504713 - 2023 ARP Volunteer Generation Fund Youth Service-Learning Grants
Funding Opportunity Details
Volunteer Generation Fund ARP
Final Application Deadline: May 1, 2023 5:00 PM
Status Closed
Posted Date Apr 26, 2023 3:41 PM
Award Amount RangeNo Limit - $15,000.00
Project Dates 07/01/2023 - 06/30/2024
Award Announcement Date 06/01/2023
Categorical Area Education ,Youth
Recurring Opportunity
Program Officer Kamryn Ryan
Phone (515) 348-6264 x
Email kamryn.ryan@hhs.iowa.gov
Description
OVERVIEW The Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service (Volunteer Iowa) is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for school districts through the Volunteer Generation Fund America Rescue Plan. Volunteer Generation Fund America Rescue Plan (VGF ARP) funds support development and strengthening of service-learning programming in Iowa through K-12 schools. Service-learning has the potential to positively influence a range of factors for academic success, school and community connectedness, mental health, career development, and overall community health. Selected K-12 schools will receive a $15,000 fixed-price grant from Volunteer Iowa to develop service-learning programming and perform necessary work to engage a minimum of three new classrooms in service-learning each semester, while maintaining service-learning in past classrooms. Grantees must also participate in eight service-learning trainings and seven one-on-one coaching sessions. The 2023 funding opportunity represents year one of a three-year federal appropriation. Potential applicants are required to apply to Volunteer Iowa through our grant management system, IowaGrants. Applications for funding are due on May 1, 2023, at 5 pm CST.
Disclosure: Publication of this Request for Funding Availability does not obligate Volunteer Iowa or AmeriCorps to award any specific number of grants or to obligate any particular amount of funding. The actual level and timing of grant funding will be subject to the availability of annual federal appropriations.
PURPOSE The purpose of this Request for Application (“Application”) is to solicit applications from public or private K-12 school districts wishing to launch or expand service-learning programming within their classrooms. Service-learning programming entails the following: a) project-based learning opportunities for students, b) community partners providing guidance on projects, c) addressing authentic community needs through service projects and d) combing curriculum and learning goals with volunteer experiences. Volunteer Iowa will provide fixed-price grant funding to five schools across the state to provide service-learning programming for their students to support a wide range of positive academic and non-academic outcomes.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS All K-12 school districts that have the capacity and passion to support service-learning functions are eligible to apply. This application is designed for organizations schools that propose to operate in the State of Iowa. There may be a possibility for Iowa-based programs to benefit other states (because of physical proximity and community partner engagement), but program activities and services must be designed to primarily benefit the State of Iowa.
FUNDS Five selected applicants will be awarded a total of $15,000 each. Paid upon the completion of required outcomes. The school district will receive the $15,000 award in increments based on project outcomes and attendance at required training and coaching sessions. Each school district (grantee) will be required to engage a minimum of three classrooms a semester, or two classrooms a trimester, in service-learning. Grantees will receive $2,500 for each classroom successfully engaged in service-learning. Grantees will not receive more than $15,000 in total.
Fixed Price Award By federal regulation, a fixed price sub-award must meet the requirements for fixed amount awards in 2 CFR 200.201. A fixed price sub-award is one where a price or rate is determined up front for a specific deliverable and is only paid if the deliverable is met. The risk associated with this type of agreement is borne by the subrecipient, since a deliverable is required to obtain payment even if the cost to meet the deliverable exceeds the agreed-upon rate. Fixed price agreements will have a payment schedule instead of a detailed budget and will include specifics on the deliverable and corresponding payment amount. Once a milestone is met or a deliverable received and accepted by Volunteer Iowa, the grantee may invoice for the corresponding amount due. Invoices need not include details of expenses
All awards under this RFA are subject to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), in 2 CFR Parts 200 and 2205. The source of funds for the VGF ARP competition is a federal award from AmeriCorps CFDA Number 94.021.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Volunteer Iowa will host a VGF ARP Service-Learning program overview webinar on April 12, 2023 . Advance registration for the webinar is required. If there are no attendees, the webinar will not be held. During the webinar, we will review the Request for Applications document and the walk through the application materials. If time allows, we will address questions. The webinar will be recorded and made available on the IowaGrants website
- Date: April 12, 2023
- Time: 1-2 PM
- *Registration Link: Microsoft Teams Meeting Registration Link
- *Note: Advance registration is required.
Clarification and Questions: In order to ensure equitable treatment for all applicants, any questions must be submitted through the Ask a Question feature in IowaGrants. This feature is viewable once you have logged into IowaGrants. Responses to questions will be posted on the Funding Opportunities Details page for the opportunity in IowaGrants. The final date for submitting questions is April 24, 2023 at 4 p.m. Questions submitted after this time are not guaranteed to be answered.
