Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants

AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants is a federal funding opportunity administered by AmeriCorps under Assistance Listing Number 94.006. The program supports eligible organizations that engage AmeriCorps Volunteers in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions designed to strengthen communities. AmeriCorps describes its broader mission as improving lives, strengthening communities, and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering. Volunteers may receive a living allowance and other benefits and, after successful completion of service, may earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. Funding priorities include faith-based organizations; communities with concentrated poverty, rural communities, and tribal communities; youth mental health and substance use recovery services; veterans and military families; public safety and crime prevention; outdoor recreation and public lands; workforce pathways; strengthening families; services for formerly incarcerated and at-risk youth; enhanced Volunteer experiences; and use of evidence. Applicants must propose projects that use AmeriCorps Volunteers effectively to address significant community problems. Every application must include at least one aligned performance measure consisting of an output and outcome corresponding to the proposed primary intervention. AmeriCorps plans to make three-year grant awards, generally issuing an initial award for the first year and requiring applicants to submit a one-year budget. The period of performance may not begin before July 1, 2027. Continuation funding for later years is not guaranteed and depends on appropriations and satisfactory performance. Available grant structures include cost reimbursement and fixed amount grants. Maximum cost per Member Service Year is generally 26800 for competitive cost reimbursement and full-cost fixed amount grants, while Professional Corps and Education Award Program structures have different limits. AmeriCorps does not state an overall award amount because individual awards vary according to project scope, and the actual level of program funding depends on annual appropriations. Cost reimbursement applicants must provide matching resources. A first-time successful applicant must provide a 24 percent grantee share during the first three-year funding period. The requirement increases to 26 percent in years four through six, 28 percent in years seven through nine, and 30 percent beginning in year ten. Match may consist of non-AmeriCorps cash and or in-kind contributions, and applicants must demonstrate their ability to meet the requirement when applying. Fixed amount grants have no cost-share or matching requirement, although recipients remain responsible for raising resources needed to operate their programs. Application budgets may include qualifying indirect costs, but no more than five percent of award funds may be used to recover indirect costs under the applicable AmeriCorps statutory and regulatory provisions. Evidence-building activities, including performance data collection and management, research, and evaluation, may be allowable expenses or match. Eligible applicants include Indian Tribes, institutions of higher education, local governments including school districts, nonprofit organizations, State Service Commissions, states, and US Territories. Eligible tribal organizations controlled, authorized, or chartered by federally recognized Indian Tribes may also apply subject to specified documentation requirements. Organizations operating in only one state generally apply through the applicable state or territory service commission, which may establish an earlier deadline and its own selection process. Multi-state applicants apply directly to AmeriCorps. Applicants in South Dakota, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands also apply directly because those jurisdictions do not have established commissions. Federally recognized Indian Tribes and qualifying tribal organizations apply directly. Competitive applicants generally must propose at least 20 AmeriCorps Volunteers, although specified tribal applicants, applicants from states or territories without commissions, and formula applicants are exempt from that minimum. Complete applications include the SF-424 Face Sheet; Executive Summary; Program Design; Organizational Capability; Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy narratives; Performance Measures; Logic Model; SF-424A Budget; and Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications. Narratives may not exceed 11 double-spaced pages under the specified counting rules, and the Logic Model may not exceed eight pages when printed from the application system. Evidence documents and applicable labor union concurrence are additional documents, while applicants with specified histories of competitive funding have additional evaluation requirements. Applications are submitted electronically through the AmeriCorps web-based application system by the applicant's authorized representative. Applicants must maintain active SAM registration and possess a valid Unique Entity Identifier. National direct applicants, except federally recognized Indian Tribes, must consult with commissions in each state or territory where they propose to operate and describe that consultation in their applications. Applications are evaluated primarily on Program Design at 50 percent, Organizational Capability at 25 percent, and Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy at 25 percent. Program Design considers the community and logic model, evidence tier, evidence quality, Notice priorities, and the AmeriCorps Volunteer experience. Organizational Capability examines organizational background, staffing, and Volunteer supervision. Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy examines Volunteer recruitment, retention, and data collection. AmeriCorps also conducts compliance and eligibility review, application review, budget and prohibited-activity review, quality control, and a pre-award risk assessment. Selection also considers funding priorities, meaningful representation of rural communities and innovative community strategies, and agency strategic considerations. Applications are due January 13, 2027, by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and additional documents are due by the same deadline. Single-state applicants may face substantially earlier deadlines established by their state or territory commissions and should contact the applicable commission as early as possible. Successful applicants are expected to be notified by mid-April 2027, with awards expected by mid-June 2027. Performance may begin only after an award is issued and no earlier than the listed performance period start date, with July 1, 2027 being the earliest permitted project start. AmeriCorps provides technical assistance calls and recorded resources and strongly encourages applicant participation. Application questions may be directed to AmeriCorpsGrants@americorps.gov, while technical difficulties with the application system may be directed to the AmeriCorps Hotline at 800-942-2677.

Focus heavily on Program Design because it represents 50 percent of the score, including the community and logic model, evidence, funding priorities, and Volunteer experience. Ensure the proposed intervention, Logic Model, performance measures, and evidence align. Demonstrate sufficient evidence because an insufficient evidence determination removes an application from funding consideration. Show that any claimed funding priority is a significant part of the program focus and intended outcomes; priority consideration does not guarantee funding. Demonstrate organizational staffing and supervision capacity and provide a clear, justified budget addressing Volunteer recruitment, retention, and data collection. Print and review the application before submission to confirm compliance with the narrative and Logic Model page limits.