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The Corporation is committed to investing Recovery Act dollars with transparency and accountability. This web page will be updated frequently with information about how Recovery Act funds will be spent.
| Overview of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) |
 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. It is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act is an extraordinary response to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression, and includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.
| Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) |
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $201 million in funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service to support an expansion of AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps VISTA programs. The funding supports more than 15,000 AmeriCorps members to provide vital services to people facing unemployment, poverty, or other challenges by offering job counseling and placement services, providing foreclosure prevention and financial counseling, weatherizing homes, strengthening food banks, supporting health care and independent living services, and more.
The Corporation for National and Community Service acted swiftly to get funding into communities and boots on the ground, swearing in the first AmeriCorps VISTA members on April 24 and making AmeriCorps grants on May 14. One year after enactment of the Recovery Act, preliminary reports show these Recovery Act AmeriCorps members are achieving strong results, including:
- Leveraged more than 135,000 volunteers to serve 1.1 million clients
- Provided employment and skills training and counseling to more than 35,000 clients
- Helped place more than 5,400 people in jobs
- Provided foreclosure and housing assistance services to more than 22,000 people
- Generated more than $18.3 million in cash and in-kind resources for nonprofits
In addition to providing direct services to individuals and communities affected by the economic downturn, Recovery Act AmeriCorps members are providing a critical boost to more than 600 nonprofits across the country by mobilizing volunteers, raising funds, creating programs, and expanding service delivery at a time of growing social need.
Additional Information:
AmeriCorps members funded by the Recovery Act are providing vital support to economically distressed and communities, offering job counseling and placement services, providing foreclosure prevention and financial counseling, weatherizing homes, strengthening food banks, supporting health care and independent living services, and providing other assistance to people facing unemployment, poverty, or other economic challenges.
Recovery Act Implementation Plans
Weekly Reports
AmeriCorps VISTA Recipient Report
For the AmeriCorps VISTA program, the Corporation is reporting the majority of the recipient data required by Section 1512 of the Recovery Act (recipients of funding under cooperative agreements report their data directly). The majority of the Corporation’s Recovery Act funding is not given directly to AmeriCorps VISTA Sponsors; rather, it is used by the Corporation to provide direct support to AmeriCorps VISTA members, who are assigned to the Sponsors. This support is in the form of living allowances, health care, and child care, pre-service training, and relocation expenses to and from their service sites. AmeriCorps VISTA Sponsors do not have access to this information, and thus cannot report on it. The Corporation is also reporting on the limited funds provided directly to Sponsors to offset local member support costs. The data elements required of organizations receiving Recovery funded AmeriCorps VISTA members are automatically captured within the Corporation’s eGrants and eSPAN systems. The Corporation extracted this information into a report containing the required data elements for Section 1512 reporting and has made it available in the following file:
AmeriCorps State and National Grants
AmeriCorps State and National Recovery grants were awarded in six categories: State Competitive, Indian Tribes, National Direct, State Formula, and Territory formula. The spreadsheet below lists AmeriCorps State and National grants and cooperative agreements as reported on March 31, 2010.
| Learn More About Our Programs |
AmeriCorps State and National
This guidance assists AmeriCorps State and National grantees in applying for Recovery Act funds to engage AmeriCorps members and community volunteers in efforts to stimulate the economy and meet the needs of those negatively impacted by the current economic crisis. Only current AmeriCorps grantees are eligible for these funds. A current grantee is any of the following with an operational grant as of February 17, 2009: National Direct, National Professional Corps, Indian Tribes, and National EAP grantees; programs in states and territories without commissions; and State Commission sub-grantees. Planning grantees are not eligible.
Frequently Asked Questions for State Commissions and National Direct Grantees
AmeriCorps VISTA
This guidance provides an operational overview of VISTA Recovery Act implementation for existing and potential VISTA project sponsors. We recognize that the role of VISTA Sponsoring organizations has been and will always be critical for the success of the VISTA Program. And for sponsors receiving Recovery Act VISTAs, their role will be especially important.
This guidance is in question and answer format, and describes timelines, the additional responsibilities that come with the Recovery Act resources, and the necessary contact information for sponsors and potential sponsors to seek clarification or to ask questions specific to their organization.
Information for Prospective Grantees and First Tier Subgrantees
Grantees and first tier subgrantees receiving federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will be required to obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR). The federal government will use the information contained there when reporting on activities under the Recovery Act. If you are considering applying for Recovery Act funding and do not already have DUNS number and are not registered in the CCR, you should begin these processes immediately.
Notice on Civil Rights Obligations Applicable to the Distribution of Funds
Agencies distributing Recovery Act funds must do so in accordance with all nondiscrimination and equal opportunity statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders that apply to the distribution of funds under the Recovery Act. Agencies that grant funds also must ensure that their recipients and subrecipients comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting race, color, and national origin discrimination including language access for limited English proficient persons), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (prohibiting disability discrimination), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (prohibiting sex discrimination in education and training programs), the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (prohibiting age discrimination in the provision of services), and a variety of program-specific statutes with nondiscrimination requirements.
AmeriCorps State and National
This guidance is intended to assist AmeriCorps State and National grantees manage and report on their Recovery Act grants. Under these grants, grantees are required to submit three reports quarterly: Federal Financial Report (FFR); OMB (1512) Report at FederalReporting.gov; and Grantee Progress Report. An overview of the requirements for each report is provided below. Additionally, you will find a presentation given by CNCS and the Office of Inspector General at the 2009 Grantee Meeting. This presentation highlights elements of the reporting requirements and provides information on the Inspector General’s role in monitoring Recovery Act recipients.
Contact Information
If you have comments or questions related to the Corporation's implementation of the Recovery Act, please email recovery@cns.gov. While we won’t be able to individually reply to your email, we will take your comments into consideration as we implement the Act.
Legislation
On Friday, Feburary 13, 2009, the House of Representatives and Senate approved the conference report for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
- Conference Report on H.R. 1 (1 of 5): PDF, ASCII
- Conference Report on H.R. 1 (2 of 5): PDF, ASCII
- Conference Report on H.R. 1 (3 of 5): PDF, ASCII
- Conference Report on H.R. 1 (4 of 5): PDF, ASCII
- Conference Report on H.R. 1 (5 of 5): PDF, ASCII
Excerpts Pertaining to the Corporation for National and Community Service
- Conference Report on H.R. 1 (excerpt): PDF
- Joint Explanatory Statement of the Managers (excerpt): PDF
Communications and Contacts With Registered Lobbyists
On March 20, 2009, the President established new requirements for transparency in contacts that employees of executive agencies may have with registered lobbyists concerning particular projects, applications, or applicants for funding under the Recovery Act. The President imposed a requirement that agency officials may only consider written views of registered lobbyists concerning particular projects, applications, or applicants for funding under the Recovery Act.
| Official Statements and Press Releases |
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Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse - Office of Inspector General
For more information on the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
please visit www.Recovery.gov
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Forms
