2011 Admin/PDAT/Disability Application Instructions
2011 ADMINISTRATIVE/PDAT/DISABILITY
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
HOW to apply for
State Administrative Funds
Program Development Assistance and Training Funds
Disability Placement Funds
OMB Approval Number 3045-0099
Expiration Date 5/31/2013
These application instructions conform to the Corporation for National and Community Service’s (hereinafter the Corporation) online grant application system, eGrants. The eGrants system is designed to serve the Corporation’s applicants and grantees. All Corporation funding announcements are posted on our web site www.cns.gov and at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/find_grant_opportunities.jsp.
Public Burden Statement: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 requires the Corporation to inform all potential persons who are to respond to this collection of information that such persons are not required to respond unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. (See 5 CFR 1320.5(b)(2)(i)).
Time Burden: The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 25 hours per applicant, including the time to review instructions; search existing data resources; gather the data needed; and complete and review the information collection.
Use of Information: The information collected constitutes an application to the Corporation for grant funding. The Corporation evaluates the application and makes funding decisions through the Corporation’s grant review and selection process.
Effects of Non-Disclosure: Providing this information is voluntary; however, failure to provide the information would not allow the Corporation to assess the applicant’s request for funding. Therefore it would not be possible to consider granting funds to the applicant.
Privacy Act: Information provided for this collection may be shared
with federal, state, and local agencies for law enforcement purposes.
Public Comments: Comments on the burden or content of this instrument may be sent to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Attn: Ms. Amy Borgstrom, 1201 New York Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20525.
STATE ADMINISTRATIVE, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING (PDAT), AND DISABILITY PLACEMENT (DISABILITY)
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
III. Using eGrants 4
VIII. Application Instructions 10
APPENDIX i: Corporation Review of Applications 16
APPENDIX II: GRANT PROVISIONS 17
APPENDIX III: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL TTA PROGRAMS 18
APPENDIX IV: COMMISSION ALTERNATIVE MATCH SCHEDULE 20
Changes in the 2011 Instructions
Changed deadline and OMB expiration date.
Included definition of State Commission and Alternative Administrative Entity in Section I. Purpose
Clarified character limits in eGrants in Section III. Using eGrants.
Revised Section IV. on Collaboration for greater clarity.
Added Sections V.C., VI. C. and VII. C. on Supplemental Funding.
Added Section V. E. on performance measurement.
Revised VIII. E., Authorize and Submit, for clarity and consistency with other application instructions.
Edited budget instructions for greater clarity.
Added explanation of budget roles in eGrants in Section IX.
Changed the maximum amount for consultant/contractual daily rate from $617 to $650.
Revised instructions for applying for the alternative match (Appendix IV).
ADMINISTRATIVE/PDAT/DISABILITY APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
State Administrative grant funds support the operation of State Commissions and Alternative Administrative Entities (AAEs) in implementing their duties as required by the National and Community Service Act of 1990.
A State Commission is a bipartisan or nonpartisan State entity, approved by the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation), consisting of 15–25 members appointed by the chief executive officer of the State. The State Commission is responsible for developing a comprehensive national service plan, assembling applications for funding and national service positions, and administering national service programs in the State.
An AAE is a State entity approved by the Corporation to perform the duties of a State Commission, including developing a State Service Plan, preparing applications to the Corporation for funding and national service positions, and administering service program grants.
State Commissions and AAEs receive Program Development Assistance and Training (PDAT) funds for building capacity and infrastructure consistent with the Characteristics of a Successful Training and Technical Assistance Program (see Appendix III.) PDAT funds are made available to Commissions to enhance and sustain high quality national service programs, as applicable.
Disability Placement Grants (Disability) are used for the placement, reasonable accommodation, and other services designed to increase opportunities for service for members and potential members with disabilities. The funds can be used for members serving in AmeriCorps State and National, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and any other national service program assisted by the Corporation with the exception of AmeriCorps NCCC and VISTA.
The deadline for Administrative, PDAT, and Disability grants is Friday, November 12, 2010. We will consider an extension of deadline only for extenuating circumstances clearly beyond your control. Submit your request for an extension stating the rationale to your program officer via email or letter submitted via courier service.
