TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Hurricane Relief Fund, managed by nonprofit Volunteer Florida Foundation, and the Corporation for National and Community Service announced today a new grant opportunity for nonprofits engaged in hurricane recovery efforts in Florida. An information meeting will be held in Orlando on May 13 to discuss the grant opportunity.

“We are honored to team with the Corporation for National and Community Service to help provide hurricane recovery assistance throughout Florida,” said Liza McFadden, president of Volunteer Florida Foundation. “Together we can continue to help Floridians recovering from the 2004 hurricane season.”

The value of this joint partnership is estimated at approximately $1.5 million over three years – with funding for up to 30 AmeriCorps*VISTA members each year for three years, plus funding from the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund to assist sponsored programs with administration.

“The silver lining from last summer’s devastating hurricane season was an unprecedented outpouring of compassion and service -- the largest volunteer disaster response in our nation’s history,” said Corporation CEO David Eisner. “We are pleased that national service volunteers were immediately on the scene and continue to play an important role in the recovery efforts. This new collaboration will provide more resources to help in the long term recovery effort.”

Via a competitive process, up to 30 AmeriCorps*VISTA members will be made available to aid Florida nonprofit organizations and other agencies to expand existing services or to develop new programs to assist in hurricane recovery. AmeriCorps*VISTA, a national service program funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), helps organizations increase capacity and expand programming in low-income communities. CNCS resources provide the VISTA members with a living allowance and other benefits, including an education award of $4,725 at the end of a year of service.

Eligible organizations must have the capacity to recruit, train and supervise AmeriCorps*VISTA members—full-time volunteers who commit to serve for at least one year – although project grants will be awarded to assist with rebuild efforts for a period of up to three years. Project sponsors must be able to direct the project toward hurricane recovery and provide necessary administrative support to complete the goals and objectives of the project. Those goals and objectives must be clearly defined and directed toward alleviating problems of low-income communities recovering from this past season’s devastating hurricanes.

Projects must be able to sponsor a minimum of five AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers in a full-time capacity, and preference will be given to organizations capable of supporting ten or more volunteers. Potential project sponsors that can support the development of small, grassroots organizations are strongly encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants include community and faith-based organizations, educational agencies and governmental organizations with 501(c)(3) designation.

The Florida Hurricane Relief Fund will provide matching funds to winning proposals to assist with training, housing and oversight of the VISTA members for this joint recovery project. Projects will be required to submit a separate grant request to the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund, upon approval of their AmeriCorps*VISTA program.

AmeriCorps*VISTA members recruit community volunteers, write grant proposals, prepare training materials, develop procedures and systems for new services, and do other things to increase the capacity and reach of the organizations where they serve.

An information meeting will be held in Orlando on May 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. to discuss the grant opportunity. The information meeting will be held at 1040 Woodcock Road, Conference Room 175, Orlando, FL 32803. To register for the meeting, please email Suzanne Richards at SRichards@cns.gov by Tuesday, May 10. There is no charge to attend this meeting. Deadline for initial submission is May 31, 2005.

For 40 years, AmeriCorps*VISTA has been helping bring communities and individuals out of poverty. Today, nearly 6,000 AmeriCorps*VISTA members serve in hundreds of nonprofit organizations and public agencies throughout the country. AmeriCorps*VISTA is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America. The programs of the Corporation engage more than two million Americans each year in meeting critical needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other areas. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

The Florida Hurricane Relief Fund was established by Gov. Jeb Bush to help Florida’s hurricane survivors with needs not covered by government or insurance assistance. Gov. Bush named nonprofit Volunteer Florida Foundation to manage it (http://www.volunteerfloridafoundation.org/). To date, the Fund has raised more than $20 million in monetary donations for Florida’s hurricane recovery efforts. Funding is being made in phases to help impacted communities assess needs on an on-going basis as recovery progresses. The Florida Hurricane Relief Fund is managed by nonprofit Volunteer Florida Foundation. To make a direct, tax-deductible donation to the Fund, call 1-800-825-3786 or visit http://www.flahurricanefund.org/.

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