APPLICATION DEADLINES AND TIMELINE
- RFA Released: March 15, 2023
- Application Open in IowaGrants (www.iowagrants.gov)
- Overview Webinar April 12, 2023 1-2 PM
- Clarification Questions due to Volunteer Iowa: April 24, 2023
- Responses to Clarification Questions Posted: April 26, 2023
- Application Proposals due to Volunteer Iowa: May 1, 2023, 5 PM CST
- Selection of Awardees Announced June 1, 2023
- Start Date: June 20, 2023
- Virtual Orientation & Training: June 22, 2023
Proposals and associated attachments must be submitted to the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service via IowaGrants by 5:00 PM CT on May 1, 2023. All proposals that do not meet the established deadlines or application requirements may be declined through the on-line system and will not be considered.
Attachments
| Description | File Name | Type | Size | Upload Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guide from National Youth Leadership Council on service-learning, its benefits, and best practices. | Getting Started NYLC 2021 Interactive 1.pdf | 3 MB | 03/15/2023 02:07 PM | |
| Introduction to service-learning concepts in a one-page document. | In General One-Pager on SL.pdf | 8 MB | 03/15/2023 02:06 PM | |
| Request for Applications for the VGF ARP 2023 Youth Service-Learning Grants. Instructions included. | VGF ARP SL RFA Instructions.pdf | 352 KB | 03/15/2023 02:23 PM | |
| Toolkit from Youth Service America on how to lead a service-learning course over a semester. | Semester-of-Service-Teacher-Toolkit 1.pdf | 2 MB | 03/15/2023 02:07 PM | |
| VGF ARP Youth Service-Learning Grant Scoring Rubric | 2023 VGF ARP Youth Service-Learning Scoring Rubric.pdf | 251 KB | 03/22/2023 09:41 AM |
Website links
| Description | Link |
|---|---|
| Youth Service America Youth Knowledge Center- Resources on Service-Learning & Youth Service | https://ysa.org/resources/ |
| National Youth Leadership Council Resources on Service-Learning | https://www.nylc.org |
| VGF ARP Youth Service-Learning Webinar Recording | https://youtu.be/91Spcc0RMoo |
| Submitted Date | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2023 1:58 PM | Who are eligible applicants for VGF ARP Service-Learning grants in Iowa? | Volunteer Generation Fund Iowa (VGF) ARP Service-Learning Grants are available for funding for K-12 school districts across the state of Iowa. |
| Mar 15, 2023 1:59 PM | What other activities does Volunteer Iowa provide to support service-learning? | Volunteer Iowa regularly holds training and technical assistance sessions designed to increase the knowledge and understanding of service-learning, as well as provide resources and guides to assist organizations. Existing resources schools, individuals, and organization may utilize include: - Barriers to Youth Service Guide - Volunteer Iowa Service-Learning Community of Practice on Rallyhood - 50by250 Youth Participation Campaign to increase youth participation to 50% by July 4, 2026 - IPARD Service-Learning Playbooks - Incorporating Youth Voice into A Day of Service Planning Guide - Introduction to Service-Learning Trainings & Activities - Service-learning Project Ideas for Early Childhood Learning Toolkit - Volunteer Iowa Youth Service Sub-Committee of Youth Volunteers - Service-Learning & Youth Service Consultations & Goal Development |
| Mar 15, 2023 1:59 PM | How does Volunteer Iowa view its role in this grant? | Volunteer Iowa sees itself as a partner and valuable resource to schools throughout this program. Of course, we also have a fiscal responsibility to ensure that the grant funds awarded are appropriately managed. We take our responsibilities for stewardship of federal funds seriously and will provide regular monitoring and oversight for programs funded under this grant. Programs that fail to meet grant requirements, including timeliness of reporting may have their funding rescinded or may be declined future funding. |
| Mar 15, 2023 2:00 PM | What is Volunteer Iowa hoping to accomplish with this grant? | We believe that service-learning is an innovative approach to address needs and challenges within communities, nonprofits, and schools. We are aware of the barriers schools may face to implementing service-learning and hope this grant will allow schools to overcome those barriers so they may reap the full benefits service-learning offers. Throughout the process, we will look to soliciting input from stakeholders and grantees to improve the process and provide appropriate technical assistance and training supports. |
| Mar 23, 2023 2:10 PM | Can work-based learning coordinators with an emphasis on career-based service-learning apply for this opportunity? | Yes! Applications with a focus on career-based service-learning are encouraged to apply and will be treated equally to a service-learning application. We welcome innovative approaches to service-learning models that fit best with the needs of your community and students. |
| Mar 24, 2023 12:17 PM | Is a club eligible to apply? | Only K-12 schools or staff within a school are eligible to apply. Due to the requirements of achieving 3 classrooms a semester in service-learning, it may be difficult for clubs to reach this goal without having support from the school. Clubs are encouraged to reach out to schools in their areas and form a partnership if they are interested in applying. Grantees may then decide how they utilize the funding they receive. |
| Mar 28, 2023 4:49 PM | Would after school programming be eligible for this grant if it were facilitated by a K-12 public school staff member and if the after school program supported three or more groups in lieu of daytime classrooms? | Volunteer Iowa's priority is K-12 classrooms, however, we could see potential for school-based programs to be considered if funding allows. We want service to be accessible and understand that clubs may serve and underserved group, which we encourage. We would encourage you or other K-12 based clubs to apply and emphasize/justify why you think this work would still be relevant for your club. |
