AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity Planning Grant

AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity Planning Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: ServeNebraska
Amount: Up to US $75,000
Last Updated: February 10, 2026

Summary

The AmeriCorps Funding Opportunity Planning Grant, provided by ServeNebraska, supports organizations in developing effective service programs to address community needs. This grant enables applicants to build operational capacity, develop program components, and receive essential training. With a focus on evidence-based interventions and quality management, recipients are better equipped to manage AmeriCorps grants and enhance their community impact, ensuring that resources are utilized effectively without duplicating existing services.

Overview

ServeNebraska As the State Service Commission for Nebraska, ServeNebraska addresses community and state challenges by investing in high impact service solutions, while leveraging public, private, and nonprofit partnerships and resources. Through AmeriCorps, and Volunteer Action, ServeNebraska transforms small investments into big community impact. Cathleen Plager, ServeNebraska Executive Director leads the agency in conjunction a Governor approved board of Commissioners. The Commission develops and adopts policies that guide the State’s AmeriCorps grant making process. ServeNebraska receives federal funds from the AmeriCorps Agency to support AmeriCorps programs. AmeriCorps mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. Through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, AmeriCorps has helped to engage millions of citizens in community and national challenges through service and volunteer action. AmeriCorps grants include an allotment of AmeriCorps member positions and provide partial funding to support AmeriCorps projects and programs. Grants are solely for program expenses and cannot be used for general organizational operating expenses. AmeriCorps members or grant funds can help meet unmet needs or can expand an organization’s ability to better address community needs, but cannot be used to duplicate, displace, or supplant resources that already exist in a community. Using national service as an appropriate strategy ServeNebraska is committed to continuing to demonstrate that service is a powerful strategy to address community challenges. Successful program designs clearly identify those directly impacted by the challenges, and identify an intervention proven to address the need, and clearly articulate why the efforts of AmeriCorps members are an appropriate strategy to deliver the intervention. This includes demonstrating how AmeriCorps member service activities will enhance or expand an organization’s ability to better address a community problem, and how the AmeriCorps program will not duplicate, displace or supplant resources that already exist to address the stated problem. Applying an evidence-based approach ServeNebraska expects those seeking an investment from AmeriCorps to demonstrate that their proposed intervention is guided by the best available research evidence that supports its effectiveness. This includes demonstrating that the proposed intervention will lead to the desired outcomes, and providing strong evidence that the proposed intervention is effective for the target population and community challenge identified. Dedicated to quality ServeNebraska seeks to invest in programs that are committed to making a difference and incorporate quality management practices to oversee the program and ensure appropriate investment of public funds. ServeNebraska values programs that can successfully implement the program design by assuring that the systems and processes necessary for managing and accessing the effectiveness of the program are present. AmeriCorps Planning Grant An AmeriCorps Planning Grant provides successful applicants with resources needed to develop program components and to build operational capacity critical to managing an AmeriCorps grant. Grant recipients also receive training and technical assistance from ServeNebraska to strengthen their AmeriCorps program design and to create implementation plans and systems for managing a complaint AmeriCorps program. Recipients who successfully complete their planning grant deliverables will be better prepared to apply for an operational grant as well as operate an AmeriCorps program, if funded. Grant Award Amount The maximum grant amount that can be requested through this opportunity is up to $75,000.00.

Eligibility

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