Request for Concept Papers

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January 6 | 3:00 PM ET

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AmeriCorps VISTA 

Request for Concept Paper 

January 6, 2021

2021 | 2
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AmeriCorps VISTA 

Request for Concept Paper 

January 6, 2021

2021 | 5
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Today’s Presenters

Anne Otih

Program and Partnerships Specialist

AmeriCorps VISTA

Kelly Daly

Lead Program Specialist

AmeriCorps VISTA
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Agenda

• What is AmeriCorps VISTA

• What AmeriCorps VISTA can and 

can't do for your organization

• Who does What

• How can you connect to 

AmeriCorps staff and Additional 

Resources
What is 

AmeriCorps 

VISTA?

Fighting Poverty

Empowering Low- Income 

Communities

Building Capacity for 

Communities and Organizations

Creating Sustainable Solutions
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What is AmeriCorps VISTA? 2

Key Definitions and Terms

VISTA Project

Project Sponsor 

Project Director 

Supervisor 

AmeriCorps Region Office

VISTA Member

Leader

Summer Associate 
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Tell us About Yourself! 

What type of organization do you represent?

• Local nonprofit

• State-wide nonprofit

• Multi-state nonprofit

• City or municipal government

• State government

• Tribal organization or Tribal government

• Educational Institution (local, higher ed, HBCU)

• Other
What is 

AmeriCorps 

VISTA?

Fighting Poverty

Empowering Low- Income 

Communities

Building Capacity for Communities 

and Organizations

Creating Sustainable Solutions

Fighting Poverty

Empowering Low- Income 

Communities

Building Capacity for Communities 

and Organizations

Creating Sustainable Solutions
REDCO Community Food Sovereignty

This project utilizes 17 VISTA members to empower members of the Sicangu Lakota 

Oyate and improve the quality of life by building the capacity of organizations and 

programs that provide services that educate, empower, and engage Rosebud Sioux 

Tribal Members. 

• 17 VISTA members serve at organizations throughout Rosebud that align with 

AmeriCorps’ Healthy Futures, Education, and Economic Opportunity focus areas 

• In FY20, VISTA members generated $2.6+ million in cash resources; $22,917 inkind resources 
Audubon Area Community Services 

This small project utilizes 5 VISTA members to build capacity for self-sufficiency 

programs in several rural counties in Western Kentucky. The program has an 

emphasis on healthy futures, particularly opiate addition and recovery programs. 

VISTAs build capacity by creating resource directories, preparing presentations on 

opiate use and addiction, developing life skills classes, improving community 

awareness, and preparing informational packets for families of incarcerated adults in 

treatment programs. In the past program year VISTAs have:

• Recruited 127 Community Volunteers 

• Managed 144 Volunteers

• Leveraged over $110,000 of cash and in-kind resources for the project

• Developed and delivered numerous public presentations to increase awareness of 

substance abuse and related resources. For example, VISTAs helped implement a 

Recovery Celebration event in Owensboro, KY with over 600 community 

members attending. 
AmeriCorps VISTA 

Project Sponsors
AmeriCorps VISTA Program Models

Single Site Model

• Supervisor

• VISTA Member(s)

Intermediary Model

• VISTA sub-sites are located in the state 

and may include sites in another state 

or cluster

• Sub-site supervisors

• VISTA members(s)

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Responsibilities: Project Management

Obtain Community input- work WITH, not just for the target 

population(s)

Performance measures- measuring results through outputs 

and outcomes 

Reporting

• Project Progress Reports (PPRs)- two a year

• VISTA Progress Report Supplement (VPRS)- annual, due 

mid November
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Responsibilities: Member Management

• Recruit and place VISTA 

members

• Provide workspace, equipment 

and supplies

• Professional development and onsite orientation & training

• Assist VISTA members with 

community entry

• VISTA supervision and 

performance appraisals

• Sponsor Verification Form 
Capacity Building vs Direct Service

CAPACITY BUILDING

Tasks and activities to expand the 

scale, reach, efficiency or 

effectiveness of specific antipoverty 

projects

DIRECT SERVICE 

Providing services to the identified 

project recipients or clients of a 

project

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AmeriCorps VISTA 

Members
The Basics

• 18+ years of age

• U.S. citizens or legal permanent 

residents

• Must pass a criminal history 

review

• May have specific knowledge 

skills, or abilities required by the 

sponsoring organization

• Local or national recruits

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VISTA Leaders

• Projects with eight or more VISTAs may have a Leader assigned to support the members

• Leaders guide data collection & interpret data (they do not perform the reporting)

• Coordinate, facilitate, and support the efforts of VISTA members (do not supervise)
What do 

AmeriCorps 

VISTA Members 

Do?

Create Powerful Partnerships with businesses, 

community leaders, and other stakeholders

Expand current programs in demographic, 

geographic, and/or programmatic scope

Build volunteer management, leadership and 

training systems

Leverage both cash and in-kind resources by 

building development systems
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What do AmeriCorps VISTA Members NOT Do?

• International Work

• Religious Activity

• Prohibited Political Activity

⚬ Hatch Act

⚬ Voter Registration

⚬ Union Organizing

• Supplanting staff or existing volunteers
Benefits for AmeriCorps VISTA Members

Living 

Allowance

End of Service 

Award 

Employers of 

National 

Service

Health 

Benefit Professional 

Development

Noncompetitive 

Eligibility

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What makes an 

AmeriCorps VISTA 

Project- and 

ApplicationSuccessful?