III. Using eGrants
To submit your application, access eGrants (www.americorps.gov/egrants), the Corporation’s integrated, secure, web-based system for applications. The Commission Administrative, PDAT, and Disability applications each are accessed through a separate NOFA, by year, in eGrants. Be sure to select the correct NOFA when prompted:
Commission Administrative Funds FY 2011
Commission PDAT FY 2011
Commission Disability FY 2011
If you are submitting for a second or third year of a three-year grant, select the “Continuation/Renewal” option when setting up your application. Your previous year’s application and budget will be imported, and available for you to edit. In addition:
We suggest you first prepare and save your application as a word processing document, then copy and paste the document into eGrants.
Use only UPPERCASE letters for all section headings and other information you would like to highlight in your narrative. Bold face, bullets, underlines, or other types of formatting, charts, diagrams, and tables will not copy into eGrants.
If your narrative for the Administrative, PDAT, or Disability application exceeds 32,000 characters, enter the remaining information in the “Program Narrative Continued” text box. Characters include all the letters, punctuation, and spaces in your document. Your word processing software can provide a character count. eGrants will not alert you if you exceed the character limits until you review and submit. Check character limits in your word processing document before you copy and paste into eGrants.
Please be advised that submission of an Administrative application provides consent for the State Service Plan section to be published on the Corporation’s website.
The Corporation expects all national service programs to collaborate at the local level. State Commissions are expected to communicate and coordinate with AmeriCorps multi-state parent organizations and sites in your state, as well as Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America sites. Multi-state parent organizations include recipients of State and National Competitive, National EAP, Professional Corps, and Indian Tribes grants.
Likewise, AmeriCorps multi-state parent organizations, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America programs are expected to communicate and coordinate with Commissions in the states where they operate and to share resources as appropriate.
As a State Commission, you are expected to:
Respond to requests for consultation from multi-state AmeriCorps applicants submitting applications to operate in your state.
Consider the schedules and needs of all national service programs in the state when planning annual events and technical assistance activities.
Develop a process to solicit the needs of national service programs in your annual needs assessment, training and disability inclusion plan development activities, and in the development of your State Service Plan.
Add appropriate personnel from all national service programs in your state to your mailing list and invite them to appropriate training and other events.
Multi-state parent organizations and sites in your state are expected to communicate regularly with you and to keep you informed of their progress. Specifically, they will:
Consult with you annually when they are submitting applications with sites in your state prior to application.
Provide you with a list, including contact information, for the programs operating in your state and update this list on an annual basis.
Participate in your annual needs assessment and training and disability inclusion plan development activities, and in the development of your State Service Plan.
Participate in appropriate training and other events.
Include the State Commission on mailing lists and invite State Commission staff to appropriate training and other events.
A. Allowable Uses of Administrative Funds
The activities proposed must be consistent with the AmeriCorps Regulations 45 CFR 2250.80, these Instructions, the Administrative/PDAT/Disability Provisions, and with your State Service Plan.
Each State Commission is eligible for an annual allocation of Administrative funding. You will receive an allocation chart each fiscal year, after the Corporation’s appropriation is enacted. If the chart is not available before the application is due, please use the prior fiscal year basic allocation amount to complete your budget. Do NOT include any supplemental funding received.
C. Supplemental Administrative Funds
The Corporation will allocate supplemental funds to Commissions that request them in their application, should supplemental funds be available. Supplemental funds will only be offered to Commissions that request their full allocation, make full use of any unexpended funds from the previous year, and demonstrate the capacity to use the supplemental funds requested.
To request supplemental funds, include a separate section in either the “Program Narrative” or “Program Narrative Continued” fields in eGrants labeled “Supplemental Request.” Include the amount of supplemental funding you will request and how you plan to spend the supplemental funding. Do NOT include supplemental funds in your budget request. The Corporation will award supplemental funds through a separate budget amendment after the Commission Administrative grants are awarded, if such funds are available.
As provided in the National and Community Service Act of 1990, (45 USC § 12576), costs you incur in the context of your Administrative grant during and after the 5th year of operation of the commission require a 50 percent match.
The NCSA (as amended by the Serve America Act) allows the Corporation to “permit a State that demonstrates hardship or a new State Commission to meet alternative matching requirements.” The Serve Act allows an alternative schedule in hardship cases as follows:
First $100,000 of Corporation Funds – 0 match required
$101,000 - $250,000 of Corporation Funds - $1 match for every $2 CNCS
Over $250,000 of Corporation Funds - $1 match for every $1 CNCS
See Appendix IV for additional information, the indicators that the Corporation considers in determining if a state is experiencing hardship, and instructions for submitting a request for the Alternative Match Schedule. After reading Appendix IV, if you think your commission qualifies for a lesser matching schedule, you must submit a request at least 60 days before the due date of the Administrative application. If approved, your grants officer will help with the process to submit your budget under the Alternative schedule when you submit your Administrative application.
