Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of this message is to inform you about the Corporation’s policy for submitting 2007 AmeriCorps request for continuations and continuation expansions.

Procedure for Requesting Continuations

As stated in the Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity "We will consider both grantee compliance with grant requirements and program performance in assessing continuation requests and recompeting applications. In order to leverage our limited grant funds, programs should strive to improve their rates of enrollment and retention. We expect grantees to enroll the full number of members included in their grant award. Enrollment rates will have a direct bearing on the number of slots and the size of awards we approve in the continuation and recompete processes."

Please enter your recommendations for continuations in the recommendations summary page in eGrants. We expect you to base your recommendations for continuations on the following criteria:

• Enrollment. Per the NOFO, full enrollment is the standard. An explanation is required if level or expanded funding is recommended for a program with lower than full enrollment. For programs in their second grant year, enrollment for the first full year and to date for the current year should be considered. For programs in their first year, enrollment to date should be considered. If enrollment for the current program year is incomplete or not yet started (e.g. for a summer service program), please explain in your recommendation narrative.
      
• Retention. There are many factors impacting retention, and the Corporation does not express an expectation in the NOFO for full retention. However, if commissions are recommending a program with low retention for level funding or expansion, a justification must be provided.
      
• Compliance with 30 day enrollment
      
• Compliance with 30 day exiting
      
• Compliance with fiscal reporting deadlines
      
• Compliance with program reporting deadlines
      
• Progress towards performance objectives
      
• Demonstrated ability to reach match

As in the past, your subgrantees need to complete the continuation application in eGrants and submit it to you.

Starting with 2007 program year applications, the Chief Executive Officer will – unless the CEO determines otherwise based on availability of funds, material information not contained in the state commission summary recommendation, or other good cause – make final decisions on continuation funding for competitive grants based principally on summary recommendations (including whether to increase, hold level, or decrease funding) submitted by each state commission. To effectuate this policy, each state commission will consider in its summary recommendation enrollment and retention rates as well as selection criteria published by the Corporation and commission.

To calculate your enrollment and retention using the data in WBRS:

1. Ignore any extra slots created as a "workaround" to manage refilling slots
2. Open WBRS Central to your state
3. Click on the "Members" tab
4. Click on "Extra Views" tab
5. Click on "Member Roster" tab
6. Select a program from the drop down menu
7. Select a grant year
8. Click on the "Create Report" button
9. Scroll to Roster Totals and note the number listed on the Total Members row (A)
10. Scroll to Roster Totals and determine and note the total number listed for the Slots Awarded column (B)
11. Scroll through all of the members listed on the report and note how many members have the "[srp]" designation in the Member Status column next to their names (C)    
12. The formula for calculating the enrollment rate is:
    __A__
    B + C
13. Under Roster Totals, note how many members "Earned an Award" (D)
14. The formula for calculating retention is:
    __D__
    B + C

If a subgrantee falls below full enrollment, your standard for retention, or is not compliant, making progress, or reaching match, yet you still recommend level or increased funding, you must fully justify your recommendation. If you are recommending an expansion, in any case, you also need to justify your recommendation. All requests for expansion will be considered in totality by the Corporation in relation to available funds.

Following your submission, your Program Officer will consider your recommendation. If he or she concurs with your recommendations, your recommendations will move forward in the decision making process. If she or he does not concur, you will be contacted for further information, justification, and negotiation.

Continuation Expansions

This guidance is intended to set reasonable expectations among applicants about the very small number and narrow scope of expansions that we anticipate being able to approve. This guidance applies to all AmeriCorps continuations except for formula grants, which are managed by the state commissions.

Based on our anticipated appropriation, and the expected volume of new and recompeting applications in 2006, the Corporation expects to approve few, if any, requests for expansion within continuation requests this year.

We may grant expansions that include no or low cost MSYs and expansions of programs demonstrating outcomes that have exceeded their goals. We are also interested in expanding high-performing programs that address the Corporation’s strategic initiatives of youth, higher education, baby boomers, and volunteer leveraging, as well as the Corporation’s priorities as articulated in 45 CFR 2522.450.

The Corporation will consider cost per MSY for continuation expansions at the program level, rather than aggregated by state, although each state must still adhere to its maximum average cost per MSY as stated in the 2006 NOFO.

The Corporation will consider expansion requests along with your request for continuation. However, you may be notified about approval of your continuation request separately from notification about a request for expansion.

Budget Increase

Like last year, the Corporation is setting a cap for budget increases for continuation applications. If you are not requesting an expansion of members, you may increase your budget up to but not over 1% of your approved 2006 budget. You may request up to this allowable increase, even if your number of MSYs remains the same, as long as the aggregated state cost per MSY is still within the minimum.

If you have questions about this policy, please contact your program officer.

Mikel Herrington
Deputy Director
AmeriCorps State Programs
1201 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20525
phone: (202) 606 - 6706
fax: (202) 606 - 3476
email: mherrington@cns.gov