Performance Measure Instructions

Public Health AmeriCorps

2022
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Table of Contents

Public Health AmeriCorps Performance Measure Requirements................................................................. 3

CAPACITY BUILDING .............................................................................................................................. 4

HEALTHY FUTURES................................................................................................................................. 5

Appendix A: Understanding MSY and Member Allocations....................................................................... 6

Appendix B: Performance Measures Checklist .......................................................................................... 10

Appendix C: Frequently Asked Questions.................................................................................................. 12
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Public Health AmeriCorps Performance Measure Requirements

Each applicant is required to select at least one aligned performance measure (output paired with outcome) that 

corresponds to the proposed primary service activity. Each applicant must choose from the following National 

Performance Measures:

Focus Area Objective Selection Rules Interventions

Outputs Outcomes

Healthy 

Futures

Access to 

Care

H4A: Number of 

individuals served

H17: Number of individuals 

with increased health 

knowledge

H18: Number of individuals 

reporting a change in 

behavior or intent to change 

behavior to improve their 

health

H19: Number of individuals 

with improved health

H20: Number of individuals 

with improved access to 

medical care

Outreach

Education/Training

Referrals

Medical Services

Counseling/Coaching

Opioid/Drug Intervention

Navigation of Services

COVID Response

Capacity 

Building

Capacity 

Building & 

Leverage 

G3-3.4: Number of 

organizations that 

received capacity 

building services

G3-3.10A: Number of 

organizations that increase 

their efficiency, 

effectiveness, and/or program 

reach*

* Each applicant must 

describe in detail how it will 

measure the organizational 

effectiveness, efficiency, or 

program scale/reach in 

meeting the public health 

needs of the community in the 

Described Instrument section. 

Disaster Preparation

Disaster Response

Disaster Recovery

Disaster Mitigation

All performance measures must reflect significant program activities whose outputs and outcomes are consistent 

with the applicant’s core theory of change. Applicants are not expected to have performance measures for every

program activity.

All performance measures must be associated with one or more interventions (service activities). Applicants are 

expected to use the system-defined intervention categories if they appropriately represent the applicant’s program 

activities. Applicants may not create user-defined intervention labels that duplicate existing intervention categories.
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CAPACITY BUILDING

Focus Area Notes 

• Programs should only opt into the Capacity Building performance measures if the measures reflect 

significant program activities aligned with the applicant’s core theory of change. 

• Activities associated with these measures must be carried out by National Service Participants or by 

volunteers directly recruited and/or supported by National Service Participants.

• Activities associated with these measures must meet the definition of capacity building specified in the 

“key terms” definition under G3-3.4.

• Programs are not permitted to create applicant-determined outputs in the Capacity Building focus area.

G3-3.4 (output) Number of organizations that received capacity building services

Definition of Key 

Terms

Organization: nonprofit or state/local/tribal government entity

Capacity building services: a set of activities that expand the scale, reach, efficiency, or 

effectiveness of programs and organizations. Capacity building activities may also leverage 

resources (e.g., funding, volunteers, in-kind support, or partnerships) for programs and/or 

organizations. As a general rule, AmeriCorps considers capacity building activities to be 

indirect services that enable organizations to provide more, better and sustained direct 

services. Capacity building activities must (1) be intended to support or enhance the 

program delivery model, (2) respond to the organization’s goal of increasing, expanding or 

enhancing services in order to address pressing community needs, and (3) enable the 

organization to provide a sustained level of more or better direct services after the national 

service participant’s term of service has ended.

How to Measure/ 

Collect Data

Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of organizations who have 

received services

G3-3.10A

(outcome)

Number of organizations that increased their effectiveness, efficiency, and/or program 

scale/reach

Definition of 

Key Terms

Organizations: those counted in G3-3.4

Effectiveness: Improved ability of the organization to achieve outcomes resulting in better 

success rates or better quality of outcomes achieved

Efficiency: Improved outcomes with the same level of resources; improved or consistent 

quality of services with fewer resources

Scale/Reach: The scope of a program’s services. Increased scale/reach can be measured by 

the number of new people served, new populations served, and/ or new or expanded 

services. 

