Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS GRANTS 011609 001
Apply for CNCS GRANTS 011609 001
- The Corporation for National and Community Service in the community development disaster prevention and relief education employment, labor and training environment food and nutrition health other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Learn and Serve America School Based Competitive FY 2009" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 27, 2009 and posted on Jan 16, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 14, 2009 The deadline for submission of applications is 500 p.m. Eastern Time on April 14, 2009. Applications must be submitted using eGrants, the Corporations integrated, secure, web based system for grant application and management. To create and submit an application via eGrants, please visit http://www.learnandserve.gov/egrants. ALERT Dear National Service Colleagues, In early April we will take another important step toward improving the speed and reliability of our technology environment by moving our production systems to new servers at the Corporations headquarters. In order to make this upgrade, our systems including the My AmeriCorps Portal, Recruitment System, eGrants and eSPAN will be unavailable from 800 PM Eastern, Friday, April 3 through 800 AM Eastern, Monday, April 6. I am alerting you to this scheduled system outage now to enable you to plan your work accordingly and to encourage you to refer to the operating status page for additional updates and to learn system status. I appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue the necessary process of enhancing and strengthening our systems. Thank you. Kristin McSwain Chief of Program Operations Corporation for National and Community Service. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $5,700,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $450,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Private institutions of higher education.
- Eligible applicants include State Education Agencies, Indian Tribes and Grantmaking Entities (GMEs). GMEs are defined by statute for the purposes of this competition as public or private nonprofit and faith based organizations, which have existed at least one year before applying, are experienced with service learning, and are proposing to make subgrants in two or more states. All grantees must make and oversee subgrants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) partnerships to implement service learning activities in local communities. LEA partners may include private schools, for profit businesses, faith based organizations, other nonprofits, and institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Learn and Serve America School Based Competitive FY 2009 opportunity is a discretionary grant program from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) intended to expand and strengthen school-based service-learning across the country. The program is built around CNCSs broader mission of improving lives, strengthening communities, and encouraging civic engagement through service and volunteering. In practical terms, the funding is meant to help organizations provide money, training, and hands-on support to local education partnerships so they can run service-learning projects that benefit students while also tackling real community needs.
For FY 2009, CNCS anticipated making about $5.7 million available, assuming congressional appropriations were finalized as expected. CNCS estimated it would fund roughly eight to ten awards total. Each award was expected to fall in the range of about $300,000 to $450,000 per year, and projects could run for as long as three years. A cost-sharing or matching requirement applied, meaning grantees needed to contribute non-federal resources alongside CNCS funds as part of the overall project budget.
The core purpose of these grants is to involve school-age youth in high-quality service-learning, meaning students do more than volunteer. Instead, service activities are deliberately tied to learning objectives and structured reflection so students build academic skills, civic habits, and problem-solving ability while addressing community challenges. The announcement highlights that projects may focus on many common community issue areas, including environmental concerns, education-related needs, public safety, health and human services, and other local priorities. The funding activity categories listed for the opportunity reflect that wide scope, spanning community development, disaster prevention and relief, education, workforce and training, the environment, food and nutrition, health, and regional development, with an emphasis on service-learning and community service.
CNCS laid out several agency priorities for the 2009 school-based competition. One priority was promoting strong service-learning models that support STEM objectives in middle schools, particularly in schools serving high percentages of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Another priority was expanding service-learning as a teaching strategy that increases student motivation to learn, strengthens community problem-solving skills, and improves readiness for careers and postsecondary education. A third priority was engaging young people in service-learning that directly addresses community needs in ways that contribute to healthier communities. Together, these priorities signal an emphasis on educational outcomes (especially STEM and learning engagement) paired with tangible community impact.
Eligibility was structured around entities that could manage subgrant programs rather than only running a single local project. Eligible applicants included State Education Agencies, Indian Tribes, and Grantmaking Entities (GMEs). GMEs were defined in the statute for this competition as public or private nonprofit (including faith-based) organizations that had existed for at least one year, had experience with service-learning, and proposed to issue subgrants in two or more states. A key requirement across all award types was that grantees must make and oversee subgrants to Local Education Agency (LEA) partnerships that would carry out the service-learning work in communities. Those local partnerships could include a wide mix of collaborators such as private schools, for-profit businesses, faith-based organizations, other nonprofits, and institutions of higher education, reflecting CNCSs focus on cross-sector collaboration around schools.
The application process was fully electronic through CNCSs eGrants system. The deadline to submit applications was 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 14, 2009, and the opportunity was posted January 16, 2009. The announcement also included an operational notice about a planned technology outage: CNCS production systems, including eGrants, the My AmeriCorps Portal, the Recruitment System, and eSPAN, were scheduled to be unavailable from 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday, April 3 through 8:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday, April 6 due to a server migration at CNCS headquarters. Applicants were encouraged to plan ahead around that downtime and check system status updates.
For applicants needing help accessing the full announcement or navigating submission issues, the notice provided a contact point: Cara Patrick at 202-606-7510, with a note that this contact could also help connect callers to the Learn and Serve America program directly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Learn and Serve America School Based Competitive FY 2009 grant opportunity?
