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AmeriCorps Seniors
Nov. 16, 2023
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Notes From the Director's Desk: November Edition
 Order promotional items for AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, Senior Demonstration, and RSVP programs.
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As Thanksgiving approaches, remember to cherish the people and opportunities that enrich our lives. Let’s express our gratitude and consider how we can spread kindness and support to those who need it most.
This month, we are celebrating veterans and hometown heroes as part of AmeriCorps 30th anniversary. I am very grateful for the invaluable contributions of our veterans, who continue to serve by addressing our nation's challenges through volunteering. More than 12,000 veterans serve as volunteers with AmeriCorps Seniors, sharing their talents and leadership with those in need, embodying the spirit of service.
AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors provide a crucial bridge for veterans seeking to continue their service in their local communities, post-military duty. Our programs have actively involved veterans, some with distinguished service tracing back to World War II, empowering them to give back through roles as RSVP, Foster Grandparent, and Senior Companion volunteers. I am truly inspired by their unwavering devotion to serve both their nation and their local communities.
November is also National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize and honor the selfless individuals who dedicate their time and energy to caring for loved ones. I am thankful for the projects and volunteers who provide respite and other support for caregivers in their communities. The synergy between family caregivers and volunteers underscores the collective effort to ensure the welfare of our older population.
Share your stories with us! We would love to hear from your projects and volunteers to shine a light on veterans, family caregivers, and all those who serve their communities.
Atalaya Sergi, Director
AmeriCorps Seniors
New E-Mail Addresses
As part of our move from “Corporation for National and Community Service” to AmeriCorps, our email addresses are now using @americorps.gov. Please use the following email addresses to contact AmeriCorps Seniors going forward:
Remember, your portfolio manager is your best, first resource for grant-specific questions or information. You can reach them by replacing “@cns.gov” with “@americorps.gov” in the email address you used to reach them in the past.
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Grantee Essentials Training and Technical Assistance
Join AmeriCorps Seniors each month for the Grantee Essentials Training and Technical Assistance Call to dive into specific technical assistance topics to help you build your skills while managing your AmeriCorps Seniors grant.
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Progress Report Supplement Resources and Updating Station Rosters: Tuesday, Nov. 21, 1 p.m. ET
Centralized Recruitment Unit 2024 Call Calendar
Thank you all for joining our grantee call on Wednesday, Oct. 25. A recording of the call is now available. Below are the call topics, dates, and links to register for our 2024 recruitment calls. Please note, all dates and topics are subject to change based on any conflicts that arise, the evolving needs of the network, and other unforeseen circumstances. Additional trainings may be scheduled throughout the calendar year based on grantee needs and interest. Please reach out to join@americorps.gov with any questions.
New Feature – Focus on a Training Resource
This month, we are highlighting our "Financial Management Curriculum" learning path in Litmos. This curriculum is designed to introduce grantees to the basic financial and accounting requirements and strategies for running an AmeriCorps Seniors grant, help grantees understand how those requirements and strategies apply to your specific grant, and point you to resources and tools you can use to make your job easier. There is a learning path for each program.
Once you log into Litmos, search the content library for the Financial Management Curriculum learning path.
Frequently Asked Questions and Support:
For technical support, to request access, or assistance accessing these pages using assistive technology email serviceresources@americorps.gov.
Litmos is a platform for online learning, also known as a learning management system.
Use the following link to access Litmos: Litmos account log in.
- I did not receive any instructions from my program about accessing the system. What do I do?
To request access to Litmos, email serviceresources@americorps.gov.
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The Modernization Office is excited to share more highlights and milestones regarding the development of the new Grantee and Sponsor Portal, which will replace eGrants; as well as the preparation for the in-house custom build of the My AmeriCorps Portal Replacement, which will include AmeriCorps Seniors.
The Grantee and Sponsor Portal, an Ernst & Young Commercial Off-the-Shelf product, is currently in the system development and internal user story testing phase. It promises significant enhancements, including streamlined reporting, integrations with Login.gov, Grants.gov, and SAM.gov to reduce duplicate data entry, and allows for filtering by opportunities, funding status, and more. Integrations with other AmeriCorps and federal systems means streamlined project and award management for both internal and external users.
The contract for the My AmeriCorps Portal Replacement has been awarded to vendor Free Alliance. They are currently in the discovery period to familiarize themselves with our agency’s requirements, stakeholders, and user experiences through the end of this year. In alignment with the AmeriCorps Strategic Plan, we are planning for the first release and use of the My AmeriCorps Portal Replacement to focus on the ability to search and apply for service opportunity listings.
Both systems aim to support increased civic engagement by enhancing recruitment tools, capturing volunteer data, and reducing administrative burdens through system integrations and processes refinements. By collecting volunteer data, we will strengthen our national service story and the impact of all members and volunteers in communities.
Please stay tuned for more updates and ways to stay connected—feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, suggestions at modernization@americorps.gov.
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Elder Justice Corner
From our colleagues at the Federal Trade Commission.
During Medicare's open enrollment period, there is an increased risk of scams targeting beneficiaries. Scammers impersonate Medicare agents or providers to obtain sensitive information.
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Scammers often look official and pretend to be from or connected to Medicare or to a business you know.
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Scammers might provide personal info, but their goal is to steal money, Medicare details, or your identity.
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Never share your personal information with unsolicited contacts by phone, text, email, or in-person visits.
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The real Medicare does not ask for your Medicare, social security, or financial account numbers.
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Compare plans and make changes at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.
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Use your State Health Insurance Assistance Program for counseling on Medicare.
Find more advice at the Federal Trade Commission website.
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Progress Report Supplement
The 2023 Progress Report Supplement is now open. This will cover the reporting period from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023. Every year, AmeriCorps Seniors collects key data on all projects and volunteers through the Progress Report Supplement. AmeriCorps Seniors grantees can complete this report in eGrants. Once finalized and compiled, AmeriCorps uses this data to report to elected officials and other stakeholders on our program’s success.
All Progress Report Supplements must be completed by Thursday, Nov. 30.
Original announcement was sent on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Read here.
Continuation and Renewal Application Due Dates
Please Note: These dates are tentative and subject to change. Fiscal year 2024 (Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, to Monday, Sept. 30, 2024) grant awards are contingent on annual congressional appropriations and availability of funds.
Quarter four grantees (Monday, July 1, start date):
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Notice of funding opportunity scheduled to open: Tuesday, Jan. 9
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Applications due: Monday, March 11
Important Reminders:
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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.
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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.
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On-time application submissions are required. AmeriCorps Seniors does not guarantee on-time funding decisions or grant awards for organizations that submit late applications.
Need assistance? Contact the eGrants Help Desk.
Reporting Requirements
For reporting deadlines, review your grant's terms and conditions and section VII reporting requirements:
Reports will be made available in eGrants 90 days before the due date. If the option to enter report data is not available in eGrants, please reach out to your portfolio manager.
Additional Resources
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.
Section 11 Reports and Recording in Handbooks
Litmos Trainings for Reporting
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