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2024 |

AmeriCorps Seniors

Fiscal Year 2024

Foster Grandparent Program: 

National Performance Measures and Work Plans

1
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Agenda

• Important Dates & Contact Information

• Key Terms

• Funding Priorities & Primary Focus Area

• Selection Criteria: Work Plan & 

Performance Measures

• Selecting National Performance Measures 

& Developing Work Plans

• Applicant Training and Technical 

Assistance

• Recap & Knowledge Check

• Q&A

Jan-24 | 2
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Important Dates

Applications are 

due no later than 

Thursday, February 

1, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time.

Successful 

applicants will be 

notified by 

April 2024.

Successful 

applicants will be 

issued awards by 

June 2024.

2023 3
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Contact Information

For questions related to this funding opportunity, contact 

FGPSCPReplacement@americorps.gov.

For details on this opportunity and to see other opportunities available 

through AmeriCorps, visit the AmeriCorps Funding Opportunities website.

2023 4
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Poll #1

Question 1: 

Did you attend our last live event, 

Tour of the Notice of Funding 

Opportunity – Selection Criteria?

Question 2: 

Have you accessed the training and 

technical assistance resources and 

webinars on the funding opportunity 

webpage? 

Jan-24 5
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Poll #2

How confident do you feel in your current level of knowledge relating to 

National Performance Measures and Work Plans?

5- Very Confident

4- Confident

3- Neutral/Not sure

2- Not confident

1- Not very confident
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Key Terms

1. Focus Area: One of a set of 6 core priority issue areas identified in the Serve America 

Act where AmeriCorps focuses on national service and measures its impact.

2. Geographic Service Area: The counties in which volunteer stations are located and 

services are provided.

3. Sponsor: A public agency or private non-profit organization, either secular or faithbased, that receives AmeriCorps Senior program funding and is legally responsible for 

stewarding grant funds. Also referred to as grantees. 

4. Volunteer Service Year: Equal to 1,044 hours of volunteer service activity per year. The 

standardized stipend cost per VSY is calculated by multiplying the number of hours 

served by the current cost per hour for the stipend (1,044 hours x $4.00 per hour). VSYs 

are also used in the performance measures module in eGrants to complete work 

plans.

5. Volunteer Station: A public agency, secular or faith-based private non-profit 

organization, or proprietary health care organization that accepts the responsibility for 

assignment and supervision of AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers. 

2023 7
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Key Terms, continued

6. Outcomes: A type of measure that indicates progress toward achieving the intended 

result of a program, which usually represents a change in the situation of beneficiaries 

of service, such as gains in school readiness or number of students enrolling in postsecondary education/training, due to the volunteers and their service. I.e., longer term, 

permanent change, or improvement expected in the community. 

7. Outputs: A type of measure that tabulates, calculates, or records the actual number of 

services (e.g., people served, products created, programs developed) or products 

delivered by a program, such as students receiving tutoring. i.e., immediate results of 

the volunteers’ service in the community.

8. Performance Measures: A set of standardized outputs and outcomes to help grantees 

and AmeriCorps track the impact of national service.

9. Service Activity: The service performed by AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers that supports 

an identified community need and aligns with AmeriCorps Seniors funding priorities and 

focus areas. i.e., what the AmeriCorps volunteers are doing with beneficiaries.

10. Work Plan: A plan that shows how the project will address a specified community need. 

Includes a description of the community need and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer 

service activities, the chosen performance measures, and how the impact of service 

activities will be measured. 

2023 8
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Funding Priorities and Primary Focus Area

Jan-24 9
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Primary Focus Area and Funding Priorities

• The Foster Grandparent Program focuses on 

Education. 

• Priority consideration* will be given to: 

• Programs focused on early learning and 

those that prepare AmeriCorps Seniors 

volunteers to enter early learning careers.

• Efforts to help local communities continue to 

recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic 

through focused education efforts to address 

learning loss.