How to Measure/ 

Collect Data

Organizational assessment tool or other instrument capable of measuring changes in 

effectiveness, efficiency, or scale/reach at the organization level. When possible, pre-post 

assessments should be utilized. 
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HEALTHY FUTURES

Focus Area Notes 

• Programs should only opt into the Healthy Futures performance measures if the measures reflect significant 

program activities aligned with the applicant’s core theory of change. 

• All individuals counted under these measures must be program beneficiaries, not National Service 

Participants. National Service Participant outputs and outcomes should be reported in the Performance 

Data Elements in annual Progress Reports.

• Activities associated with these measures must be carried out by National Service Participants or by 

volunteers directly recruited and/or supported by National Service Participants.

H4A (output) Number of individuals served

Definition of 

Key Terms

Individuals: recipients of AmeriCorps-supported services related to improving healthrelated outcomes

Served: substantive engagement of individuals with a specific health-related goal in mind. 

Cannot consist solely of mass dissemination of information such as email blasts, social 

media posts, or distributing pamphlets.

How to Measure/ 

Collect Data

Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of individuals who have received 

services

H17 (outcome) Number of individuals with increased health knowledge

Definition of 

Key Terms

Individuals: those reported in H4A, V1, V7A, or V8

How to Measure/ 

Collect Data

Survey, test, or other instrument capable of measuring changes in knowledge at the 

individual beneficiary level. When possible, pre-post assessments should be utilized.

H18 (outcome) Number of individuals reporting a change in behavior or intent to change behavior to 

improve their health

Definition of 

Key Terms

Individuals: those reported in H4A, V1, V7A, or V8

How to Measure/ 

Collect Data

Survey, interview, or other instrument capable of measuring changes in behavior at the 

individual beneficiary level. When possible, pre-post assessments should be utilized.

H19 (outcome) Number of individuals with improved health

Definition of 

Key Terms

Individuals: those reported in H4A, V1, V7A, or V8

How to Measure/ 

Collect Data

Assessment by a healthcare professional, survey, or other instrument capable of measuring 

changes in health condition at the individual beneficiary level. When possible, pre-post 

assessments should be utilized. 

H20 (outcome) Number of individuals with improved access to medical care

Definition of 

Key Terms

Individuals: those reported in H4A, V1, V7A, or V8

How to Measure/ 

Collect Data

Survey, interview, caseworker assessment, or other instrument capable of measuring 

changes in health care access at the individual beneficiary level. When possible, pre-post 

assessments should be utilized. 
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Appendix A: Understanding MSY and Member Allocations

How to Calculate MSY and Member Allocations 

In the performance measure module, applicants enter the total share of program resources (MSYs and members) that 

will be directed to each objective. Member and MSY allocations entered in the application should be the program’s 

best estimate of how member time will be allocated.

The charts below show how a sample program could calculate its MSY allocations for different member types and 

different percentages of member time spent per objective. In this example, the program has a total of 135 members

representing a variety of different slot types. All members spend at least some of their time contributing to the K-12 

Success objective. The program’s full-time and half-time members also spend time contributing to the School 

Readiness objective: 50% of their time for full-time members and 20% for half-time members. 

Objective #1: K-12 Success

Type of Member MSY Multiplier 

for Type

x Number of 

Members for 

Type

x % of Member 

Time for 

Objective

= MSY 

Allocation

FT 1 x 100 x .50 = 50

TQT .7 x 0 x 0 =

HT .5 x 5 x .80 = 2

RHT .3809524 x 10 x 1.00 = 3.81

QT .26455027 x 10 x 1.00 = 2.65

MT .21164022 x 10 x 1.00 = 2.17

AT .05627705 x 0 x 0 =

Total Members 135 Total MSYs 60.63

Objective #2: School Readiness

Type of Member MSY Multiplier 

for Type

x Number of 

Members for 

Type

x % of Member 

Time for 

Objective

= MSY 

Allocation

FT 1 x 100 x .50 = 50 

TQT .7 x 0 x 0 =

HT .5 x 5 x .20 = .5 

RHT .3809524 x 10 x 0 =

QT .26455027 x 10 x 0 =

MT .21164022 x 10 x 0 =

AT .05627705 x 0 x 0 =

Total Members 105 Total MSYs 50.5

How It Looks on the MSY Tab

The program enters the total number of MSYs and members for each objective on the MSY/Members tab of the 

performance measures module. The system automatically calculates the percentage of MSYs allocated to each 

objective.
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Note: Programs that select the Find Opportunity objective (Economic Opportunity Focus Area) or the Teacher 

