Message From the Director
Dear colleagues,
Welcome to August! We are amid what’s called the “lazy dog days of summer,” which refers to the fact that a dog’s fur makes it so hot that all they do is lay around. However, that phrase has nothing to do with dogs. Rather, the term emerged from ancient Romans associating the hottest days of summer with the star Sirius, known as the “Dog Star.” In the time of ancient Rome Sirius was the brightest star in the constellation. s It was believed to radiate extra heat, causing hotter summer temperatures.
Regardless of the heat or what you believe about it, the month of August brings us closer to the end of summer and another federal fiscal year. I want to thank you for the work that you do on behalf of our programs and volunteers. Your support and engagement throughout the Summer Learning Series further demonstrates the importance that you place on ensuring your programs function properly while volunteers remain safe.
AmeriCorps Seniors could not achieve the success that it has without your unwavering diligence and dedication. For that, my heart is grateful, and you remain the motivation for the work that I do to support you.
While we take a brief recess from our Summer Learning Series this month, I look forward to chatting with you on Tuesday, Sept. 20, when we host our final event. .
In the interim, may you find some time this month for rest and relaxation!
In service,
Atalaya Sergi, Director AmeriCorps Seniors
AmeriCorps Seniors 2022 Virtual Convening: Summer Series
Reflection and Celebration Session
Register for the AmeriCorps Seniors 2022 Virtual Convening: Summer Series. Our time together will focus on your incredible innovation and resiliency, particularly during the past year. We are excited to create a space for discussion around sustaining program advances, future innovation and growth, and practical strategies for program implementation and management.
- Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1-4 p.m. ET: Reflection and Celebration – Register
You can find materials and recordings from our previous sessions on Litmos in the 2022 ACS Virtual Summer Series Learning Path. Agendas and session descriptions will be posted in advance of each series and recordings will be posted after each event.
Summer Series Survey
Thank you for attending our AmeriCorps Seniors 2022 Virtual Summer Series. We hope you enjoyed and benefited from the speakers and information presented.
To ensure we provide impactful and relevant content, we would like to gather feedback from the participants of this year's convening.
Please take a couple minutes to complete this brief survey by Wednesday, Aug. 17. This is your chance to tell us what worked , what you took away from this event, and how we can improve next year's event.
Training Corner
All Grantee Tuesday Talk Series
Join us, Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 1 p.m. ET, as we engage a variety of guest presenters, united by their commitment to helping older Americans serve their communities. These presenters will share their knowledge and expertise with our programs and discuss topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
National Performance Measurement Core Curriculum Update
Performance measurement is essential to foster organizational and programmatic improvement. It is integral to program management, informed strategy and planning, site selection, project implementation, and reporting to stakeholders. All applicants and grantees to use National Performance Measures as part of a comprehensive process that relies on both performance and evaluation data to learn from grantee work to make tactical and strategic adjustments to achieve your goals.
AmeriCorps created the National Performance Measurement Core Curriculum to support new program staff and existing program staff in refreshing their knowledge of performance measurement. This curriculum consists of six iterative modules, and it’s recommended that you take them in the sequence they are offered.
Extension to Expiring SAM.gov Registrations
The Office of Management and Budget has authorized an extension for upcoming SAM.gov registration expirations. There will be an automatic, 60-day extension for any existing SAM.gov entity registration with an expiration date between Monday, Aug. 1 and Wednesday, Aug. 31. No action is required on your part.
In mid-August, there will be an automatic 60-day extension for any existing SAM.gov entity registration with an expiration date between Thursday, Sept. 1 and Friday, Sept. 30. The need for additional extensions for entities expiring in October will be assessed in mid-September.
Each impacted registration renewal will have 60 days added to their expiration date. Affected entity administrators will receive an email from samadmin@sam.gov with the subject line “60-Day SAM.gov Extension Granted for [Entity Name].” The new expiration dates will be in the SAM entity management extracts and available through web services after the records are extended.
Awards that are on hold due to SAM registrations that expired prior to Monday, Aug. 1 will remain on hold until the registration is active. Please contact your portfolio manager with any questions.
Come Learn about the National Partnerships for School Success
Thursday, Aug. 25 at 1:30 p.m. ET
On Tuesday, July 5, AmeriCorps joined the White House to launch the National Partnership for Student Success to meet President Biden’s call for 250,000 more tutors and mentors to accelerate student recovery and success. From firsthand experience, Foster Grandparent and RSVP program granteees understand the benefit of having older adults in schools and the power of mentoring and tutoring to support children and youth. Join us to learn more about this initiative, share what your program is doing to support this critical national need, and discover how you can get involved with National Partnerships for School Success.
