1

2018 AmeriCorps Indian 

Tribes Mandatory 

Supplemental Guidance 
2

The AmeriCorps Indian Tribes Mandatory Supplemental Guidance is intended to provide applicants 

with additional information for the preparation of their applications under the AmeriCorps Indian Tribes

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. 

Encore Programs: Congress set a goal that 10 percent of AmeriCorps funding should support encore 

service programs that engage a significant number of participants age 55 or older. CNCS seeks to meet 

that 10 percent target in this competition and encourages encore programs to apply. Encore will provide 

an opportunity for current evidence-based Senior Corps Foster Grandparents Program and Senior 

Companion Program grantees to expand their programs through AmeriCorps funding.

Enrollment Rate: The enrollment rate is calculated as slots filled, plus refill slots filled, divided by slots 

awarded.

Evidence-based program: Evidence-based programs have been rigorously evaluated and have

demonstrated positive results for at least one key desired outcome. Rigorous evaluation means at least one 

randomized controlled trial study or quasi-experimental evaluation, either of the program itself or of 

another program that the applicant is proposing to replicate. 

Evidence-informed program: 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 program itself and are not replicating an evidence-based program. 

Applicants who have not yet collected data from their own programs may be evidence-informed if they 

have incorporated research from other evidence-based programs into their program designs. 
3

Evidence Tiers 

No evidence means the applicant has not provided evidence that they have systematically collected any 

qualitative or quantitative data on their own program to date. 

Applicants in this tier must describe how their program design is evidence-informed. An evidenceinformed program uses the best available knowledge, research and evaluation to guide program design 

and implementation, but does not have scientific research or rigorous evaluation of the program itself. 

Applicants may describe up to two research or evaluation studies of similar programs that inform their 

program design but may not submit these studies. 

Pre-preliminary evidence means the applicant has demonstrated data collection experience testing or 

tracking at least one aspect of its logic model. For example, the applicant has collected systematic and 

accurate data on one or more of the following: the community problem the proposed intervention will 

address, the program intervention’s activities and services delivered, participation in the intervention by 

the target population, and/or participant outcomes (e.g., performance measurement data or a process 

evaluation assessing implementation of the intervention.) 

In order to qualify for this tier, the applicant must have collected data about their own program. The data 

collection process, methods and results must be described fully and the applicant should explain the link 

between data collection and the relevant component(s) of its logic model. Applicants that do not fully 

describe the data collection process, methods and results in the application narrative may be assessed as 

having no evidence. Applicants should describe evidence for the pre-preliminary tier in the Evidence 

section of the application but should not submit additional documents unless required to meet CNCS 

evaluation requirements. Evaluations submitted to comply with CNCS evaluation requirements will be 

reviewed only for compliance with evaluation requirements and will not be considered when assessing 

this evidence tier. Evaluations submitted by applicants who were not required to submit evaluations will 

not be reviewed. 

Preliminary evidence means the applicant has provided data from at least one outcome study of their 

own intervention that yielded promising results for the proposed intervention or that the applicant 

proposes to replicate a similar evidence-based intervention with fidelity to the evaluated program model. 

The ways to demonstrate preliminary level of evidence are as follows: 

Preliminary with Outcome Study The applicant must describe at least one outcome study that was 

conducted of their own intervention. This must include a detailed description of the outcome study data 

from pre and post-tests without a comparison group or post-test comparison between intervention and 

comparison groups. In some cases a retrospective pre-post test may be considered, but its use must be 

justified in the application narrative. The applicant must explain whether the outcome study was 

conducted internally by the applicant organization or by an entity external to the applicant. Applicants 

must describe the studies fully but should not submit them unless required to meet CNCS evaluation 

requirements. Outcome evaluations that are submitted to fulfill the CNCS evaluation requirements will be 

reviewed for compliance with evaluation requirements and will not be considered when assessing this 

evidence tier. Outcome evaluations submitted by applicants who were not required to meet CNCS 

evaluation requirements will not be reviewed. 