Please note that the threshold for approving the Alternative Schedule is high. The burden is on the Commission to demonstrate unusual hardship that has led to a decrease in support and inability to meet the 50-50 matching requirement. The Corporation will take decreased capacity into consideration in making funding decisions for other grant applications, such as State Competitive Funds, Education Award grants, etc.
E. Performance Measurement
The Corporation is required to measure performance for each of its grantees, including State Commissions. Our performance expectation for each Commission is that it achieves the objectives specified in its State Service Plan. We assess Commissions’ performance against this measure when we review the activities reported annually in the Administrative grant application. The performance objective for each Commission is:
The Commission will engage in outreach to organizations that may be interested in operating AmeriCorps programs, and convene and collaborate with volunteering and service entities within their state, as outlined in its state service plan.
The activities proposed must be consistent with these instructions, the Administrative/PDAT/Disability Provisions, and with your Commission’s training plan.
Corporation programs are expected to use a statewide, collaborative approach to training. To the extent allowed by grant provisions and to the extent available, you may use PDAT funds to strengthen infrastructure that supports collaboration and that uses statewide events as one of the primary vehicles for training across national service programs (AmeriCorps State and National, Learn and Serve America, and Senior Corps).
Cross-program events remain a training option for Senior Corps grantees. The Senior Corps grantee training guidance allows the use of Senior Corps funds, at the discretion of the Area Manager, to support cross-program training. Senior Corps grantees may use grant funds to support travel, meals, registration fees, etc.
The Corporation State Director or designee is expected to work with the State Commission and the State Education Agency to conduct joint planning and implementation of cross-program training events. Selected Corporation technical assistance providers may be available to support these cross-program events. Please review the Senior Corps Field Guidance, available from the Corporation State Office, to prepare for collaborating on cross-program training.
The following activities are examples of appropriate uses for PDAT funds when conducted in the context of capacity building and infrastructure development:
Funding for up to 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalent) staff person, contractor, or consultant to conduct functions consistent with the Characteristics of a Successful Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program (see attached). Activities may include conducting needs assessments; planning, implementing and managing the state’s TTA effort; providing for on-site training and technical assistance; connecting programs to resources; identifying and developing local TTA resources; and promoting peer exchanges.
Travel by staff whose positions are funded through PDAT when such travel involves the performance of TTA functions or to attend Corporation-sponsored training that strengthens the training function. Administrative funds must be used for travel to conduct administrative functions, such as monitoring and compliance review. When travel has multiple purposes and costs are shared, expenditures must be documented separately for financial control purposes.
Preparation and implementation of joint cross-program training plans to the extent that such expenditures are consistent with other PDAT policies.
Leadership development, training, and technical assistance activities to enhance the effectiveness of AmeriCorps programs and program staff.
Joint cross-program training events that include AmeriCorps and other national service programs.
Statewide or regional events for member training when conducted collaboratively among multiple programs or organized by multiple states. Member/participant training for a single local program should be funded from subgrantee budgets.
Evaluation, performance measurement, and accountability activities for AmeriCorps programs.
Travel costs for program staff to state-sponsored, cluster-wide, regional, national, and TTA provider-sponsored training events.
Travel costs for member/participant attendance at regional and national training events to increase member/participant effectiveness (such as service-learning and youth-service conferences and/or events in support of local capacity building).
Cost-sharing with a national TTA provider(s) as appropriate.
Communications equipment and systems that link programs for TTA purposes (for example, newsletters and Internet discussion groups). Administrative funds must be used for communications equipment and systems for operational and monitoring activities. Sharing costs for systems that meet both needs is allowable with appropriate documentation for financial control purposes.
Outreach and public education to potential grantees, subgrantees, and sites to promote and strengthen the national service infrastructure in the state.
Each State Commission is eligible for an annual allocation of PDAT funding. You will receive an allocation chart each fiscal year, after the Corporation’s appropriation is enacted. If the chart is not available before the application is due, please use the prior fiscal year basic allocation amount to complete your budget. Do NOT include any supplemental funding received.
C. Supplemental PDAT Funds
The Corporation will allocate supplemental funds to Commissions that request them in their application, should supplemental funds be available. Supplemental funds will only be offered to Commissions that request their full allocation, make full use of any unexpended funds from the previous year, and demonstrate the capacity to use the supplemental funds requested.
