Expanding Research on Volunteerism and National Service

End Date: 6/13/2008
CFDA # 94.007

The Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) announces the availability of approximately $500,000 which will be used to make one to five awards, ranging from approximately $50,000 to $300,000 to expand scholarly and policy research in three areas:

1. Volunteering and civic engagement, using the Current Population Survey’s Annual Volunteer Supplement (CPS Volunteer Supplement);
2. The impact of national service on service participants, using datasets from Serving Country and Community: A Longitudinal Study of Service in AmeriCorps; and
3. Trends in the nonprofit sector that either impact or are created by national service.

The goal is to increase the Nation’s understanding and knowledge about the importance and potential of volunteering, national and community service, and/or civic engagement in America. Applicants should submit a three year plan with the knowledge that funding for years two and three of the agreement is contingent upon the availability of funds and the recipient’s satisfactory progress towards agreed-upon objectives.

Application Materials

• SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance - Microsoft Word)
• SF-424A (Budget Information - Non Construction Programs - Microsoft Word)
• CNCS - Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants (Microsoft Word)
• 15 page narrative as described in the Notice of Funding Availability

Frequently Asked Questions:

Submission Requirements

1. Should we submit other items such as letters of support or a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in addition to the required items?
   Please do not submit anything other than the four items listed in the Notice. If you submit items other than these four application components, they will not be reviewed.

Application Questions

1. I am a researcher at a university. Can I apply to you directly or must I go through my employer?
   The applicant for this competition must be an institution of higher education, it cannot be an individual. Please talk to administrators at your university to coordinate the application process.
   
2. How do I fill out question 14 on the SF-424 that asks for “areas affected by the project”?
   It depends on what you propose. Many applicants may look at national trends; others might restrict their research to a particular area of the country. Please fill in the geographic areas of the United States that your research will include.

Eligibility

1. I have a strong research background in international volunteering and plan to submit an application proposing to use the CPS data to examine international volunteer trends – is this within the scope of your research interest?
   No. The Corporation is authorized by law to support only domestic, national and community service programs and projects. This funding will not be awarded to support projects that are international in whole or in part.
   
2. I am a doctoral student. Am I eligible to apply?
   No. Only institutions of higher education may apply. Furthermore, the selection criteria listed on page 5 of the NOFA under both “organizational capacity” and “research design” make clear that the Corporation will consider the quality of each application based on the proposed researchers’ standing and experience in the volunteer, national/community service, and civic engagement fields. This funding is intended to support experienced and established researchers; it is not a vehicle for supporting doctoral dissertations.
   
3. Why is this competition limited to institutions of higher education?
   The reason this competition is limited to institutions of higher education is two-fold. First, we already have large contracts with nonprofit research organizations and would like to expand the number and type of researchers examining volunteering and service. Second, we would like to grow an interest in volunteering, service, and civic engagement at institutions of higher education. Our hope is that increased research on volunteering, service and civic engagement on college campuses will expose more professors, students and administrators to these ideas.
   
4. Will the successful applicant(s) be allowed to subcontract any of the grant monies? If yes, are there any restrictions on the type of organization that can receive a subcontract?
   The grant money for this funding opportunity can be subcontracted. For this competition, subcontracts are appropriate when the applicant (which must be an institution of higher education) can demonstrate that a subcontractor would greatly enhance the applicant's ability to implement the proposed research design. The applicant organization must have strong credentials in its own right, but a subcontractor might round out an applicant's experience or provide targeted help in one area of the proposed activities. There is no restriction on the type of organization or entity; however if you do propose a subcontractor, Reviewers will be looking for appropriateness and fit with your research design and will evaluate whether the applicant organization has the skills and capacity to oversee the subcontract.
   
5. Are organizations with applications for funding pending with the Corporation eligible to apply?
   Yes, organizations with applications for funding pending with the Corporation are eligible to apply.
   
6. My organization currently receives CNCS funds through another program. Are we eligible to apply?
   Yes. Recipients of other Corporation grants are eligible to apply.

Data

1. I have seen CPS data from the Volunteer Supplement used for reporting at the national level, for states and MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas). Is the data available at more local levels, including counties, cities or neighborhoods?
   The public use datasets for the CPS Volunteer Supplement contain several geographic identifiers for the location of each selected household, including state, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), city and county. However, the county and city are not identifiable on the public use dataset for most respondents, with certain exceptions. For more information about sub-national geographical identifiers in the CPS volunteering supplement dataset, consult Attachment 11 of the technical documentation for the September 2007 CPS supplement: http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpssep07.pdf
   
2. Can you describe the overlap of CPS respondents between the Volunteer Supplement in September of each year and other CPS supplements?
   Each month, the CPS sample consists of eight groups of households, each about the same size. Each household group has spent a different number of months in the CPS rotation; respondents in each household complete four monthly CPS surveys (including any supplemental surveys), are not surveyed for eight months in a row, then complete four more monthly surveys. Between two consecutive September volunteer supplements, there is 50% overlap. The September supplement sample overlaps to some extent with the June, July, August, October, November and December supplements from the year, the previous year, and the next year. Table 3.6 in CPS Technical Paper 66, “Design and Methodology” (http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/tp-66.pdf), contains a summary of the overlap between two recent CPS supplements:
   
   Table 3-6. Proportion of Sample in Common for 4-8-4 Rotation System Interval (in months)
   Percent of sample in common between the 2 months
   1............................75
   2............................50
   3............................25
   4-8...........................0
   9............................12.5
   10...........................25
   11...........................37.5
   12...........................50
   13...........................37.5
   14...........................25
   15...........................12.5
   16 and greater................0

Other

1. Does this application require a cash or in-kind match?
   No – neither type of match is required. However, 15% of the selection criteria is based on “budget and cost effectiveness.” All other things being equal, providing a match makes the application more competitive.
   
2. Will these applications be reviewed in confidence?
   Yes, the applications will be reviewed in total confidence. All CNCS grant reviewers sign a confidentiality agreement as part of their agreement to review.
   
3. When will the successful applicant(s) be notified?
   We plan to notify successful and unsuccessful applicants by approximately August 1, 2008.
   
4. Do you expect the successful applicant will be from any particular geographical region?
   The successful applicant(s) will be a US institution of higher education. Other than being in the United States, we do not expect the successful applicant(s) will be from any particular geographical region.
   
5. Can we use grant funds to buy computers for this project?
   Technically, under this grant, you may purchase “equipment” (items with a unit acquisition cost of $5,000 or more) or “supplies” (items with a unit acquisition cost up to $5,000) which might include computers. However, the research supported by this grant isn’t likely to require equipment, and we expect that most universities have access to computers. The selection criteria include a category called “budget/cost effectiveness” that is worth 15% of the total score. All other things being equal, applications proposing expenditures on computers or equipment will not be as competitive as those that do not.
   
6. Is it possible to win a Federal grant competition without the help of professional grant writers?
   Yes, it is possible to win a Federal grant competition without enlisting the help of professional grant writers. Two key tips are to never assume the reviewers know anything about your organization, and use a proofreader who is unfamiliar with your work.
   
7. Once the grant is awarded, how will progress be measured?
   During the negotiation process, the Corporation and the grantee will jointly agree on the work outcomes and indicators of success. The recipient will report annually on agreed upon performance measures.

Technical Assistance Information:

A technical assistance phone call to answer questions about this Notice was held on Wednesday, May 14 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A replay of the call is available by dialing 1-888-568-0611.