Jan-24 10

Suggested 

Resource: 

Identifying 

Priority Areas 

In Your 

Community

AmeriCorps Funding 

Opportunities website.

*To receive priority consideration, applicants must show that the priority area is a 

significant part of the program focus and intended outcomes and must include a 

high-quality program design.
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Funding Priorities

Primary Focus Areas and Funding Priorities

• Organizations leading service in communities with concentrated poverty, rural

communities, tribal communities, and those organizations serving historically 

underrepresented and underserved individuals, including but not limited to 

communities of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, people 

who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and religious minorities.

• Projects that propose to serve states listed in Appendix A: Priority States and 

Territories.

• Organizations that serve people with arrest and conviction records and provide 

meaningful reentry opportunities.

• Programs that support civic bridgebuilding projects (meaning projects that foster 

respect among diverse communities, strengthen relationships across lines of 

difference, forge a sense of common civic purpose, and seek to solve a 

community program and diminish polarization) and provide training in civic 

bridgebuilding skills and techniques to AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers.

Jan-24 11
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Appendix A: Priority States and Territories

Jan-24 12

Primary Focus Areas and Funding Priorities

AS GU MP PR VI

U.S. Territories

*Applicants are not limited 

to this list of states and 

territories to apply for, but 

AmeriCorps Seniors is 

prioritizing projects that 

designate counties in these 

states and territories due to 

relinquishments.

*Applicants can apply for 

one or more counties.
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Section E.1.e. Work Plan and Performance Measures

(18 Percent)

Jan-24 13
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*A Volunteer Service Year (VSY) equals 1,044 hours of volunteer service activity per year. The 

standardized stipend cost per VSY is calculated by multiplying the number of hours served by 

the current cost per hour for the stipend (1,044 hours x $4.00 per hour). See Appendix E: Cost 

per Volunteer Calculator for more information.

Work Plans and Performance Measures

Section E.1.e. Work Plan and Performance Measures

Work Plans - Applications must include work plans that meet the following 

minimum requirements:

• National Performance Measure outcomes using Education as the 

primary focus area.

• Federal funding requests cannot exceed $9,000 per Volunteer Service 

Year.

• For every $9,000 in annual base federal funding, at least one 

Volunteer Service Year* must be placed in a work plan that results in 

National Performance Measure outcomes in the Education focus 

area.

Jan-24 14
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Work Plans and Performance Measures, continued

Section E.1.e. Work Plan and Performance Measures

Work Plans should logically connect the following four major elements to 

each other and align them with the National Performance Measures:

1. Community need(s) identified.

2. Service activities that will be carried out by AmeriCorps Seniors 

volunteers.

3. Instrument description and data collection plans.

4. Target numbers that lead to outcomes or outputs and are 

appropriate for the total number of volunteers assigned to the 

performance measure.

Jan-24 15
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Work Plans and Performance Measures, continued

Section E.1.e. Work Plan and Performance Measures

Jan-24 16

the duration of the intervention (e.g., the total number of weeks, sessions, or 

months of the intervention).

the dosage of the intervention (e.g., the number of hours per session or sessions per 

week).

the target population for the intervention (e.g., disconnected seniors/youth, third 

graders at a certain reading proficiency level). 

the measurable outputs that will result from delivering the intervention (i.e., number of

beneficiaries served, types and number of activities conducted). If applicable, 

identify which National Performance Measures will be used as output indicators.

Service activities that are defined in each Work Plan must include the intervention the 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers will implement or deliver, including:

•

•

•

•

• outcomes that demonstrate changes in knowledge/skill, attitude, behavior, or 

condition that occur because of the intervention. If applicable, identify which 

National Performance Measures will be used as outcome indicators. 
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Work Plan and Performance Measures Resources

Section E.1.e. Work Plan and Performance Measures

Grant 

Application 

Instructions

Appendix B: 

National 

Performance 

Measure 

Instructions 

AmeriCorps 

National 

Performance 

Measurement 

Core 

Curriculum

AmeriCorps Funding Opportunities website.

