Funding

The Alabama Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GFBCI) is the state office that manages programs and initiatives designed to increase the number of Alabamians engaged in service and volunteering. Each year, as the state service commission, GFBCI awards AmeriCorps grants to nonprofit and public agencies that identify an unmet need in their community that will be addressed by AmeriCorps members that the organization recruits, trains, and manages.

An AmeriCorps member is an individual who is enrolled in an approved national service position that engages in community service. Upon successful completion of their service, members receive an education award from the National Service Trust.

AmeriCorps grants provide funding for items such as program staff, member living allowances, health insurance for full-time members, equipment, supplies and other associated program expenses. In the FY 2010 grant competition, the funding priorities are projects that address compelling, unmet needs in one or a combination of the following five national service priority areas:

GFBCI welcomes project proposals designed to address compelling unmet local needs that may fall outside of the five national service priority areas.

AmeriCorps*State Competitive and Formula
Grant Application Timeline
(Dates are Subject to Change)
October 1, 2010 - September 30, 2011

Date	Competitive	Formula
October 15, 2009	Prime Applications Available for Sub-Grantees in E-Grants	Prime Applications Available for Sub-Grantees in E-Grants
November 25, 2009	Competitive Grant applications due in e-Grants and hard copy with additional application documents to GFBCI Office by 5:00 p.m. CST	N/A
Week of November 30, 2009	Staff and Peer Review of Competitive Grant applications	N/A
December 10, 2009	State Service Commission Meeting	N/A
April 1, 2010	N/A	Formula Grant applications due in e-Grants and hard copy with additional application documents to GFBCI Office by 5:00 p.m. CST
TBD	N/A	Staff and Peer Review of Formula Grant applications
TBD	N/A	State Service Commission Meeting
Late Spring 2010	Competitive Awards Announced	N/A
Late Summer 2010	N/A	Formula Awards announced
October 1, 2010	2010-2011 AmeriCorps State program year begins	2010-2011 AmeriCorps State program year begins

On April 21, 2009, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (SAA) into law. This legislation reauthorizes and expands national service programs administered by the Corporation. Programs funded through the FY 2010 grant competition will be impacted by provisions in the SAA. For more information on SAA, please visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/serveamerida/index.asp.

Matching Requirements: A successful applicant is required to match at 24 percent for the first three-year funding period. Starting with the second three-year cycle, match gradually increases every year to 50 percent by year ten as detailed in the minimum overall share table below. Fixed-Amount Grants and Education Award Programs are not affected by the match requirement.

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Minimum Overall Share	24%	24%	24%	26%	30%	34%	38%	42%	46%	50%

***AmeriCorps Grants are reimbursement grants. Funds are reimbursed based for allowable and reasonable expenditures.

AmeriCorps Member Living Allowance Requirements: As appropriate to each program design, applicants may propose a project that engages AmeriCorps members in service on a full-time or part-time basis or a combination of both. AmeriCorps programs are required to provide a living allowance for full-time members that are between $11,800 (minimum) and $23,600 (maximum) per member. Programs are not required to provide a living allowance to half-time, quarter-time, or minimum-time members. Programs choosing to provide part-time members with living allowances should use the following guidelines:

Service Term	Minimum # of Hours	Ed Award	Minimum Living Allowance	Maximum Total Living Allowance
Full-Time	1700	$5,350	$11,800	$23,600
Half-Time	900	$2,675	$6,250	$12,500
Quarter-Time	450	$1,415	$3,125	$6,250
Minimum Time	300	$1,132	$2,080	$4,160

AmeriCorps State operates through the State Service Commissions in each state. In Alabama, the State Service Commission is operated through the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The purpose of AmeriCorps* State is to engage AmeriCorps members in direct service and capacity-building to address unmet community needs.

AmeriCorps members also mobilize community volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations where they serve. The organizations that receive grants are responsible for recruiting, selecting, and supervising AmeriCorps members to serve in their programs.

The Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives will accept applications from:

State and local nonprofit organizations
Community and faith-based organizations
State, local, and higher education institutions
State and local governments

Below are the three (3) documents comprising an Alabama AmeriCorps*State Competitive Grant Application Process:

AmeriCorps State Competitive NOFO Open for Subapplications
Grant #: 09ACHAL001
Grant Application ID: 10AC107470
NOFA: Commission AmeriCorps State FY 2010

Below are the three (3) documents comprising an Alabama AmeriCorps*State Formula Grant Application Process:

AmeriCorps State Formula NOFO Open for Subapplications
Grant #: 06AFHAL001
Grant Application ID: 10AC107802
NOFA: Commission AmeriCorps State FY 2010

PLEASE NOTE: All Formula and Competitive applications must be submitted using the Corporation for National and Community Service eGrants system. For more information on eGrants, click the icon below:

Purpose: The purpose of planning grants is to support the development of AmeriCorps programs so applicants are better prepared to compete for an AmeriCorps program grant in the following grant cycle.

Planning grants may not be used to support AmeriCorps members.
Applicants must demonstrate capacity through a pre-funding assessment.
The planning year will be to develop a full application for an AmeriCorps State program for the 2011-12 program year (October 1, 2011-September 30, 2012).
Allowable activities will include participation in Commission and CNCS trainings, development of outreach materials, policy and program forms.

Eligibility: AmeriCorps State and National Planning Grant applicants must not have previously received an AmeriCorps State or National grant.

Funding Amount: Applicants may apply for up to a maximum of $50,000

Letter of Intent: Interested applicants must submit a letter of intent to apply to the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GFBCI), the Alabama State Service Commission, no later than January 8, 2010.

Application Instructions: Utilize the attached application instructions but the submission must be hard copy to the GFBCI, (do not submit in e-Grants). Please call 334-954-7440 ext 441 if you have questions.

Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity

2010 AmeriCorps Planning Grant APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Application Deadline: Completed applications are due to the GFBCI no later than 5:00pm CST January 13, 2010.

Submit Letters of Intent to:

Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Re: AmeriCorps State Planning Grant Letter of Intent

One Commerce Street, Suite 620

Montgomery, Alabama 36104

Alabama Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
One Commerce Street, Suite 620
Montgomery, AL 36104
Toll Free: 877-273-5018
Email: info@ServeAlabama.gov
Website: www.ServeAlabama.gov