| Mar 31, 2023 11:29 AM | We have an elementary and middle school interested in applying. Should they apple together or separately? | Schools from the same district should apply together. This funding opportunity is for K-12 school districts. |
| Mar 31, 2023 11:31 AM | For our application, do we need to give a lot of detail about the socio-economics of our school? Should we get into the fact that we do not have funds in our budget to hire a project lead without the grant? | Please refer to the RFA for guidance on responses for the application narratives. You can find the RFA in the "Attachments" section of this funding opportunity. You may also refer to the scoring rubric to see how responses will be scored. |
| Apr 13, 2023 10:50 AM | Question 2.3.3 Describe your initial plan for how you will achieve the required objectives outlined in the RFA. Where is this located? | The required objectives are found in SECTION 1: SERVICE-LEARNING REQUIREMENTS, right under the deadlines and timeline. Essentially, it’s the ability to have 3 classrooms a semester engaged in service-learning. There are also requirements related to reporting and attending the trainings, if you wanted to include information on that but the main priority is creating buy-in for service-learning and to show you have the capacity for this grant. When you complete the application, you’ll have to check boxes that say yes, you agree to do that and that’s this information. |
| Apr 13, 2023 10:51 AM | Virtual training: I understand the launch occurs this summer. What does this look like exactly? Our teachers are trying to plan ahead and best understand the additional duties this opportunity might present itself. | We are open to feedback on what works best for schools and teachers for trainings in the summer. Currently, we are hoping to have three trainings before the school year starts and these trainings will be two hours each. We’ll have the orientation/introduction in June, another training in July, and one in August before the semester starts. We'd like to host a coaching session as well before the school year starts. The trainings have to have 1 staff person, such as the grant lead, attend but we do encourage teachers to attend as well so they can learn from it. We'll also record the trainings if the grant lead wanted to share them out. |
| Apr 13, 2023 10:52 AM | 1:1 coaching What might this look like? | The coaching sessions will be calls with each individual and Volunteer Iowa staff. So while the trainings are the whole cohort of grantees, this will be just your school and us. This will allow us the chance to help schools develop service-learning curriculum, answer any questions, help make partnerships, really whatever additional support is needed. We don’t want schools to feel alone in this process, so we are happy to help! It’s also a chance for us to hear how things are going. These will likely be 1 hour. |
| Apr 18, 2023 3:22 PM | Can you clarify what you mean by classrooms? We have work-based learning opportunities that we would like to fit into this program. | When referring to classrooms, we mean the K-12 sponsored learning opportunities that provide academic credit for students. We understand there are approaches to student learning that fit into this characterization but may not be considered a "classroom," and encourage those program models to still apply for this opportunity. |
| Apr 18, 2023 3:28 PM | We have a split model where some of our schools operate on trimesters and others are semesters. How will this impact the grant? | Volunteer Iowa will work with each individual applicant to figure out a model that works best for them. An example of how the grant may be structured in this case is you may have 1 service-learning class in a trimester school building, then we would expect 2 service-learning classes in the semester building, equaling the required 3 "classrooms." |
| Apr 18, 2023 3:31 PM | We have classrooms that will do service-learning but are only offered 1 semester. How does that impact the maintained versus new required classroom model? | We understand that classrooms may only be offered one semester. If you are unable to maintain them because of this, then you may recruit additional classrooms the next semester as needed and maintain what you are able. You should have 6 classrooms engaging in service-learning in the second semester. |
| Apr 21, 2023 8:01 AM | Seeking Clarification - May these funds be used to support a district's plan to establish and maintain an after-school program? If yes, does the after-school program qualify as one, of our three classrooms, required? | These funds are used to support the development of service-learning program. While K-12 after-school programs are not the priority of this funding opportunity, they may be considered as funds are available and they would qualify as the classrooms required if they are engaging in service-learning at the after-school program. |
| Apr 24, 2023 12:12 PM | Our program model will work with K-12 classrooms to engage students in a career-based service-learning experience rather than in specific classrooms. How do we achieve the 3 classroom minimum then? | The 3 classrooms would be counted by each teacher (representing 1 class) you engage in the experience. We would encourage program models like this to work with teachers to add an element of the experience to their teachings. |
| Apr 26, 2023 1:56 PM | I am ready to submit my grant application, but I am getting a note that the application cannot be submitted because the budget limit is lower than allowed. Can you help me with this? Thanks in advance. | Hi Jill, thanks for flagging. If others have similar issues, my apologies. I'm looking into why this is an issue and hope to have it corrected before Friday. I'll send an email when it is fixed. Update: it's been fixed! |