This opportunity is a discretionary grant program from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) designed to expand and strengthen school-based service-learning across the United States. The funding is intended to help organizations provide money, training, and hands-on support to local education partnerships that run service-learning projects benefiting students while addressing real community needs.
What is the main goal of this program?
The core purpose is to involve school-age youth in high-quality service-learning. That means students do more than volunteer; their service activities are intentionally tied to learning objectives and include structured reflection so students build academic skills, civic habits, and problem-solving abilities while working on community challenges.
Who is the federal agency offering this grant?
The grant is offered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
How much funding did CNCS anticipate making available for FY 2009?
CNCS anticipated making about $5.7 million available for FY 2009, assuming congressional appropriations were finalized as expected.
How many awards did CNCS expect to make?
CNCS estimated it would fund roughly eight to ten awards in total.
What is the expected award size?
Each award was expected to range from about $300,000 to $450,000 per year.
How long can projects last under this opportunity?
Projects could run for as long as three years.
Is there a cost-sharing or match requirement?
Yes. A cost-sharing or matching requirement applies, meaning grantees must contribute non-federal resources alongside CNCS funds as part of the overall project budget.
What types of activities or issue areas can service-learning projects address?
The announcement notes that projects may focus on a wide range of community issue areas, including environmental concerns, education-related needs, public safety, health and human services, and other local priorities. The listed funding activity categories reflect this broad scope, spanning community development, disaster prevention and relief, education, workforce and training, the environment, food and nutrition, health, and regional development, with an emphasis on service-learning and community service.
What were CNCS priorities for the 2009 school-based competition?
The opportunity highlights several priorities for FY 2009, including:
- Promoting strong service-learning models that support STEM objectives in middle schools, particularly in schools serving high percentages of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Expanding service-learning as a teaching strategy that increases student motivation to learn, strengthens community problem-solving skills, and improves readiness for careers and postsecondary education.
- Engaging young people in service-learning that directly addresses community needs in ways that contribute to healthier communities.
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Eligibility included entities able to manage subgrant programs. Eligible applicants were:
- State Education Agencies
- Indian Tribes
- Grantmaking Entities (GMEs)
What is a Grantmaking Entity (GME) for this competition?
For this competition, a GME is defined in the statute as a public or private nonprofit (including faith-based) organization that has existed for at least one year, has experience with service-learning, and proposes to issue subgrants in two or more states.
Do applicants have to make subgrants?
Yes. A key requirement across all award types is that grantees must make and oversee subgrants to Local Education Agency (LEA) partnerships that carry out the service-learning work in communities.
Who carries out the local service-learning work funded through subgrants?
Local Education Agency (LEA) partnerships carry out the service-learning projects in communities using subgrant support provided and overseen by the main grantee.
What kinds of organizations can be part of LEA partnerships?
The announcement indicates local partnerships may include a wide mix of collaborators such as private schools, for-profit businesses, faith-based organizations, other nonprofits, and institutions of higher education. This reflects CNCS's emphasis on cross-sector collaboration around schools.
How do applicants submit an application?
The application process was fully electronic through CNCS's eGrants system.
What was the application deadline for this opportunity?
Applications were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 14, 2009.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on January 16, 2009.
Was there any scheduled downtime that could affect submitting through eGrants?
Yes. CNCS noted a planned technology outage due to a server migration. CNCS production systems (including eGrants, the My AmeriCorps Portal, the Recruitment System, and eSPAN) were scheduled to be unavailable from 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday, April 3 through 8:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday, April 6. Applicants were encouraged to plan ahead around that downtime and check system status updates.
Which systems were included in the planned outage?
The planned outage included CNCS production systems such as eGrants, the My AmeriCorps Portal, the Recruitment System, and eSPAN.
What should applicants do to avoid issues with the outage?
Applicants were encouraged to plan ahead to avoid the downtime window and to check for system status updates.
Who can applicants contact for help with the announcement or submission issues?
Applicants needing help accessing the full announcement or navigating submission issues could contact Cara Patrick at 202-606-7510. The notice also states this contact could help connect callers to the Learn and Serve America program directly.
What is CNCS trying to achieve through Learn and Serve America school-based service-learning?
The program is aligned with CNCS's broader mission of improving lives, strengthening communities, and encouraging civic engagement through service and volunteering. In practical terms, it supports organizations that can provide funding, training, and direct support so local education partnerships can deliver high-quality service-learning with both educational benefits and community impact.
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Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (CNCS GRANTS 011609 001) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Learn and Serve America Community Based Programs FY 2009 Apply for CNCS GRANTS 011609 002 Funding Number: CNCS GRANTS 011609 002 Agency: Corporation for National and Community Service Category: Community Development Disaster Prevention and Relief Education Employment, Labor and Training Environment Food and Nutrition Health Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Fund Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| Learn and Serve America School Based Indian Tribes US Territories FY 2009 Apply for CNCS GRANTS 011609 003 Funding Number: CNCS GRANTS 011609 003 Agency: Corporation for National and Community Service Category: Community Development Disaster Prevention and Relief Education Employment, Labor and Training Environment Food and Nutrition Health Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Fund Funding Amount: $120,000 |
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