Jan-24 17
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National Performance Measures

Jan-24 18
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Jan-24

What Are National Performance Measures?

National Performance Measures

• A set of standardized outputs and outcomes to help 

grantees and AmeriCorps track the impact of 

national service.

• Allows you to measure and assess the effectiveness 

of your programming and communicate it to 

AmeriCorps and other stakeholders. 

• Helps AmeriCorps to tell a unified story about the 

impact of our programs nationwide and continue 

to improve our performance.

• The Foster Grandparent Program National 

Performance Measures Focus Areas include 

Education, Economic Opportunity, and Healthy 

Futures. 

Jan-24 19

Suggested 

Resource: 

Appendix B: 

Foster 

Grandparent 

Program 

Performance 

Measure 

Instructions
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National Performance Measure Requirements

National Performance Measures

Focus Area:

•One of a set 

of 6 core 

priority issue 

areas 

identified in 

the Serve 

America Act. 

•Primary focus 

area for 

Foster 

Grandparent 

Program is 

Education. 

Objective:

•Defines the 

programs 

intended 

goal or 

outcome. 

Service 

Activities:

•Lists what 

AmeriCorps 

Seniors 

volunteers are 

doing with 

beneficiaries.

Output:

•Immediate 

results of the 

volunteers’ 

service in the 

community.

Outcome:

•Longer term, 

permanent 

change, or 

improvement 

expected in 

the 

community 

due to 

AmeriCorps 

Seniors 

volunteers 

and their 

service. 

Jan-24 20
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National Performance Measure Requirements

National Performance Measures

Focus Area:

• Education

Objective:

• K-12 Success

Service 

Activities:

• Mentoring

• Tutoring

Output:

• 30 students 

receiving 

mentoring. 

• 20 students 

receiving 

tutoring. 

Outcome:

• 24 students 

with improved 

performance. 

• 16 students 

with improved 

performance.

Disclaimer: This is an example and is not meant to direct an applicant’s proposal.

Jan-24 21
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Calculating and Allocating Volunteer Service Years

Jan-24 22
• For every $9,000 in base federal funding, 

at least one AmeriCorps Seniors VSY must 

be placed in a work plan that results in 

national performance measure outcomes 

in the Education focus area.

• Example: $90,000 of federal funding 

divided by $9,000 equals a minimum of 10

VSYs placed into outcome-based 

assignments (10,440 hours of service).

Maximum Cost Per Volunteer Service Year In 

Outcome-Based Assignments

Calculating and Allocating Volunteer Service Years

Suggested Resource: 

Appendix E: Cost Per 

Volunteer Service Year 

Calculator for FY 2024

VSY Calculator

In the table below, enter the amount of AmeriCorps 

Seniors funding you are applying for. The number of 

VSYs you have to place into outcome-based 

workplans for that amount of funding will be 

calculated for you. 

Jan-24 23
Rounding VSYs In Outcome-Based 

Assignments

Calculating and Allocating Volunteer Service Years

24

Example #1

•$100,000 in Federal 

funding requested.

•11.1 = ($100,000/$9,000)

•VSY = 11

Example #2

•$150,000 in Federal 

funding requested

•16.6 = ($150,000/$9,000)

•VSY = 17

Round

Down

Round

Up
 Consider how many hours of service will it take to perform 

the activities for the number of people to be served.

 Use prior experience.

 Check with community partners.

 Refer to your Output Target and Service Activity 

Description.

Self-Assessment: Allocating Volunteer Service Years

Jan-24 25

Calculating and Allocating Volunteer Service Years
• Volunteer Service Years represent the number of hours of service it takes 

to deliver an intervention. 1 VSY = 1,044 hours of service.

In the work plan, VSYs are entered into the “unduplicated volunteer” 

field in eGrants.

