FY 2019 RSVP Competition | CNCS 09 20 2018

Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS 09 20 2018

The FY 2019 RSVP Competition is a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to select sponsoring organizations to operate RSVP projects in multiple geographic service areas. RSVP, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, supports community-based volunteer activities primarily engaging older adults in service roles that address local needs. The core purpose of the competition is to identify capable sponsors that can manage and grow volunteer service in a way that produces measurable community results, strengthens local capacity, and provides meaningful benefits to the volunteers themselves through a structured service experience.

This opportunity is broadly focused on community impact across several public service domains. The funding activity categories listed for this competition include community development, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment and workforce-related activities, environmental work, food and nutrition, health, housing, and other related community priorities. In practice, that means a sponsored RSVP project could be designed to support a wide range of volunteer-driven interventions such as tutoring and mentoring students, assisting with disaster preparedness and recovery efforts, supporting hunger relief and nutrition programs, helping with community health and wellness initiatives, contributing to housing stability efforts, or providing other locally determined services that align with CNCS priorities and can demonstrate results.

Eligible applicants span a wide set of public and nonprofit institutions, reflecting RSVP's community-based structure. Applicants may include state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions). In other words, the program is open to many types of organizations that can credibly serve as the local sponsor, coordinate volunteers, partner with community service sites, and carry out the administrative and programmatic responsibilities required to run an RSVP project.

Key administrative details indicate that the award mechanism is a grant and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding. The opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number CNCS 09 20 2018, associated with CFDA (now commonly referred to under Assistance Listings) number 94.002. The opportunity was created on September 20, 2018, with an original closing date of November 7, 2018. The listed award ceiling is $729,000, and CNCS projected making about 211 awards, suggesting a nationwide effort to recompete and assign sponsorship across many service areas rather than a small number of large, centralized grants.

Overall, this competition is designed to ensure RSVP services are delivered by strong local sponsors that can mobilize volunteers effectively, match volunteer activities to real community needs, and document measurable outcomes. The emphasis on both community impact and volunteer benefit reflects RSVP's dual mission: solving local problems through service while also creating an engaging, meaningful volunteer experience that builds social connection, purpose, and community involvement.

• The Corporation for National and Community Service in the community development, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment, labor and training, environment, food and nutrition, health, housing, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2019 RSVP Competition" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 94.002.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 20, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 07, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $729,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 211 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for CNCS 09 20 2018

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: