will compete under a refinement of the previous performance measures. 

Previously, 75% of all FGP volunteers need to be placed in outcome based performance 

measures. Beginning in 2016, in accordance with OMB’s Uniform Guidance for grants, we 

began to link federal funding to outcomes. At the time of their administrative renewal, 

grantees are required to place one Volunteer Service Year in a service activity that either

leads to an outcome, or supports specific legacy programing associated with serving 

individuals with disabilities for every $6,000 in annual federal funding. At the end of FY 

2018, all grantees within the portfolio will have adopted the refined performance measure 

requirements.
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Senior Corps: Senior Companion Program (SCP) FY 2018 Annual Plan

FY Appropriation: $45,512,000

Target Volunteer Level: 10,627

Key Milestones: 

 Total estimated grant awards in FY 2018: 201

 Competitive new awards to replace relinquished grants in FY18: 4*

 FY 2018 renewal and continuation grants will be awarded non-competitively (as 

required by statute) 

 Possible additional grant and/or non-grant activities, to be determined based on 

availability of FY 2018 funds 

*The final number of replacement awards will be determined by the number of 

relinquishments received throughout the year. Replacement competitions will be posted 

for Geographic services areas relinquished before June 30th.

Funding Priorities:

 Competitive and continuation grants fulfilling program priorities

 Compete and award grant augmentation for evidence-based programing 

 Technical assistance and training for grantees’ compliance, financial management and 

program implementation

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: 

SCP performance measures are aligned with Strategic Plan Focus Areas, and the majority of 

SCP measures are subsets of CNCS agency-wide measures. The emphasis on education 

aligns with the Strategic Plan, as well as the purpose of the SCP program. In addition, all 

renewed grants will compete under a refinement of the previous performance measures. 

Previously, 90% of all volunteers need to be placed in outcome based performance 

measured. Beginning in 2016, in accordance with OMB’s Uniform Guidance for grants, we 

began to link federal funding to outcomes. At the time of their administrative renewal, 

grantees are required to place one Volunteer Service Year in a service activity that either 

leads to an outcome, or supports specific legacy programing associated with serving 

individuals with disabilities for every $6,000 in annual federal funding. At the end of FY 

2018, all grantees within the portfolio will have adopted the refined performance measure 

requirements.
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Subtitle H FY 2018 Annual Plan

(Volunteer Generation Fund, Call to Service –

MLK and September 11th Days of Service)

FY Appropriation: $4,800,000

Key Milestones:

• September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance and MLK Day of Service

 Continuation grants to be awarded noncompetitively for September 11th Day of 

Service: 4

 Continuation grants to be awarded noncompetitively for MLK Day of Service: 4

• Volunteer Generation Fund 

 Continuation grants to be awarded noncompetitively: 15

Funding Priorities:

• September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance: Grantees may competitively 

subgrant or work with partner agencies so that a portion of the federal funds are 

provided to eligible organizations to plan and carry out direct service activities. 

Grantees will plan and carry out direct service activities that honor those lost on 

September 11th, 2001 and those who rose in service as a result of that 

tragedy. Activities may include ongoing service learning, ongoing direct service, and 

planning leading up to the events, but the majority of activity takes place on or close to 

September 11th. 

• MLK Day of Service: Grantees may competitively subgrant or work with partner 

agencies so that a portion of the federal funds are provided to eligible organizations to 

plan and carry out direct service activities. Activities may include ongoing service 

learning, ongoing direct service, and planning leading up to the events, but the majority 

of activity takes place on or close to the MLK holiday.

• Volunteer Generation Fund: Grantees must provide evidence that subgrantees have 

enhanced their capacity to fulfill the following requirements:

 Engage local partner organizations that use volunteers in a collaborative process 

of planning and implementation for increasing the impact of volunteers in 

meeting critical needs 

 Provide relevant, competency-based volunteer roles and opportunities that 

attract and retain high caliber volunteers 

 Develop the internal operational and financial management systems that will 

provide organizational sustainability
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Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation:

Performance measures for Subtitle H funds must include reports on the number of 

community volunteers recruited and/or managed by CNCS supported organizations and 

national service participants. 

9-11 Day of Service grantees were required to begin using National Performance Measures 

in FY 2015. Grantees use Performance Measures in the Focus Areas of Disaster Services 

and Veterans and Military Families as well as the key goal of Capacity Building. Grantees 

will continue to use Performance Measures in FY 2018.

MLK Day of Service grantees were required to begin using National Performance Measures 

in FY 2015. Grantees can use Performance Measures in all six CNCS Focus Areas as well as 

the key goal of Capacity Building. Grantees will continue to use Performance Measures in 

FY 2018.
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AmeriCorps Affiliate FY 2018 Annual Plan

FY Appropriation: $7,100,000 in Education Awards

Key Milestones:

 December 2017: FY 2018 Notice released; applications will be accepted and 

reviewed on a rolling basis two times during the year

 March and June: Applications due, results announced approximately 90 days after 

due date

 March 2018: Continuation Applications Due

Programming Priorities:

Started in FY 2016, AmeriCorps Affiliate is a pilot initiative that created a stream of service 

– distinct from other AmeriCorps programs – relying on authorities in the Serve America 

Act that CNCS had not previously used. The new initiative created a 100 hour service term 

available only to AmeriCorps Affiliate and allows members as young as 14 to serve. The 

new service terms and youth component puts AmeriCorps Affiliate in the unique position 

to expand summer service opportunities. 

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: 

For FY 2018, CNCS will make available to its AmeriCorps Affiliate sponsors all of the 

agency’s 16 Priority Performance Measures and will allow the use of Complementary 

Program Measures and applicant determined Performance Measures.
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State Commission Support Grants and Commission Investment Funds 

FY 2018 Annual Plan

FY Appropriation: $23,839,250

Target Member/Volunteer Level: Not Applicable

Key Milestones:

• FY 2018 partial awards – December 2017

• FY 2018 balance of award– April/May 2018

Funding Priorities: 

As required by the National and Community Service Act, funding will be awarded on a 

formula basis to support State Service Commissions as they implement service as a 

strategy to address local problems, such as leading disaster response and readiness efforts, 

addressing high school dropout rates, increasing mentoring efforts, training and technical 

assistance, supporting persons with disabilities, and establishing volunteer centers, online 

matching platforms, and other systems to effectively engage citizens in service. Funds will 

also be used in their outreach to prospective AmeriCorps grantees, administration of grant 

competitions, oversight and monitoring of grants and programs.

In addition, Commission Administrative Grants and Commission Investment Funds will be 

used to cultivate high-performing organizations by strengthening their training and 

technical assistance, accountability, and grant oversight activities.

Performance Measure Adoption and Implementation: 

Each State Service Commission is required to report on a standard performance measure 

that is selected by CNCS as well select any additional performance measures it determines 

based on individual state service plan.