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AmeriCorps Seniors
Dec. 13, 2023
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Notes From the Director's Desk: December Edition
 AmeriCorps Seniors announced the new Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program Replacement and Expansion funding opportunities. Applications are due Thursday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m
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With the year coming to a close, I hope you take time to reflect on this past year and all the goodwill you have spread through your dedication to service and volunteering. The holidays are a season of giving and no one exemplifies that more than our beloved volunteers who invest in their communities with their time and talents. As you know, in addition to all the excitement and celebration this time of year brings, it can bring feelings of isolation and loneliness, particularly among our older adults. Thank you for all that you and your volunteers do to check in, celebrate, and make sure everyone feels special during the holiday season.
We have so much to look forward to in 2024. AmeriCorps continues to evolve to address the most pressing national and local challenges for our communities. We are so happy to be partnered with you to ensure older adults have national service options to remain active and connected to their communities.
I hope that all of you have the opportunity to spend this holiday season with the people you cherish the most. On behalf of the entire AmeriCorps, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and the happiest of New Years!
In service,
Atalaya Sergi, Director
AmeriCorps Seniors
As part of AmeriCorps' 30th anniversary, we are highlighting community investment and philanthropy during the month of December. Help us inspire more people to volunteer and serve their community by lifting up our Giving Season resources.
Need volunteers during the holiday season?
The true spirit of the holiday season lies in giving back to the community. This Giving Season, AmeriCorps wants to promote your service opportunities. Do you have volunteer opportunities this holiday season? Are you hosting an MLK Day of Service event? Let us know!
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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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Engaging Elected Officials and Audit and Debt Resolution Updates and Processes: Tuesday, Dec. 19, 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.
Monthly Spotlight on Training Resources
This month, we are highlighting our "Federal Financial Report Training for Grantees" course in Litmos. The goal of this course is to prepare grantees to submit accurate and timely Federal Financial Reports in eGrants. This training will walk you through the different sections of the Federal Financial Report, explain what each field requires, highlight common errors that result in inaccurate Federal Financial Reports, and present best practices to help ensure correct and timely submission throughout the life of an AmeriCorps grant.
Note: You will need to first log in to Litmos then click the link to the course.
Frequently Asked Questions and Support:
Litmos is a platform for online learning, also known as a learning management system.
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How do you access Litmos?
2024 Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Replacement and Expansion Funding Opportunities Webinars
AmeriCorps Seniors is presenting a series of webinars for the Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program replacement and expansion opportunities. Webinar topics will include an overview of AmeriCorps, examples of funded programs, a review of the notices of funding opportunity, budgets, performance measurement, and submitting your application using the eGrants platform. AmeriCorps strongly encourages all potential applicants to attend these webinars.
Foster Grandparent Program
Senior Companion Program
Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs
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Anti-Fraud Advisory:Combatting Fraud as a Strategic Priority
AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General is pleased to announce a series of anti-fraud leading practices and strategies. These advisories will highlight low cost, high impact actions that AmeriCorps and its grantees can take to better protect AmeriCorps funds.
Submit suggestions for future advisories through the Office of Inspector General AmeriCorps website.
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Elder Justice Corner
From our colleagues at the Federal Trade Commission.
With the holiday season upon us, it’s a time for giving, but also a time to beware of scammers who are ready to take advantage of people’s generosity.
Tips to remember to avoid scams during the holidays:
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Research charities before donating to make sure it goes to a legitimate organization and not a scammer.
- Pay by credit card when shopping online. Many credit companies offer extra protections for returns and (online) purchases.
- Review credit card statements and dispute any unauthorized purchases
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Pathfinder Update in January
AmeriCorps Seniors will be pulling station roster counties and project information from eGrants for the Pathfinder in January. Take time to review your station roster list and update any stations that are no longer active. Double check your location to ensure they fall into your approved geographic service area. If you have staff changes, update your contact information in the project information section of eGrants to reflect the best contact information for interested volunteers.
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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