To request supplemental funds, include a separate section in either the “Program Narrative” or “Program Narrative Continued” fields in eGrants labeled “Supplemental Request.” Include the amount of supplemental funding you will request and how you plan to spend the supplemental funding. Do NOT include supplemental funds in your budget request. The Corporation will award supplemental funds through a separate budget amendment after the Commission PDAT grants are awarded, if such funds are available.
There is no match required for PDAT funds.
A. Allowable Uses of Disability Funds
Commissions may use Disability funds to provide reasonable accommodations for AmeriCorps State and National members, as well as Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America participants, and for outreach and support activities that increase the number of people with disabilities engaged in service as described in these Instructions and the Administrative/PDAT/Disability Provisions.
B. Available Resources
Each State Commission is eligible for an annual allocation of Disability Placement funding. You will receive an allocation chart each fiscal year, after the Corporation’s appropriation is enacted. If the chart is not available before the application is due, please use the prior fiscal year basic allocation amount to complete your budget. Do NOT include any supplemental funding received.
C. Supplemental Disability Funds
The Corporation will allocate supplemental funds to Commissions that request them in their application, should supplemental funds be available. Supplemental funds will only be offered to Commissions that request their full allocation, make full use of any unexpended funds from the previous year, and demonstrate the capacity to use the supplemental funds requested.
To request supplemental funds, include a separate section in either the “Program Narrative” or “Program Narrative Continued” fields in eGrants labeled “Supplemental Request.” Include the amount of supplemental funding you will request and how you plan to spend the supplemental funding. Do NOT include supplemental funds in your budget request. The Corporation will award supplemental funds through a separate budget amendment after the Commission Disability grants are awarded, if such funds are available.
There is no match required for Disability funds.
VIII. Application Instructions
Your applications each consist of the following components. Please make sure to complete each one.
Applicant Info
Application Info
Narratives
Documents
Review
Authorize and Submit
Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants (Optional)
In eGrants, before Starting Section I, you will need to:
Start a new Grant Application
Select a Program Area (AmeriCorps)
Select a NOFA: Commission Administrative Funds FY 2011, Commission PDAT Funds FY 2011, or Commission Disability Funds FY 2011.
A. Applicant Info
In eGrants, complete the Applicant Info Section. This section is particularly important for Corporation data collection and evaluation. Please take the time to complete this section carefully.
In the Applicant Info/Applying Type Section, select Continuation/Renewal unless you are applying for the first time. If you are applying for the first time, select New.
If you are a new program, enter your contact information into the fields that appear.
Information entered in the Applicant Info, Application Info, and Budget sections will populate the SF 424 Facesheet.
In the Application Info Section enter:
Areas affected by your program.
Requested project period start and end dates. The project period is one year.
Subject to Review by State Executive Order 12372: This is pre-filled as “No, this is not applicable.”
If you are delinquent on any federal debt.
C. Narratives
Executive Summary: An Executive Summary is not required for Administrative, PDAT, or Disability. Type “N/A” in the text box.
Please include any request and justification for request of supplemental funds in the appropriate narrative section (Administrative, PDAT, and/or Disability).
Administrative Program Narrative: Your program narrative consists of your response to the following questions, required by statute and regulation. You are required to submit a new response to these six State Service Plan and sustainability questions, below, every three years starting in 2009, and update the answers to these six questions in the other two years.
Note that Commissions are NOT required to submit a copy of the entire State Service Plan to the Corporation. Your response to the first question on outreach is considered your performance measure report for the year.
What are your strategies or approaches for outreach to community and faith-based organizations and intermediaries that may be interested in operating an AmeriCorps program?
What program focus areas are you working on with your partners and collaborators?
What are your ongoing efforts or special initiatives that involve convening of and/or collaborating with the State Offices, multi-state AmeriCorps programs, AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps NCCC, Learn and Serve, Senior Corps, State Education Agencies, state networks of volunteer centers, Campus Compacts, and/or other volunteer service organizations within the state?
What non-monetary support can the Corporation (headquarters and/or your State Office) provide to ensure the success of your State Service Plan?
Your narrative is not limited to responses to the four points listed above, and may also include other elements that you and your service partners find useful.
Also include a section that addresses the sustainability of your national service efforts. How are your efforts supported by:
Your state, through financial, in-kind, and bi-partisan political support, including the supportive legislation; and
Other support, including financial, in-kind, and other support of the private sector, foundations, and other entities and individuals.
