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2020 AmeriCorps State & 

National Mandatory 

Supplemental Guidance
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The AmeriCorps State & National Mandatory Supplemental Guidance is intended to provide applicants 

with additional information for the preparation of their applications under the AmeriCorps State and 

National Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity. The Supplemental Guidance 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 Guidance is incorporated by reference in the 

Notice, and applicants must comply with any requirements stated in this Supplemental Guidance.

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 CNCS-supported organizations (i.e., AmeriCorps programs). As a general rule, 

CNCS considers capacity building activities to be indirect services that enable CNCS-supported 

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-based interventions on the CNCS Evidence Exchange:

• Economic Opportunity:

https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/CNCS_Economic_Opportu

nity_Evidence_Brief_2019_508.pdf

• Education: 

https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/CNCS_Education_Evidenc

e_Brief_112318_508.pdf

• Healthy Futures: 

https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/HF_Evidence_Brief_FINA

L_v2_508.pdf
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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 

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.

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

report of their CNCS funded program. The CNCS-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 CNCS 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. 

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

report of their CNCS funded program. The CNCS-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 CNCS funded program, then more 

than two reports will not be considered. 
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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 

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

intervention. 

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

report of their CNCS funded program. The CNCS-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 CNCS 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, CNCS 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 
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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 

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. 

State Commissions can withhold up to 2% administrative funds from fixed price 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 CNCS. 

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

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 CNCS. 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.

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

have identified operating sites based on demonstrated community needs. CNCS 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.
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Other Revenue: Funds necessary to operate an AmeriCorps program that are not CNCS 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 CNCS or 

grantee share amounts in the budget. Fixed amount grantees should enter all non-CNCS funds that 

support the program in this field. All fixed grants will have other revenue.

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 CNCS 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 CNCS. The 

living allowance or salary provided to AmeriCorps members in Professional Corps programs does not 

count toward the matching requirement. CNCS requires Professional Corps programs to cover the 

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

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. 

CNCS 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 CNCS operating funds. There may be specific circumstances where CNCS 

determines that a legal applicant has not demonstrated the need for operational grant funds due to other 

funding resources. Where CNCS’s due diligence review of an application shows that the applicant has a 

historically high level of support from non-CNCS sources, and as a result has levels of unrestricted 

funding that is in excess of the requested level of CNCS funding, CNCS 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 CNCS, 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; 
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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; 

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 CNCS assistance is not used to support 

those religious activities;

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

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

11. Such other activities as CNCS 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-CNCS funds. 

Reducing and/or Preventing Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse: CNCS is interested in program 

models that seek to address the prescription drug and opioid abuse crisis in America. 

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

the statue (45 CFR 2521.60(c)) requires it.

Rural Intermediaries: CNCS recognizes that severely under-resourced communities may have limited 

capacity to successfully apply for and implement an AmeriCorps program, due to the size and 

organizational capacity of eligible applicant/host site organizations or the lack of available matching 

funds in these communities. Thus, it may be effective for a single eligible applicant (intermediary) to 

develop an application and oversee the implementation of an AmeriCorps program that engages multiple 

grassroots non-profits/eligible applicants (referred to as a consortium) that, individually, do not have the 

necessary organizational or fundraising capacity to apply for and run an AmeriCorps program. Given the 

desire to address community needs holistically, the nonprofits/eligible applicants that make up the 

consortium may have, but are not required to have, different focus areas (including the non-focus area 

capacity building) and thus the nonprofit/eligible applicant intermediary will be multi-focused. 

Applicants seeking consideration under this priority must demonstrate that they will be serving in rural 

severely under-resourced communities; that their application represents a consortium, that the activities 

provided by the consortium collectively address a compelling community need or set of needs; and that 

they have sufficient financial and management capacity to act as an umbrella organization for the 

consortium. Applicants should refer to the Page Limits section in the Notice for information specific to 

Multi-focus Intermediary requirements.

The eligible applicant (intermediary) should submit one application which describes:

• How the partnership/consortium will be organized, and AmeriCorps resources will be allocated 

between the partnering entities (intermediary and consortium members).

• The proposed theory (ies) of change and program model(s).

• How the intermediary will utilize an identified consortium of nonprofits/eligible applicants who 

are well positioned to achieve outcomes identified in the theory of change.

Applicants must submit via email by the application deadline letters of support from all members of the 

consortium. See the Submission of Additional Documents Section in the Notice for specific submission 

information and requirements.

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 CNCS program officers 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 to be considered a new project. CNCS 

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. CNCS staff will review the request to determine if the proposed project does 
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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, the Program Officer will 

create a new project in eGrants. 

Single-State Applicants: Single state applicants are organizations that propose to operate in only one 

state; they must apply through the Governor-appointed State or Territory Commissions. Each state and 

territory commission administers its own selection process and submits to CNCS the applicants it selects 

to compete for funding. Single-State applicants must contact their State Commissions to learn about their 

state or territory processes and deadlines which may be significantly earlier than the CNCS deadlines and 

may have additional requirements. The list of State and Territory Commissions can be found on CNCS’s 

website.

A single-state application submitted directly to CNCS by the applicant rather than the State Commission 

will be considered noncompliant and will not be reviewed.

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—

(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.