Corps objective (Education Focus Area) must enter 0 MSYs and members for these objectives and allocate their 

MSYs to other objectives. This is because the MSY allocations are designed to show how programs’ resources are 

allocated to activities that benefit the community. The Find Opportunity and Teacher Corps objectives are focused

on benefits to members.

How It Looks in the 424 PDF

Table 1 and its corresponding pie chart show the total number of MSYs by Focus Area. Since both the K-12 

Success and School Readiness objectives are in the Education Focus Area, Table 1 shows 100% of MSYs in 

Education.
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Table 4 in the PDF report shows the number of MSYs and members allocated to each objective, as seen on the 

MSY/Members tab:

Because some members are performing service related to both K-12 Success and School Readiness, the total number 

of members listed in this table (240) is greater than the total number of slots the program is requesting (135). This is 

OK; individual members can be counted more than once if they contribute to more than one objective. In contrast, 

MSYs cannot be counted more than once, because they represent the amount of member time spent on a particular 

objective. As a result, the total number of MSYs listed in this table must be equal to the total MSYs the program is 

requesting (111.13).

Table 2 and its corresponding pie chart show the same MSY information expressed as percentages of the total 

MSYs:

How to Assign MSYs to Performance Measures

When a program creates a performance measure, it must indicate how many MSYs and how many members will 

contribute to the measure. Based on the MSY allocations already entered for the sample program, the program may 

allocate up to 60.63 MSYs to K-12 Success performance measures and up to 50.5 MSYs to School Readiness 

performance measures. However, programs are not required to measure all of their activities, so it is possible that 

not all of these MSYs will be allocated to performance measures. 
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Our sample program has three performance measures, one (an aligned measure) under the K-12 Success objective 

and two (an output-only measure and an applicant determined measure) under the School Readiness objective. 

Objective #1: K-12 Success

Intervention Performance 

Measure

Percent of K-12 Success 

Time Spent on Activities 

that Contribute to this 

Measure

x Total MSYs 

in Objective

= MSYs Allocated 

to Performance 

Measure

Mentoring* ED1A, ED27C .75 x 60.63 = 45.47

Family Involvement No 

Performance 

Measure

.25 x 60.63 NA

*This is the primary intervention

Objective #2: School Readiness

Intervention Performance 

Measure

Percent of School 

Readiness Time Spent 

on Activities that 

Contribute to this 

Measure

x Total MSYs 

in Objective

= MSYs Allocated 

to Performance 

Measure

Other Classroom 

Support

ED1A .75 x 50.5 = 37.88

Parent Engagement ApplicantDetermined 

Measure

.25 x 50.5 = 12.62

How It Looks in the 424 PDF

Table 3 and its corresponding pie chart in the 424 PDF report shows the percentage of MSYs allocated to National 

Performance Measures, applicant-determined performance measures, or no performance measures. As seen in the 

table above, the program has two National Performance Measures (ED1A/27C and ED1A), accounting for 83.35 of 

the 111.13 total MSYs (75%). The program has one applicant-determined measure accounting for 12.62 MSYs 

(11%), and the remaining percentage (14%) of program activity is not being measured.

The configuration above meets the AmeriCorps requirement to have one aligned performance measure (output + 

outcome) corresponding to the primary intervention. Programs are not required to allocate 100% of their MSYs and 

members to National Performance Measures, or to any performance measures at all. 
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Appendix B: Performance Measures Checklist

This checklist is used to assess performance measures during the review process. Items on the checklist are 

common problems that require resolution but do not represent a comprehensive list. Refer to the Performance 

Measure Instructions for full requirements.

