AmeriCorps State and National

New Grantee Checklist

Purpose

Leverage this checklist to ensure the necessary steps are taken to develop an AmeriCorps project during the post-awarding project 

setup period. If you have any questions about the tasks below, be sure to reach out to your Portfolio Manager or State Commission 

contact.

Getting Acquainted with AmeriCorps

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Review AmeriCorps strategic plan Review the strategic plan and understand how your program fits.

Learn about the history of national

service

Learn how AmeriCorps and its programs were created and have evolved.

Review AmeriCorps Terms and Conditions Review all information and requirements.

Review National Community Service Trust

Act of 1990, AmeriCorps Regulations, and 

AmeriCorps Grant Provisions

Review all information and requirements.

Review approved AmeriCorps application, 

performance measures, and budget

Review all information and requirements. Note: An eGrants username 

and password is needed.

Review Notice of Grant Award The agency sent the Notice of Grant Award to the Authorized 

Representative at your organization upon grant award.

Meet State Service Commission staff and 

get to know other AmeriCorps programs 

in your state

Review the State Service Commission webpage for contact information 

and states’ specific websites.

Get to know the AmeriCorps Staff 

supporting your project.

Grant awards not administered by State Service Commissions are 

managed directly by AmeriCorps staff in one of our eight regions in 

AmeriCorps’ Office of Regional Operations. To learn more about the 

federal team supporting your organization’s region, visit the AmeriCorps 

website.

Creating Accounts and Completing Required Training

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Create My AmeriCorps account My AmeriCorps (or Member Portal) is the AmeriCorps electronic member 

management system.

Add staff contact information to eGrants Ensure the correct individuals are receiving important communications 

from AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps State and National.

Review eGrants resources and tutorials Resources will support you in navigating eGrants procedures and 

requirements.

Complete required National Service 

Criminal History Check eCourse

Email serviceresources@cns.gov to request a new Litmos account 

(AmeriCorps Learning Management System).

Save a copy of your certificate once you have completed the course.
 

Planning and Creating Programmatic Policies and Procedures

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Create policies and procedures for your 

program

Reference AmeriCorps Terms and Conditions, governing authorities for 

required policies, and the Resources for New AmeriCorps State and 

National Direct Grantees guide for suggested policies.

Grant requirements mandate some policies, while your project has the 

discretion to develop other policies as long as you document policies, 

apply and universally follow policies, and align new policies with other 

organizational policies.

Create position descriptions for staff:

roles, responsibilities, and AmeriCorps 

member guidelines

Check all staff positions listed on approved budget or listed in

application narrative.

Ensure all job descriptions are complete, updated, and clearly delineate 

grant responsibilities.

Create policies and procedures to meet all 

National Service Criminal History Check 

requirements

Consult with your Portfolio Manager and other programs for examples.

Create or amend human resource policies 

to ensure AmeriCorps members are not 

treated as employees

Check with human resource department for

personnel policies and reference regulations for member requirements.

Review financial report requirements and 

develop policies and proceduresto ensure 

compliance

AmeriCorps Terms and Conditions and governing authorities to

determine requirements existing for both internal and external reports.

Create project calendar Grantees should create a calendar that includes all internal and external

programmatic and fiscal deadlines.

Review member benefits and create a 

member benefits plan

An overview of required member benefits can be found in the Resources

for New AmeriCorps State and National Direct Grantees guide.

Establish a system for member 

timekeeping

Timekeeping systems must comply with 2 CFR § 200.430. Per the grant 

agreement recordkeeping requirements, timesheets must be stored and 

available on request by the AmeriCorps Office of Monitoring or the 

AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General as part of routine monitoring, 

audits, or investigations.

Establish a system for staff timekeeping Email serviceresources@cns.gov to request a new Litmos account 

(AmeriCorps Learning Management System) and view AmeriCorps 

Grantee Training: Ensuring Correct and Supported Salary Allocations

course in Litmos for additional information.

Establish a process for member record 

keeping

Grantees should have a system for storing all member documents and 

records.

Create policies and procedures for your 

program

Reference AmeriCorps Terms and Conditions, governing authorities for 

required policies, and the Resources for New AmeriCorps State and 

National Direct Grantees guide for suggested policies.

