FY 2022 AmeriCorps Seniors - American Rescue Plan Senior Demonstration Program | AC 11 01 21

Opportunity Information: Apply for AC 11 01 21

The FY 2022 AmeriCorps Seniors - American Rescue Plan Senior Demonstration Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from AmeriCorps designed to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic using resources provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). The central idea is to fund demonstration projects that mobilize adults age 55 and older in meaningful service roles that directly support local reopening and recovery efforts. While the funding is available nationwide, the notice places special emphasis on proposals that serve communities that were hit hardest by COVID-19, which typically includes places with high illness and death rates, strained health and social service systems, and heightened economic or social disruption.

This opportunity creates what AmeriCorps calls the "AmeriCorps Seniors American Rescue Plan Demonstration Program," a set of projects meant to show practical, scalable ways older adult volunteers can address urgent community needs tied to pandemic recovery. Applicants are expected to clearly describe how they will recruit, engage, and support volunteers ages 55+ and how those volunteers will be deployed to produce measurable benefits in one or more priority areas established under the American Rescue Senior Demonstration Program framework. In other words, the application is not just about good intentions or general volunteerism; it must lay out a coherent plan for placing older adults into defined service activities that respond to concrete recovery challenges.

The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes many types of public and nonprofit organizations. Government entities at the state, county, and city/township level may apply, along with special district governments. Education-based applicants include independent school districts as well as public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Tribal eligibility is also included through federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations. Housing-focused public entities such as public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are eligible as well. On the nonprofit side, both 501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education) are eligible, which expands access to community-based organizations that may be well positioned to reach vulnerable populations and implement recovery services quickly.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number AC 11 01 21 and is listed under CFDA 94.017. The activity categories attached to the notice reflect the wide range of allowable recovery-related work, including community development, consumer protection, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment and workforce-related support, food and nutrition, health, housing, and regional development. This breadth signals that AmeriCorps Seniors is open to multiple types of recovery projects, provided they are grounded in pandemic-related community needs and are built around service by adults 55 and over.

Key dates and award details included in the source data indicate the notice was created on November 1, 2021, with an original closing date of February 3, 2022. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided data, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for the funding ranges, budget rules, match requirements (if any), and selection criteria. Even without those figures, the intent is clear: ARP funds are being used to expand AmeriCorps Seniors capacity for targeted, time-sensitive demonstration projects that help communities stabilize, reopen, and rebuild after COVID-19, leveraging the skills, experience, and availability of older adult volunteers to meet local recovery priorities effectively.

• The AmeriCorps in the community development, consumer protection, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment, labor and training, food and nutrition, health, housing, regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2022 AmeriCorps Seniors - American Rescue Plan Senior Demonstration Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 94.017.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-11-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-02-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for AC 11 01 21

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