National resources. Local impact.
Supporting Volunteer Caregivers
In September 2024, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) awarded a second 5-year cooperative agreement to the team of the Oasis Institute, USAging, Caregiver Action Network and Altarum to further develop, expand and refine Community Care Corps, a national program initiated in 2019 which fosters innovative models providing volunteer nonmedical assistance to family caregivers, older adults, or persons with disabilities age 18 and older to maintain independence in the community.
This unprecedented initiative awards funds to organizations across the country to increase the number of community- and home-based volunteers programs available to provide nonmedical assistance while decreasing the number of older adults, persons with disabilities age 18 and older, and family caregivers who need assistance in maintaining independence in the community but are unable to obtain help.
The Administrators evaluate the effectiveness of those models in different communities nationally and work with grantees to identify those conceptual approaches used in model development and implementation that improve outcomes, reduce barriers and are replicable. These approaches will be compiled into the Community Care Corps Learning Library for individuals and organizations across the country to use in the development, implementation and right-sizing of a local model for their community.
Stay up to date on this program by subscribing to our Community Care Corps Newsletter and visiting our News & Events page.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Explore the most common questions we hear about Community Care Corps and our programs.
The Community Care Corps is a national, federally funded grant program that funds and evaluates innovative local models designed to provide volunteer assistance to family caregivers, older adults, and persons with disabilities to assist in maintaining independence by providing nonmedical volunteer assistance in home or community-based settings.
The first Cooperative Agreement with ACL ran from September 1, 2019, through August 31, 2024.
The second Cooperative Agreement with ACL runs from September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2029.
Selected Community Care Corps grantees are awarded 18-month grant cycles throughout the cooperative agreement period.
We have received 608 applications over the past 4 funding cycles and disseminated funds to 109 grantees total. We anticipate funding between 23 and 33 new grantees in the 2025-2026 grant cycle.
The Administrators will distribute funds to foster development, expansion and refinement of innovative volunteer nonmedical assistance models which support older adults, people with disabilities, and their family caregivers to maintain independence in the community.
Community Care Corps’ goal is to increase the number of community-based volunteer programs available to provide nonmedical assistance to older adults, persons with disabilities age 18 and older, and their family caregivers to maintain independence in the community while decreasing the number of older adults, persons with disabilities age 18 and older, and family caregivers who need assistance in maintaining independence in the community but are unable to obtain help.
The Administrators will evaluate the effectiveness of local models in different communities nationally and work with grantees to identify Effective Elements, those conceptual approaches used in model development and implementation that improve outcomes, reduce barriers and are replicable. These Effective Elements are compiled into web tool, Learning Library, that individuals and organizations across the country may use to develop, implement and right-size a local model for their community. You will find a link to the Learning Library in the menu bar of the Community Care Corps website.
We feel that providing examples of programs will impede applicants from thinking as creatively and innovatively as possible – two chief goals of Community Care Corps. We wish to foster groundbreaking models in which volunteers assist family caregivers, older adults, or persons with disabilities age 18 and older by providing nonmedical care to help them maintain their independence. We are reluctant to make suggestions that could have the unintended consequence of limiting imagination on how to best assist these target populations. We want applicants to have completely open minds, free of any pre conceived notions or direction.
To keep the application process fair and competitive we are unable to respond to whether your proposed model is a good fit or not. I encourage you to attend the Informational Webinar which will be recorded and posted on the Community Care Corps website, www.communitycarecorps.org, as well as the RFP and FAQ page to see if you meet eligibility criteria. Community Care Corps will not answer any questions outside the webinar and posted FAQ.
We cannot share information about a successful work plan as our current grantees may be using that information to generate their new application, and that would be inappropriate to share with you. If you look at section 8.4 of the RFP which provides instructions on how to generate a work plan.
You can read about all the previously funded local models on the Community Care Corps website. The website has a short abstract about each funded local model under Grantees in the menu.
This is a competitive funding opportunity. We cannot share information about a funded organization’s local model as they may be applying for additional funding. Whether or not a currently or previously funded organization is willing to share information about their local model is up to them.
We are not collecting Notices of Intent to Apply and therefore have no way to provide this information.
No. New applicants can apply for funding to develop a new model or expand or refine existing programs which have produced evidence of providing quality assistance to older adults, persons with disabilities age 18 and older, or family caregivers. See section 1.2 of the RFP. But it is important to remember that funds are to supplement, not supplant, funding that would otherwise be available for volunteer activities.