• Individual volunteers are the people who will be performing the service. It 

may take more than one person to serve enough hours to equal one VSY.

In the work plan, the individual people are entered into the “total 

volunteer” field in eGrants

• Example: You think it will take 8,400 hours of service to deliver an 

intervention, and you have 10 individual volunteers who will do it.

8,400 hours of service = 8 VSYs in the “unduplicated volunteer” field

10 volunteers in the “total volunteer” field

Volunteer Service Years and Individual 

Volunteers in the Work Plans

Calculating and Allocating Volunteer Service Years

Jan-24 26
• Yes!

• Count each service hour only once.

◦ Put each hour in the work plan that 

aligns with the service they will be 

doing.

• Include them in the “total volunteers” 

in each work plan that includes their 

hours of service.

Can Volunteers Serve in More than One Work Plan?

Calculating and Allocating Volunteer Service Years

Jan-24 27
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Work Plans

Jan-24 28
Define the service activity by describing what the AmeriCorps Seniors 

volunteers will do to achieve the outputs and outcomes.

Include: 

Who beneficiaries are.

What AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers will be doing with them.

When volunteers will provide service (how often and for how long).

Where the service will take place.

Writing the Service Activity Description

Work Plans

Jan-24 29
Sample Service Activity Description

Foster Grandparent Program volunteers will engage one-on-one with 20 third-grade 

students in 5 elementary schools that were identified by standardized reading 

assessments as scoring below reading level. Volunteers will engage with students 

after school for 2 hours per week for 4 months using reading enrichment interventions

such as reading together and using workbooks and games that focus on phonics, 

sight words, and comprehension.

Jan-24 30

Disclaimer: This is an example and is not meant to direct an applicant’s proposal.

Goal Focus Area Objective Output Outcome Service 

Activity

Improve 

reading 

scores of 

third grade 

students.

Education K-12 Success

ED1A: 

Number of 

individuals 

served 

ED27C: Number of 

students with 

improved academic 

engagement or 

social-emotional skills

Tutoring
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Jan-24 31

A B C D E F G H I J

Output Output 

Instrument

Service Activity # of

Unduplicated 

Volunteers

# of Total 

Volunteers

# of

Volunteer

Stations

Output 

Target

Outcome Outcome 

Instrument

Outcome 

Target

Work Plan Development Template

Focus Area: Objective:

Community Need:

Total number of unduplicated volunteers/VSYs in National Performance Measure Work Plans:

Update this as you complete Work Plans to reflect the cumulative number of unduplicated volunteers/VSYs programmed into National Performance Measure 

Work Plans. For example, if this is the first work plan completed, and it includes 10 Unduplicated Volunteers or 10 VSYs in Column D, the value would be 10. If this is 

my second, and I have included 10 Unduplicated Volunteers or 10 VSYs in Column D in each work plan, it would be 20, and so on.

Service Activity Description(s)

Output Instrument Description(s)

Outcome Instrument Description(s)
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Focus Area: Education

Objective: K-12 Success

Sample Work Plan Template

Work Plans

Disclaimer: This is an example and is not meant to direct an applicant’s proposal.

A B C D E F G H I J

Output Output 

Instrument

Service 

Activity

# of

Unduplicated 

Volunteers

# of 

Total 

Volunteers

# of

Volunteer

Stations

Output 

Target

Outcome Outcome 

Instrument

Outcome 

Target

ED1A: 

Number 

of 

individuals 

served

Sign-in 

sheet 

(tracking 

system)

Tutoring 8 10 5 20 ED5A: 

Number of 

students with 

improved 

academic 

performance 

Pre- and 

post-reading 

assessment

16

Note: Each selected service activity will 

generate a separate work plan

Note: You will enter the number of Volunteer Service 

Years (VSYs) in column D of the template. 
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Data Collection Instruments

National Performance Measures

Output Instruments

• Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of 

beneficiaries who have received services. 

