Memorandum from Martin Kraar (New York, N.Y.) to Federation Executives, February 16, 1994

MEMO February 16, 1994 TO: Federation Executives FROM: Martin S. Kraar RE: The Council of Jewish Federations Request For Proposals for the Corporation on National and Community Service's AmeriCorps National Grant Program PREAMBLE On September 21, 1993 President Clinton signed into law the National and Community Service Trust Act, which created the Corporation for National and Community Service. The mission of the Corporation is to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community-based service. Since the formation of the Corporation, the Council of Jewish Federations has been providing the Federation network with information on the Corporation's programming opportunities. OVERVIEW On January 7, 1994 the Corporation for National and Community Service released through the Federal Register interim regulations on the program priorities, funding levels, and applications for Fiscal Year 1994 grant programs. These programs will award 50 grants totaling $49 million to national non-profit organizations, federal agencies, professional corps programs, and multi-state programs. The Council of Jewish Federations has made the decision to apply for a three-year operating grant through the National Service program dependent on the ability of Federations to develop a local direct service program. BASIC PREMISE It is a priority of the Jewish community in general and the Federation system in particular to promote opportunities for Jews of all ages and backgrounds to engage in enriching Jewish life experiences and become directly involved in the work of the Jewish community. The organized system must therefore engage in promoting creative linkages with people at all levels of interest and involvement in a manner which positively promotes Jewish self awareness, image, involvement, knowledge, and commitment to Tikkun Olam. The proposed program provides volunteer opportunities for people between the ages of 18 and 35 (but not exclusively) and therefore is an expansion of the traditional age boundaries of CJF and Federation HRD activity. The model offers a unique opportunity for our system to explore new methods for fostering voluntarism and supporting leadership development in ways which will directly contribute to Jewish continuity. COUNCIL OF JEWISH FEDERATIONS ? 730 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10003 ? 212/475-5000 There are two components of the budget that must be submitted to CJF from any Federation applicant: the "Budget Form" (a draft of this is located in appendix D) and the "Budget Narrative." The Budget form contains three columns: Corporation funds, matching funds, and total program funds. Under Corporation funds the total dollar amount may not exceed $210,000. Of this amount, not more than 85% can be used to fund living allowances and health care benefits of the Americorps participants. Administrative costs (see definition of Administrative costs in appendix C) may not exceed 5% of Corporation funds. The percentage of Corporation funding may not exceed 60% for the entire program budget. The remaining 40% of the budget must be "matched" by the Federation. Up to two-thirds of this match may be done by soft dollars (providing office space, support staff, transportation, etc.). REQUIREMENTS Federations applying for the CJF national program will be responsible for meeting program requirements established in two categories: Corporation requirements and CJF requirements. Corporation Requirements: Under most circumstances the requirements established by the Corporation will be the criteria for determining which programs will be included in CJF's grant application. There are three general priority areas that the Corporation has established: "getting things done" in communities, strengthening the ties that bind communities together, and improving the skills and citizenship of the participants. Getting Things Done Getting things done is defined by the Corporation in two ways: 1. Programs are able to provide a direct and demonstrable benefit that is valued by the community. 2. Programs are able to have a start-up date of September 1st. It is also strongly encouraged that programs meet as many of the four priority areas when developing programs that benefit the community. These four priority areas are defined as meeting the communities' educational, public safety, human, or environmental needs. Strengthening Communities Programs must strengthen communities by bringing together both institutions and individuals to cooperate in bringing about lasting and constructive change. Programs must perform projects that are designed, implemented, and evaluated with extensive broad-based local input, including consultation with representatives from the community being served, participants (or potential participants) in the program, community-based agencies with a demonstrable record of experience in providing services, foundations, business, and local labor organizations. ?4 The Corporation also stresses that bringing together diverse participants in activities that encourage mutual understanding and cooperation is a key element in the strengthening of communities. Participant Impact Programs must help participants develop, through their service experience, the ethic and skills needed for productive, active citizenship. Programs should thoughtfully employ service-learning or other educational methods in order to develop