FY 2019 Day of Service Grants | CNCS 05 20 19

Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS 05 20 19

The FY 2019 Day of Service Grants opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number CNCS 05 20 19) is a discretionary grant competition run by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support large-scale volunteer mobilization efforts tied to two national service observances: the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Organizations can apply to run activities for September 11th, for MLK Day, or for both observances, but they are limited to no more than one application per Day of Service (meaning an applicant cannot submit multiple proposals for September 11th or multiple proposals for MLK Day).

For the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, the funding is intended to help communities organize service projects that address real local needs while also honoring those who died on September 11, 2001 and recognizing the many people who responded through service in the aftermath. In practice, this means supporting efforts that both commemorate the day and translate remembrance into tangible community benefit, such as volunteer-led projects that strengthen neighborhoods, improve public spaces, assist vulnerable populations, or otherwise respond to pressing community challenges.

For the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, the grant funding focuses on using the federal holiday as a catalyst for community service and civic connection. The goal is to mobilize Americans to participate in service projects on MLK Day, encourage participants to continue serving beyond the holiday (building longer-term volunteer commitment), and bring diverse groups together around the shared purpose of helping others. The emphasis is not only on the day-of event itself, but also on creating pathways that keep people engaged in ongoing service after the holiday ends.

The opportunity is broad in terms of the types of community needs it can support. CNCS lists multiple funding activity categories, including disaster prevention and relief, education, environment, health, housing, and other community-focused purposes described in the full guidance. This signals that applicants have flexibility to design service activities that fit local priorities, as long as the core intent is volunteer mobilization connected to one or both national days of service.

Eligible applicants span a wide range of public and nonprofit entities. Applicants may include state, county, and city or township governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that particular nonprofit category). This breadth of eligibility suggests the program is meant to reach communities through many types of civic, educational, governmental, and charitable organizations capable of coordinating service activities at scale.

Key administrative details included in the listing are that the opportunity was created on May 20, 2019, with an original application closing date of June 19, 2019. CNCS anticipated making about 15 awards. The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically indicates that the maximum award amount was not specified in the summary field and would need to be confirmed in the full notice or application instructions. The program is associated with CFDA numbers 94.012 and 94.014, which are identifiers used to track federal assistance programs.

Overall, this grant competition is geared toward organizations that can plan, promote, and execute impactful service events on September 11th and/or MLK Day, recruit and manage volunteers, and channel that volunteer energy into projects that meet real community needs while also advancing the commemorative and civic purposes of each national day of service.

• The Corporation for National and Community Service in the disaster prevention and relief, education, environment, 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 Day of Service Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 94.012, 94.014.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 20, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 19, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, 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 05 20 19

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