Outcome Instruments

Jan-24 33

• Attendance, classroom, or 

disciplinary records

• Employment letters

• Graduation records

• Interviews

• Observation

• Pre- and post-assessments

• Registration records

• Report cards

• Standardized tests

• Surveys
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Self-Assessment: Data Collection Instrument

National Performance Measures

Ask Yourself... 

Are your data collection instruments: 

 Accessible? 

 Feasible? 

 Standardized? 

 Cost effective?

What are some of the pros and cons of selecting these data collection 

instruments? 

Jan-24 34
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Other Community Priorities

National Performance Measures

• A grantee may create a work plan consisting of “Other Community 

Priorities” to address community activities not captured in national 

performance measures.

• VSYs included in these work plans do not count towards the cost/VSY 

requirement.

• The following sections must be completed in eGrants:

• Description of community need

• Output*

• Number of Volunteer Service Years (VSYs)

• Number of volunteers

• Total number of volunteer stations

Jan-24 35

*Output: There is one pre-determined output for the “Other Community Priorities” work plan – “Grantee 

met its target for community priority activity Yes/No.” This will be the only option available when entering 

the Community Priority work plan.

Suggested 

Resource: 

Grant 

Application 

Instructions
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eGrants Step-by-Step Walkthrough: Work Plan

Jan-24 36
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Step-by-Step Walkthrough: Work Plan

Related Resources: 

• Grant Application Instructions

• National Performance Measurement Core Curriculum

• Work Plan Development Worksheet (found in the Grant Application Instructions)

Jan-24 37
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Step-by-Step Walkthrough: Focus Areas

Jan-24 38

• Primary Focus Area must be 

Education.

• You may also select additional 

focus areas from Appendix B: 

National Performance 

Measures that are relevant to 

your proposed project.

1

2 3
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Step-by-Step Walkthrough: Performance Measures

Jan-24 39

2 3

4

1

Community Need:

• Specify county or 

counties

• Use local statistics

• Describe 

consequences of 

need going unmet

• Describe why 

volunteers are 

effective resources
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Step-by-step Walkthrough: Targets

Note: By default, the total number of unduplicated volunteers is set to zero and the fields are locked. Once you enter 

in your total number of unduplicated volunteers, the fields will be unlocked.

Jan-24 40

Updates when you 

click on “Review 

Allocations”

1

2

3 4

5
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Jan-24 41

1

3

Step-by-step Walkthrough: Summary

2 Optional
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Applicant Training and Technical Assistance

Jan-24 42
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Notice of Funding Opportunity Appendices

2023 43

Appendix Name Purpose

Appendix A: Priority 

States and Territories

Applicants are not limited to this list of states and territories to apply 

for, but AmeriCorps Seniors is prioritizing projects that designate 

Geographic Service Areas operating in these states and territories 

due to relinquishments. Applicants can apply for one or more 

counties in a state.

Appendix B: National

Performance Measure

Instructions

Guidance for performance measures selection, output and 

outcome pairings, and required information for Work Plan in 

eGrants.

Appendix C: Terms 

and Definitions

Terms and Definitions provides information for terms most used in 

AmeriCorps Seniors.

Appendix D: Grant

Application Instruction

Grant Application Instructions submitting you application in eGrants. 

Includes Work Plan Development Template. 

Appendix E: Cost Per 

Volunteer Calculator

Resource to help applicants determine a minimum number of 

volunteer service years (VSY) for a funding request.

43

AmeriCorps Funding Opportunities website.

Jan-24 43
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For more information, visit the Funding Opportunity Page.

