This month kicks off AmeriCorps 30th Anniversary. It’s a time for us to reflect on the incredible impact our members and volunteers, including the hundreds of thousands of AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, have on communities nationwide through the power of service. Please join us over the next year in celebrating this milestone by sharing your stories and photos, posting on social media, and branding your events through the AmeriCorps 30th Anniversary Social Press Kit. 

Over the summer, I had the pleasure of visiting programs in Maine, Vermont, and Michigan. It was wonderful to hear stories from volunteers and celebrate the success of program directors and coordinators. I’m so thankful for the time and thoughtfulness that directors, coordinators, and portfolio managers put into hosting me.  

The number one challenge I heard from directors and volunteers was - transportation. Reducing transportation barriers is vital for promoting widespread participation in national service and we are building a relationship with the Federal Transit Administration, within the Department of Transportation, to address these issues. Thanks to collaboration with partners such as the National Center for Mobility Management and the Federal Transit Administration, AmeriCorps Seniors directors have access to resources like the Federal Program Inventory and the Federal Funding Braiding Guide, which identify federal programs and funding that can assist volunteers with transportation needs. This blog on the National Center for Mobility Management website has a lot of good information on this topic. 

This month we recognized the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. While visiting Kansas, I had the opportunity to participate in a September 11th event and discuss the significance of engaging in service.  Please share your stories of 9/11 remembrance and service with us and use our story collection tool.

Avoid Scams When Using Payment Apps 

While payment apps such as Venmo, Cashapp, and Zelle provide a quick and easy way to transfer money to friends and family, scammers have also been known to exploit these apps to deceive people. Scammers use tactics like impersonating loved ones in trouble, promising prizes with fees, or posing as banks to trick users into transferring money to them through payment apps. Sending money through payment apps is like sending cash, making it challenging to recover. 

 Ways to avoid scams: 

• Verify payment requests by contacting the person, business, or institutions directly using a phone number you know to be real. 
• Banks will never ask users to transfer money, share personal information, or provide passcodes. 
• Avoid paying someone who insists that you can only pay with a gift card, cryptocurrency, payment app, or a wire transfer service. 

  Find more advice at the Federal Trade Commission website.  

Report a scam

Continuation and Renewal Application Due Dates

Please Note: These dates are tentative and subject to change. Fiscal year 2024 (Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 – Monday, Sept. 30, 2024) grant awards are contingent on annual congressional appropriations and availability of funds. 

Quarter three grantees (Monday, April 1, start date):

• Notice of funding opportunity opened: Friday, Aug. 25

• Applications due: Thursday, Oct. 26 
• New training and grant resources can be found on RSVP Grantee page

Quarter four grantees (Monday, July 1, start date):

• Notice of funding opportunity scheduled to open: Tuesday, Jan. 9
• Applications due: Monday, March 11

 Important Reminders: 

• It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure their SAM registration and Unique Entity Identifier are active. Awards will not be made to organizations that have expired registrations. 
• To apply in eGrants, it is required that two individuals from each organization have active eGrants accounts. The authorized representative and project director must be different individuals with different eGrants accounts. Applications will be returned if the same person is listed in both fields. 
• On-time application submissions are required. AmeriCorps Seniors does not guarantee on-time funding decisions or grant awards for organizations that submit late applications. 

Current reports due:

• Federal Financial Report Semi-Annual Due: Monday, Oct. 30
• AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP and Senior Demonstration Program with an April start date.
• AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion that realigned to a July start date.

For instructions on, the project progress report and federal financial report, visit your program's grantee resources section, select “submit a progress report” or “submit a Federal Financial Report” as the action, then click “apply” to show the resources.   

• Foster Grandparent Program grantee page
• RSVP grantee page 
• Senior Companion Program grantee page 
• Senior Demonstration Program grantee page 

Litmos Trainings for Reporting: 

• AmeriCorps National Performance Measures Core Curriculum  
• Federal Financial Report Core Training For Grantees