2. PDAT Program Narrative: In the “Program Narrative” text box, describe your Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Plan. Please include the specific activities, outputs, and outcomes that will indicate progress toward your TTA goals. At a minimum, your
TTA Plan should include answers to the following questions:
What do you expect your programs and members will know or be able to do differently as a result of the TTA received under this plan?
What specific training or technical assistance activities or strategies have you planned? Include activity descriptions, approximate dates, target audience, planned number of people served, and proposed deliverer (e.g. local provider, national TTA provider, peer, etc.).
How will you evaluate your training or technical assistance?
Your TTA Plan is not limited to responses to the three points listed above, and may also include other elements that you and your service partners find useful. If your narrative exceeds 32,000 characters, enter the remaining information in the “Program Narrative Continued” text box.
3. Disability Program Narrative: In the “Program Narrative” text box, describe your Disability Inclusion Plan. Please include the specific activities, outputs and outcomes that will ensure progress toward your disability inclusion goals. Please include information on the following areas:
Outreach, recruitment, and placement activities.
Partnerships with disability organizations to recruit, place, and support people with disabilities in national service programs supported by the Corporation except for AmeriCorps NCCC and VISTA.
Your process for securing or providing reasonable accommodations.
Training and technical assistance activities planned to address needs and gaps in program capacity related to disability inclusion.
Accessible materials you plan to develop or make available, including those for recruitment and outreach.
Program monitoring to ensure appropriate levels of outreach and recruitment, program accessibility, and responsiveness to requests for reasonable accommodation.
Your Disability Inclusion Plan is not limited to the six points listed above, and may also include other goals that you and your service partners find useful. If your narrative exceeds 32,000 characters, enter the remaining information in the “Program Narrative Continued” text box.
D. Documents
State Commissions using a federally approved indirect cost rate in their Administrative, PDAT, and Disability budgets must submit a copy of their current approved indirect cost rate agreement to your grants officer when you submit your application.
In addition, as part of your Administrative application, you are required to create a separate word processing or spreadsheet document which includes information about each Commissioner, based on the example below. Send this file to your Program Officer via e-mail on or before the application deadline. The Corporation will use this information to determine State Commission compliance with the State Commission composition regulation (45 CFR § 2550.50).
Information |
Example |
Prefix, First, Middle, Last, Suffix |
Ms. Jane Commissioner |
Title (Commissioner, or Chair) |
Commissioner |
Daytime # |
777-122-1234 |
Fax # |
777-122-1234 |
Term Expiration Date and Voting Status (Voting, Non-Voting, Ex-Officio) |
12/31/07 (Voting) |
Organizational Affiliation (See examples below—do NOT enter the name of the organization where the Commissioner works but the type of organization). Community-based Agency, State Education Agency, Local Government, Local Labor Organization, Business, Youth, National Service Program, Education/Training, Older Adults in Service, Higher Education, Local Education Agency, Human Services Expert, Education Expert Environmental Expert, Public Safety Expert, Indian Tribes, Out of School Program, DVSA Program, State Agency, Volunteer Sector |
Community-based Agency |
Street Address, City, State, ZIP |
Community Foundation 12 My Street Name My Town, My State 12345 |
E. Review, Authorize and Submit
Read the Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications carefully. The person who authorizes the application must be the applicant’s Authorized Representative or his/her designee and must have an active eGrants account to sign these documents electronically. An Authorized Representative is the person in your organization authorized to accept and commit funds on behalf of the organization. A copy of the governing body’s authorization for this official representative to sign must be on file in the applicant’s office.
Be sure to check your entire application to ensure that there are no errors before submitting it. eGrants will also generate a list of errors if there are sections that need to be corrected prior to submission when you verify the application. If someone else is acting in the role of the applicant’s authorized representative, that person must log into his/her eGrants account and proceed with Authorize and Submit. After signing off on the Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications, his/her name will override any previous signatory that may appear and show on the application as the Authorized Representative.
Note: Anyone within your organization that will be entering information in the application at any point during application preparation and submission in the eGrants system must have their own active eGrants account.
Use these instructions to enter your budget information into eGrants for all three applications. The system will use this information to generate a budget narrative and a summary budget. We encourage you to prepare the budget for each grant from your consolidated overall Commission budget to ensure that staff time is allocated appropriately.
