Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition

The Fiscal Year AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, known as AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps works to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP, established in 1971, engages adults age 55 and older in volunteer activities addressing community needs. Volunteers may tutor children, assist with tax preparation, support disaster response, provide food and nutrition assistance, deliver substance use education, and perform other community services. Volunteers choose how, where, and how often they serve, with service commitments ranging from a few hours to a maximum of 40 hours per week. This competition is open across all U.S. states and territories and represents the third and final year of new awards in the three-year RSVP competition cycle. Funding supports new and existing partnerships with nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, Tribal organizations, and local and state government entities. Applicants must select one Primary Focus Area from Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, or Veterans and Military Families, although work plans may address more than one focus area. Optional funding priorities include supporting older adults and caregivers, helping older adults re-enter the workforce, building strong families, preventing and mitigating fraud and scams targeting older adults, reducing homelessness, and supporting behavioral health initiatives. Applicants selecting a priority must designate at least one work plan for that priority. All proposed unduplicated volunteers and the intended impact of their service must be represented in the narratives, work plans, and budget. Successful grants are awarded on a cost-reimbursement basis. AmeriCorps anticipates three-year awards, generally issuing an initial award for the first year based on a one-year budget. The annual RSVP grant period runs from April 1 through March 31, and continuation funding for later years is subject to appropriations and satisfactory performance. The federal share may not exceed $75,000 plus up to $350 for each unduplicated volunteer, although the Notice states that there is no maximum request amount because the allowable federal share depends on the number of volunteers proposed. The $350 per volunteer is project administration funding and is not a stipend or incentive paid to volunteers. Applicants must contribute at least 10 percent of total allowable costs each year through cash or in-kind contributions. Non-AmeriCorps federal funds may be used as match when the originating federal agency approves that use. Match waivers may be requested. Application budgets may include allowable indirect costs, and funded applicants are approved for pre-award costs for one month before the program start. Eligible applicants include Indian Tribes, qualifying Tribal organizations, institutions of higher education, local governments, nonprofit organizations, states including eligible state commissions, and U.S. territories. Applicants must maintain an active System for Award Management registration and have a valid Unique Entity Identifier. Complete applications include the SF-424 Face Sheet, Executive Summary, Strengthening Communities narrative, Recruitment and Development narrative, Program Management narrative, Organizational Capability narrative, work plans, Program Information, SF-424A Budget, and required authorizations, assurances, and certifications. Narratives are limited to 12 double-spaced pages under the Notice's page-counting rules. Tribal organizations relying on Tribal control, charter, or authorization for eligibility must provide the applicable eligibility documentation. Applications must be submitted electronically through eGrants by the applicant's authorized representative. Required additional Tribal eligibility documents are submitted separately by email when applicable. Paper submission by overnight carrier is permitted only when circumstances make eGrants submission impossible, and fax or email applications are not accepted. Applications are evaluated on Executive Summary at 5 percent, Program Design at 30 percent, Organizational Capability at 20 percent, Work Plans and Performance Measures at 30 percent, and Budget, Cost-Effectiveness, and Budget Adequacy at 15 percent. Reviewers assess alignment with focus areas, volunteer experience, recruitment and retention, program management, organizational capability, community need, service activities, outputs and outcomes, measurement methods, volunteer numbers, and budget reasonableness. AmeriCorps first conducts a compliance and eligibility review and then uses reviewers with relevant expertise. The agency may conduct post-review quality control and a pre-award risk assessment examining due diligence, past performance, financial and organizational risks, compliance, and fraud-related risks. Final selection also considers funding priorities and portfolio considerations such as geographic diversity, rural, urban and Tribal communities, communities experiencing high or extreme poverty, program size, faith-based organizations, and focus areas. Applications are due no later than October 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and required additional documents are due by the same deadline. AmeriCorps encourages applicants to submit at least five business days early and recommends establishing an eGrants account and addressing SAM registration well before the deadline. Late applications are considered case by case and require a written explanation and supporting evidence sent to LateApplications@americorps.gov no later than 24 hours after the deadline. Funding decisions will be communicated to all applicants by email, and successful applicants may begin performance only after the Notice of Grant Award is issued and no earlier than the listed performance period start date. For program information, applicants may email RSVPCompetition@americorps.gov. Technical eGrants assistance is available through the AmeriCorps Hotline at 800-942-2677, Option 3. The source does not provide a specific award notification date. The competition is not treated as recurring because the Notice identifies Fiscal Year 2027 as the third and final year of new awards in the current three-year competition.

Follow the Executive Summary template exactly; keep the narrative within the 12-page limit; ensure unduplicated volunteer totals match across the Executive Summary, work plans, and Funding/Demographics tab; connect each work plan to documented community need, service activities, appropriate outputs and outcomes, and measurement methods; keep Other Community Priorities volunteers at or below 20 percent of total unduplicated volunteers; ensure the federal share does not exceed $75,000 plus $350 per unduplicated volunteer; include required budget costs and exact Source of Funds information; maintain active SAM registration and submit early enough to resolve eGrants issues