AIDS United/AIDS Funding Collaborative AmeriCorps Program 2015 2016 Host Agency Application Guidance Proposal Deadline: Monday, February 23, 2015, Noon Operating Site: AIDS Funding Collaborative, Cleveland, Ohio City Supervisor: Lindsay Marcus Contact: 216-781-2944 x413 lmarcus@communitysolutions.com PROJECT BACKGROUND Since 1994, AIDS United, together with a subset of our Community Partnerships, has trained, placed and supported over 750 AmeriCorps members who have served communities through hundreds of thousands of direct service hours. Each year, AIDS United AmeriCorps members serve full-time for 11 months (from mid-august through mid-july), providing a variety of HIV/AIDS prevention and care services. Members typically function as HIV/AIDS prevention educators, HIV testers and counselors, outreach specialists, care coordinators, or residential caregivers for people living with HIV/AIDS. To support their service, each member receives basic training, a modest living stipend for the year (approximately $14,000 each for most members), health care benefits, childcare benefits, and forbearance of student loans. Members also receive an Education Award, currently $5,730, which can be used for qualifying education-related expenses after the completion of a full-time service year. A full-time member must earn a minimum of 1,700 hours and complete the entire term of service in order to earn the full educational award. Each week, members serve 4 days at a Host Agency providing direct HIV/AIDS prevention and care services. On the 5 th day of the week, members join their team for training, team-building, and collaborative community service projects. City Supervisors provide programmatic oversight at each Operating Site while Host Agency Supervisors mentor and guide members at their assigned agencies. AIDS United has secured funding for three years through the Corporation for National and Community Service. During the 2015 2016 service year (year three), the program will have 54 members in 7 Community Partnership sites: Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Indianapolis, IN; New Orleans, LA; Washington, DC; and Atlanta, GA. AIDS United s AmeriCorps Program brings a tremendous capacity to local HIV/AIDS service agencies and other community-based organizations for a relatively low cost to communities. More importantly, it develops the next generation of public health 1
and social justice leaders who will have first-hand experience working in HIV/AIDS. Most AmeriCorps members continue in the HIV/AIDS field or related health and social service disciplines after their service and become long-term contributors to the public health workforce. HOST AGENCY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES Organizational Capacity Supervising an AmeriCorps member requires a considerable commitment of staff time. A staff person will be needed during the year to orient the member to the agency and its client population; train the member on her/his responsibilities; provide ongoing mentorship and supervision of the member; report quarterly to AIDS United (AU) on member performance, activities, and supervisory hours; respond to requests from the City Supervisor and AIDS United as needed; and work with the City Supervisor to ensure member satisfaction and fit at the Host Agency. Financial Capacity AU believes in a cost-sharing approach to its program. While we strive on a national level to raise as much funding as possible to help underwrite costs, local sites are expected to help pay for the program. At the national level, AU uses resources from a federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to support member and program costs that run approximately $25,000 per member. For the 2015 2016 service year, Operating Sites should expect to contribute $12,000 per member in cash to AIDS United. These funds are used to offset member stipend costs. These costs may be covered by the Operating Site, the host agency, or some combination thereof. Some Operating Sites require Host Agencies to pay part or the entire amount. The AIDS Funding Collaborative (AFC), the Operating Site for Cleveland, Ohio is requiring a $1,000 match from Host Agencies for the 2015 16 service year. Member Duties and Position Descriptions AIDS United AmeriCorps members provide direct HIV/AIDS services that are tailored to the needs of the local community while also aligning with AU s member performance targets in six service categories (see APPENDIX A for detailed category descriptions): 1. Prevention Outreach 2. Prevention Education 3. HIV Testing and Counseling 4. Health Care Access 5. Client Support Services 6. Volunteer Recruitment and Coordination Host Agencies should develop positions for members that align with at least one of these categories and ensure that members are contributing to these services during at least 80% of their hours. AIDS United encourages Host Agencies to create varied and dynamic AmeriCorps positions that incorporate multiple service categories and provide members with opportunities to gain broad experience in the field of HIV/AIDS. As part of your Host Agency application, you must submit a detailed, written description of the duties to be performed by a proposed AmeriCorps member. Please be aware of the following limitations set by the Corporation for National and Community Service: 2
