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Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act: Expanding Opportunities for Americans to Serve

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act aims to expand opportunities for Americans to serve, break down silos, reduce unnecessary burdens, and demonstrate outcomes. It promotes innovation in the nonprofit sector and has bipartisan support.

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Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act: Expanding Opportunities for Americans to Serve

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  1. Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act An overview FRANK R. TRINITY General Counsel May 2009

  2. Major Themes • Bi-partisan support • Expand opportunities for Americans to serve • Break down silos • Reduce unnecessary burdens • Demonstrate outcomes • Innovation in the nonprofit sector

  3. A few caveats . . . • Authorization ≠ Appropriations • Effective Date: October 1, 2009

  4. Learn and Serve America

  5. Learn & Serve America • Current Law • School-based • Community-based • Higher Education • Serve America Act • School-based (formula only) • Higher Education • Part III -- Innovative Service-Learning Programs

  6. LSA School-Based • Share of LSA funds is reduced from 63.75% to 60%, formula allocation only • Minimum State allotment of $75k, if total LSA appropriation is at least $50M • Increase in matching fund requirements • More flexible use of funds

  7. LSA Higher Ed • Grantees must meet Federal Work Study minimum of 7% of FWS funds expended on community service (unless waived) • Campuses of Service

  8. Innovative Service-Learning Programs -- “Part III” • New authority (15% of LSA funds) • community-based programs • summer of service program • semester of service • youth engagement zones • longitudinal study

  9. AmeriCorps

  10. Expansion of AmeriCorps • Sets AmeriCorps on a path to 250,000 positions by 2017 • Includes all approved national service positions • Sets goal of 50% full-time

  11. AmeriCorps State/National • Current law • 1% each for Indian tribes and U.S. territories • State formula 1/3 • National Direct (appropriations cap, $55M) • State competitive at least 1/3 • Serve America Act • Merges N. Direct and State competitive at 62.7% (State input on ND projects) • State formula 35.3%

  12. AmeriCorps (2) • Minimum State formula grant $600K (or .5% of total formula allocation, whichever is greater) • Cost per member (grant costs only) at $18K for each grantee, with waiver authority up to $19.5K

  13. AmeriCorps (3) • 5 new Service Corps within subtitle C • Education • Healthy Futures • Clean Energy • Veterans • Opportunity • Codifies prohibition on grants to Federal agencies while permitting cost-shares

  14. AmeriCorps (4) • Requires tutors to have HS diploma • CNCS to make effort to allocate at least 10% of grants to organizations involving significant number of individuals 55+

  15. AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps • Makes permanent • Emphasis on disaster relief

  16. AmeriCorps VISTA • Adds sustainability to purpose statement • Eliminates Governor 45-day review • Increases post-service cash stipend from range of $100-$125 to $125-$150 (leader stipend from $200 to $250)

  17. National Service Trust • Ties education award to maximum Pell grant • Individual may earn up to aggregate of two full-time education awards • Expands uses of education award • 55+ may transfer to child, foster child, or grandchild

  18. Senior Corps

  19. Senior Corps (1) • Expands eligibility for Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs • Increases hourly stipend to $3.00 (funds permitting) • Expands scope of FGP children • For RSVP, institutes re-competition beginning fiscal year 2013.

  20. Senior Corps (2) • Opens up Programs of National Significance to organizations new to CNCS

  21. Other Expansion

  22. State Commissions • Admin grants increased from current range ($125K - $750K) to $250K - $1M • Lower match for hardship or new Comm’n

  23. Inclusion • Increases money for outreach and placement • Expands to all national service grant programs

  24. Disaster Relief • 90-day AmeriCorps term extensions • More flexibility for FEMA mission assignments through CNCS • National Service Reserve Corps for alums and veterans • Priority for communities recovering from major disasters

  25. Innovation and New Initiatives

  26. Social Innovation Fund • Provide seed money and scale up capital for innovative programs • Leverage private and foundation capital to meet major social challenges • Grants between $1M and $10M • $1 for $1 match

  27. Volunteer Generation Fund • Grants to State Commissions and nonprofit organizations • Support recruitment and management of volunteers

  28. Other Subtitle H programs • Call to Service Campaign • 9/11 Day of Service • Fellowship programs • Silver Scholars • Nonprofit Capacity Building grants

  29. Administrative Provisionsand Governance

  30. Authority to assign programmatic functions • CEO may assign “specific programmatic functions” to State Commissions increase efficiency. • Before assigning any function, Corporation must consult with Corporation employees, State Commissions, State educational agencies, and other interested stakeholders • Report due to authorizing committees within 2 years on consultation process and any actions taken

  31. Current law unchanged by Act “The Chief Executive Office shall establish and maintain a decentralized field structure that provides for an office of the Corporation for each State.” “The office for a State shall be located in, or in reasonable proximity to, such State.”

  32. Administrative Provisions • Authorizes Corporation to reserve up to 1% of program funds for evaluation • Civic Health Assessment • GAO to develop performance measures and assess every five years

  33. Administrative Provisions (2) • Study/pilot of electronic verification of AmeriCorps member eligibility • Children-serving programs must consult with parents in design

  34. Administrative Provisions (3) • Requires FBI fingerprint check for AmeriCorps members and stipended participants and grantee staff who serve vulnerable populations.

  35. Administrative Provisions (4) • No match requirements for programs in severely economically distressed areas • Grant selection criteria to include involvement of volunteers • Strategic Advisor for Native-American Affairs

  36. Administrative Provisions (5) • Prohibits assistance for sole purpose of referring individuals to Federal assisted programs • Repeals Title III, non-competitive Points of Light Foundation

  37. CNCS Governance • Uniform five-year term for Board of Directors • Adds authority for Board to review annual budget and review CEO performance

  38. What’s not in the Act? • Exclusion of education award from taxable income

  39. For more information . . . Please visit: NationalService.gov/serveact

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