Checklist Item Primary 

Aligned 

Measure 

(required)

Additional 

Measure

(optional)

Additional 

Measure

(optional)

Resource Allocation

1 MSY and member allocations to focus areas and objectives are 

consistent with the application narrative/logic model.

2 MSY and member allocations to performance measures are 

consistent with the application narrative/logic model.

Performance Measure Requirements

3 The application includes least 1 aligned performance measure 

(output + outcome) corresponding to the primary intervention.

4 All performance measures reflect significant program activities 

whose outputs and outcomes are consistent with the applicant’s core 

theory of change.

5 Any output-only measures included in the application consist solely 

of National Performance Measure outputs.

6 The application does not include applicant-determined measures that 

duplicate existing National Performance Measures. (Note: 

Applicant-determined measures are recognizable by the labels 

OUTPT or OUTCM, followed by numbers. Any applications 

containing these labels are NOT National Performance Measures, 

even if the applicant has labeled them like a national measure.)

Interventions

7 Interventions are consistent with the program design and contribute 

directly to the outputs and outcomes.

8 The application does not include user-defined intervention labels that 

duplicate existing system-defined intervention categories.

Output Quality

9 Outputs clearly specify what is counted.

10 Outputs count only program beneficiaries, not National Service 

Participants.

Outcome Quality and Alignment

11 Outcomes are logically aligned with the outputs.

12 Outcomes reflect a meaningful change in knowledge, attitude, 

behavior or condition for program beneficiaries. (Note: completion 

of a program would be considered an output, not an outcome.)

13 Outcomes can be measured during a single grant year.

Targets

14 Output and outcome targets are reasonable for the proposed program 

design.

15 Targets are expressed as numbers, not percentages.

Performance Measure Instructions

16 National Performance Measures conform to selection rules, 

definitions, and data collection requirements specified in the 

Performance Measure Instructions.

17 The application does not include any retired National Performance 

Measures (e.g., measures that do not appear in the Performance 

Measure Instructions).
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Data Collection/Instruments

18 Data collection methods are appropriate for the output/outcome 

being measured.

Sampling (if applicable)

19 If sampling is proposed, the sampling plan is forwarded to 

AmeriCorps for consideration. (Note: Formula grantees are not 

permitted to sample.)
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Appendix C: Frequently Asked Questions

1. How did the AmeriCorps performance measure requirements change in 2019?

The performance measure requirement for AmeriCorps State and National programs – at least one aligned 

performance measure (output paired with outcome) that corresponds to the proposed primary intervention – has

stayed consistent over many years. However, in 2019 AmeriCorps substantially revised the list of National 

Performance Measures available for programs to use, and is also requiring all performance measures to reflect the 

community impact of the program. All applicants, including continuation applicants, must revise their applications 

to remove or replace any performance measures that do not correspond with the updated Performance Measure 

Instructions. 

2. What should a continuation applicant do if one or more of their National Performance Measures is no 

longer present in the Performance Measure Instructions?

All applicants, including continuation applicants, must follow the National Performance Measure selection rules 

specified in the current Performance Measure Instructions. Applicants must revise their performance measures as 

needed to conform to the updated instructions.

3. What should a continuation grantee who is measuring a National Performance Measure output or outcome 

that has a changed definition do in the continuation application? 

If the grantee is unable to measure the output or outcome as defined in the current Performance Measure

Instructions, the grantee should choose a different performance measure. 

4. What are National Performance Measures? 

AmeriCorps has established six Focus Areas: Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental 

Stewardship, Healthy Futures, and Veterans and Military Families based on the priorities included in the Serve 

America Act. Within these Focus Areas, as well as for Capacity Building, AmeriCorps has created National 

Performance Measures in order to aggregate the results of similar programs and demonstrate the impact across our 

agency programs and initiatives. 

5. What is an aligned performance measure? 

An aligned performance measure is an output paired with an outcome. The paired output-outcome measures may be 

National Performance Measures, applicant-determined measures, or the combination of a National Performance 

Measure output and an applicant-determined outcome. Applicant-determined outputs cannot be paired with 

National Performance Measure outcomes in an aligned performance measure.