In addition to $122 billion in American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, AmeriCorps also has made $20 million in Volunteer Generation Funds available to assist nonprofit organizations and state commissions in recruiting and managing up to 200,000 additional volunteers to serve as mentors and tutors.
Fiscal Year 2023 Application Due Dates
As we near the beginning of fiscal year 2023 (Saturday, Oct. 1), AmeriCorps is finalizing its grants calendar. While the dates below are tentative, we do not anticipate any significant changes.
Grantees that have a start date of April 1 (also referred to as Quarter 3 grants)
- Funding notices will open on Thursday, Sept. 1.
- Applications will be due Wednesday, Nov. 2.
- Technical Assistance Webinars:
Grantees that have a start date of July 1 (also referred to as Quarter 4 grants)
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Funding notices will open on Monday, Jan. 9.
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Applications will be due Wednesday, March 9.
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Technical Assistance Webinars:
If you have an award that has an off cycle start date, your portfolio manager will share application due dates once finalized.
While these dates are tentative and final dates will be released when the funding opportunities open, it is important to note that on-time grant application submissions will be expected in fiscal year 2023. Late applications that do not follow the notice of funding availability will not be accepted.
LGBTQI+ Volunteers and Stories
We are glad so many of you participated in LGBTQI+ sessions during our AmeriCorps Seniors 2022 Virtual Convening: Summer Series. As with all our activities, we don’t want your good work to go unnoticed.
If you have programming devoted to the LGBTQI+ community or volunteers from those communities who want to tell their stories, we want to hear about them. Please send your volunteer profiles and/or programmatic activities to SCInnovation@cns.gov, so we can help amplify your program activities and volunteers.
Elder Justice Corner
Controlling Your Finances While Grieving the Loss of a Spouse
In 2019, more than one million adults aged 60 and older lost a spouse. Using data from the 2019 Census American Community Survey, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau developed a data spotlight demonstrating that recently widowed older adults face higher poverty rates, greater housing cost burdens, and other critical financial challenges.
If you, a loved one, or client have experienced the loss of a spouse recently, help is available:
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Use the workbook to take control of your finances after the death of a spouse. Figuring out how to manage your finances while grieving the loss of a spouse may feel overwhelming. This step-by-step guide is designed to help you.
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Read what to do if debt collectors come calling after your loved one’s death. It’s quite common for newly widowed older adults to face debt collection while they are still grieving. Read our new consumer guide: When a loved one dies and debt collectors come calling, or .
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Find out if you qualify for benefits. BenefitsCheckUp, a benefits screening tool of the National Council on Aging, can help surviving spouses find out if they are eligible for public benefits such as Medicaid, housing assistance, or SNAP.
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Connect with local resources by using the This online directory can help surviving spouses find their local Area Agency on Aging and access a wide variety of services such as nutrition programs, respite care, home modifications, benefits counseling, and others.
Check out these additional free resources for older adults.
9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance: United through Service
It’s been more than 20 years since 9/11. To commemorate this occasion, on the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance , we invite you to cross divides, differences, and ideologies to come together in service. Lift each other up, neighborhood by neighborhood, just as Americans did two decades ago to honor those lost and those whose lives were forever changed that fateful day.
Through service alongside our neighbors, we can build more equitable and just communities that advance racial equity, create opportunity, and foster respect for individual differences.
The 9/11 Day of Service is Sunday, Sept. 11. You and your partners are encouraged to engage in service on this day and the days surrounding.
Access our Social Press Kit to use our one-stop shop for all September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance communication resources including messaging, social media graphics, templates, and other outreach tools.
Upcoming Deadlines and Reminders
Reporting Deadlines
Quarter 3 (April 1 Start Date)
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Performance Progress Reports Semi-Annual Due: Sunday, Oct. 30
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Federal Financial Report Semi-Annual Due: Sunday, Oct. 30
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Performance Progress Reports Annual Due: Sunday, April 30
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Federal Financial Report (Budget Year 1 or Year 2) Due: Sunday, April 30
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Federal Financial Report Final (Budget Year 3) Due: Sunday, July 30
Quarter 4 (July 1 Start Date)
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Performance Progress Reports Semi-Annual Lite Due: Monday, Jan. 30
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Federal Financial Report Semi-Annual Due: Monday, Jan. 30
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Performance Progress Reports Annual Due: Sunday, July 30
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Federal Financial Report (Budget Year 1 or Year 2) Due: Sunday, July 30
Project Progress Reports Annual resources are on program pages under "Grantee Resources" and filter for “submit a progress report.”
Review Handbooks and Litmos for additional guidance.
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