Under no circumstances can proposed duties include the prohibited activities outlined by the Corporation for National and Community Service (see APPENDIX B) AmeriCorps members may not displace paid past, current, or future staff or volunteers at the Host Agency AmeriCorps members are not allowed to spend more than 10% of their time performing fundraising tasks AmeriCorps members are not allowed to spend more than 20% of their time performing general administrative duties AmeriCorps members are not allowed to spend more than 20% of their time in training Local (AFC) Program Requirements Applicant agencies must: Be nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or public agencies Serve or engage in work that impacts a population affected by HIV/AIDS; applicants need not provide HIV-specific services, but the duties outlined for the proposed AmeriCorps member must address a priority of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy Serve Cuyahoga County residents, as required by the regional funding parameters of the AFC s current funding partners GUIDANCE FOR HOST AGENCY APPLICATIONS FOR 2015 2016 SERVICE YEAR AIDS United and the AFC invite applications from local community-based agencies interested in hosting an AmeriCorps member for the 2015 2016 service year. Prospective Host Agencies must demonstrate the capacity to supervise and mentor an AmeriCorps member; interest in finding meaningful, servicerelated work for the member; and the capacity to provide matching funds for the member. Submission Requirements Complete the AIDS United AmeriCorps Host Agency Application, found at the AIDS Funding Collaborative website (www.aidsfundingcollaborative.org), under Grantmaking. Complete a service placement description (1 double sided page, maximum). Instructions are included in the Host Agency Application. Please review the list of Targeted Service Areas in Appendix A and Prohibited Activities in Appendix B to inform your agency s description. The AFC is sponsoring up to 6 service members for the 2015 2016 service year; agencies may apply for up to 6. A separate placement description must be included for each member requested for placement. Sample service placement descriptions can also be found at www.aidsfundingcollaborative.org; Address the following additional AFC-specific questions (4 double sided pages, maximum): Why is your agency requesting to serve as a Host Agency? Does your agency routinely collaborate with other agencies in HIV work? If so, with which agencies/projects? Has your agency ever hosted an AmeriCorps service member? Please describe the experience and lessons learned. Does your agency routinely work with youth and/or volunteers? What type of work are the youth and/or volunteers engaged in, and what is the retention rate (e.g. 50% are engaged for >1 year, 25% are engaged for <3 months)? With which recommended action of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and/or High- 3
Impact Prevention (HIP) strategy does the proposed AmeriCorps member s role best align? In what ways will having an AmeriCorps service member assist your agency in building its capacity to provide HIV-related services? Will the member be growing a program, starting a program, or continuing the capacity built by another AmeriCorps member? In what ways will the proposed AmeriCorps role support successful engagement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) throughout the continuum of care? The following additional attachments are required with your application: List of current board of trustees with their professional affiliations Most recent audited financial statement and management letter, if provided Most recent annual report (if available) Agency s written non-discrimination policy IRS exemption letter or identification of fiscal sponsor 2015 organizational budget For more information about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, High-Impact HIV Prevention, or the continuum of care, please visit, www.aidsfundingcollaborative.org. Email an electronic copy of your complete application, including attachments, to lmarcus@communitysolutions.com with the subject line AmeriCorps Host Agency Proposal. Deadline for receipt of invited proposals is 12 noon on Monday, February 23, 2015. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. If you do not have the capacity to submit signed documents electronically (e.g., scanning to a pdf) or do not have electronic copies of the required attachments, please contact Lindsay Marcus well in advance of the deadline to arrange a hard copy submission of your application. To learn more about the AmeriCorps program, the AFC will facilitate a question and answer session on Tuesday, February 3, 2015, at 3:30PM in the Sylvia Reitman Room (2 nd floor) at the Idea Center at Playhouse Square. The Idea Center is located at 1375 Euclid Avenue in Playhouse Square. Parking is available in area surface lots and The Playhouse Square Garage, which has direct access to the Idea Center. Entering from Euclid Avenue, the Board Room is on the second floor, at the top of the open stairway. The Playhouse Square garage allows access to the lower level of the Idea Center (across the alley) or via the 2 nd level enclosed pedestrian bridge. Staff will be available to assist with directions on site. Please contact Lindsay Marcus at 216-781-2944 x413 or lmarcus@communitysolutions.com, to RSVP for the question and answer session, and with questions throughout the application process. More information about the AFC may be found at http://www.aidsfundingcollaborative.org. More information about AU s AmeriCorps program may be found at: http://www.aidsunited.org/strategic-grantmaking/americorps/. Additional information about AmeriCorps may be found at http://www.americorps.gov/. Thank you for your interest in this important program. 4