In addition to describing up to two outcome studies of their own program or intervention, applicants must 

fully describe the performance measurement data they have collected and how the outcome study data 

goes beyond performance measurement. 
4

Preliminary with Replication 

 The applicant must describe and submit at least one randomized controlled trial study or quasiexperimental evaluation (an evaluation using a statistically valid, matched comparison group) that 

found positive results for the same intervention that the applicant plans to replicate. The applicant 

must describe how the intervention studied and the applicant’s proposed approach are the same and 

how the applicant will replicate the intervention with fidelity to the program model. The study must 

have been conducted by an entity external to the organization whose program was studied. If 

applicable, applicants may also describe evidence from a process evaluation demonstrating that they 

have implemented the replication with fidelity. The process evaluation should be described but not 

submitted. 

 Applicants who do not submit the required study or who do not describe fully how they will replicate 

the evidence-based program with fidelity will be considered for a lower tier. 

For the purposes of this Notice, “replicate” means that the key elements of the applicant’s intervention are 

implemented as the evidence-based program model describes (e.g., in terms of content or curriculum, 

delivery process, and target population), and the applicant’s adaptations are relatively minor. For 

example, an applicant implementing an intervention using certified teachers to administer the curriculum 

would not be considered replicating that program with fidelity if it replaces teachers with AmeriCorps 

members who are not certified teachers, because the documented success of the intervention relied on the 

specialization of certified teachers. 

Applicants proposing to replicate an evidence-based program with fidelity must describe how their 

program is the same as, or very similar to, the program they will replicate in the following areas: 

 Characteristics of the beneficiary population 

 Characteristics of the population delivering the intervention 

 Dosage (frequency, duration) and design of the intervention 

 Training for the AmeriCorps members and/or other individuals, such as volunteers, delivering the 

intervention 

 The context in which the intervention is delivered 

 Outcomes of the intervention 

Applicants must also describe how they will assess whether they are implementing the intervention with 

fidelity to the intervention they are replicating. 

Applicants must be clear about whether the sites proposed in the application overlap with the sites 

included in an evaluation that would qualify them for the moderate or strong evidence tier. In cases where 

the applicant is part of a multi-site or multi-grant program (for example, a national program operating in 

multiple states) that has conducted an evaluation that would qualify them for the moderate or strong 

evidence tier, but the evaluation did not include the applicant’s proposed sites, the applicant must describe 

how they are replicating the evidence-based program with fidelity at one of the sites included in the 

application. In this case, an application for sites included in the evaluation would receive moderate or 

strong evidence, and an application for the sites not included in the evaluation would receive preliminary 

evidence. 

Moderate evidence means the applicant has submitted up to two well-designed and well-implemented 

studies of their own program that evaluated the same intervention described in this application and 

identified evidence of effectiveness on one or more key desired outcomes of interest as depicted in the 
5

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

intervention. 

Applicants classifying their evidence as Moderate must submit up to two evaluation reports from 

external entities or evaluations published in peer-reviewed articles as separate attachments. 

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 studies required for the Moderate evidence tier or may be submitted in addition to this. In the 

latter case, all three studies 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 studies will not be considered. 

Applicants must be clear about whether the sites proposed in the application overlap with the sites 

included in an evaluation that would qualify them for the moderate or strong evidence tier. In cases where 

the applicant is part of a multi-site or multi-grant program (for example, a national program operating in 

multiple states) that has conducted an evaluation that would qualify them for the moderate or strong 

evidence tier, but the evaluation did not include the applicant’s proposed sites, the applicant must describe 

how they are replicating the evidence-based program with fidelity at one of the sites included in the 

application. In this case, an application for sites included in the evaluation would receive moderate or 

strong evidence, and an application for the sites not included in the evaluation would receive preliminary 

evidence. 

Strong evidence means the applicant has demonstrated that the 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 QED or RCT of their own program. Alternatively, the proposed intervention’s 

evidence may be based on multiple (up to two) well-designed and well-implemented QEDs or RCTs of 

their own program in different locations or with different populations within a local geographic area. The 

overall pattern of study findings is consistently positive on the key desired outcomes of interest as 

depicted in the applicant’s logic model. Findings from the RCT or QED studies may be generalized 

beyond the study context. The studies were conducted by an independent entity external to the 

organization implementing the intervention. 

