Message from David Eisner, CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service
and
Rosie K. Mauk, Director of AmeriCorps

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the AmeriCorps rule, which our board unanimously approved this week, has been released. It can be read today on the Corporation’s website (http://www.americorps.gov/rulemaking), and will be published in the Federal Register in a more compact, readable format next Friday, July 8.

Based on significant input from the field about what would be most helpful, our initial roll-out materials include:

• New AmeriCorps Rule
• Side-by-Side Comparison of New Rule With Current Requirements
• Summary of New Rule
• Frequently Asked Questions (To Be Continually Updated)

All of these documents can be found at www.americorps.gov/rulemaking . We hope that they meet your needs. In the weeks ahead, we will be updating them as necessary to make them as comprehensive and useful as possible. Highlights of the new rule are listed below.

The rule is the product of a long, collaborative process to respond to Congressional direction to decrease the Federal share of program costs and to provide the AmeriCorps program with greater consistency and predictability. The new rule varies in several significant ways from current practice, and in a number of less significant ways from the proposed rule circulated last August. Thanks to significant input from a wide variety of stakeholders, the rule contains a number of provisions that will make AmeriCorps stronger, more effective, and more competitive, while also ensuring greater leveraging of Federal funds and recognizing the diverse nature of our grantees.

Timing and Implementation

The new rule — which will supersede prior provisions, including those in regulations, grant provisions, and guidelines — takes effect on September 6, sixty days from the date of publication in the Federal Register. The sections on member activities, tutoring, and state commissions’ directly operating programs will become operational at that time. Match requirements will also become operational, although no grantee will have to increase its match above current requirements until 2006, at the earliest. Program staff will work with our grantees to ensure that they incorporate the new requirements into their program models, and the Corporation will amend the 2005 grant provisions to reflect the changes, as necessary. The sections on selection criteria and grant review process, performance measures, and evaluation will not become operational until the 2006 program year.

Sustainability and Match

Grantees will assume an increasing share of program costs over time. Currently, grantees are required to match 15 percent of member support costs and 33 percent of operational costs. The new rule requires, in addition to the current minimum requirements, an overall match percentage that increases gradually to 50 percent over a period of 10 years. The rule also specifies that programs that demonstrate they are unable to meet this requirement and operate predominantly in rural or economically depressed areas can apply for a waiver to match at a lower alternative match schedule.

Selection Criteria

The new rule incorporates elements of sustainability into the grantee selection criteria, and readjusts the “weighting” of criteria the Corporation uses to assess applications. Specifically, the new selection criteria are: 50% Program Design, down from the current 60%; 25% Organizational Capability, consistent with current practice; and 25% Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy, up from the current 15% total for that category. We believe these criteria will more effectively predict program success and ensure a stronger AmeriCorps portfolio.

Performance Measures

The new rule requires that each grantee establish a set of aligned performance measures — consisting of an output, an intermediate outcome, and an end outcome — that address the program’s primary activity or significant area of activity. AmeriCorps grant guidelines and grant provisions currently require a set of performance measures but do not require that they be aligned.

Evaluation

The new rule requires that programs with an average annual Corporation grant of $500,000 or more over five years arrange for an independent evaluation covering a period of at least one year. All other grantees must perform an internal evaluation. Under current practice, grantees are encouraged to obtain an independent evaluation and must do so if provided for in the approved budget. The preamble also notes the intention of the Corporation to work toward the creation of statewide evaluations, national evaluations, and the development of evaluation tools and guidelines for programs conducting internal evaluations.

Tutoring

The new rule requires members who engage in tutoring either to have a high-school diploma, or its equivalent, or to pass a program-selected proficiency test. Programs must ensure that tutors receive appropriate training and supervision to enable them to perform their duties effectively. Under current practice, programs should identify standards to qualify individuals as tutors.

The Corporation is committed to working closely with our grantees and other stakeholders so that everyone understands how the new rule will affect them. In the next several weeks, we will be hosting conference calls and scheduling meetings and calls with grantees and other interested parties, and will be offering extensive training and technical assistance at the AmeriCorps grantee meeting in August.

We are deeply grateful for the extremely high level of participation in the entire rulemaking process. Your input has helped us craft a more informed, fair, and equitable rule that, we believe, strengthens the AmeriCorps program and leaves it well positioned for a successful future.

Sincerely,

David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer
Corporation for National and Community Service

Rosie K. Mauk, Director of AmeriCorps

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