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FY 2021 Commission Support Grant Terms and Conditions 

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 2020 Terms and Conditions for the Commission Support 

Grants 

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II. Purpose of Commission Support Grants 2 

III. Prohibitions on the Use of Funds 2 

IV. Budget and Programmatic Changes 3 

V. Reporting Requirements 4 

VI. Award Period and Incremental Funding 5 

VII. Program Income 5 

VIII. National Service Criminal History Check Training 6
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I. CHANGES FROM THE 2020 TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COMMISSION 

SUPPORT GRANTS 

- Replaced all references to CNCS with AmeriCorps.

- Removed all references to AmeriCorps Program and Grants Officers.

- Section V.C. – Changed the due date of the final FFR from 90 days to 120 days.

II. PURPOSE OF COMMISSION SUPPORT GRANTS 

The activities must be consistent with the AmeriCorps Regulations 45 CFR 2550.80, the 

application instructions, the Program Specific and General Terms and Conditions, and 

with the recipient’s State Service Plan. The duties of state commissions are described in 

45 CFR 2550.80. Composition requirements and other requirements, restrictions and 

guidelines are described in 45 CFR 2550.50. 

 

III. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF FUNDS 

While charging time to the Commission Support award, the recipient and/or anyone 

acting under the supervision or authority of the recipient, may not engage in the 

following activities: 

 

A. Attempting to influence legislation. 

 

B. Organizing or engaging in protest, petitions, boycotts, or strikes. 

 

C. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing. 

 

D. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements. 

 

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

voter registration drive. 

 

F. Engaging in partisan political activities or other activities designed to influence 

the outcome of an election to any public office. 

 

G. 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. 

 

H. Engaging in religious instruction; conducting worship services providing 

instructions as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or 

worship; constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or 
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worship; maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious 

instruction or worship; or engaging in any form of religious proselytization. 

 

I. Providing a direct benefit to: 

1. A for-profit entity; 

2. A labor union; 

3. A partisan political organization; 

4. An organization engaged in the religious activities described in the 

preceding sub-clause (h), unless award funds are not used to support the 

religious activities; or 

5. A nonprofit entity 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. 

6. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services. 

7. Award funds may not be used for international travel or projects where the 

primary beneficiaries of an activity are outside the United States. 

8. Other activities as AmeriCorps determines will be prohibited, upon notice 

to the recipient. 

 

J. Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the 

above activities on their own initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using nonAmeriCorps funds. 

 

IV. BUDGET AND PROGRAMMATIC CHANGES 

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

AmeriCorps before making the following changes:

1. Changes in the scope, objectives or goals of the program, whether or not 

they involve budgetary changes. 

2. Entering into subawards or contracting out any activities funded by the 

award and not specifically identified in the approved application and/or 

award. 

B. Changes in the Budget. The recipient must obtain the prior written approval of a 

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 Parts 200 and 2205. Certain 

cost items in 2 CFR Parts 200 and 2205 require approval of the awarding 
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agency for the cost to be allowable. 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. 

C. Approvals 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 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.

V. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 

Reporting requirements in these terms and conditions apply only to the recipient. The 

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

during the project period and final financial report. 

 

A. Financial Reports. The recipient shall complete and submit financial reports in 

eGrants (Financial Status Reports on menu tree) to report the status of all funds. 

Recipients must submit timely cumulative financial reports in accordance with 

AmeriCorps guidelines according to the following schedule:

Due Date Reporting Period Covered 

July 31 Start of award through June 30 

January 31 July 1 – December 31 

 

The recipient must submit the Federal Financial Report (FFR) - Cash 

Transactions Report on a quarterly basis to the Department of Health and Human 

Services Payment Management System per the Electronic Funds Transfer 

Agreement. 

B. Progress Reports. The recipient shall submit progress reports in eGrants 

according to the following schedule: 

Due Date Reporting Period Covered 

March 31 Start of award year through December 31 
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C. Final Financial Reports. Recipients completing the final year of their award 

must submit, in lieu of the last financial report, a final financial report. This final 

financial report is due no later than 120 days after the end of the project period.

D. Final Progress Reports. Recipients completing the final year of their award 

must submit, in lieu of the last annual progress report, a final progress report. The 

final progress report is due no later than 90-days after the end of the project 

period.

E. Request for Extensions. Each recipient must submit financial and progress 

report 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 legitimately 

beyond the control of the recipient, and 2) AmeriCorps receives a request 

explaining the need for an extension before the due date of the report.

Extensions of deadlines for financial reports may only be granted by a Portfolio 

Manager, and extension of deadlines for Progress Reports may only be granted by 

a Portfolio Manager. 

 

VI. AWARD PERIOD AND INCREMENTAL FUNDING 

For the purpose of this award, the project period is the complete length of time the 

recipient is proposed to be funded to complete the 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 provided to finance 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. The project period 

and the budget period are noted on the award document. 

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 Commission Support grant’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 
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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 be 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). 

VIII. NATIONAL SERVICE CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECK TRAINING 

 All grant recipients and subrecipients must complete AmeriCorps’ National Service 

Criminal History Check (NSCHC) training every year. The AmeriCorps designated ecourse provides a thorough overview of the requirements and can be found at: 

https://www.nationalservice.gov/reqCHCtraining, unless otherwise notified by 

AmeriCorps. Each grant recipient and subrecipient must identify at minimum one staff 

person who has some responsibility for NSCHC compliance to fulfill this requirement on 

behalf of the grant recipient or subrecipient. The grant recipient and subrecipient must 

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

the expiration of the certificate. Grant recipients and subrecipients should save 

certificates of completion from each year as grant records.