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2023 Terms and Conditions for Retired and Senior Volunteer 

Program (RSVP) Grants 

These AmeriCorps (AmeriCorps is the operating name for the Corporation for 

National and Community Service) Grant Program Specific Terms and Conditions 

and the General Terms and Conditions, are binding on the recipient. 

Table of Contents

I. CHANGES FROM THE 2022 RSVP GRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS............................................ 1

II. AWARD PERIOD AND INCREMENTAL FUNDING................................................................................ 1

III. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS......................................................................................................... 2

IV. EXTERNAL EVALUATION AND DATA COLLECTION .......................................................................... 5

V. LOBBY DISCLOSURE ............................................................................................................................... 5

VI. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................................. 6

VII. PROGRAM INCOME................................................................................................................................. 7

VIII. BUDGET AND PROGRAMMATIC CHANGES........................................................................................ 8

IX. NATIONAL SERVICE CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECK TRAINING............................................................ 9

X. KEY CONCEPTS OF FINANCIAL GRANTS MANAGEMENT TRAINING............................................. 9

I. CHANGES FROM THE 2022 RSVP GRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

- Section II. Added clarification that grantees must submit continuation applications 

to receive funding for years 2 and 3 of their award. 

- Section VI.: Removed the HHS/PMS reporting requirement 

- Section VI.A.: Removed the 6-month PPR Lite reporting requirement

- Section X: Added annual Key Concepts of Financial Grants Management eCourse

- Throughout, changed “shall” (e.g., changed “shall not” to “may not” and “shall” to 

“must”) to better comply with plain language requirements.

II. AWARD PERIOD AND INCREMENTAL FUNDING 

 

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

recipient is proposed to be funded to complete approved activities under the award. 

A project period may contain one or more budget periods. A budget period is a 

specific interval of time for which Federal funds are being provided to fund a 

recipient’s approved activities and budget. 
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Unless otherwise specified, the award covers a three-year project period, but 

provides funding in increments on an annual basis. In approving a multi-year project 

period, AmeriCorps generally provides funds for only the first year of operation. 

Funding for subsequent years is contingent upon the grantee timely submitting a 

continuation application, satisfactory performance, a recipient’s demonstrated 

capacity to manage an award and comply with award requirements, and the 

availability of Congressional appropriations. Grantees must submit a continuation 

application to receive funds for years two and three of the project period. 

AmeriCorps reserves the right to adjust the amount of an award or elect not to 

continue funding for subsequent years. The project period and the budget period 

are noted on the award document. 

 

III. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS

 

As specified in 42 U.S.C. § 5043(c) and 45 CFR § 2553.91, while charging time to an 

RSVP grant, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing 

activities supported by the RSVP grant or AmeriCorps, staff and volunteers may not 

engage in the following activities: 

 

A. Political activities. 

1. No part of any award may be used to finance, directly or indirectly, any 

activity to influence the outcome of any election to public office, or any 

voter registration activity. 

 

No project may be conducted in a manner involving the use of funds, 

the provision of services, or the employment or assignment of personnel 

in a matter supporting or resulting in the identification of such project 

with: 

 

a. Any partisan or nonpartisan political activity associated with a 

candidate, or contending faction or group, in an election; or 

b. Any activity to provide voters or prospective voters with 

transportation to the polls or similar assistance in connection with 

any such election; or 

c. Any voter registration activity, except that voter registration 

applications and nonpartisan voter registration information may 
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be made available to the public at the premises of the sponsor. 

But in making registration applications and nonpartisan voter 

registration information available, employees of the sponsor may

not express preferences or seek to influence decisions 

concerning any candidate, political party, election issue, or voting 

decision. 