The Administrators will award 18-month grants ranging in size from $30,000 to $200,000.
Apply for the amount needed to develop and implement your local model, that you can meet the match requirement for, and that your organization demonstrates capacity for.
We do not state a required minimum or maximum number of individuals served, but your model’s narrative responses, budget and work plan should support your decision on deliverables. The dollar value of the funding requested must appropriately reflect the number of individuals to be assisted. There is no definitive answer telling what an appropriate ratio of individuals served to the amount of funding requested. Each proposed model has a different value per type of assistance offered. Applicants will need to use their best judgement to determine what is reasonable.
Not all applications selected will receive the full amount requested. If you are chosen and the recommendation is to fund less than the requested amount, we will contact you requesting an updated budget for the new amount and an updated set of deliverables achievable with that amount. We will then reevaluate your proposal.
A wide range of non-profit entities are invited to apply. See section 2 of the RFP. Examples of the type of organizations that are eligible to apply are:
- Local Communities
- Non-profit organizations
- State, county, and local governments
- Domestic public or private non-profit entities
- Indian tribal governments and organizations (American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Americans
- Faith-based organizations
- Community-based organizations
- Hospitals
- Institutions of higher education
- Local aging service organizations as defined in 102(5) of the Older Americans Act of 1965
- Centers for independent living as defined in section 702 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- Entities with expertise in the delivery of such services and supports
- Time-banking or volunteer agencies with expertise in the delivery of home and community-based services to older adults and people with disabilities
Yes. All applicants must be a non-profit 501c3 to apply. Organizations cannot profit from the funds provided by Community Care Corps.
The important thing to note in your question is that multiple chapters are under one FEIN with an IRS 501c3 group designation. Multiple chapters could not apply under the same EIN#. But you could have a proposal that incorporates a multi-location project. In that case, you would need to have a lead organization. Per the RFP, section 2.1.3: More than one organization may partner in a single application, but one organization must be designated as the lead applicant, recipient, and manager of award funds. The lead applicant will be required to submit letters from the partnering organizations confirming their participation in the proposed local model. The same applies for one organization with multiple geographic regions.
If the fiscal agent is a not-for-profit, yes, you may apply. The fiscal agent will be the primary and will be subject to compliance according to the Uniform Guidance (as will your organization). The fiscal agent should have a Unique Entity ID and a SAM registration. There should be a written agreement between the fiscal agent and the organization outlining the responsibilities of each party to the agreement. Per section 2.1.3: More than one organization may partner in a single application, but one organization must be designated as the lead applicant, recipient, and manager of award funds. The lead applicant will be required to submit letters of commitment from the partnering organizations confirming their participation in the proposed local model.
The 501(c)3 status must be activated by the date your application is due in the portal, for you to apply.
Unfortunately, you will need to wait for IRS approval.
We welcome applications from organizations that were not funded in previous years. Please attend our informational webinar for more information about the new RFP. The link to the webinar can be found on the homepage of our website: www.communitycarecorps.org. The webinar will be recorded, and the link will be posted in the same location.
Fee-paid membership organizations such as Villages are welcome to apply.
Having other ACL funding or applying for ACL funding does not exclude you from applying.
Yes, all US states and territories are eligible to apply including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Island.
The webinar is informational, but not mandatory. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the website. You will find the link on the homepage of the Community Care Corps website. Please note, Community Care Corps will not answer any questions outside the webinar and posted FAQ.
We do not perform site visits prior to choosing grantees. We perform virtual site visits during the grant period.
An organization may only apply for this grant through one application per year and cannot apply for itself and be part of an application involving more than one organization.
Yes. However, the lead applicant must be a nonprofit entity. The nonprofit organization must be designated as the lead applicant, recipient, and manager of award funds. The lead applicant will be required to submit letters of commitment from the partnering organizations confirming their participation in the proposed local model. The letters can be loaded into the portal just like the budget, budget narrative, and work plan.
Tablets and hotspots are reimbursable items. Please see the instructions in the Budget Summary to determine which expense category to place them.
We cannot answer this question for you. You should consult with your Tax Accountant or outside accounting firm for advice on the taxation of volunteer stipends.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes. The Budget Form and Budget Narrative both have categories for contractual relationships.