Note that in the My Account section of eGrants, if you have the Grantee Admin Role, you can assign the role of Admin Budget, PDAT Budget, and Disability Budget to individual staff members who will then have access to all budget information in eGrants. Staff members who are not assigned this role will not be able to access the budget information in eGrants for Administrative, PDAT, and Disability applications or grants.
Complete the budget for funds you are requesting from the Corporation and any Grantee Share required. For each line item provide a clearly stated explanation that shows how you calculated the cost, in an equation format where appropriate. For example, you should break down staff travel into distinct components and prepare equations showing the number of anticipated trips, the number of travelers, and estimated costs. Budget categories are:
Project Personnel Expenses: Show each staff member working on the grant, total annual salary, and the percentage of time spent on each type of grant-funded activity: Administrative, PDAT, and Disability. Make sure that no individual staff member’s time adds up to a number greater than one FTE if their time is allocated to different budgets
Personnel Fringe Benefits: Under “Purpose/Description,” identify the types of fringe benefits to be covered and the costs of benefit(s) for each staff position. Allowable fringe benefits typically include FICA, Worker’s Compensation, Retirement, SUTA, Health and Life Insurance, IRA, and 401K.
You may provide a calculation for total benefits as a percentage of the salaries to which they apply or list each benefit as a separate item. If a fringe amount is over 30% of total salary, please list each benefit separately. Holidays, leave, and other similar vacation benefits are not included in the fringe benefit rates but are absorbed into the personnel expenses (salary) budget line item.
Travel: Describe the purpose for which program operating staff will travel. Provide a calculation to include costs for airfare, transportation, lodging, per diem, and other travel related expenses multiplied by the number of trips/staff. Where applicable, identify the current standard reimbursement rate(s) of the organization for mileage, daily per diem, and similar supporting information. Only domestic travel is allowable; other travel is allowable only if specifically identified and approved as a condition of a grant award. Mileage may not exceed the federal maximum.
For example: Two staff members will attend the National Conference on Service and Volunteering in New York City.
2 staff X $750 airfare + $50 ground transportation + (1 day) X $400 lodging +$35 per diem=$2,570 for national conference.
Equipment: Equipment is defined as tangible, non-expendable personal property having a useful life of more than one year AND an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (including accessories, attachments, and modifications). Any items that do not meet this definition should be entered in E. Supplies below. Purchases of equipment are limited to 10% of the total Corporation funds requested. If applicable, show the unit cost and number of units you are requesting. Provide a brief justification for the purchase of the equipment under Item/Purpose.
Supplies: Supplies include any equipment that costs less than $5,000 per unit. You must include any individual supply cost of more than $1,000 in a separate line item.
Contractual and Consultant Services: Indicate the daily rate for consultants you are proposing to use and their contractual services. Indicate the daily rate, number of days, and total cost. Daily rates should be limited to $750. Daily rates over that amount must be justified in the narrative.
Other Support Costs: Include costs that may not fit into the other categories, such as newsletters. You must fully explain any costs in this category.
Indirect Costs: You may use your negotiated indirect cost rate for your Administrative budget, if you have one. In general, indirect costs cannot be charged to the PDAT and Disability grants. The Commission Administrative grant is intended to cover those costs.
A. ADDITIONAL BUDGET GUIDANCE: ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS
Enter match source information by clicking the section heading name (Section I: Support Expenses.) Indicate whether your State Commission share is cash or in-kind and the sources that provide the match. Please note that a Commissioner’s time cannot be counted as match for the grant, unless the Commissioner is donating professional and technical services outside his or her role as a Commissioner. Examples of professional and technical services include accounting, consulting, training, and legal services.
B. ADDITIONAL BUDGET GUIDANCE: PDAT and DISABILITY
You may request no more than 1.0 FTE in your PDAT budget and 1.0 FTE in your Disability budget. Staff time allocated to your PDAT and disability initiative should be in proportion to the number of AmeriCorps State programs and multi-state operating sites in your state.
Program, grant, and training staff will review completed applications to determine technical assistance needs for State Commissions. We will also review your budgets to ensure compliance with grant provisions and applicable federal laws and regulations.
APPENDIX II: GRANT PROVISIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, PDAT, and DISABILITY
By accepting funds under any of these three grants, you agree to comply with the AmeriCorps Provisions that apply to these funds and all applicable federal statutes, regulations, and guidelines. You agree to administer the grant in accordance with your approved grant application and budget, supporting documents, and other representations made in support of the approved grant application.