6. What is an applicant-determined performance measure? 

An applicant-determined performance measure is one in which the applicant creates the language for the outputs 

and/or outcomes that will be measured. This is different from the National Performance Measures, where 

AmeriCorps pre-determines common outputs and outcomes that are available for applicants to use. 

7. What is an output-only performance measure?

An output-only measure is a National Performance Measure output without associated outcome(s). Applicants may 

select output-only measures if the output measures a significant program activity. These do not fulfill the 

requirement for an aligned performance measure, but may be selected in addition to the aligned measure(s).

8. What is the definition of "National Service Participant"? 

For AmeriCorps State and National programs, National Service Participant refers to the AmeriCorps members 

themselves. 
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9. Can I count AmeriCorps members as beneficiaries of service under my performance measures? 

No. Effective starting in 2019 for all applicants (new, recompete, and continuation), AmeriCorps members and 

other National Service Participants may not be counted as beneficiaries under either National Performance Measures 

or applicant-determined measures. Some member-focused outputs and outcomes may be reported as Performance 

Data Elements on annual Progress Reports.

10. Do the AmeriCorps members in my program have to be directly providing the service counted in the 

performance measures? 

The activities associated your performance measures must be carried out either by National Service Participants or 

by volunteers directly recruited and/or supported by National Service Participants. 

11. How many performance measures should I propose? 

Each program must have at least one aligned measure (composed of an output and an outcome) reflecting its 

primary intervention. It is appropriate to have additional performance measures for other significant components of 

your program, but AmeriCorps values the quality of performance measures more than the quantity. Performance 

measures reflecting activities that are not central to your program model should not be included in your application 

and do not need to be reported to AmeriCorps, although you might still collect the data for your own purposes. 

12. Can I count the same beneficiaries in more than one performance measure output? 

Unless otherwise specified, the same beneficiaries may be counted more than once across different measures for 

different interventions (services) they may be receiving. For example, if your AmeriCorps members helped one 

specific individual to both prepare for a disaster and obtain employment, you may count that same individual in both 

D1A and O1A. However, programs cannot count the same individual more than once within any one specific 

performance measure. So, for example, an individual who attended two disaster preparation training workshops 

during a single program year cannot be counted twice under D1A. 

13. Do all beneficiaries counted under a particular performance measure have to receive the same 

interventions?

Yes, the interventions associated with the measure need to be applicable to all of the beneficiaries counted under the 

measure, even if the details of the intervention (e.g., the exact dosage provided) may vary. If one set of beneficiaries 

is receiving one type of intervention (e.g., mentoring) and a different set of beneficiaries is receiving a different type 

of intervention (e.g., tutoring), the two sets of beneficiaries should be counted in separate performance measures 

even if the expected outcome is the same. In contrast, if all beneficiaries are receiving multiple interventions with 

the same expected outcome (e.g. all beneficiaries are being both mentored and tutored to improve their academic 

performance), they can be counted in a single performance measure.

14. Can one performance measure output have more than one outcome? 

Yes, there may be more than one outcome measure associated with a single output. Aligned measures should only 

be configured this way if it is expected that all of the individuals counted in the output will potentially achieve the 

outcomes indicated. If the outcomes are resulting from different populations being served, they should be counted 

in distinct performance measures.

15. Can I count the same people more than once under one performance measure output or outcome if they 

receive service in more than one grant year?

If the individual receives services in more than one grant year, they may be counted as having received services in 

the output measure for each of the grant years in which they receive services. They may only be counted in the 

outcome measure for each grant year if they meet the specified level of improvement for the outcome in each year. 

For example, a student receives tutoring in second and third grade. The program expects that students will improve 
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their reading score by one grade level each year. If the student is served in both second and third grade and 

improves by one grade level in each year, the student may be counted in output ED1A and outcome ED5A for both 

years. If the student improves by 1⁄2 grade level in second grade and one grade level in third grade, the student may 

be counted in ED1A for both years but only in ED5A for the third-grade year.

