The Washington Statefield Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service

DATE:November 1, 2011

SUBJECT:Request for Concept Papers for New AmeriCorps VISTA Project(s)in Washington State– Applications due:Wednesday, September 26, 2012.

INTRODUCTION

The Washington StateField Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service announces an opportunity, subject to availability of funds, to develop new AmeriCorps*VISTA projects inWashington State to fill unmet needs. Depending on funding, we expect to grantapproximately 40 new VISTA positions across the state. Please share this notice widely with your networks and contact the CNCS Washington Field Office at with any questions.

AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Authorized in 1964 and founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, VISTA wasincorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993. VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 45 years.

We are seeking partners to host full-time VISTA positions, at no required cost to you, working to support K-12 academics, improve health services, create businesses and job opportunities, strengthen community organizations, all dependent on your community’s needs. AmeriCorps VISTA covers the cost of a series of benefits and services for the AmeriCorps VISTA members and your organization:

A Segal $5,500 AmeriCorps Education Award or post-service stipend.
Health coverage for all members assigned to your project.
Payroll services - members receive their paychecks directly from AmeriCorps VISTA.
Training in project management and leadership for members and project supervisor.
Travel costs associated with training.
Relocationallowance for members moving 50+ milesto serve.
Liability coverage for all members, under the Federal Employees Compensation Act and the Federal Torts Claims Act.
Child care assistance for income-eligible members.
Assistance with recruiting members via

Public organizations such as state and local government, Indian Tribes, and non-profitprivate organizations can apply to be VISTA sponsors. Please note that eligible non-profit privateorganizations are not limited to those with IRS 501(c) (3) status, but rather all organizations with IRS501(c) status that focus on anti-poverty community development. Organizations that focus solely onadvocacy and lobbying are not eligible.

Applications that propose to address the following will be considered:

Veterans: Engaging Veterans in service, service to Veterans and military families

Healthy Futures: Access to food and nutrition

Economic Opportunity:Safe and affordable housing for vulnerable families, employment access and training, and financial literacy

Education:School readiness, K-12 success/improving grade level performance, and GED and college prep

Eligible applicants interested in sponsoring an AmeriCorps VISTA project, with no less than four and not to exceed ten AmeriCorps VISTA members, are invited to submit concept paper (see attached template), via email to by Wednesday, September 26.

Scope of Project

Subject to availabilityof funds, 5-10 AmeriCorps*VISTA members will be awarded on a full-time basis for one year of service to up to 5 new VISTA sponsoring organizations. The Corporation will make an award covering a period not to exceed one year with the potential for continuation. Members will begin service in January 2013. Assuming strong results, new sponsors may be extended for up to 3 years.

Key Principles

Each VISTA project must be developed in accordance with the parameters defined by law, federal regulations, and the key VISTA principles: Anti-Poverty Focus, CapacityBuilding, Sustainable Solutions, and Community Empowerment.

Anti-Poverty Focus

The purpose of VISTA is to support efforts to fight poverty. The goal of every project must be to help individuals and communities out of poverty, not to simply make poverty more tolerable. The project should focus on long-term solutions rather than short-term services.

CapacityBuilding

One way to achieve sustainable solutions is to strengthen the ability of local organizations to fight poverty.Through activities such as fundraising, establishment of volunteer recruitment and management systems, community outreach, and partnership development, VISTAs help sponsors to achieve lasting solutions to poverty. However, projects should focus their performance measures on achieving outcomes and impact on the community and/or beneficiary population.

Sustainable Solutions

VISTA members represent a short-term resource and work to build the long-term sustainability of anti-poverty programs. All VISTA projects should be developed with a goal of an eventual phase-out of the need for VISTA members and the ability of the project to continue without them.

Unless it is an Intermediary style program, VISTA projects typically last three years. From the beginning of the project planning process, the sponsor and community must think about how to use the VISTA project to phase-in other resources and systems to replace the VISTA resource.

Community Empowerment

AllVISTA project sponsors must ensure that their project engages residents of the low-income community in planning, developing, implementing and evaluating the project. The project must be responsive and relevant to the lives of the community residents, and should tap into inherent community assets, strengths and resources.

Proposed projects must address the following priority areas:

Veterans:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.“ - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

VISTA resources should be used to increase economic opportunity for veterans and military families. All projects developed to serve veterans and military families should be developed under the Opportunity category, with special priority given to support the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness efforts to end homelessness among veterans.

All VISTA projects are encouraged to recruit veterans, particularly those projects serving

veterans and military families.

Healthy Futures:

"The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake." - First Lady Michelle Obama

Programming areas include supporting projects that address significant problems, including food security for individuals (especially children) through community gardens, food bank, school based programs, access to the Commodity Supplemental Nutrition for Seniors Program and community-based activities.

Economic Opportunity:

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” –President Barack Obama

Housing

VISTA supports programming dedicated to connecting families and individuals to emergency housing and transitional services, providing affordable permanent housing, and encouraging advocacy with populations in need.

Employment

VISTA supports programming that enables individuals to obtain or train for employment that is sufficient to avoid or exit poverty, provide necessities, and allow individuals to save for the future, particularly veterans and the spouses of deployed, enlisted military personnel.