All applicable Provisions of the grant including regulations and OMB circulars that are incorporated by reference shall apply to any grantee, subgrantee, or other organization carrying out activities under this award. The OMB circulars are online here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/2cfrv1_07.html#215 www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/circulars and here: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=1289932cf6539210eb14f3d8d3052a8b&c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfrv1_02.tpl#200
APPENDIX III: CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL TTA PROGRAMS
The following characteristics describe the elements of a successful training and technical assistance program and should be the design criteria for Commission PDAT plans.
Adequately Resourced
Has dedicated staff, contractor, or consultant time equal to .25 to 1.0 FTE depending on size of the portfolio of programs you are supporting.
Staff members have appropriate background in adult education and training methodologies.
Offers opportunities for professional development for dedicated training and technical assistance (TTA) staff.
Provides office space, equipment, and access to technology.
Utilizes in-kind contributions/partnerships for materials, facilities, trainers etc.
Accesses national TTA resources provided by the Corporation.
Develops and uses appropriate training materials and methodologies.
Systematic Needs Assessment Process
Uses appropriate and various methodologies of assessing needs: formal and scheduled such as written survey, interview, focus groups, evaluations, process reports, and site visits; as well as informal and unscheduled, such as documented anecdotal information and on-going informal observation.
Considers required competencies and characteristics of successful programs and identifies performance gaps.
Includes a process for collecting and documenting methodology and storing the data collection for reporting purposes.
Develop Training and Technical Assistance Plan
Content of specific activities is based on analysis of needs of programs and their staff.
Involves pertinent parties i.e. state service partners, program/project, and site staff.
Describes specific activities with planned follow-up.
Identifies resources to implement the plan i.e. money, facilities, and trainers.
Identifies potential dates and coordinates those dates around other activities.
Continues to develop on an annual basis and builds from one year to the next.
Implement Training and Technical Assistance Plan
TTA activities include measurable learning objectives that address specific individual and program needs, including a series of activities if necessary.
Utilizes appropriate methodologies, curriculum, and materials that adhere to adult education principles.
Ensures participation of those in greatest need of specific content areas.
Identifies qualified facilitators for each content area.
Ensures ADA and Section 504 compliance (e.g. accessibility and reasonable accommodation).
Utilizes local, state and national resources as appropriate.
Makes and documents appropriate adaptations to the plan in response to changed circumstances.
Evaluation of Training and Technical Assistance Plan
Establishes and follows a process to collect, analyze, and share feedback from participants, stakeholders, and partners.
Considers evaluations in the development of subsequent training plans.
Determines and analyzes any difference between planned and completed activities.
Reviews the planned budget against actual expenditures.
Identifies ways to measure effectiveness of training, linking program improvements. to staff and/or member participation in specific training programs.
APPENDIX IV: COMMISSION ALTERNATIVE MATCH SCHEDULE
Instructions for Requesting the
Commission Alternative Matching Schedule
Background. The NCSA (as amended by the Serve America Act) allows the Corporation to approve a lesser matching schedule for commissions that successfully demonstrate hardship in meeting the 50% required grantee share in the current economic climate. The Serve Act allows an alternative schedule in hardship cases as follows:
First $100,000 of Corporation Funds – $0 match required
$101,000 - $250,000 of Corporation Funds - $1 match for every $2 CNCS
Over $250,000 of Corporation Funds - $1 match for every $1 CNCS
Example: The table below demonstrates how the alternative schedule applies to a $300,000 state allocation from the Corporation. Calculating the aggregate required match for the overall budget results in a commission share of 29.4% ($125,000 of a total budget of $425,000).
Amount |
CNCS Share |
Commission Share |
Total Budget |
0 - $100,000 (no grantee share) |
$100,000 |
$0 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 - $250,000($1 for $2) |
150,000 |
75,000 |
$225,000 |
$251,000 - $300,000 ($1 for $1) |
50,000 |
50,000 |
$100,000 |
Total Budget |
$300,000 |
$125,000 |
$425,000 |
The legislation did not identify specific indicators that commissions must use to demonstrate hardship. In developing these guidelines, the Corporation reviewed fiscal data available through a variety of sources and considered several different criteria as measures of hardship, including data available from the National Association of State Budget Officers, the National Council of State Legislators and Standard and Poor’s.