You may pay drivers for transportation. You will be required to generate a contractual agreement with them, and the funding allocated for this purpose will be placed under contractual in the Budget Form and Budget Narrative. Volunteers receiving a stipend or mileage reimbursement are not considered as contractual.
Mileage is reimbursable. We will not pay for travel to conferences unless you are presenting on Community Care Corps at the conference.
There are no restrictions in the RFP about providing stipends or mileage reimbursement. You can find more information about mileage reimbursement on the instruction page of the Budget Form.
Community Care Corps is not a construction and rehabilitation grant. We do not fund construction of office space, interior or exterior, for organizational use. Please note that construction is not the same as repair and rehabilitation is not the same as modification. Community Care Corps funds may only be used for basic home modifications and minor repairs that promote health and safety. Be mindful of the mission of Community Care Corps which is for innovative local models to use volunteers to provide nonmedical assistance to family caregivers, older adults, and persons with disabilities in order to maintain independence.
Please see section 2.2 of the RFP, Funding Limitations and Requirements which clearly states what Community Care Corps cannot fund. Also, please note section 3.2.3 which states: Volunteer assistance MUST be nonmedical assistance. Volunteer assistance MUST NOT include any form of health or medical care or evaluative including personal care services.
No. Section 2.2 of the RFP, Funding Limitations and Requirements state that funding may not be used for income maintenance or financial assistance.
No. Section 2.2 of the RFP, Funding Limitations and Requirements state that funding may not be used for construction or rehabilitation of buildings.
Yes. This is an allowable expense.
Community Care Corps funding may be used to pay salary and fringe for organization staff working directly on the Community Care Corps local model. Organizations must document in the budget the % FTE for each individual staff member and provide supporting documentation upon request to prove that each staff member is meeting the obligation.
Yes, national and statewide efforts are eligible to apply. You may provide volunteer assistance beyond your local geographic region. Fully explain your intended reach in the narrative section of the application.
We understand that sometimes local data is not available to demonstrate the needs of the community you intend to serve. Provide the most appropriate data you have available to demonstrate your community need.
Describe the community support local organizations demonstrate for your local model and your community outreach for support at all stages of development and implementation.
Yes.
Volunteer local models must assist one or more of three target populations:
- Family caregivers
- Adults age 60 and older
- Persons age 18 and older with a disability (as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990)
The term ‘family caregiver’ means an unpaid adult family member or other individual (e.g. foster parent, friend, neighbor) who provides assistance to an individual who has difficulty living independently.
Caregivers in states that allow payments to caregivers are still eligible recipients of volunteer assistance under our grant.
We have no concerns about this as long as they are serving one of the 3 target populations of older adults, family caregivers or adults with disabilities.
Please refer to 3.2.3 for the definition of nonmedical assistance. Volunteer assistance MUST be nonmedical assistance. Volunteer assistance MUST NOT include any form of health care service including personal care services or medical advocacy during appointments.
Funding MAY NOT be used for medical assistance or professional health care services (section 2.2.1). Volunteers are to provide only nonmedical assistance to older adults, persons with disabilities age 18 and older, and family caregivers. Proposals offering ADL assistance do not qualify for this funding opportunity.
The Community Care Corps program is an opportunity for community organizations to use volunteers to address some of the gaps in existing basic supports for family caregivers, older adults, and persons with disabilities age 18 and older. Community Care Corps will not replace the important services that the paid home care workforce and other professionals provide to help individuals live independently in the community. Notably, Community Care Corps volunteers will not provide medical assistance or professional health care services.
The nonmedical assistance would be to the caregiver only. You could not count the paid caregiver services provided to the loved ones in any of the deliverables, outputs, or outcomes. The funding received from Community Care Corps cannot cover the costs of paid caregivers.
All nonmedical assistance must be provided by volunteers. Refer you to section 3.2.3 of the RFP which states: Volunteer assistance MUST be nonmedical assistance. Volunteer assistance MUST NOT include any form of health care service including personal care services.
Community Care Corps does not fund any paid caregiver services. The volunteers cannot participate in any paid caregiver services. If bringing in an aid or paid caregiver allows a care recipient to participate in your local model, that is allowed as long as the aid or paid caregiver is not funded by Community Care Corps. That aid or paid caregiver does not quality to be counted as a volunteer.
We will allow education and training activities to prepare persons with disabilities age 18 and older for the workforce. Assistance to all the target populations must be provided by volunteers to meet program requirements.