2. Notwithstanding 42 U.S.C. § 5043(c) and 45 CFR § 2553.91(a)(3), in 

accordance with AmeriCorps’ current appropriations legislation all 

recipients are prohibited, without exception, from using AmeriCorps 

funds to pay the salary or expenses of any grant or contract recipient, or 

agent acting for such recipient, related to any activity designed to 

influence the enactment of legislation, appropriations, regulation, 

administrative action, or executive order proposed or pending before 

the Congress or any State government, State legislature or local 

legislature or legislative body, other than for normal and recognized 

executive-legislative relationships or participation by an agency or 

officer of a State, local or tribal government in policymaking and 

administrative processes within the executive branch of that 

government. 

B. Non-displacement of employed workers. An AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer 

may not perform any service or duty or engage in any activity that would 

otherwise be performed by an employee of the sponsor, or that would 

supplant the hiring of, or result in the displacement of, employees, or impair 

existing contracts for services. 

C. Compensation for service. An agency or organization to which AmeriCorps 

Seniors volunteers are assigned, or which operates or supervises any RSVP 

program may not request or receive any compensation from AmeriCorps 

Seniors volunteers or from beneficiaries for services of AmeriCorps Seniors 

volunteers. 

1. The regulations do not prohibit a sponsor from soliciting and accepting 

voluntary contributions from the community at large to meet its local 

support obligations under the award or from entering into agreements 

with parties other than beneficiaries to support additional volunteers 

beyond those supported by the AmeriCorps award. 

2. A volunteer station may contribute to the financial support of the RSVP 

Program. However, this support may not be a required precondition for 

a potential station to obtain RSVP Program services. 
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3. If a volunteer station agrees to provide funds to support additional RSVP 

volunteers or pay for other volunteer support costs, the agreement must

be stated in a written Memorandum of Understanding. The sponsor 

must withdraw services if the station's inability to provide monetary or 

in-kind support to the project under the Memorandum of 

Understanding diminishes or jeopardizes the project's financial 

capabilities to fulfill its obligations. 

4. Under no circumstances may an RSVP volunteer receive a fee for service 

from service recipients (i.e., program beneficiaries), their legal 

guardians, members of their families, or friends. 

D. Labor and anti-labor activity. The sponsor may not use award funds directly 

or indirectly to finance labor or anti-labor organizations or related activities. 

E. Fair labor standards. A sponsor that employs laborers and mechanics for 

construction, alteration, or repair of facilities must pay wages at prevailing rates 

as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Davis-Bacon 

Act, as amended, 40 U.S.C. 276a. 

F. Religious activities. Neither an RSVP volunteer nor a member of the project 

staff funded by AmeriCorps may give religious instruction, conduct worship 

services, or engage in any form of proselytization as part of his or her service or 

duties. 

1. A sponsor or volunteer station may retain its independence and may 

continue to carry out its mission, including the definition, development, 

practice, and expression of its religious beliefs, provided that it does not 

use AmeriCorps funds to support any inherently religious activities, such 

as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization, as part of the 

programs or services funded. If an organization conducts such activities, 

the activities must be offered separately, in time or location, from the 

programs or services funded under this part. 

G. Nepotism. Persons selected for project staff positions may not be related by 

blood or marriage to other project staff, sponsor staff or officers, or members 

of the sponsor Board of Directors, unless there is written concurrence from the 

community group established by the sponsor under Subpart B of this part and 

upon prior notification and approval by AmeriCorps. 

H. Abortion Services or Referrals. 

While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or 

training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the 
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AmeriCorps Seniors program or AmeriCorps Seniors, staff and volunteers may 

not engage in providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of service. 

IV. EXTERNAL EVALUATION AND DATA COLLECTION

The recipient must cooperate with AmeriCorps and its evaluators in all monitoring 

and evaluation efforts. 

As part of this effort, the recipient must collect and submit certain project data, as 

defined in the Progress Report Supplement (PRS) and must provide data as 

requested or needed to support external evaluations. 

V. LOBBY DISCLOSURE 

A. No Federal appropriated funds may be used by the recipient to pay to any 

person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any 

Federal agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, 

or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of 

any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any 

cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, or 

modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. 