Applicants classifying their evidence as Strong must submit up to two evaluation reports from external 

entities or evaluations published in peer-reviewed articles as separate attachments. 

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 studies required for the Strong evidence tier or may be submitted in addition to this. In the latter 

case, all three studies 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 studies will not be considered. 
6

Applicants must be clear about whether the sites proposed in the application overlap with the sites 

included in an evaluation that would qualify them for the moderate or strong evidence tier. In cases where 

the applicant is part of a multi-site or multi-grant program (for example, a national program operating in 

multiple states) that has conducted an evaluation that would qualify them for the moderate or strong 

evidence tier, but the evaluation did not include the applicant’s proposed sites, the applicant must describe 

how they are replicating the evidence-based program with fidelity at one of the sites included in the 

application. In this case, an application for sites included in the evaluation would receive moderate or 

strong evidence, and an application for the sites not included in the evaluation would receive preliminary 

evidence. 

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 

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-Time Fixed amount grants: Fixed amount grants are available for programs that enroll 

full-time members or less than full-time members serving in a full time capacity only. 

Professional Corps may only have full-time members. Programs can access funds under the grant 

based on enrolling 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. 

Learning Memo: Any applicant required to submit an evaluation report in order to comply with CNCS 

evaluation requirements must also submit a learning memo that describes how they are using the 

evaluation to improve and to inform their activities in the next funding cycle. The learning memo must 

be in a 12-point font or larger and should not exceed three pages of double-spaced text. The learning 

memo should include: 

 A short summary of key learnings from the evaluation 

 An explanation of how the program will incorporate key learnings into its strategy, design or 

implementation 

 An explanation of how these changes will improve the program 

 A discussion of how learning from the evaluation may inform next steps in the program’s longterm research agenda 

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.) 
7

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. 

Opportunity Youth: Opportunity youth are economically disadvantaged individuals ages 16-24 who are 

disconnected from school or work for at least six months prior to service. CNCS defines “economically 

disadvantaged” consistent with the definition used in the member development performance measures, 

“Receiving or meet the income eligibility requirements to receive: Temporary Aid to Needy Families 

(TANF), Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, SCHIP, Section 8 housing assistance.” CNCS defines 

“disconnected from school or work” as unemployed, underemployed, and not in school for at least six 

months prior to their term of national service. A member who was not economically disadvantaged prior 

to becoming an AmeriCorps member, but became economically disadvantaged because the living 

allowance was low enough to make them eligible for SNAP, etc., cannot be counted as economically 

disadvantaged. In order to apply under this priority the applicant must demonstrate the programmatic 

elements they will implement in order to recruit and support opportunity youth as members and/or 

program beneficiaries. A substantial portion of their requested MSYs must consist of or be devoted to 

serving opportunity youth. 

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. 

Planning Grants: A planning grant provides support to a grant recipient to develop an AmeriCorps 

program that will engage AmeriCorps members in implementing evidence-based interventions to solve 

community problems. Grant recipients are awarded up to $75,000 for a 12-month planning period and are 

expected to be better prepared to compete for an AmeriCorps program grant in the following grant cycle. 

A planning grant may not be used to support AmeriCorps members. Applicants will apply for a Cost 

Reimbursement grant. The project period is no more than a year, with a start date proposed by the 

applicant. The project start date may not occur prior to the date CNCS awards the grant. 

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 members’ salaries/compensation are paid entirely by 

the organizations with which the members serve, and are not included in the budget request to CNCS. In 

order to be considered for funding, applicants must demonstrate that there are an inadequate number of 

professionals in the community(ies) where the program seeks to place members. These grants can either 

be fixed amount or cost reimbursement grants. 
8

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. 

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; 

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 

initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non-CNCS funds. 
9

Reducing and/or Preventing substance abuse and suicide: CNCS is interested in any program models 

that seek to address substance abuse and/or suicide prevention in Native communities including those that 

reduce risk factors and increase protective factors. 

 Protective factors are individual or environmental characteristics, conditions, or behaviors that 

reduce the effects of stressful life events, such as self-esteem, cultural identify, coping skills, 

problem solving, or connectedness.

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

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

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

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 

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. 
10

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. And, unless there is nondisplacement, 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. 

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.