16. Am I allowed to allocate funds for collecting and analyzing data? If so, how much? 

Costs related to measuring the performance of a program are allowable grant expenses. There is no standard 

recommended amount. As with all grant expenditures, these costs must be reasonable, allowable for the proposed 

program, and properly allocated across grant activities. 

17. Is my program expected to monitor member time to ensure that it corresponds to what is entered into the 

Performance Measures Module for the focus areas and strategic plan objectives? 

Applicants should enter MSYs and members according to the distribution of time that members are expected to 

engage in each focus area and strategic plan objective. Programs will not be required to report on how the members 

actually spent their time. MSY allocations in the application should present the program’s best estimate.

18. On the logic model chart there are three outcome levels (short, medium and long). Should all of these 

outcomes be entered as performance measures? 

A program may have a theory of change that is based on accomplishing a long-term change in condition that is not 

measurable in a single program year. However, there may be shorter-term changes that can be linked to this ultimate 

goal that are strong indicators that the long-term change is likely to happen. While all of these outcomes may be 

included in the logic model, grantees are not required to measure or report on all of the outcomes. For performance 

measurement purposes, outcomes must measure changes that can be observed within a single program year. 

19. The National Performance Measure I want to select doesn’t appear in the drop-down menu. What should I 

do? 

Only performance measures corresponding to objectives selected on the Objectives tab will appear in the drop-down 

menu. Refer to the Performance Measure selection rules to determine which objective to select for each 

performance measure. Do NOT create an applicant-determined measure that duplicates a National Performance 

Measure.

20. I want to create an applicant-determined measure, but the Performance Measures Module isn’t allowing me 

to do that. What should I do?

There are some objectives for which the creation of applicant-determined outputs is not allowed. These include the 

Capacity Building and Leverage objective (Capacity Building focus area), the Find Opportunity objective 

(Economic Opportunity focus area), the Teacher Corps objective (Education focus area), the Green Jobs objective 

(Environmental Stewardship focus area), and the Access & Attract objective (Veterans and Military Families focus 

area). For the Capacity Building and Leverage objective, only National Performance Measure outputs are allowed 

to be used. For the Find Opportunity, Teacher Corps, Green Jobs, and Access & Attract objectives, programs are 

not allowed to create performance measures. 

21. I am required to have a performance measure associated with my primary intervention, but I am not able to 

create a performance measure for the primary intervention I have selected. What should I do?

Since the Find Opportunity, Teacher Corps, Green Jobs, and Access & Attract objectives are member-focused rather 

than beneficiary-focused, programs are not allowed to create performance measures under these objectives (see FAQ 

9). If your primary intervention is connected to one of those objectives, you will need to go back and select a 

different primary intervention under a different objective. You can retain the member-focused objective as 

secondary.
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22. Under what circumstances is it ok for grantees to use sampling to measure outputs and outcomes?

Methodologically speaking, sampling is appropriate for competitive grantees as long as the grantee has a solid plan 

for ensuring that its sample will be representative. Practically speaking, we would want grantees to use sampling 

only when they are able to make the case that it is unrealistic to collect data from the whole population. Formula 

grantees, with rare exceptions granted by AmeriCorps, are not permitted to sample.

23. When would AmeriCorps not allow sampling? 

AmeriCorps will not allow sampling when it is reasonable to expect a grantee to collect data from the whole 

population. AmeriCorps will also not allow sampling if the grantee’s sampling frame is not sufficient or if the 

grantee’s methodology will not result in a representative sample.

24. How does a grantee set targets when it is planning to sample? 

In most cases the grantee should be able to set targets based on the population as a whole. If a grantee‘s sampling 

methodology is sound and results in a representative sample, then the program can extrapolate their results to report 

on an outcome for the population as a whole. For example, a program reports an output of 1000 children served. The 

program selects a representative sample of 200 children. Of these, 180 students (90%) demonstrate the desired 

change. In this case, the program could report an extrapolated outcome of 900 students.

25. How do I request permission to sample?

A detailed sampling plan must be forwarded to AmeriCorps for consideration. Please consult the Notice of Funding 

Opportunity or your Portfolio Manager for instructions on how to submit additional documents.