B. Any recipient who requests or receives a grant from AmeriCorps Seniors must

file with AmeriCorps a certification, set forth in 31 U.S.C. Section 1352 

(“Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal 

contracting and financial transactions”), which generally prohibits recipients of 

Federal grants and cooperative agreements from using Federal (appropriated) 

funds for lobbying the Executive or Legislative branches of the Federal 

Government in connection with a specific grant or cooperative agreement. By 

signing and submitting an application, the application provides certification 

that the recipient understands and will comply with this statutory requirement 

and that the recipient has not made, and will not make, any payment 

prohibited under section V.A. above. 

C. For RSVP awards exceeding $100,000, pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352, the 

recipient is required to file with AmeriCorps a disclosure report, Standard 

Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, in accordance with its instructions, 

at the end of any quarter, when the recipient has paid or agreed to pay, using 

non-appropriated funds (including any profits from any covered Federal 

action) any lobbying entity for influencing or attempting to influence an officer 

or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of 

Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with a 
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covered Federal action. If applicable, the report must be submitted to the 

grantee’s AmeriCorps Senior Portfolio Manager.

VI. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 

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

reports during the project period and a final financial report at the end of the period. 

A. Progress Reports. The recipient must complete and submit an annual 

progress report. The report is submitted through the appropriate electronic 

system no later than 30 days after the end of the reporting period.

Due Date Reporting Period Covered

April 30 April 1 – March 31

Due Date Reporting Period Covered

April 30 July 1 – March 31

B. Financial Reports. The recipient must complete and submit financial reports 

in eGrants to report the status of all funds. The recipient must submit timely 

financial reports, reporting on a cumulative basis from the start of the award 

over the performance period of the award, in accordance with AmeriCorps 

guidelines. 

Recipients with budget periods starting in April submit according to the 

following schedule: 

 

Due Date Reporting Period Covered

April 30 October 1 - March 31 

October 30 April 1 – September 30 

 

Recipients with budget periods starting in July submit according to the 

following schedule: 
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Due Date Reporting Period Covered

April 30 January 1 – March 31 

January 30 July 1 – December 31 

C. Final Financial Report. Recipients completing the final year of their award 

must submit, in lieu of the last semi-annual financial report, a final financial 

report in eGrants. This final financial report is due no later than 120 days after 

the end of the project period. 

D. Requests for Extensions. Each recipient must submit required reports by the 

given dates. Extensions of reporting deadlines will be granted only when: 1) 

the report cannot be furnished in a timely manner for reasons, in the 

determination of AmeriCorps, which are legitimately beyond the control of the 

Recipient, and 2) AmeriCorps receives a written request explaining the need for 

an extension before the due date of the report.

Extensions of deadlines for reports may only be granted by the AmeriCorps 

Portfolio Manager, as appropriate. 

VII. PROGRAM INCOME 

A. General. Income, including fees for service earned as a direct result of the 

award-funded program activities during the award period, must be retained by 

the recipient and used to finance the award’s non-AmeriCorps share.

B. Excess Program Income. Program income earned in excess of the amount 

needed to finance the recipient share must follow the appropriate 

requirements of 2 CFR Parts 200 and 2205, in particular, 2 CFR 200.307 – 

Program Income and be deducted from total claimed costs, or with approval 

from AmeriCorps, through a budget amendment used to enhance the 

program (additive process). Recipients that have unexpended program 

income must report it on line “o” of the Federal Financial Report (FFR). 

C. Fees for service. When using assistance under this award, the recipient may 

not enter into a contract for or accept fees for service performed by 

participants when:

1. The service benefits a for-profit entity.

2. The service falls within the other prohibited activities set forth in statute, 

regulation, or these award terms and conditions.
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VIII. BUDGET AND PROGRAMMATIC CHANGES 

A. Programmatic Changes. The recipient must first obtain the prior written 

approval of the AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager before making any of the 

following changes (1-3):

1. Changes in the scope, objectives or goals of the project, transfer of the 

project effort, or project timeline whether or not they involve budgetary 

changes.