State budget data is difficult to compare because a budget shortfall may manifest itself more at the county and city level than the state level, making a state budget deficit appear less severe. In addition, a state’s budget situation does not necessarily affect the commission’s situation. Therefore, the Corporation has not identified specific budget or deficit information the commission must provide to demonstrate hardship. The burden of proof is on the commission to clearly demonstrate that it is experiencing a period of unusual hardship that is having a serious impact on the federal-state partnership expected under the national service laws.
If you think you can demonstrate state hardship for your commission to qualify for a lesser matching schedule on your commission Administrative grant, submit your request to the email address below at least 60 days before the application is due. The Corporation will make decisions prior to the Administrative grant application due date. Panels of Corporation program and grants staff will assess the requests and prepare recommendations for CEO approval. If approved, your grants officer will instruct you to revise your budget to meet the new matching schedule when you submit your application or revised budget.
State and Commission Hardship Indicators. Commissions seeking the alternative match schedule should provide all data available that illustrates hardship for the commission, such as:
Overview of state fiscal health and its effect on the commission
Decreases in state and non-state support of the commission over the previous two years of Commission operation; and
The effect of such decreases on commission operations and its capacity to meet its national service goals.
Other Considerations. A commission’s ability to meet its statutory match requirements and support national service in the state will decrease with the loss of matching funds. The Corporation may take the decreased capacity into consideration in making funding decisions for other grant applications, such as State Competitive Funds, Education Award grants, etc.
Submit Applications to: [email protected]
Submit Applications by: At least 60 days before the grant application due date
E-mail subject line is: [State Name] Commission Administrative Alternative Match Request
Specific Instructions: You must make the strongest case you can that the commission cannot continue to match at the required 50% grantee share of the total budget. The threshold remains high for approval. You must respond to each question below. Please include both the question and your response in your request:
Statement of Request: Submit your request by completing the chart below. Include the dollar amounts of the request (CNCS Share) and the matching funds the commission can raise (Grantee Share). Indicate the time frame for which the alternative match schedule is requested (number of program years). An alternative match schedule is generally approved for one program year at a time.
Amount |
CNCS Share |
Commission Share |
Total Budget |
0 - $100,000 (no grantee share) |
$ |
$0 |
$ |
$100,000 - $250,000($1 for $2) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$251,000 - $300,000 ($1 for $1) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
Total Budget: |
$ |
$ |
$ |
Program Year(s) for the AMS is Sought: |
|
||
State and Commission Hardship:
Describe the state’s overall financial situation, including decreases in state revenues from taxes and other sources, increased budget needs, and the reasons for such decreases and increases.
Describe the affect that state hardship is having on the commission.
Complete the following chart indicating the dollar amounts of state and non-state support the commission received over the following three years.
Explain the reasons for the changes in levels of support from year to year.
Funding Type |
Funding Amount (Two FYs Prior to Request) |
Funding Amount (Previous FY) |
Funding Amount (Current FY) |
Total State Support |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
% Change Between From Previous Yr: |
% |
% |
Total Non-State Support |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
% Change Between From Previous Yr: |
% |
% |
Fundraising:
Complete the following chart indicating the amounts of matching funds that were raised for the current grant year, that have been raised to date for the grant year of the request, and that are anticipated to be raised for the grant year(s) for which the alternate match schedule is requested.
Describe your efforts and plan to raise match funds and meet the statutory match requirement in the future. If an alternative match schedule is requested for more than one grant year, explain the reasons why the commission cannot meet its matching requirements in those additional grant year(s), i.e. what are your reasons for believing state hardship will continue?
Source |
Amount Raised for the Current Grant Year |
Amount Raised To Date For Grant Year of Request |
Amount Anticipated To Be Raised for Grant Year of Request |
State Source: |
|
|
|
1. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
2. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
3. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
Non-State Source: |
|
|
|
1. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
2. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
3. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
4. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
Totals: |
$ |
$ |
$ |
Impact:
If approved for an alternative match schedule, the commission’s matching requirement and total overall budget will decrease. Describe how the commission will continue to meet its responsibilities and the challenges it will face with a decreased overall budget if the Corporation approves the request for the alternative match schedule.
If the Corporation determines you have not made a sufficient argument for state hardship, what level of matching funds will you be able to raise to meet the full 50-50 requirement?
Other: Provide any other justification and information for your request that is not presented in the responses to the above.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | Commission Administrative Funds |
| Author | aml |
| Last Modified By | Amy B. |
| File Modified | 2010-08-31 |
| File Created | 2010-08-31 |