Underserved populations to be served by the proposed local model are defined by Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, dated January 20, 2021. See section 8.1.2.5.
The organization proposing the local model will need to make the distinction of who it intends to serve.
Section 2.1.1. indicates that we want to fund local models that represent a diverse cross section of the nation reflective of geography, urban/rural/frontier, and tribal communities, limited English-speaking populations and underserved communities.
Yes.
All volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to participate in this grant and pass a criminal background check. Any students age 18 or older who pass a criminal background check can be a volunteer.
Yes. We do not have a restriction on stipends to volunteers. You may include stipends for interns in the budget under direct expenses and you may count them as volunteers.
Unfortunately, we cannot utilize any students under the age of 18 regardless of the level of supervision.
See section 1.2.3.7. Grantees may utilize volunteers for program administration and operation as opportunities for professional skills building.
Mentorship is an allowable volunteer model.
There is no requirement for the amount of assistance with instrumental activities of daily living an individual may need or receive. Community Care Corps does not require funded organizations to complete a formal assessment on the individuals receiving assistance and the assistance provided does not have to be limited by results of a social service assessment.
We have no restrictions on the number of volunteer-assisted opportunities organizations can offer to family caregivers, older adults, and persons with disabilities age 18 and older. The amount of work required for implementation should be reasonable and the budget should be adequate for effective and efficient implementation.
Laundry is an IADL, instrumental activity of daily living. ADLs are bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding, grooming etc. IADLs such as laundry, meal preparation, housekeeping, and yard work are nonmedical and therefore allowable.
Additional training for volunteers is appropriate to assist them in handling potentially difficult situations, for example, when providing respite for a person with dementia.
Nonmedical services are those tasks which can be performed by volunteers without specialized training, education, or certification. Nonmedical services do not include personal care activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, transfers, feeding, medication management.
Health care services are tasks that would require a degree, specialized training or certification such as administering medication, taking blood pressures, assisting with activities of daily living or providing any doctor ordered care.
If these tasks are being performed by skilled professionals such as social workers, therapists, nurses, case managers, other health professionals or any specially trained individual then it is considered a health care service.
Local models can be implemented in person, virtually or a hybrid of the two.
The delivery of the organization’s local model should be adaptable to provide both virtual, remote, and in person assistance; and recognize adaptability in an ever-changing environment.
Possibly, if the services are considerably different. If you are aware of another organization in your area submitting an application, is a collaboration possible?
Current and newly recruited volunteers can be used for local model implementation. This must be clearly documented in the Work Plan and description of expected outcomes and deliverables.
Yes. See section 1.2.3 and 5. for all of the grant expectations and requirements that must be met.
You do not need to send a Notice of Intent to Apply.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available to view on October 14, 2024. Applications will be accepted from October 28, 2024 through December 11, 2024. The RFP and application portal can be accessed through CommunityCareCorps.org starting October 28, 2024. NO applications will be accepted after 5:00 ET on December 11, 2024.
Yes. All applicants will receive either a notice of award or a notice of decline.
If additional funding is authorized, Community Care Corps will post a new RFP yearly until the end of its cooperative agreement with ACL.
We plan to announce awards of successful grantees in March 2025. The grant cycle will begin April 1, 2025.
The grant period will be for 18 months.
Yes. Successful grantees will need to show proof of volunteer liability insurance coverage before they sign their contract with Oasis and receive their grant funds. Grantees will be required to carry a minimum general policy of $1 million for each occurrence and $2 million aggregate, which covers volunteers. If applicable, automobile liability coverage should be included in coverage too. Grantees are expected to comply with all applicable federal and state laws concerning insurance coverage.
Yes, we will provide technical assistance on topics including background checks. We will offer technical assistance to support protocols for criminal background checks consistent with the requirements of the Nationwide Program for National and State Background Checks for Direct Patient Access Employees of Long-Term Care Facilities and Providers.
The cost of background checks varies from state to state. Unfortunately, there is no preset price that can be quoted from Community Care Corps.
Organizations applying for funding must provide their own volunteer insurance coverage which can be paid for using Community Care Corps funding. Volunteer insurance is an example of an “Other Direct Expense” so you can include the cost of liability insurance related to volunteers in your budget.