Additional Applicant Training and Technical Assistance

Live Events (Requires Registration) Pre-Recorded

AmeriCorps Seniors in Action: Mobilizing a 

Generation

Introducing AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps Seniors, 

and Its Programs

Identifying Funding Priority Areas in Your 

Community

Tour of the Notice of Funding

Tour of the Notice of Funding Opportunity –

Selection Criteria Review

AmeriCorps National Performance Measures 

Curriculum

National Performance Measures and Work 

Plans

Best Practices in Budget Development

Foster Grandparent Program Office Hours: 

Budget Q&A

Submitting Your Application in eGrants

Foster Grandparent Program Office Hours: 

General and Performance Measurement 

Q&A

AmeriCorps Due Diligence Review and 

Compliance Training

Jan-24 44
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• Wednesday, 

January 17, 2024, 

1:30 p.m. ET

• Register for this 

event. 

Office Hours Q&A

• Thursday, January 

18, 2024, 2:00 p.m. 

ET

• Register for this 

event. 

General & 

Performance 

Measures

• Pre-submit 

questions for the 

webinar. 

• Please submit your 

questions by 5:00 

p.m. ET on Friday, 

January 12, 2024, 

for consideration. 

Pre-Submit 

Questions

Jan-24 45

Budget
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Recap and Knowledge Check

Jan-24 46
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• Applicants are 

required to use the 

identified 

Performance 

Measures outlined in 

this Notice of 

Funding Opportunity.

National Performance 

Measures

Recap

Jan-24 47

• For every $9,000 in 

base federal funding, 

at least one 

AmeriCorps Seniors 

VSY must be placed 

in the work plan that 

results in national 

performance 

measure outcomes 

in the Education

focus area.

• Every performance 

measure output must 

be paired with a 

single outcome. 

• For each work plan, 

applicants must 

select one output 

and one of the 

associated 

outcomes. 

Outputs and 

Outcomes

Work Plan 

Requirements
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Knowledge Check #1

For every $9,000 in base 

federal funding, at least one 

AmeriCorps Seniors VSY must 

be placed in the work plan 

that results in national 

performance measure 

outcomes in the Education 

focus area. 

Volunteer Service Year Formula

If your proposal requests 

$90,000 in federal funding, 

how many Volunteer Service 

Years must be placed in 

outcome-based work plans? 

VSY Calculation

Jan-24 48

Answer: 

10 VSYs

$90,000 / $9,000 = 10
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TRUE!

What resource provides 

guidance on performance 

measure selection, output 

and outcome pairings, and 

required information for Work 

Plans in eGrants?

A. Notice of Funding 

Opportunity

B. Appendix B: National 

Performance Measure 

Instructions

C.Appendix C: Terms and 

Conditions

D. We do not offer that as a 

resource 

Knowledge Check #2

True or False

Each output may only be 

paired with one 

associated outcome

When are applications 

due?

• January 1, 2024, by 3:00 

p.m. ET

• February 1, 2024, by 

5:00 p.m. ET

• April 15, 2024, by 5:00 

p.m. ET

• There is no due date, 

applications are 

reviewed on a rolling 

basis. 

• Applications are due 

by 5:00 p.m. ET on 

Thursday, February 1, 

2024.

• Successful applicants 

will be notified by April 

2024.

• Successful applicants 

will be issued award by 

June 2024. 

What resource provides 

guidance on performance 

measure selection, output 

and outcome pairings, and 

required information for Work 

Plans in eGrants?

A. Notice of Funding 

Opportunity

B. Appendix B: National 

Performance Measure 

Instructions

C.Appendix C: Terms and 

Conditions

D. We do not offer that as a 

resource 

Jan-24 49
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Poll #3

Having attended today’s webinar, how 

confident do you feel in your current level of 

knowledge relating to National Performance 

Measures and Work Plans?

5- Much more confident

4- More confident

3- Neutral/Not sure

2- Less confident

1- Much less confident

Jan-24 50
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Please enter your questions 

into the Q&A box.

Questions?

Use the Q&A to ask your questions.

Jan-24 51
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Thank you for your interest in 

AmeriCorps Seniors funding 

opportunities. 

Jan-24 52