2. Substantial changes in key personnel specified in the application. 

3. The disengagement from the project for more than three months, or a 

25 percent reduction in time devoted to the project by the approved 

Project Director. Upon notification to the AmeriCorps Portfolio 

Manager, recipients may make programmatic changes due to, or in 

response to, an officially declared state or national disaster without 

written approval from AmeriCorps. As soon as practicable, recipients 

making disaster-related programmatic changes must discuss the 

performance measure adjustments, and other AmeriCorps award 

requirements with the AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager. While written 

approval from AmeriCorps is not required before making disasterrelated programmatic changes, AmeriCorps reserves the right to limit or 

deny disaster-related programmatic changes, including disallowing 

costs associated with the disaster related activities.

B. Budgetary Changes. The recipient must obtain the prior written approval of 

AmeriCorps’ Portfolio Manager before deviating from the approved budget in 

any of the following ways:

1. Specific Costs Requiring Prior Approval before Incurrence under the 

uniform administrative requirement, cost principles, and audit 

requirements for Federal awards at 2 CFR § 200.407. Certain cost items 

in 2 CFR § 200.407 require prior written approval of the awarding 

agency for the cost to be allowable such as pre-award costs. Please 

ensure you consult the regulations prior to incurring costs to ensure 

allowability. 

2. Purchases of Equipment over $5,000 using award funds, unless 

specified in the approved application and budget. 
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3. Unless the AmeriCorps share of the award is $100,000 or less, changes 

to cumulative and/or aggregate budget line items that amount to 10 

percent or more of the total budget must be approved in writing in 

advance by AmeriCorps. The total budget includes both the

AmeriCorps and recipient shares. Recipients may transfer funds among 

approved direct cost categories when the cumulative amount of such 

transfers does not exceed 10 percent of the total budget. 

C. Approval of Programmatic and Budget Changes. AmeriCorps’ Portfolio 

Managers are the only officials who have the authority to alter or change the 

terms and conditions or requirements of the award. Portfolio Managers will 

execute written amendments and recipients should not assume approvals have 

been granted unless documentation from AmeriCorps’ Office of Grant 

Administration (OGA) has been received via a notice of grant award. 

Programmatic changes also require final approval of AmeriCorps’ OGA after 

written recommendation for approval is received from the Portfolio Manager.

IX. NATIONAL SERVICE CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECK TRAINING 

All recipients must complete and retain a certificate of completion of the 

AmeriCorps’ National Service Criminal History Check (NSCHC) eCourse training every 

year to ensure that recipients conducting criminal history background checks comply 

with all NSCHC requirements. The AmeriCorps designated eCourse provides a 

thorough overview of the requirements and can be found at: 

https://americorpsonlinecourses.litmos.com. 

Each grant recipient must identify at minimum one staff person who has some 

responsibility for NSCHC compliance to fulfill this requirement on behalf of the grant 

recipient. The grant recipient must retain the certificate of completion and assign 

staff to retake the course annually prior to the expiration of the certificate. Grant 

recipients must save certificates of completion from each year as grant records. 

X. KEY CONCEPTS OF FINANCIAL GRANTS MANAGEMENT TRAINING

All recipients must complete and retain a certificate of completion of the AmeriCorps’ 

Key Concepts of Financial Grants Management eCourse training every year to ensure 

that recipients are aware of major financial grants management requirements for all 

federal recipients. The AmeriCorps designated eCourse provides a thorough 

overview of the requirements and can be found at: 

https://americorpsonlinecourses.litmos.com/account/login/?C=7513619. 
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Each grant recipient must identify at minimum one staff person who has some 

responsibility for financial grants management compliance to fulfill this requirement 

on behalf of the grant recipient. The grant recipient must retain the certificate of 

completion and assign staff to retake the course annually prior to the expiration of the 

certificate. Grant recipients must save certificates of completion from each year as 

grant records.