Celebrate AmeriCorps Seniors Older Americans Month
AmeriCorps Week may have passed but there’s always an opportunity to celebrate AmeriCorps Seniors. May is Older Americans Month and with this year’s theme of “Communities of Strength,” it is the perfect time to demonstrate how AmeriCorps Seniors contributes to the strength of communities.
Register for our special kick-off event, on May's All-Grantee Call with remarks from Edwin Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, Administration on Aging.
Join us throughout the month of May and celebrate how your programs and volunteers strengthen communities. Get involved by sharing stories, photos, and videos on social media (see our tips guide), newsletters, and other communications channels.
Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Share social media posts encouraging your followers to celebrate with you, using #OlderAmericansMonth, #AmeriCorpsSeniorsWorks and tagging @AmeriCorpsSeniors (on Facebook) and @AmeriCorpsSr (on Twitter).
- Send us a 15 to 30 second video on how AmeriCorps Seniors strengthen communities to scinnovation@cns.gov by Friday, April 30.
- Begin your message with “AmeriCorps Seniors creates communities of strength”
- Highlight an example of how your program helps strengthen communities
- End your message: “Join us in celebrating Older Americans Month”
- Organize an Older Americans Month activity for your volunteers or community.
Stay tuned as we'll be posting additional resources and information on the AmeriCorps Events page later this week!
"Innovation for Impact" National Convening
In 2019, AmeriCorps Seniors began planning a national convening that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are excited to announce a return to play on that convening, which will occur virtually this year.
Under the theme of “Innovation for Impact,” we are hosting four virtual, issue-focused sessions based on the Biden Administration’s top priorities. We’ve consulted with the national associations and are using a combination of external and internal speakers to frame the featured issues. We then hope to demonstrate some innovative models that we have garnered from our own grantee network that we believe can be easily replicated.
We are still planning and inviting our guest speakers but for now please see our focus issues and save the following dates and times on your calendars. There will be an optional 1:30-2 p.m. ET pre-convening before each session for featured exhibits.
- Wednesday, June 9, 2021 – 2 p.m. ET – COVID
- Wednesday, June 16 , 2021 – 2 p.m. ET – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Wednesday, June 23 , 2021– 2 p.m. ET – Veterans and Military Families
- Wednesday, June 30, 2021 – 2 p.m. ET – Economic Recovery
We will be providing more information on these sessions in the weeks to come.
COVID-19 Updates
Carry Forward and No Cost Extensions
AmeriCorps continues to recognize the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on our grantees, volunteers, and the communities they serve. While millions of Americans across the country are being vaccinated, there continues to be an impact on the ability of many grantees to resume full program operations in their communities.
We know that for many grantees, grant costs over the past year were lower than originally anticipated. In an effort to provide continued relief and support for vital programming, AmeriCorps will consider requests to carry forward or extend unspent Fiscal Year 2020 funds into FY2021. This will be done to comply with legal requirements and maintains the integrity of the programs while giving grantees additional funding or time to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
Grantees in Quarter 4 with July 1 start dates: Carry forward for continuations - This applies to grantees who, in FY2020, were in either Year 1 or Year 2 of their grant. These grantees can send their portfolio manager a request to use carry forward funds via email by Tuesday, June 15. The justification must include:
- Proposed use of carry forward funding
- Amount requested to carry forward
Extensions for grants ending on Friday, June 30 - This applies to grantees who, in FY2020, were in Year 3 of their grant. These grantees can send their portfolio manager a request to extend via email by Thursday, April 15. The justification must include:
- Proposed activities during the extension period and plans for tracking and reporting services during the extension
- Amount of requested carry forward
- Desired duration of the extension
Please continue to reach out to your Portfolio Manager with any questions or concerns.
Temporary Living Allowance Extension
We know many communities are continuing to implement return-to-service plans and not all volunteers are able to return to service immediately.
To ensure AmeriCorps Seniors grantees are able to work with their community partners, AmeriCorps Seniors has extended the allowance to provide stipends to AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in the Foster Grandparent Program and the Senior Companion Program who, through no fault of their own, remain unable to serve.
AmeriCorps Seniors grantees may continue to pay applicable volunteers an allowance through Thursday, Sept. 30.
Upcoming Deadlines and Reminders
Handbook Updates
The updated Operational Handbooks are available on the Manage AmeriCorps Senior Grants page in the Program Handbooks and Supplements section.
Key handbook updates include:
- Resources and information regarding AmeriCorps' new National Service Criminal History Check regulation that will be effective Saturday, May 1.
- Additional information on monitoring activities, results, and corrective actions plans.
Reporting Deadlines
Make sure to mark your calendar for these upcoming reporting due dates:
Quarter 3 (April 1 start date)
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Project Progress Reports - Annual due: Friday, April 30
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Federal Financial Reports (budget year 1 or year 2) due: Friday, April 30
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Federal Financial Reports - Final (budget year 3) due: Wednesday, June 30
Quarter 4 (July 1 start date)
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Project Progress Reports - Annual due: Friday, July 30
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Federal Financial Reports (budget year 1 or year 2) due: Friday, July 30
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Federal Financial Reports - Final (budget year 3) due: Thursday, Sept. 30
Resources for completing Project Progress Reports - Annual are online: Manage AmeriCorps Seniors Grants.
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