Rural Community Toolbox: Funding & Resources for Rural Communities to Address Substance Misuse

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AmeriCorps State and National Grants

Link

https://americorps.gov/funding-opportunity/fy-2025-americorps-state-national-grants

Additional Links

Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)

Deadline

Application Deadline: Jan 23, 2025

Sponsor

AmeriCorps

Purpose

Awards competitive grants to organizations proposing to engage and manage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions and practices to strengthen communities. AmeriCorps members engage in community service through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that can be used to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans.

Funding priorities include:

  • Serve communities with concentrated poverty, rural communities, tribal communities, and historically underrepresented and underserved individuals, including but not limited to people of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, people with arrest and/or conviction records, and religious minorities
  • Implement programs for or expand access to youth mental health and substance use recovery services and prepare AmeriCorps members to enter behavioral health careers, including individuals with lived experience with mental health and substance use challenges
  • Improve the quality of life for veterans, active-duty members of the Armed Forces, and their families by recruiting veterans, military spouses, and their older children into national service
  • Promote environmental stewardship to help communities to be more resilient, especially underserved households and communities
  • Support civic bridgebuilding projects that reduce polarization and community divisions; and providing training in civic bridgebuilding skills and techniques for AmeriCorps members
  • Provide benefits to AmeriCorps members aimed at enhancing member experience and bolstering member recruitment and retention such as paying more than the minimum living allowance, transportation, housing, food, and more
  • Create workforce pathways for AmeriCorps members, including deliberate training, certifications, and hiring preferences or support
  • Enhance and expand services for second chance youth and/or to engage them as AmeriCorps members
  • Develop and train the next generation of diverse public health leaders through service while addressing pressing community health challenges
  • Utilize evidence-based interventions on the AmeriCorps Evidence Exchange that are assessed as having Moderate or Strong evidence to improve outcomes for individuals living in underserved communities
  • Faith-based organizations
  • Projects to be affiliated with the American Climate Corps (ACC)

Amount of Funding

Grant awards can be on a cost reimbursement or fixed amount basis. Matching funds requirements vary depending upon the type of grant award, see the funding announcement for more details.

Awards typically cover a 3-year project period. An initial award is made for the first year of operation, based on a 1-year project period. Continuation awards for subsequent years are not guaranteed and depend upon the availability of appropriations and satisfactory performance.

The period of performance may not be before July 1, 2025.

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants include Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, local governments, school districts, nonprofit organizations, state service commissions, states, and territories.

AmeriCorps encourages new applicants that have not received funding from AmeriCorps to apply.

There are 2 types of applicants:

  • Single-State applicants apply through the governor-appointed state or territory service commissions. Each commission administers its own selection process and submits the applications it selects to compete for funding directly to AmeriCorps. Single-State applicants must contact their State Service Commission to learn about their state or territory processes and deadlines.
  • National Direct applicants apply directly to AmeriCorps and include:
    • Organizations proposing to operate their program in more than 1 state or territory
    • States or territories without commissions, including South Dakota, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
    • Federally recognized Indian tribes

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building • New Program • Operating Costs and Staffing • Training Providers

Application Process

Single-State applicants must submit applications to the appropriate State Service Commission. State Commission application deadlines may be significantly before the AmeriCorps deadline for this opportunity. Contact the appropriate State Service Commission for details.

National Direct applicants must submit applications electronically through the eGrants web-based management system.

Application instructions, requirements, and other information about the online application process are available on the program website.

The 2025 AmeriCorps State & National Mandatory Supplemental Information offers additional guidance on preparing and submitting applications for this funding opportunity.

2025 State and National Grant Competition technical assistance webinars:

  • AmeriCorps State and National 101 recording
  • FY 2025 AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity recording
  • Best Practices for Performance Measures recording
  • Best Practices for Performance Measures Live Q&A recording
  • Best Practices in Budget Development recording
  • Best Practices in Budget Development Office Hour recording

Contact

For questions and technical assistance regarding National Direct applications:
202-606-7508
americorpsgrants@cns.gov
Live chat

For questions and technical assistance regarding Single-State applications:
Contact your State Service Commission

Rural Awards

Past awards communities received in fiscal year 2024 can be found on the program website.

Rural communities who have received funding include:

  • Christian Appalachian Project in Paintsville, Kentucky
  • Franklin County Dial/Self in Greenfield, Massachusetts
  • Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education in London, Kentucky
  • Peer Support for Chronic Illness Mid-Ohio Valley Appalachia program in Washington County, Ohio
  • Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota

Topics This Program Addresses

Community Planning and Coalition Building • Economic Development • Health and Wellness • Health Education for Community and Patients • Mental Health • Pre-K to 12 Schools • Substance Use Disorder • Vocational Training, Education, and Employment