• Clearly shows how the capacity building activities you 

are proposing directly ties into anti-poverty outcomes 

in the community you’re serving

• Includes deliberate engagement of your beneficiary population and 

communities

• Is designed with the end in mind – when will your project become 

self-sustaining and how? With additional staff? Community 

volunteers? Partnerships with other organizations and agencies? 

• Focuses not only on the project activities but on the development of 

members. VISTAs may be younger and in need of greater supervisor 

or they maybe retired community members that can work on their 

own. As a project director and VISTA Supervisor, you will have to flex 

your skills to adapt to the people you recruit. It will be worth it in 

the end!
Beginning the 

Application Process
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VISTA Application Process

Organizations submit an AmeriCorps VISTA 

Concept Paper. The Concept Paper is a 

preliminary screening tool used to evaluate 

whether the organization would be an 

appropriate sponsor. 

AmeriCorps VISTA Concept Paper 

If AmeriCorps approves the Concept Paper, 

the organization submits an AmeriCorps VISTA 

Project Application based on the approved 

Concept Paper.

AmeriCorps VISTA Project Application
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Characteristics of a Strong Concept Paper

• Aligns with AmeriCorps focus areas/VISTA 

programming priorities

• Addresses the needs of a low-income community

• Involves the community in project development and 

implementation

• Leads to organizational capacity and sustainability

• Generates public or private sector resources

• Promotes local volunteer service

• Be specific
What Types of 

Programming 

Does VISTA 

Support?
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Focus Areas & Current Programming Priorities 

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

• Housing

• Employment/ Workforce 

Development

• Benefits Access

HEALTHY FUTURES

• Access to Health Care

• Food Security

EDUCATION

• School Readiness

• K-12 Success

• Post Secondary Success

⚬ Higher Education

⚬ Career & Technical 

Education

VETERANS & MILITARY FAMILIES

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
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Which Programming Priority Fits your Organization? 

Housing

Employment/Workforce Development

Federal Benefit Access

Access to Health Care

Food Security

School readiness/learning loss

K-12 success

Post-Secondary Success (College and/or Technical 

Education)

More than one of the above

None of the above
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Concept Paper Submission 

Concept Papers are submitted in eGrants.

Create an eGrants account:

http://egrants.cns.gov NOT grants.gov 

• Click on: Don’t have an eGrants account? Create 

an account.

• Click on: Create a Grantee Account

• Click on: This is my first time. I want to create a new 

account with eGrants

You will need the following information:

• EIN Number

• DUNS Number (not required to create an account, 

but needed if your organization is awarded a grant)

• Your organization’s contact information

• Your contact information
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Executive Summary Template: 

[Organization Name]’s mission is [Mission 

Statement]. The proposed VISTA project 

aligns with the [Choose one or more 

AmeriCorps Focus Area] focus area(s). The 

VISTA project will seek to [enter goal(s)] and 

expects to benefit [enter type and 

estimated number of beneficiaries]. [Enter 

number of VISTAs] VISTA members will 

contribute to the goals of the project by 

performing activities such as [enter activities] 

over the course of [enter expected length of 

project]. 
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AmeriCorps VISTA Request for Concept Papers Timeline

Task Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4

Concept Papers due 

by 11:59 pm November 3, 2021 January 26, 2022 March 23, 2022 June 1, 2022

Concept Paper 

decisions December 2021 February 2022 April 2022 July 2022

Application

decisions January 2022 April 2022 May 2022 August 2022
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Completing the Application Process

Submit a Full VISTA Application: If your organization's 

concept paper is accepted, your AmeriCorps Regional Office 

will notify you and request that you submit a full application. 

Supervisor Orientation: AmeriCorps will provide a virtual 

orientation

Member Recruitment: The sponsoring organization will 

develop a Service Opportunity Listing on eGrants to recruit 

VISTA candidates. There are resources available to assist with 

this process.
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Contacts and Resources

Contact Your Region 

Office:

https://americorps.gov/contact/region-offices

Request for Concept Papers 

webpage

https://americorps.gov/vistarfcp

FY 22 Notice FY22 AmeriCorps VISTA Request for Concept Paper Notice

Concept Paper Instructions AmeriCorps VISTA Concept Paper Instructions

Sponsor a VISTA member https://americorps.gov/partner/how-it-works/americorps-vista

FY22 Annual Program Guidance FY 22 AmeriCorps VISTA Annual Program Guidance

eGrants https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp

National Service Hotline 1-800-942-2677; eGrants technical issues, option 3
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VISTA History and Legacy Video

This video showcases stories of ordinary people meeting extraordinary challenges as VISTA 

members and describes the foundation of VISTA's legacy.

https://youtu.be/QfYCddyQw6E

1964 Presidential Address Highlighting VISTA

This video includes footage from 1964 when President Johnson declared the War on Poverty and proposed VISTA as 

part of this plan.

https://youtu.be/_ftv7wCbMbg

What can VISTA do for You?

This video explains how VISTAs bring enthusiasm, experience and commitment to the organizations they serve, 

helping sponsors deliver better education, health, nutrition. and other services to people in need. 

https://youtu.be/zugQxvjgXAw
? ? ?
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How likely is it that you will apply to become a 

VISTA project sponsor?

Very likely and I plan on submitting a Concept Paper 

by January 26fh. 

Very likely but I will wait until the spring or later.

Maybe but I would like to talk to an AmeriCorps staff 

person first.

Maybe but I need to talk to my organization’s 

leadership first.

Not likely because VISTA doesn’t seem a good fit for 

what my organization needs.

Not likely but I will continue looking at other national 

service programs.
Thank You for Attending!