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, the GFBCI awards AmeriCorps grants to nonprofit and public agencies that identify unmet needs in Alabama's communities. These needs are 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 AmeriCorps members, equipment, supplies and other associated program expenses. In the FY 2012 grant competition, the funding priorities are projects that address compelling, unmet needs in one or a combination of the following six national service Focus Areas:

GFBCI welcomes project proposals designed to address compelling unmet local needs that may fall outside of the six national service Focus Areas.

AmeriCorps*State Competitive and Formula Grant Application Timeline (Dates are Subject to Change) October 1, 2011 - September 30, 2012
Date	Competitive	Formula
October 5, 2011	Prime Applications Available for Sub-Grantees in E-Grants	Prime Applications Available for Sub-Grantees in E-Grants
November 1, 2011	New Competitive Applicants: Intent to Apply due in hard copy to GFBCI Office by 5:00 p.m. CST	N/A
November 18, 2011	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 29, 2011	Staff and Peer Review of Competitive Grant applications	N/A
January, 2012	State Service Commission Meeting	N/A
January 6, 2012	N/A	New Formula Applicants: Intent to Apply due in hard copy to GFBCI Office by 5:00 p.m. CST
March 1, 2012	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 2012	Competitive Awards Announced	N/A
Late Summer 2012	N/A	Formula Awards announced
September 1 and October 1, 2012	AmeriCorps State program year begins 2012-2013	AmeriCorps State program year begins 2012-2013

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 2012 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% for the first three-year funding period. Starting with the second three-year cycle, match gradually increases every year to 50% by year ten as detailed in the Matching Requirements 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 upon 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 $12,100 (minimum) and $24,200 (maximum) per member. Programs are not required to provide a living allowance to half-time, reduced 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	Education Award	Minimum Living Allowance	Maximum Total Living Allowance
Full-time	1700	$5,550	$12,100	$24,200
One-year Half-time	900	$2,775	n/a	$12,800
Two-year Half-time	900	$2,775	n/a	$12,800
Reduced Half-time	675	$2,114	n/a	$9,600
Quarter-time	450	$1,468	n/a	$6,400
Minimum-time	300	$1,175	n/a	$4,300

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. 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 four (4) documents comprising an Alabama AmeriCorps State Competitive Grant Application Process:

AmeriCorps State Competitive NOFO Open for Subapplications
Grant #: 09ACHAL001
Grant Application ID: 12AC132885
NOFA: Commission AmeriCorps State FY 2012

The application deadline for the Competitive Grants, are due in e-Grants and hard copy with additional application documents to GFBCI Office by 5:00 p.m. CST on November 18, 2011.

Below are the four (4) documents comprising an Alabama AmeriCorps*State Formula Grant Application Process:

AmeriCorps State Formula NOFO Open for Subapplications
Grant #: 11AFHAL001
Grant Application ID: 12AC132781
NOFA: Commission AmeriCorps State FY 2012

The application deadline for the Formula Grants are due in e-Grants and hard copy with additional application documents to GFBCI Office by 5:00pm CST on March 1, 2012.

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 2012-13 program year (October 1, 2012-September 30, 2013).
Allowable activities will include participation in Commission and CNCS trainings, development of outreach materials, policy and program forms.

What are the 2012 AmeriCorps State and National funding priorities?

Focus Areas

In 2010, the Corporation awarded approximately 80 percent of its AmeriCorps State and National competitive funds to organizations meeting needs in the five priority areas identified in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (Education, Healthy Futures, Clean Energy/Environment, Veterans, and Economic Opportunity).

In 2011, the Corporation expects to award a similar percentage of available funding to programs working in the focus areas of Education, Healthy Futures, Clean Energy/Environment, Veterans, Economic Opportunity, and Disaster Services.

In 2012, the Corporation expects to invest a significant amount of available funding to programs working in the six Focus Areas of Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, and Veterans and Military Families. In particular, the Corporation seeks to target its grantmaking in the Education and Disaster Services Forcus Areas for greater impact and increase its investment in the Veterans and Military Families Focus Area. To meet these goals, the Corporation will give priority consideration to the following, in descending order of preference:

Tier 1: Programs that select Priority Measures in Education, Veterans and Military Families, and Disaster Services (NOTE: Applicants and grantees that have programs that fit these Priority Measures are required to utilize these Measures. These measures can be found in Section IX, Tier 1 of the FY2012 NOFO).

Tier 2: Programs that select Priority Measures in Economic Opportunity, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures and Capacity Building. (NOTE: Applicants and grantees that have programs that fit these Priority Measures are required to utilize these Measures. These measures can be found in Section IX, Tier 2 of the FY2012 NOFO).

Tier 3: Programs that select Pilot Measures.

Tier 4: Programs in the Focus Area with self-nominated measures.

Tier 5: Programs outside the Focus Areas with self-nominated measures.

Continuation requests for expansion will recieve priority consideration and preference in the same manner. Applicants proposing programs that recieve priority consideration are not guaranteed funding. The Corporation will pursue a balanced portfolio across the Focus Areas, and other considerations outlined in the FY2012 NOFO. Futhermore, programs must demonstrate significant program focus, design and impact to recieve priority consideration.

Special Consideration

Additional programs and program models that may receive special consideration in the selection process are described in the AmeriCorps regulations at 45 CFR §§ 2522.450 and 2522.470.

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.

AmeriCorps State Planning NOFO Open for Subapplications
Grant Application ID: 11AC122143
NOFA: Commission AmeriCorps State Competitive Planning Grants FY 2011

Amended Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity

2011 AmeriCorps Planning Grant APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

The application deadline for Planning Grants are due in eGrants and a hardcopy to the GFBCI office no later than 5:00pm CST November 4, 2011.

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