FY25 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition

Overview

This funding announcement is an opportunity for communities to apply for funding to engage adults ages 55 and older in tackling the community’s most pressing needs through the AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP program. This is an open competition across all states and territories. 

AmeriCorps will invest in existing and new partnerships with non-profit (including faith-based) organizations, institutions of higher education, Tribal organizations, and local/state government entities to get things done for America. The agency will prioritize investment in the most critical issues of our time — public health, climate and the environment, civic bridgebuilding, reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals, education, and economic opportunity — within AmeriCorps’ Focus Areas and will increase its efforts to ensure AmeriCorps members, AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, and community-based volunteers reflect the communities where they serve. We will target our investments toward communities where the need is greatest, particularly those with populations that face racial inequality and poverty. These steps will enable more Americans than ever to strengthen the communities that need it most across the nation through their service. 

AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP programming is designed to meet community needs. Applicants may propose activities intended to address community needs by thoroughly explaining the unmet need and activities to be completed by volunteers to address that need. In addition, AmeriCorps is interested in programming that addresses agency priorities. 

AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP priorities for this funding opportunity are: 

• Supporting older adults and their caregivers. AmeriCorps Seniors programming not only engages adults aged 55 and over in solving unmet community needs, but also is at the forefront of helping older adults thrive in their communities. Programs that could fall under this priority include but are not limited to supporting caregivers of older adults by providing respite for caregivers or hosting caregiver support groups, assisting older adults or their caregivers with system navigation and care coordination, and aiding grandparents or older adults who are custodians of children.
• Helping older adults re-enter the workforce, including but not limited to services related to job readiness or job seeking, mentoring or coaching, training or upskilling, and removing barriers to employment for older adults. (Note: the AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serving under this priority are not job seekers; instead, they will be providing services to other older adults who are job seekers.) 
• Preventing and mitigating fraud and scams targeting older adults, including but not limited to using digital navigators and other methods to prevent and mitigate financial fraud, abuse, and exploitation of older adults, particularly with the evolution of artificial intelligence and increase in the use of digital technology in fraud and scams.
• Reducing the number of people who are unhoused, including but not limited to developing or renovating affordable housing, supporting people who are unhoused (including those in encampments or in unauthorized encampments on public lands) in finding and maintaining permanent housing, and addressing housing needs of specific populations (older adults, veterans, immigrants, etc.). 
• Supporting local climate change initiatives, including but not limited to educating the community about greenhouse gas emissions, supporting energy conservation and renewable energy through education or modifications to make homes energy efficient, educating the community on waste management practices such as composting and recycling, and planting trees or restoring ecosystems to counter greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Supporting behavioral health initiatives that improve mental health and reduce the impact of substance use, including but not limited to reducing isolation and loneliness among older adults, improving older adult mental health, using peer-to-peer support and support groups for people of all ages and their family members, helping with system navigation and care coordination, providing supportive employment or housing programs, distributing and training in the use of Narcan or Naloxone, and using harm reduction efforts such as fentanyl test strips. 

To receive priority consideration, applicants must show that the priority is a significant part of the program focus in the narratives, must include a high-quality program design, and must designate at least one work plan for the selected priority. Proposing programs that receive priority consideration does not guarantee funding.

Performance Goals or Expected Outcomes 

• AmeriCorps expects applicants to use National Performance Measures as part of a comprehensive performance measurement strategy that relies on both performance and evaluation data to learn from their work and make tactical and strategic adjustments to achieve their goals. 

Applicants are required to use the specific performance measures outlined in this Notice. For more information, please refer to Appendix B: FY 2025 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP National Performance Measures Instructions.

Estimated Award Amount 
Award amounts will vary as determined by the scope of the projects. The federal share of the budget cannot exceed $75,000 + $350 per unduplicated volunteer, whether or not they serve in an outcome-based work plan.

Cost Sharing or Matching 
Applicants are required to match funds for their programs based on the total allowable (see full funding announcement for details).

The AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP competition runs over a three-year period, with FY 2025 being the first year of new awards.

Incumbent grantees with a 22SR grant number must submit an application in response to this Notice and be selected to maintain funding. Incumbent grantees approved by AmeriCorps Seniors to be a temporary sponsor for a fully relinquished geographic service area must submit an application to this Notice and be selected to continue services. If incumbent grantees with a 22SR grant number or temporary sponsors fail to apply or be selected for funding, their current grants will end on March 31, 2025.