Community Care Corps requires all volunteers providing service to pass a background check. Every volunteer providing assistance to any of the target populations must have a background check regardless of the number of interactions the volunteer has. If your state does not require background checks for volunteers, at a minimum, Community Care Corps requires a basic background check for volunteers assisting its care receivers. If the volunteers are having direct contact with the caregiver or care recipient, fingerprints are also required. It is our duty to keep the vulnerable populations safe.
All volunteers must complete a background check at minimum meeting the state requirement.
If the volunteer is providing unsupervised direct assistance to the care recipient or caregiver, fingerprinting is required.
If you are partnering with the organization providing the volunteers, then the background checks they completed will qualify for Community Care Corps if they meet the stated background check requirements and are less than 1 year old. Otherwise, the volunteer will need to have a new background check completed.
Community Care Corps requires all volunteers providing service to pass a background check. If your state does not require background checks for volunteers, at a minimum, Community Care Corps requires a basic background check for volunteers assisting its care receivers.
You may use Community Care Corps funds to pay for background checks for volunteers. It is a direct expense.
Use of Community Care Corps funds for background checks for volunteers is an allowable expense and should be included in the budget.
Community Care Corps cannot reimburse for expenses incurred prior to the start date of the grant period.
The work plan is a detailed description of how you plan to develop and implement your local model. The goals are the desired results. The objectives are the milestones you need to achieve those desired goals, and the key tasks are time-constrained specific tasks assigned to an individual that completes the milestone. Outcomes are measurable changes such as a reduction in caregiver stress. Outputs are countable products such as the number of volunteers providing assistance.
See the provided work plan template for instructions on completion.
Section 5.3 references Evaluation Efforts stating that all grantees are required to collect and report 12 months of data during the specified funding year. Grantees may use up to 6 months to ramp up their program for implementation in the last 12 months of the 18-month cycle. Currently, federal funds are not secured beyond one year. Therefore, applicants should consider this a single cycle grant. Grantees should provide plans for sustainability.
The Administrators will only commit to fund applicants for one grant period of 18 months. Currently, federal funds are not secured beyond one year. Therefore, applicants should consider this a single cycle grant. Grantees should provide plans for sustainability.
The table is provided in the portal as a direct question. You will simply enter the number of individuals you intend to assist and the number of volunteers who will provide the assistance. In the portal, this will be under Proposal and Narrative question 8.1.2.3.
We do not require you to collect personal identifying information (PII) from those receiving volunteer assistance. If you do collect PII you will be required to keep such data secure.
Community Care Corps does not collect personal identifying information. We encourage all grantees to keep this information secure. Even the identifiers used for survey collection are deidentified.
We love testimonials! A minimum of two (2) videos per grant cycle and 2 written stories per quarter featuring caregivers and care recipients receiving assistance is a requirement for all grantees. Community Care Corps will assist with video editing.
The staff members technically are not volunteers if they are being paid their regular pay to “volunteer” where they work. It is not a conflict. Staff members are just being paid to do different tasks for a day. If an organization wants to count the volunteer hours and pay the staff from different funding sources, outside of Community Care Corps, it can be counted as in-kind/match.
Grantees will be provided platforms to regularly report on both outputs and outcomes. Grantees will be required to report certain output data such as number of older adults, persons with disabilities age 18 and older, and family caregivers assisted as well as the number of volunteers providing assistance, hours of volunteer nonmedical assistance provided and occurrences of each type of volunteer nonmedical assistance provided. Grantees will be required to distribute a survey (provided by Community Care Corps) to be filled out by individual family caregivers, older adults, and persons with disabilities age 18 and older receiving volunteer assistance. These surveys will capture self-reported data on seven outcome measures: caregiver stress and care recipient unmet need, loneliness, social isolation, perceived ability to continue living independently in the community, and assessment of person-centeredness of volunteer services. In addition, the following outcome measures, specific to volunteers, will include volunteer motivations, intent to continue volunteering, perceived benefits of volunteering, and knowledge and utilization of person-centered care practices. Pre- and post- survey data can be collected online using provided links, on paper, or by phone. Any data not collected online will need to be manually entered into the database by the grantee.
It is a reimbursement grant. You may request 10% of the value of your federal funds at the start of the grant period.
Absolutely! This is a frequently missed budget item that is essential to recruit volunteers, care recipients, and educate the community about your local model.
Federal share only refers to funds requested from Community Care Corps. The HUD funded services would be reflected as cash match/non-federal. There is a place in the narrative where you would indicate federal vs non-federal funding sources.
