Serving Communities and Country

UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL TURNAROUND AMERICORPS SELECTION CRITERIA

ORIENTATION SESSION II—PART II

AGENDA

Welcome

Overview

Evidence-Basis

Criteria I-Program Design

Criteria II-Organizational Capability

Criteria III-Budget Cost Effectiveness

Wrap Up

Post Assessment

Serving Communities and Country

SELECTION CRITERIA

Outline

Overview

Categories

NOFO Guidance

Assessment Factors

Keep in Mind

NOFO GUIDANCE—NOFO PAGE #

ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: PAGE #

Serving Communities and Country

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITY

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITY OVERVIEW

Applicant demonstrates organizational background and staffing to ensure sustainability, compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement. 

Ability to provide Program Compliance Oversight. 

Ability to provide Fiscal Compliance Oversight.

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITY CATEGORIES

Organizational Background and Staffing

Sustainability

Compliance and Accountability

Continuous Improvement

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND AND STAFFING NOFO GUIDANCE—PAGE 20

• Mission and history• Structure• Roles, responsibilities, and experience • Training and technical assistance to staff• Prior experience with federal funds/AmeriCorps grants• Existing Programs Track Record

ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: PAGE 20

• Capability to plan, implement, and evaluate the proposed project

• Qualifications• Plans and infrastructure

SUSTAINABILITYNOFO GUIDANCE—PAGE 20

• School and LEA leadership Involvement• Partnerships Building• State Commission Consultation• Fundraising Track Record• Long Term Impact • CNCS Share of Total Operational Budget

ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: PAGE 20

• Plan for securing school and community support involvement

• Likelihood of sustainability of efforts

COMPLIANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

NOFO GUIDANCE—PAGE 21

• Prevent• Detect • Enforce• Current | Former Grantee Track Record

ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: PAGE 21

• Capability to Ensure Compliance

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT NOFO GUIDANCE—PAGE 21

• Use of Feedback • Data Driven Decision Making

ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: PAGE 21

• Use of data or performance feedback.• Assessment of Progress• Ongoing Corrections

KEEP IN MIND

How will I know if they are a current or former grantee?

No set rules on staff size or staffing structure

Sustainability is defined broader than just financial; it includes stakeholder buy-in and support

Grants provide only partial funding necessary to operate the program; programs must raise funds through other sources to operate the program

Expectations for coordination, page 14

Serving Communities and Country

COST-EFFECTIVENESS & BUDGET ADEQUACY

COST-EFFECTIVENESS & BUDGET ADEQUACYOVERVIEW

The budget is clear, reasonable, cost-effective, and in alignment with the program narrative.

The requested funds do not exceed the maximum cost per MSY, or for existing programs, have not increased over previous years unless warranted.

Whether the program is a cost-effective approach for addressing the community need(s) identified in the application.

The applicant’s demonstrated understanding of total program cost necessary to support the project and the capacity to raise the additional resources.

COST-EFFECTIVENESS & BUDGET ADEQUACYCATEGORIES

Cost Effectiveness

Budget Adequacy

COST EFFECTIVENESS NOFO GUIDANCE—PAGE 22

• Reasonable • Cost-Effective• Supplement, and not supplant• Existing AmeriCorps programs: Rationale for a higher cost

per MSY• Special Circumstances

ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: PAGE 22

• Reasonable• Cost-Effective

BUDGET ADEQUACY NOFO GUIDANCE—PAGE 22

• Non-CNCS funding and resources • Budget Adequacy • Financial Commitments• Potential Commitments

ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: PAGE 23

• Clarity and Alignment • Sufficient Resources

KEEP IN MIND

AmeriCorps Budget

Budget is broken down by three sections:• Program Operating Costs• Member Costs• Administrative /Indirect Costs

Budget is divided into grantee share and Federal (CNCS) share

KEEP IN MIND

Allowable• Conform to any limitation or exclusion set forth in

the OMB Cost Principles or in the grant award• Be consistent with organization’s policies and

procedures• Be determined in accordance with Generally

Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)• Be adequately documented

Reasonable• A cost is reasonable if, in its nature or amount, it

does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision was made to incur the costs

KEEP IN MIND

Unallowable Costs

Lobbying

Fundraising

Fines and penalties

Expenses not necessary to meet program objectives

Costs that would constitute fraud, waste, and abuse

Unreasonable costs from a “prudent person” perspective

Costs with no logical basis for allocating to your program

KEEP IN MIND

Match Requirements | Cost Share

Grantees must meet minimum requirements up to 50% overall match

Must provide match source, type of contribution(cash and in-kind), and amount in application

No match required

• EAP Fixed-Amount Grants

• Grantee pays all program costs over the amount per MSY provided by CNCS

KEEP IN MIND

Cost Per MSY

Cost per MSY is NOT the same as the living allowance

Maximum Cost Per MSY can be found on page 9 of the Notice

One MSY = 1700 service hours, a full-time AmeriCorps position

Cost per MSY = CNCS share of budgeted grants costs divided by number of MSYs requested

• Cost per MSY does not include child care or the cost of the education award

MSY and Cost per MSY are automatically calculated in eGrants

THANK YOU

We hope this information will help you to understand and apply the program

criteria during your review!

POST ASSESSMENT

To check for understanding and verify that you have completed this orientation session, please complete the Assessment on the next three slides and email our answers to PeerReviewers@cns.gov, Subject: Programmatic Orientation Assessment.

POST ASSESSMENT

1. List the 3 Selection Criteria.

2. True or False: Cost Per MSY is the same thing as the member living allowance.

3. Which aspect of the application should not be considered in your assessment?a) AmeriCorps member recruitment and training

plansb) The role that volunteers will have in the projectc) The organizational capacityd) None of the above

POST ASSESSMENT

4. What type of approach refers to an applicant’s use of research, evaluations, or performance results to explain why it is proposing an intervention of a particular type, frequency and/or intensity to address the identified community problem/need?a) Performance Measuresb) Evidence-Informedc) Outcomes and Community Impact