The Fiscal Year 2025 AmeriCorps State and National Native Nation Planning Grants program is designed to support Indian Tribes in developing AmeriCorps programs tailored to meet the specific needs of their communities. Administered by AmeriCorps, this opportunity allows Tribes to explore how AmeriCorps service can address community issues while respecting tribal sovereignty and advancing self-determination. These grants provide planning support but do not fund AmeriCorps member activities. Instead, the goal is to build capacity for future implementation of AmeriCorps programming.
The program supports tribal governments and tribal organizations to design service-based solutions to pressing community problems. Grantees may receive up to $240,000 for a one-year planning period. The planning grant aims to enable Tribes to create a robust program design, incorporating elements such as a theory of change, logic model, supervision structure, and sustainability plans. The expectation is that recipients will apply for an implementation grant in the next funding cycle, assuming AmeriCorps proves to be a good fit for their community goals.
Funding will prioritize applicants who design an AmeriCorps program that addresses pressing local needs and who show a strong ability to convert their planning work into a competitive program application. Applications must include at least one aligned performance measure reflecting the proposed primary intervention, which can either be a National Performance Measure or one determined by the applicant.
Only Indian Tribes and authorized tribal organizations are eligible to apply. The definition includes entities chartered, authorized, or controlled by federally recognized Tribes. Applicants must provide documentation such as tribal resolutions or charter documents proving their eligibility. AmeriCorps encourages new applicants, including small and faith-based community organizations, to apply.
Applications must be submitted electronically by April 9, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Required elements include a Standard Form 424, narrative sections (executive summary, program design, organizational capacity, cost-effectiveness, and evaluation plan), performance measures, and a budget form. Additional documents, including a financial management survey and tribal authorization documentation (if applicable), must be submitted by the deadline as well.
Applications will be evaluated using several criteria: Program Design (50 percent), Organizational Capability (25 percent), and Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (25 percent). The review process includes both external and internal assessments, with AmeriCorps retaining the discretion to apply additional risk-based considerations before making final funding decisions. Awards will be announced by the end of May 2025, and funds are expected to be issued by mid-July 2025.