Yes. We do not have restrictions on stipends.
Grantees are reimbursed quarterly.
Yes, to receive federal funding you will need to obtain registration with SAM. It is not really a number as much as a registration with them. Per section 5.5. of the RFP (see the RFP for the actual links): Applicants must register to do business with the U.S. Federal Government by completing a registration process in the Federal System for Award Management, SAM.gov. As a part of that SAM.gov registration process, applicants will obtain a Unique Entity ID (formerly a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number). If you are already registered in SAM.gov, then you have already been assigned a Unique Entity ID and it is viewable in your SAM.gov entity registration record. Proof of registration, including your entity’s Unique Entity ID, must be supplied to the Administrators before funds are disbursed. Since registration may take up to one month, it is recommended to begin that process now. If you have not already registered in SAM.gov, please click on this link, SAM.gov, to complete your registration.
Correct. The SAM registration must be complete prior to the start of the grant cycle.
Yes. You will mark the SAM registration as pending in the portal when entering your application.
If organizations meet the following requirements, then the 990-N E-postcard is acceptable.
Small tax-exempt organizations generally are eligible to file Form 990-N to satisfy their annual reporting requirement if their annual gross receipts are normally $50,000 or less. Gross receipts are the total amounts the organization received from all sources during its annual accounting period, without subtracting any costs or expenses. Gross receipts are considered to be normally $50,000 or less if the organization has been in existence for 1 year or less and received, or donors have pledged to give, $75,000 or less during its first taxable year; has been in existence between 1 and 3 years and averaged $60,000 or less in gross receipts during each of its first two tax years; and is at least 3 years old and averaged $50,000 or less in gross receipts for the immediately preceding 3 tax years (including the year for which calculations are being made).
Yes. There is a 25% match requirement for grant funds that may be cash and/or in-kind. For instance, the value of the hours that your volunteers will spend providing assistance can be counted as in-kind contributions toward the 25% match.
The minimum match is calculated based on the Total Funds. Total Funds = Funds requested + match requirement. The minimum match can be calculated as follows:
Funds Requested/3 = Match Amount
$200,000/3 = $266,667 – $200,000 = $66,667
Match does not have to be secured at time of application. On the Budget Narrative you will indicate if the match is secured, in process, or anticipated.
See section 8.3.3.3. of the RFP, Non-Federal – In Kind Contributions (Match) which states: If a reasonable and documentable fair market value of volunteer assistance is not easily determined, value of volunteer hours may be calculated with the following equation: number of volunteer hours worked multiplied by the Independent Sector Rate. You will be required to establish a procedure to collect the number of volunteer hours. You may round up or down to the nearest 30 minutes. You may use the Independent Sector rate if you have not determined an appropriate value for volunteer time in your area. Then it is simply the number of hours times the dollar value to calculate the value of the time.
You cannot double report match. If you are using the hours for another grant, it cannot be used again as match for Community Care Corps.
Yes. However, it is not required, and no additional weight is given to applicants who provide additional match support.
In kind match would consist of volunteered time or volunteered use of facility space to hold meetings. An example of a cash match would be a donation to the organization specifically intended for use with the Community Care Corps local model.
Both federal funding sources can fund the same program, but they cannot be used as matching funds. The applicant would still have to meet the match obligations for both funding sources with non-federal funding.
Yes. This would be a cash match.
The 25% match does not necessarily have to be new monies raised if existing dollars are truly going to be reallocated to support the Community Care Corps project.
Section 4.3 of the RFP discusses Match Requirements. Per this section, the following sources cannot be used toward the match: Federal Funds, funds used to match other grants. This would apply to using Community Care Corps funds as match for other federal grants.
Please see section 4.3 of the RFP. As long as the funds are not Federal dollars and are not used as a match for other funds, this is allowable.
Yes, titles and offerings from church members can be used as cash match.
You may request federal funding between $30,000 and $200,000. If you only need $86,000 in federal funds to develop and implement your local model, only request $86,000. If this includes your 25% match, request your total budget minus match which is the amount of federal funds needed.
OMB is the most authoritative guideline and we are following it.
Section 7.1.5.3.10. Completed and certified Financial Management Survey-Applicants must submit a completed Financial Management Survey. Certification of this document is achieved when the preparer provides a digital signature on the document attesting that the information provided is correct to the best of their knowledge and ability. No other certification, such as notarization is required. The survey is a downloadable document in the portal.
