FY26 AmeriCorps Planning & Program Grants

Geographic Scope: New Hampshire

Overview:
Volunteer NH administers AmeriCorps grants to organizations seeking to develop or operate AmeriCorps programs in New Hampshire. This includes both Planning Grants for organizations new to AmeriCorps and Program Grants for experienced organizations.

AmeriCorps Planning Grants

• Purpose: Awarded to eligible organizations to spend up to one year developing a full AmeriCorps program
• Award: No AmeriCorps members come with this grant
• Target Audience: Organizations without prior AmeriCorps experience
• Typical Activities:
  • Determining member activities
  • Developing recruitment strategies
  • Creating partnerships with host sites
  • Planning member orientation

AmeriCorps Program Grants

• Purpose: Awarded to eligible organizations to create a program with typically at least 10 AmeriCorps members serving full-time
• Service Duration: 10-12 months
• Focus Areas: Education, environment, health & wellness, disaster services, veterans, and more
• Eligibility: Organizations must have prior AmeriCorps experience or have successfully completed a Planning Grant with Volunteer NH
• Award Duration: Three years (Competitive Grant) or one year (Formula Grant)

Funding Competitions

Competitive Grant Competition:

• National competition with awards for three years
• Timeline: September – December application, April award decisions
• Organizations submit to Volunteer NH, who submits to AmeriCorps (federal agency) for final decisions

Formula Grant Competition:

• State-only competition based on NH-specific priorities
• Limited funding available
• Awards made on one-year basis only
• Timeline: February-April application, May award decisions

Contact Information

• Phone: 603-271-7200
• Email: info@volunteernh.org
• Website: volunteernh.org

Application Process

For 2023-2024 Formula Grants (as example):

1. Attend Informational Meeting (Optional but recommended)
   • Planning Grant Informational Meeting held via Zoom
2. Submit Intent to Apply
   • Due: 5pm on specified deadline date
   • Link provided on application page
3. Attend Grantwriting & Budget Training
   • Held via Zoom
   • Specific dates scheduled after Intent to Apply deadline
4. Submit Complete Application Package
   • Due: 5pm on application deadline
   • Must include all required documents as specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
   • Separate NOFOs for Planning Grants and Program Grants
5. Receive Notification
   • Award or rejection notifications sent with possible clarification requests

Required Materials

• Complete application as outlined in NOFO
• Budget documentation
• Additional documents as specified in NOFO
• FAQs available for Planning Grants

Key Resources

• 2023-2024 Planning Grant NOFO (downloadable PDF)
• 2023-2024 Program Grant NOFO (downloadable PDF)
• Planning Grant FAQs
• Grantwriting & Budget Training materials
• Planning Grant Informational Session recording and slides

Contact for Questions

• Finance Questions: Lesley Rossi (Lesley@volunteernh.org)
• Programmatic Questions: Andrea Johnston (Andrea@volunteernh.org) with cc to Emily Planchet (Emily@volunteernh.org)