Grant requirements mandate some policies, while your project has the 

discretion to develop other policies as long as you document policies, 

apply and universally follow policies, and align new policies with other 

organizational policies.
 

Establishing Financial and Grants Management

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Review financial report requirements and 

develop policies and proceduresto ensure 

compliance

Requirements exist for both internal and external

reports. Review the AmeriCorps Terms and Conditions and the

regulationsto determine requirements.

Create process that regularly allows the 

review of actual to budgeted expenses

Consult with your accounting department for

internal reviews. Your chart of accounts must correlate to the approved 

grant budget expense line items.

Create process to submit Federal Financial

Reports (FFRs)

Financial Grants Management processes should follow your

organizations’ policies and procedures. If your organization does not 

have these policies and procedures, utilize 2 CFR to guide the 

development of them. Contact your Portfolio Manager with any 

questions about w this process.

Create invoicing and reimbursement 

processes and deadlines

Documents vary depending on the grantee. Consult with your internal 

departments to determine if these processes exist or if you need to 

create them.

Establishing Reporting and Data Collection Systems

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Create a data collection plan A data collection plan ensures you know what data to collect, where to 

find data, who can collect program data effectively, and when to collect 

and analyze data for reporting requirements and program improvement.

Create tools for data collection Refer to the Performance Measures Instructions to see how to 

measure/collect data for the Performance Measures you’ve chosen. The 

data collection instrument you use, whether it’s one you’ve created or is 

a tool that exists already, should provide valid and reliable data that 

measures the change you want to capture.

Create a data reporting system Ensure that you have created a system that stores data securely and 

allows data to be easily analyzed for reporting. Consider reporting 

deadlines and be aware of what you need to report so that all 

requirements are met.

Review Grantee Progress Report (GPR) 

processes and deadlines

Develop systems to periodically collect information to ensure information 

is readily available when a GPR is due. Check with your Portfolio Manager

for more reporting information.

Developing Site Management Tools

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Create site agreements Leverage the AmeriCorps Terms and Conditions and governing 

authorities to create a successful service site agreement.

Create a site visit and monitoring plan Site visits and monitoring ensure that your service sites are compliant 

with all grant requirements.

Create an orientation and ongoing training 

plan for site supervisors

Leverage the Resources for New AmeriCorps State and National Direct 

Grantees guide.
 

Implementing Member Recruitment, Screening, and Selection Processes

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Develop an internal member application 

process

An internal member application process will ensure a successful member 

recruitment, screening, and selection process.

Create process for member National 

Service Criminal History (NSCHC) checks

The NSCHC guidance provides an overview of all requirements.

Create member position descriptions This guidance outline is a training tool designed to help new AmeriCorps 

project staff create a strong member position description. It will be most 

helpful when used alongside the Grant Terms and Conditions, 

AmeriCorps Regulations, and other agency-specific guidance.

My AmeriCorps Portal: Create member 

position listing

Member recruitment resources include a member position listing 

template and a tutorial for posting in My AmeriCorps Portal.

Create process for member enrollment Member enrollment resources include enrollment guidance and an 

overview of the member enrollment process.

My AmeriCorps Portal: Enroll selected 

members

Member enrollment resources include enrollment guidance and an 

overview of the member enrollment process.

My AmeriCorps Portal: Assign member 

service locations

Utilize the “Managing Your Program in eGrants - Direct Grantees” 

document to assign member service locations.

Preparing for Member Management

Done? Task Purpose and/or Additional Context

Create member service agreements The AmeriCorps member service agreement thoroughly describes the 

relationship between an individual (an AmeriCorps member) and the 

AmeriCorps project, and it is a requirement in the AmeriCorps Grant 

Terms and Conditions.

Create plan for member orientation and 

ongoing training

Leverage the Resources for New AmeriCorps State and National Direct 

Grantees guide.

Design process for member mid and endof-term performance reviewsGrantees must conduct and keep a record of at least a midterm and an 

end-of-term written evaluation of each member’s performance for 

fulltime members and an end-of-term written evaluation for all less-thanfull-time members. See the AmeriCorps Grant Terms and Conditions for 

specific requirements.