We will accept, as an alternative, either a recent financial statement prepared internally or a current IRS Form 990. Organizations that have or can secure an independent audit report or review should please do so. We added this information in the application portal where we ask you to upload an audit report.
Section 8.2.3.3. covers indirect cost agreements and indirect costs. If an applicant has a federally approved indirect cost rate agreement, the applicant may use its approved rate. If an applicant does not have a federally approved indirect cost rate agreement, the applicant may include up to a de minimis rate of 10% of direct program costs as indirect costs.
Examples of indirect costs are rental costs for office space (excluding the cost of short-term rentals for event space for program-related activities), costs of operating and maintaining facilities, salaries and expenses of executive officers and/or administrative personnel, accounting, office equipment and office supplies.
If an applicant has a reasonable allocation methodology for identifying overhead expenses such as telephone expense or rent expense as allocable to a specific project, those expenses may be included as a part of direct expenses as long as their federally approved indirect cost rate or the de minimis rate calculation also takes into account overhead expenses as a part of direct expenses. For example, if in calculating an organization’s federally approved indirect cost rate, 100% of rent is included in the calculated rate, an applicant cannot include any portion of rent as a direct expense in its budget because that would result in a duplication of indirect expenses. Conversely, if a portion of rent is allocated as a direct expense of various programs and only a portion of rent is included as a part of the organization’s federally approved indirect cost rate, rent expense that can be reasonably allocated to the funded program may be included as a part of the direct expenses in the applicant’s budget.
Community Care Corps reimburses selected grantees on a quarterly basis. As per all federal funding reimbursements, grantees will be required to submit a quarterly financial report and provide documentation supporting reported expenditures upon request. Forms for quarterly financial reporting will be provided.
Please see section 5.2. of the RFP for additional information.
Local entities should provide plans for project sustainability. We will provide technical assistance on ways to sustain your local model. Stronger sustainability plans will receive preference in the review process, but proposals without strong sustainability plans will not be disqualified solely on that factor.
Sample survey documents are posted on the Community Care Corps website RFP page.
The webinar is recorded and will be posted on the Community Care Corps website.
Yes, however, be cautious that two people are not editing the same section/question at the same time because you may save over each other’s data.
Yes, you may go back and edit any task. Only after you complete your final submission with the “submit” button, will you no longer be able to edit your application.
This is a restricted word limit. If, for example, you have a 300-word limit and you exceed that limit, SMApply will flag that and not allow you to mark as complete until the limit is modified to 300 words or less.
The portal mirrors the RFP. Everything you need to complete the application in the portal is in the RFP itself.
Go to our home page and complete the form at the bottom. It will add you to our mailing list.
We offer learning collaboratives for selected grantees to learn about the models other organizations are offering. The project manager will also connect grantees by email if appropriate.
All applications that meet the below screening criteria will be considered for funding. If all the screening criteria are not met, the application will not be moved forward for review by the independent review committee.
To reduce errors, read the RFP carefully. Answer each item fully. Be sure to upload all the fully completed required documentation. Meet all the screening criteria stated in sections 8.5. as only those applications that meet the documented screening criteria will be considered.
For an application to be reviewed, it must meet the following requirements:
- Applications must be submitted electronically via CommunityCareCorps.org by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, December 11, 2024.
- Applicants must complete the budget form, budget narrative, and work plan found in the application portal, in accordance with sections 7 and 8 of the RFP. All forms must be completed using the original format of the provided templates. No other forms, formats or alterations will be accepted.
- The budget must include a minimum match of 25% of the total program budget. You must use the following calculation to determine the minimum 25% match value:
- Funds Requested / 3 = Minimum Match Amount.
- Applicants who do not use this calculation to determine match will not be moved forward for consideration. The budget form and budget narrative also contain the formula to assist in determining the minimum 25% match requirement. Refer to section 4.3.1.
- Applications must include an executive summary of the proposed program that does not exceed 100 words, in accordance with section 7.1.6.
During the application phase, we want to help organizations with little or no experience be able to meet the requirements. We will be hosting an informational webinar during the application period for interested applicants on October 22, 2024. This webinar will be recorded and posted on the Community Care Corps website. After the informational webinar, we will refer all applicants to the recording and the FAQ to find the answers to their questions. During the grant period, we will meet monthly with all grantees and hold periodic technical assistance sessions for successful grantees.