APPENDIX A: AIDS United AmeriCorps Program Service Categories *PREVENTION OUTREACH: AIDS United AmeriCorps members conduct prevention outreach by meeting individuals who are at high-risk for HIV where they are in the community and providing them with information that can lead to behavior change and engagement with other HIV prevention and care services. Members are trained locally to provide individuals with current information about HIV/AIDS, prevention strategies, and referrals to health care services during brief client encounters in the community. *PREVENTION EDUCATION: Members conduct structured educational presentations for adults and youth to impart critical information on how HIV is transmitted, how individuals can prevent its spread, and how to assess personal risk factors for acquiring the virus. These sessions occur in a variety of venues like schools, churches, and community centers. *HIV TESTING AND COUNSELING: Each year, the vast majority of members are certified locally to conduct rapid HIV testing and provide individuals with their results in the context of pre-test and postcounseling sessions. Testing and counseling occurs at hospitals, AIDS service organizations, and in nontraditional testing venues like libraries and nightclubs. *HEALTH CARE ACCESS: Members conduct health care access services by providing clients with information and care coordination related health benefit programs such as Medicaid. Members also coordinate supportive services such as transportation and childcare programs that facilitate access to treatment. *CLIENT SUPPORT SERVICES: With professional supervision, members provide services such as emotional or social support, food and nutrition services, and care-related management to individuals infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS to improve health care utilization. *VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND COORDINATION: Members recruit and coordinate volunteers to augment the provision of the HIV-related services at Host Agencies and to participate in broader community projects that occur during member Fifth Days and Long-Term Projects. 5
APPENDIX B: CNCS Prohibited Activities The AIDS United AmeriCorps Program is generously funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) using federal funds. Therefore, member activities are, by law, regulated and monitored. Members are prohibited from performing the following activities when counting member hours or while representing the AIDS United AmeriCorps Program. However, members may participate in prohibited activities on their own time, at their own expense, and at their own initiative. Members may not wear AmeriCorps service gear in such instances. Types of Service Displacing employees or volunteers; Assisting in abortion services or referrals to abortion services; Handing out hypodermic needles to clients; Handing out condoms on public school property; AmeriCorps members may assist their organizations with major fundraising efforts no more than 10% of their total term of service. CNCS policy permits fundraising by AmeriCorps members to the extent that such activities: o o o Raise resources directly in support of the program's service activities; Examples of fundraising activities AmeriCorps members may perform include, but are not limited to, the following: Seeking donations of books from companies and individuals for a program in which volunteers teach children to read; Writing a grant proposal to a foundation to secure resources to support the training of volunteers; Securing supplies and equipment from the community to enable volunteers to help build houses for low-income individuals; Securing financial resources from the community to assist in launching or expanding a program that provides social services to the members of the community and is delivered, in whole or in part, through the members of a community-based organization; Seeking donations from alumni of the program for specific service projects being performed by current members. AmeriCorps members may not: Raise funds for living allowances or for an organization's general (as opposed to project) operating expenses or endowment; Write a grant application to CNCS or to any other Federal agency. AmeriCorps members may serve no more that 20% of total service hours receiving training (offered by AIDS United, the operating site/city supervisor, or the host agency); Political Activities Participating in efforts to influence legislation, including lobbying for your programs; Organizing a letter writing campaign to Congress; Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office; Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials; 6
Printing politically charged articles in a Corporation for National and Community Service-funded newsletter or listserve; Taking part in political demonstration or rallies; Engaging in any efforts to influence legislation, including state or local ballot initiatives; Voter registration drives; Union Activities Organizing or participating in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes; Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing; Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements; Religious Activities Engaging in religious instruction; Conducting worship services; Providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship; Constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship; Maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship; Engaging in any form of religious proselytizing; Safety Activities that pose a significant safety threat to others; For Profit Businesses Placement of members with for-profit businesses as part of the education and training component of the program; and Providing assistance to a business organized for profit. 7