participants' skills in solving community problems, and to cultivate a lifelong ethic of productive, active citizenship. The Corporation has indicated that every participant who is eligible to vote must be registered to do so. Programs must also provide participants with the training, skills, and knowledge required in their perspective projects. In fulfilling this requirement, programs should provide participants with background information on the community so that the participant can understand why service projects are needed. For a detailed look at the Corporation's requirements please see "Appendix B" and "Appendix C" of this packet. CJF Requirements: ? History of strong administrative and operational relations with the local agency network. ? Receptivity to and acceptance of a human resource development perspective in the Federation/Agency system. ? History of, or current demonstrated commitment to, investing in lay and professional training programs. Past history of successful direct service volunteer development and placement either by Federation and/or its agencies. ? Demonstrated history of successful broad based coalition building, and interest in work with other groups/communities, on social and community action agenda items. ? Existence of or potential for significant volunteer placement opportunities within the community in geographic and programmatic areas which the Jewish social service agencies address and/or willingness to expand into new areas provided that new resources are made available through the grant. ? Adequate pool of potential program participants and plan for their recruitment. ? Past success, or capacity to, manage Federal or foundation grant opportunities. ? Existing supervisory structure which can manage the program within the context of existing Federation/agency priorities. This assumes the need to supervise an expanded staff and program both within the Federation and the cooperating agencies. ? Past history of openness, creativity and enthusiasm for new ideas and challenges. 5 APPLICATION ASSISTANCE Application assistance will be offered through your CJF Community Consultant, as well as by pre-arranged conference calls. Conference calls are currently scheduled for March 4th and March 18th at 3:00 pm EST and will address questions from those Federations responding to the CJF's Request for Proposals (RFP's). Please see the attached program calendar for a complete timetable of events in Appendix A. ELIGIBILITY FOR STATE GRANTS In addition to applying to the CJF sponsored national program, Federations are also eligible for funding through their State Commissions on Community Service (the State agency responsible for community service programming). State Commissions should be offering statewide grant competitions starting in late February. CJF will continue to provide Federations with timely and accurate information that will maximize their potential for receiving resources from State Programs. For more information regarding your State Commission, please contact your Governor's office and ask for the State Lead Contact on community service. You may also refer to the November 5th CJF "Action Alert" for this list. Should you apply through CJF or your State Commission? Corporation regulations state that any local organizations applying for a grant through the "National Program" must make the State Commission aware of their application. CJF suggests that this be done in the latest possible stages of the application process. This is because programs that are eligible for funding through the national program, may also be eligible for State funds. Therefore, if a program is not selected for incorporation into the CJF national grant, it may be adapted for submission to a state commission. The same program may not, however, be submitted to both CJF and a State Commission. If this occurs, both applications will be ineligible for funding from either source. It is impossible for CJF to recommend to which program a Federation should apply. This is because the determining factors are dependent on the Federation's relationship with the State Commission. Each State Commission has its own timeline, priorities, and board. Many Federations have already had a great deal of contact with their State Commission and, as a result, have positioned themselves as a strong applicant for funding, but this should not preclude responding to this RFP. If the Federation has had little contact with the State Commission, they should consider applying through CJF now and subsequently to State Commissions if not selected by CJF. APPLICATION Applications are due to CJF by March 25th, 6:00 pm EST. They must be no more than 10 double spaced pages (including the title page and forms), and must consist of the following sections: ? Title Page ? Summary Page ? Program Mission and Objectives form ? Program Narrative ? Budget Forms ? Budget Narrative A summary of each section of the grant can be found in Appendix^ D. When you return your intent to apply form, you will also be sent a final copy of the application, including all forms, and a template of the program narrative. In addition to submitting the grant to CJF on hard copy, the grant must be submitted on disk in some kind of IBM compatible format (WordPerfect, Word, ASCII,- no Mac!!). RESOURCE MATERIALS To assist you in applying for this grant please refer to Appendices B, C, D and E in this program packet. You may also contact Howard Feinberg at the CJF office at (212) 598-3521. 7