Financial Literacy

VISTA supports programming that helps economically disadvantaged people receive financial services-related assistance.

Education:

“If we are to put an end to stubborn cycles of poverty and social failure, and put our country on track for long-term economic prosperity, we must address the needs of children who have long been ignored and marginalized in chronically low-achieving schools.” - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Educational Advancement (K-12)

VISTAs continue to play a role in developing programs that promote education among at-risk children through early childhood education; educational access and assistance to youth; and connecting youth with the resources that will lead them to college or vocational education. The completion of high school greatly affects the chances of one’s ability to provide sufficiently for him or herself and to gain a future of prosperity.

Particular interest is being placed on new project development with communities and schools who are participating in the Department of Education’s Title I School Improvement Grants (Turnaround Schools).

Prioritization of Applications

Priority will be given to Washington counties with high levels of unemployment and residents living poverty as well as counties with little or no presence of AmeriCorps and VISTA resources.
Priority will also be given to projects that propose to “cost-share” at least one of the positions ($10,704 - $12,696/year/member depending on service location). The site would be responsible for reimbursing CNCS for the living allowance. All other expenses (training, relocation, health benefits, child care assistance, etc.) will continue to be covered by CNCS. More information will be provided in webinars.

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TIMELINE

August 17, 2012NOFO Released

Technical Assistance Webinars

The same presentation will be offered on two occasions. Attending the webinar is not required but strongly recommended. Please RSVP to:.

Thursday, August 23rd – 11:00am – 12:00pm

General Information on Notice of Funding, review of NOFA, and opportunity to ask questions.

To join webinar:

1. Go to
2. If requested, enter your name and email address.
3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: washington
4. Click "Join".
To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link:

To join audiopart of webinar:

Dial In: 877.701.0623

Participant passcode: 48983528
Monday, August 27th – 11:00am – 12:00pm (repeat of 8/23 presentation)

General information on Notice of Funding, review of NOFA, and opportunity to ask questions.

To join webinar:

Dial In: 877.701.0623

Participant passcode: 48983528

September 26, 2012Deadline for submitting application packet as a Word doc

Send to

October 5, 2012: CNCS Washington State Office staff will review applications and notify organizations if they have been approved and full application requested

October 26, 2012:Full application due to CNCS Washington State Office via eGrants on or before 10/26/2012, all supporting documentation and attachments must be mailed/ deliveredand received on or before 10/26/12to physical address:

WA State Office-VISTA RFP

915 2nd Avenue – Suite 3190

Seattle, WA 98174

206.607.2620

November/December 2012: Successful applicants will begin recruitment of VISTA members for January 2013 start date

Mid-December 2012: Deadline for projects to submit recommended VISTA candidates to CNCS Washington State Office

January 2013: Mandatory VISTA Supervisor Orientation for approved project sponsors (2-3 days, dates and location TBD)

January 2013: VISTA candidates attend Pre-Service Orientation; VISTAs will start service

CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL

Criteria for approval are based on whether the proposed project:

Fits with one or more of the Corporation’s 2011-2015 strategic initiative focus areas, VISTA programming priorities, or priority areas listed in the introduction section of this document. This must be clearly documented in the Concept Paper.
Addresses poverty alleviation and the needs of low-income communities.
Leads to building organizational capacity so that the project can continue once the VISTA resources are withdrawn.
Involves beneficiaries of the service and the low-income community in project development and implementation. This is required and must be noted in the Concept Paper. Is designed to generate public and/or private-sector resources.
Promotes local volunteer service.
Complies with the provisions of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as amended; 2009 Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, VISTA regulations; and VISTA policies.

Further criteria for determining approval are based on whether the applicant:

Is a local or state government agency, Tribe or a private organization designated as a non-profit by the Internal Revenue Service.
Has resources available for VISTAs to perform their activities, such as space, supplies, and on-the-job transportation, and is able to provide emergency cash advances when needed.
Has the management capacity and commitment to recruit, train, supervise, and otherwise support VISTAs recruited locally and nationally.
Understands and is committed to promoting national and community service.
Has the capacity to build community partnerships and collaborative efforts to achieve project self-sufficiency.

VISTA projects have an average lifecycle of three-to-five years unless the applicant is serving as an intermediary agency. New project development occurs annually and is always subject to availability of funds. The WashingtonField Office strives to ensure that the portfolio of VISTA projects is diverse, both in terms of programmatic areas as well as geography. An additional factor we consider is the type of sponsors- from small grassroots organizations to large intermediary organizations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Any interested organization or individual with additional questions not addressed by this NOFO may contact:

Kirsten Franklin-Temple, Washington State Director

Corporation for National and Community Service

915 2nd Avenue – suite 3190

Seattle, WA 98174

206.607.2620 or 206.607.2603

Application Resources

2011-2015 CNCS Strategic Plan

FY12AmeriCorps*VISTA Program Guidance (FY13 has not been released at this time)

VISTA Campus (can enter as guest, no need to create account)– Life As a VISTA Supervisor

AmeriCorps VISTA Supervisor Manual

National Service Resources