Notes From the Director's Desk:
February Edition

Featured this month:

• Message From the Director
• Training Corner
• Program Updates and Requirements
• Elder Justice Corner
• New Public Service Announcements
• Promotional Items Website

Message From AmeriCorps Seniors

Dear colleagues,  

With the Trump-Vance Administration now in place, a new national director of AmeriCorps Seniors will be appointed in the future. While this transition is underway, please know that the AmeriCorps Seniors staff remain fully committed to supporting our grantees and their work.

We encourage you to make the monthly Grantee Essential Call a priority in your schedule. This call is specifically for you and occurs every third Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET. This call is where you’ll hear the latest announcements, updates, and reminders, in addition to receiving training on relevant and timely topics.

In February, we honor Black History Month through service. By participating in service activities, we can strengthen the sense of unity that Black History Month embodies. Share your stories with us! We would love to hear how your projects and volunteers celebrate Black History Month and continue to uplift older adults every day.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and we look forward to working together to shine a light on our older adult volunteers and the wonderful work they do for their communities.

In service,
The AmeriCorps Seniors Staff

Training Corner

Program Updates and Requirements 

FY 2025 Continuations and Renewals for Quarter Four Grants

It is time to apply for your AmeriCorps Seniors’ Foster Grandparent Program, Senior Companion Program, or Senior Demonstration Program grant continuation or renewal. The Notice of Funding Opportunity and supporting documents associated with your grant can be found on the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program, Senior Companion Program, or Senior Demonstration Program grantee pages. 

Applications are due no later than Monday, March 10, 5 p.m. ET.

Please review your program’s Appendix A to verify your funding amount and minimum number of volunteer service years. 

• Foster Grandparent Program Appendix A
• Senior Companion Program Appendix A 
• Senior Demonstration Program Appendix A 

Reporting Requirements 

2025 Income Guidelines  

The 2025 AmeriCorps Seniors Income Guidelines for the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs are posted to grantee pages. 

Executive Order Updates

• Office of Grant Administration is updating the FY 2024 and FY 2025 General Terms and Conditions to comply with recent executive orders. Amendments are briefly being paused until we have cleared the new versions. The goal is to have the changes finalized by Wednesday, Feb. 19.
• There have been reports that Payment Managment Services deposits for some grantees have been delayed. Office of Grant Administration has not been told that there is a “new” turnaround time for deposits. We suspect that the delays are associated with a short-term high volume of payment requests correlated with current news. Also, Payment Managment Services has also changed its hours, which are now 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, Saturday through Sunday. According to their website, these limited hours are in effect until further notice.  

Data in Action 

Throughout the year, AmeriCorps Seniors grantees collect vital data for reporting in the Project Progress Report and Progress Report Supplement. As a grantee, you have already done the hard work of collecting this important data, so here are some resources to help you leverage that data to tell the impact of your work in your community.

• Telling Your Story Using Data to tell your story
• Amplifying Program Impact Through Elected Officials Helpful ideas to maximize your outreach experience with elected officials in your area
• Outreach Mastery: Elevate Your Team’s Impact Uncover the hidden gems among your team and volunteers and empower them to champion your cause.

AmeriCorps Seniors is currently conducting a program-wide Impact Study (formerly the “COVID Effects Study”) to gather crucial insights on how AmeriCorps Seniors projects impact their volunteers, beneficiaries, and communities they serve. We recently updated the title of the study to reflect its broader purpose, beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. This evaluation can help AmeriCorps Seniors better prepare to support and engage volunteers and serve communities during future national emergencies and times of crisis. We thank those directors and grantees that are actively engaging in collecting data, but we still need more participation to make this study a success.

JBS International has been reaching out to select programs to collect information for the study. Program participation is essential to complete this study! We thank you in advance for your time and engagement in helping us complete this important research. Please let JBS know if you have any questions or need any assistance, they are here to help.

Elder Justice Corner 

From our colleagues at the Federal Trade Commission.

Avoiding Spam and Junk Mail

Scammers and marketers flood your phone, inbox, and mailbox with unwanted messages and mail. Scammers use phishing texts and emails to steal personal or financial information, while legitimate businesses send ads, catalogs, and credit offers that can pile up. Here’s some tips to help avoid these nuisances.

To reduce spam texts and emails:

• Use filters to block messages from unknown senders.
• Unsubscribe from unwanted emails to avoid phishing risks.
• Report spam texts by forwarding them to 7726 (SPAM) and report junk emails to your provider.

To cut down on junk mail:

• Use DMAchoice.org to control marketing mail.
• Opt out of prescreened credit and insurance offers for five years or permanently.

For more information, visit the Federal Trade Commission.

New Public Service Announcements

Last month, we debuted our new public service announcement spots. This month, we’re excited to share that they have launched nationally and are available to view on YouTube. Our new public service announcement spots aim to increase awareness and understanding of our diverse ecosystem of programs and highlight the incredible work our volunteers do every day. There are individual spots for each program and each program has a 15-second, 30-second, and 60-second version in both English and Spanish on YouTube. Please share them widely. If you want to pitch a PSA spot to your local television station, we have an AmeriCorps Seniors Public Service Announcements press kit to make it as easy as possible. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Veteran Lapel Pins and Other Promotional Items

AmeriCorps Seniors now has "Veteran" and "Serving Veterans" lapel pins available to order at the AmeriCorps Promotional Items website. Through this website, grantees can also receive branded banners, buttons, and other promotional materials to support recruitment. These items can be ordered at no cost to the grantee; however, there is a maximum quantity per item that each grantee is entitled to. If your program has not received your free items, please take advantage of this opportunity. You may also purchase additional quantities and other branded products to keep at the Official AmeriCorps Gear Webstore. Thank you for promoting AmeriCorps Seniors! 

Direct File

Tax day is quickly approaching, but it’s not too late to use IRS Direct File to file your taxes directly with the IRS for free. Visit the IRS Direct File website to get started. AmeriCorps has teamed up with the IRS to get the word out about this important program. Direct File is a service from the IRS that will let people file their federal taxes directly with the IRS online for free. It’s available in English and Spanish, supports many tax situations, and is available to people living in 25 states, including Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Conn., Fla., Idaho, Ill., Kan., Maine, Md., Mass., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.M., N.Y., N.C., Ore., Pa., S.D., Tenn., Texas, Wash., Wis., and Wyo.

Did you try Direct File? The Direct File team wants to hear your thoughts and opinions to make it a better experience. Just email direct-file-feedback@coforma.io by Tuesday, April 15, with your name and “Direct File Feedback” on the email subject. Participation is confidential and will not affect your taxes.