FACES AmeriCorps Applicants Toolkit: Overview of the Requirements and Background


Implementing the Faith-Based and Community Initiative
for the AmeriCorps Service Programs

Provide greater assistance to community organizations (secular and faith-based). The Corporation will include more community organizations (secular and faith-based) in more national and community service programs.

Below you will find additional information related to the 2003 AmeriCorps requirements for partnering with community organizations (secular and faith-based).

What Are the Partnership Expectations?
 The 2003 AmeriCorps Guidance requires that all AmeriCorps applicants demonstrate their level of partnerships with community organizations (secular and faith-based). Partnerships are defined as subgrantees, host sites, or organizations where AmeriCorps members serve. (See Section II for examples of how these might look in your program.) Other ways that community organizations might partner would include providing AmeriCorps programs with a facility or space, transportation, or materials.

There is no specific percentage or level of partnership requirements set by the Corporation. However, competitive applications will be those that demonstrate clear evidence of partnerships with community organizations (secular and faith-based). If you are applying for a continuation grant and these organizations are already a part of your program, then it will be important to document those partnerships and, where possible, show an increase in the number of partnerships. See Reference Sheet #1: Partnership Documentation Worksheet. Strategically, the more legitimate and visible the applicant can make the level of partnerships with community organizations (secular and faith-based), the stronger the application.

  • There is no requirement for a balance or specific percentage of partnerships between faith-based and secular -- both matter.
  • Applicants may partner with either or both secular and faith-based community organizations.

How Are Community Organizations Being Defined?
The 2003 AmeriCorps Guidance, page 21, provides some flexibility around the definition of community organizations (secular and faith-based) to accommodate the differences between rural and urban states. Each State Commission is expected to establish its own definitions, in keeping with the spirit of this priority and accommodating for their unique demographic circumstance. If you are unclear about the definition in your state, please contact the State Commission.

National direct applicants will also need to determine the specific definition of community organization (secular and faith-based) to establish their level of partnerships.

The CNCS board of directors adopted language that added the term "grassroots" to the spirit of its definition of community organizations, for purposes of this initiative. See Definitions of FBOs/CBOs for suggestions and support in developing your own definition.

How Do Applicants Address Concerns About Prohibited Activities?
The questions most frequently raised related to the FACES Initiative are those involving separation of church and state, non-discrimination issues, and clarifying prohibited activities. These questions are raised particularly in relation to faith-based organizations. CNCS has a long history of partnering with community organizations (secular and faith-based), and faith-based organizations have demonstrated successful compliance with all prohibited activity requirements.

All organizations are required to abide by the same requirements; there is no special treatment for faith-based organizations, simply a level playing field. Among all prohibited activities for AmeriCorps members, those related to this initiative are listed below. For a more complete listing, see page 32 of the 2003 AmeriCorps Guidance.

Prohibited Activities Related to this Initiative:
AmeriCorps members cannot engage in religious instruction, conduct worship services, provide instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, construct or operate facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintain facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engage in any form of religious proselytization

The CNCS Office of General Counsel has provided a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to assist applicants and staff with these issues. In addition, a letter related to non-discrimination recently issued by CNCS is also included.

Supporting Background Information

This section will describe ways in which AmeriCorps applicants can serve as intermediaries for community organizations (secular and faith-based) by providing the support to enable community organizations to participate in AmeriCorps programs through their partnerships with the applicant.

What Is the Role of an Intermediary
The guidance discusses the role of AmeriCorps applicants as intermediaries for community organizations (secular and faith-based). Intermediaries are organizations

  • that provide the mechanism by which a number of community- or faith-based organizations or grassroots groups may access AmeriCorps and other Corporation resources;
  • that are national, regional, state, or local organizations that agree to provide the technical and financial support to assist community- or faith-based organizations that do not have the capacity to perform these functions; and/or
  • that serve as the legal applicant, ensuring that the systems to manage a federal grant are in place.

For more information about intermediaries and their emerging role in building the capacity of community organizations (secular and faith-based), read Empowering Compassion by Dr. Amy Sherman, Hudson Institute. The focus of the report is on implementing Charitable Choice, but the key learnings for successful intermediaries working with faith-based organizations are instructive.

For more background information on the Faith-based and Community Initiative:


FACES Toolkit for AmeriCorps Applicants
Overview | Step-by-Step Process | Examples | Reference and Resources