[Federal Register: March 27, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 59)]
[Notices]               
[Page 14907-14909]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27mr98-60]

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CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

 
Availability of Funds and Education Awards Under the AmeriCorps 
Education Awards Program

AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and education awards under the 
AmeriCorps Education Awards Program.

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SUMMARY: The Corporation for National and Community Service (the 
``Corporation'') seeks to expand opportunities for individuals to serve 
as AmeriCorps members and earn educational benefits, broaden the 
network of national service programs and strategies, increase the 
number of communities joining with AmeriCorps to better meet compelling 
local needs, and encourage additional non-federal resources to support 
national and community service.
    Accordingly, the Corporation announces the availability of up to 
10,000 education awards from the National Service Trust (the Trust) for 
national, state, and local community service programs that: (1) Can 
support most or all of the AmeriCorps member and program costs from 
sources other than the Corporation; (2) meet agreed-upon AmeriCorps 
program requirements; and (3) are judged to be high quality according 
to Corporation criteria, as highlighted below and set forth in the 
application materials. The education awards may be earned by AmeriCorps 
members successfully completing full-time, part-time, or reduced part-
time terms of service in a community service program approved through 
this application process.
    AmeriCorps Education Awards programs supported through this 
competition are expected to uphold standards of service quality, member 
support and program management similar to other AmeriCorps programs in 
order to maintain the integrity of the AmeriCorps National Service 
Network. However, the Corporation has modified certain AmeriCorps 
requirements and permits program sponsors greater management and 
operating flexibility. In addition, the Corporation will consider 
requests for up to $500 per full-time member (pro-rated for part-time 
members) to manage these programs.
    Potential program sponsors eligible to apply under this Notice 
include national nonprofit organizations, multi-state collaborations, 
State Commissions on National and Community Service (on behalf of local 
non-profit organizations, state and local units of government, other 
state-wide programs, and programs operating only within the state), 
institutions for higher education, and state education agencies.
    Program and administrative requirements are set forth in the 
application guidelines issued by the Corporation.

DATES: Applications may be obtained on or after March 25, 1998. There 
are two separate competitions for funding with the following deadlines: 
April 23, 1998, and June 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Application materials and additional information may be 
requested from: AmeriCorps Education Awards Program, Corporation for 
National Service, 1201 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20525. 
Materials may also be requested by telephone, at 202/606-5000, ext. 
417, or (TDD) 202/565-2700, and may be requested in an alternative 
format for the visually impaired.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Corporation is a federal government corporation that engages 
Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community-based service. This 
service addresses the Nation's education, public safety, environmental, 
and other human needs to achieve direct and demonstrable results. In 
doing so, the Corporation fosters civic responsibility, strengthens the 
ties that bind us together as a people, and provides educational 
opportunity for those who make a substantial commitment to service.
    Pursuant to the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. 12501, et seq. (the Act), the Corporation may 
``support innovative and model programs.'' 42 U.S.C. 12653(b). In 
addition, an individual can receive an education award from the 
National Service Trust if, among other things, the individual 
``successfully completes the required term of service * * * in an 
approved national service position.'' 42 U.S.C. 12602. The Act defines 
an approved national service position to include six specific service 
positions and ``such other national service positions as the 
Corporation considers to be appropriate.'' 42 U.S.C. 12573.
    The AmeriCorps Education Awards Program was launched in the 1997 
program year, during which 104 proposals were approved, representing 
approximately 14,000 service positions. Sponsors include national non-
profit organizations, state commissions, institutions of higher 
education, state and local agencies, and local organizations. Program 
requirements and application guidelines have been refined based on the 
experience of this first year.

Program Eligibility and Design

    The Corporation will accept applications from eligible applicants

[[Page 14908]]

proposing to sponsor a national service program that addresses unmet 
education, public safety, environmental, and other human needs in the 
community served. The Corporation seeks high-quality programs that (1) 
``get things done'' to meet local needs, (2) strengthen communities, 
and (3) develop members. Programs must establish specific objectives 
which are subject to the Corporation's approval.
    The Corporation seeks programs that will support most or all 
program and participant costs (other than the education awards) through 
sources other than the Corporation. However, the Corporation will 
consider requests for up to $500 per full-time member (pro-rated for 
part-time members) to manage the program and will fund all the approved 
education awards. A request for funds in addition to the education 
awards should only be made when necessary and may affect approval of 
the proposal due to lack of available funding. There is no match 
requirement under the AmeriCorps Education Award Program.
    Programs will be required to cooperate with the Corporation and its 
evaluators in all its monitoring and evaluation efforts. Semi-annual 
program progress reports will be required. Member hours must be 
tracked, and member enrollment, end-of-term, and other National Service 
Trust forms must be submitted in compliance with existing requirements.
    By getting things done, the Corporation means that programs are 
expected to meet specific and articulated local needs through direct 
and demonstrable service, and must include clear objectives related to 
the proposed service activities and results.
    To strengthen communities, programs should engage a full range of 
local partners to build a self-sustaining commitment to service.
    To develop members, programs should provide appropriate training, 
education, supervision, and support to carry out the service 
activities.

Program Strategies

    The Corporation intends to support a variety of strategies under 
this initiative. The following are examples of strategies for part-time 
(including summer) and full-time programs. Applicants are encouraged to 
identify additional strategies and demonstrate to the Corporation why 
they should be supported.
    1. School-based and community-based service programs, including 
youth corps, that provide tutoring and mentoring for younger children 
and opportunities to participate in service projects after school, on 
weekends, and during school vacations.
    2. College-based programs in which student AmeriCorps members, 
including Federal Work Study students, perform service (or serve as 
service-learning coordinators) in local schools or other community 
settings.
    3. Summer programs in which AmeriCorps members organize service and 
other positive activities for children and youth.
    4. Before and after-school child care programs led by AmeriCorps 
members and funded by local communities.
    5. Full-time service programs run by faith-based organizations, 
youth corps, or other entities.
    6. Fellowship programs in which individuals such as recent college 
or professional school graduates are placed in community service 
positions.
    7. Programs sponsored by youth-serving organizations that create 
opportunities for older members or graduates of the organization to 
provide positive activities for younger members.
    8. Service programs for college students that involve part-time 
service during the academic year and full-time service during the 
summer.
    9. Programs initiated by mayors and other local officials to 
integrate locally funded AmeriCorps members into community-wide 
strategies to meet local needs.

Terms of Service

    Programs must enroll members for full-time, part-time, or reduced 
part-time terms of service. A full-time term of service requires 
members to serve at least 1700 hours during a period of not less than 
nine months and not more than a year. A part-time term requires members 
to serve at least 900 hours during a period of not more than two years. 
Reduced part-time terms are less than 900 hours, and are either: (1) 
Full-time--at least 35 hours per week--for a minimum of 8 weeks during 
the summer or another multi-month period; or (2) service of at least 
450 hours during a single academic year (i.e., September to May), while 
enrolled in college.
    Under the AmeriCorps Education Awards Program, the Corporation will 
not accept proposals for part-time terms of more than two years nor for 
reduced part-time terms other than the two types explained above. 
Successful applicants will have up to one year following the start of 
the program to select and place members who will receive the approved 
education awards upon successful completion of their service.

Member Recruitment and Development

    Programs must recruit and select members in a non-partisan, non-
political, and non-discriminatory manner. Members must be U.S. 
citizens, U.S. nationals, or lawful permanent resident aliens. Members 
must be at least 17 years old at the time of their enrollment, except 
for out-of-school sixteen year-olds who may participate in youth corps 
programs and programs for disadvantaged youth that address the need for 
housing and other community facilities in low-income areas.
    Programs are encouraged to recruit members who possess leadership 
potential and a commitment to the goals of national service, regardless 
of the member's educational level, work experience, or economic 
background. Programs should engage diverse members, community 
volunteers and staff in service activities, and should actively seek to 
include members and staff from the communities in which projects are 
conducted, as well as individuals of different races and ethnicity, 
ages, genders, education levels, socioeconomic backgrounds, and 
individuals with disabilities.
    Programs must provide members with the training, skills, and 
knowledge necessary to perform the tasks required in their respective 
projects. In addition, programs must provide reasonable accommodation, 
including auxiliary aids and services, based on the individualized need 
of a member who is a qualified individual with a disability. Also, 
programs are encouraged to help members who have not completed their 
secondary education to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma.
    In recruiting and placing members, programs must not displace any 
employee or position, or otherwise violate the non-displacement 
provisions of the Corporation's regulations, which are published at 45 
CFR 2540.100(f).

Member Benefits

    The Corporation does not require that a living allowance be paid, 
or health care and child care benefits be provided, to members under 
the AmeriCorps Education Awards Program. While the Corporation strongly 
encourages program sponsors to do so whenever possible, Corporation 
funds may not be used to provide any part of an allowance or such 
benefits. However, programs proposing full-time members must explain 
how these members will meet basic living expenses during their terms of 
service.
    The maximum living allowance which may be paid to full-time 
AmeriCorps Members under this

[[Page 14909]]

program is $16,680 per year, regardless of the source. Any living 
allowance for a part-time Member may not exceed a prorated share of a 
maximum of $16,680 per year on a full-time basis. This maximum may be 
waived by the Corporation, upon request, for certain professional corps 
and similar programs.
    Programs must also establish and maintain a procedure for receiving 
and resolving grievances from members and other interested individuals 
concerning the program.

Eligibility for and Use of Education Award

    Members who successfully complete full-time, part-time, or reduced 
part-time terms of service are eligible to earn no more than two 
education awards. Full-time education awards are $4,725, and part-time 
education awards are $2,362.50. Amounts of reduced part-time education 
awards are prorated to the number of hours served.
    The education award may be used only for specific educational 
purposes: (1) To repay a member's qualified student loans; or (2) 
toward the cost of a member's attendance at a qualified institution of 
higher education or approved School-to-Work program. The education 
award is not transferable to anyone other than the member. The award 
will be paid directly to the loan holder or the educational institution 
by the Corporation.

Prohibited Service

    Prohibited activities may not be performed by participants in the 
course of their duties, at the request of program staff, or in a manner 
that would associate the activities with the national service program 
or the Corporation. However, members are free to engage in such 
activities on their own initiative, on their own time, and at their own 
expense. These activities include:
    (1) Any effort to influence legislation;
    (2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or 
strikes;
    (3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing;
    (4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective 
bargaining agreements;
    (5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities 
designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office;
    (6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities which are 
likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political 
platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected 
officials;
    (7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, 
providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory 
religious education or worship, constructing or operating facilities 
primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or 
engaging in any form of religious proselytization;
    (8) Providing a direct benefit to (a) a business organized for 
profit, (b) a labor union, (c) a partisan political organization, (d) a 
nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions 
contained in Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or 
(e) an organization engaged in the religious activities described in 
paragraph (7) above, unless Corporation assistance is not used to 
support those religious activities;
    (9) Voter registration drives by AmeriCorps members.

Eligible Applicants

    State Commissions, national non-profit organizations proposing to 
operate in more than one state, and multi-state collaborations, must 
apply directly to the Corporation. Institutions of higher education and 
state education agencies may apply directly to the Corporation, or to 
State Commissions, as below.
    Local non-profit organizations, state and local units of government 
(other than state education agencies), other state-wide programs, and 
other programs operating solely within the state must apply through 
respective State Commissions. Interested applicants should first 
contact their respective commissions.
    Current Education Awards Program sponsors should contact the 
Corporation or their respective State Commissions for information about 
continuing their existing programs.
    Pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an organization 
described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 
U.S.C. 501(c)(4), which engages in lobbying activities, is not eligible 
to apply, serve as a host site for member placements, or act in any 
type of supervisory role in the program.
    This Notice does not apply to organizations currently operating, or 
interested in applying to become, AmeriCorps*VISTA cost-share projects. 
Such organizations should contact the respective state office of the 
Corporation for National Service.

Criteria for the Selection of Programs

    The Corporation will employ the following criteria in the review of 
proposals under this initiative:
    1. Program Quality. A proposal must establish clear and specific 
objectives to meet compelling community needs, demonstrate the 
applicant's capacity to implement meaningful service activities based 
on these needs, and select, train and manage AmeriCorps members to 
carry out these needs. The proposal should evidence strong community 
support and the capacity to substantially and positively impact the 
community being served, as well as to document that impact.
    2. Program Growth. If the applicant currently sponsors an 
AmeriCorps project or other community service project, the proposal 
must evidence how the availability of education awards will add value 
to the program and increase the program's impact in the community.
    3. Preference for Youth Programs. The Corporation will give 
preference to proposals addressing the needs of our Nation's children 
and youth, such as tutoring, mentoring, after-school and summer 
programs, and immunization, as well as programs to involve children and 
youth in performing service themselves.
    4. Summer Programs. For the application deadline of April 23, 1998, 
the Corporation will give a preference to programs which will begin 
operations during June or July, 1998.

Selection Process

    The Corporation will judge proposals with a process that includes 
review by outside experts, staff review and recommendations, and final 
approval by the Corporation Board.
    The Corporation will enter into negotiations with potentially 
successful applicants in a manner that may require significant 
modifications to original proposals. Awards are contingent on 
successful completion of negotiations. The number of applications 
approved, the number of education awards provided to approved programs, 
and the duration of approved programs are subject to the availability 
of funds and education awards.

    Dated: March 23, 1998.
Thomas L. Bryant,
Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 98-8017 Filed 3-26-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6850-28-P