Notice of Award & Request to Execute Agreement for 23-24 City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities Copyrighted
August 21, 2023
City of Dubuque Action Items # 010.
City Council Meeting
IT EM T IT LE: Notice of Award & Request to Execute Agreement for 23-24 City of
Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities
SUM MARY: City Manager is providing information on the award of 23-24 City of
Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities Grant and
recommending City Council approval to execute the AmeriCorps Grant
Agreement.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File;Approve
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
Grant Agreement Supporting Documentation
Grant Application and Budget Supporting Documentation
Grant Award Letter Supporting Documentation
Dubuque
THE CITY QF �
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Notice of Award & Request to Execute Agreement for 23-24 City of
Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities
DATE: August 15, 2023
Leisure Services Manager Marie Ware grant is recommending City Council approval to
execute the AmeriCorps Creating Opportunities Grant Agreement.
City Council approved the request to apply for the City of Dubuque AmeriCorps
Program, Creating Opportunities Grant on December 19, 2022. On July 1, 2023,
Leisure Services was notified of the award. The details of the award are below:
Awarded Amount: $404,798.00
Match Amount: $217,776
Match Funding Source:
• Hillcrest Family Services - $25,500
• St Mark Youth Enrichment - $15,750
• Dubuque Community School District - $45,000
• City of Dubuque - $131,526
The City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Partners in Learning has been extremely
successful in its 23 years of operation, 15 of which have been under the leadership of
the City of Dubuque. The program's success is apparent in the over 1000 AmeriCorps
Alumni giving over 500,000 hours of service in our community. These members and
alumni have performed invaluable service.
AmeriCorps members are paid living allowance stipend for their service and receive an
education award. The stipends and awards are a part of the grant. These funds are
often directly invested in our community in the form of groceries, rent or tuition to local
colleges and universities as well as other direct living expenses. Some of the
AmeriCorps members are grandparents and earn education awards they are passing
along to their grandchildren.
The Corporation for National and Community Service has established priority areas of
funding for their grants. The Partners in Learning program fits nicely into the
Corporation for National and Community Service priority area of education. The
Corporation for National and Community Service emphasizes performance measures
and being able to measure progress. They require evidence-based approaches with
evaluative data and use of a logic model.
This competitively funded grant is a continued effort to support the Dubuque
community's youth through social-emotional learning interventions, academic support,
mentoring, and future-ready programs through Carnegie-Stout Public Library, City of
Dubuque Arts & Cultural Affairs, City of Dubuque Engineering, Dubuque Community
School District, Hillcrest Family Services, Multicultural Family Center, and St. Mark
Youth Enrichment in partnership with the goals of the Office of Shared Prosperity and
Neighborhood Support and the Office of Equity and Human Rights. With a primary focus
on fostering essential skills, AmeriCorps members will spearhead programs that target
self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, goal-directed behavior,
relationship skills, personal responsibility, decision-making, and optimistic thinking.
Other related programs include the Four Mounds Heart Program and the NICC
Opportunity Dubuque program.
By prioritizing these critical attributes, the City of Dubuque AmeriCorps members aim to
equip local youth with the necessary tools to navigate challenges, enhance well-being,
and succeed academically and beyond. Each of these attributes are often traits that we
admire in our friends, family members, colleagues, and leaders. At the conclusion of the
first program year, AmeriCorps members will be responsible for driving measurable
changes in students' social and emotional competencies, empowering them to thrive in
various aspects of life. Through in-school and out-of-school-time programs, these
dedicated individuals will create supportive environments that promote personal growth
and positive development among the student population.
In addition to the impact on community youth and local organizations, one of the areas
that the AmeriCorps Program prioritizes is with the AmeriCorps members themselves.
The Program strives to recruit from a diverse pool of candidates, with the program
previously having had a wide range of AmeriCorps from retirees to college students, to
newcomers to Dubuque, to stay at home parents, to people looking for a career change.
The program strives to encourage it's AmeriCorps members to recognize their service
as engagement and continue to serve in some facet after their term of service.
The City of Dubuque will have 45 AmeriCorps members who will develop and
implement social and emotional learning interventions to K-12th grade students through
in-school and out-of-school-time programs in Dubuque. At the end of the first program
year, the AmeriCorps members will be responsible for a change in social-emotional
skills. In addition, the AmeriCorps members will leverage 100 volunteers who will be
engaged in mentoring youth and supporting youth programming. The $404,798
AmeriCorps investment will be matched with $217,776, $176,526 in public funding and
$40,250 in private funding.
Community Impact Director Heather Satterly and AmeriCorps Coordinator Sarah Berna
will lead this effort.
2
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
�
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Heather Satterly, Community Impact Director
Sarah Berna, AmeriCorps Coordinator
3
Dubuqu�
THE CIT7f OF �
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
SUBJECT: Notice of Award & Request to Execute Agreement for 23-24 City of
Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities
DATE: 8/15/2023
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information on the award of 23-24 City
of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities grant and to request approval
to execute the AmeriCorps Grant Agreement that will be sent to City Manager Mike Van
Milligan by Volunteer lowa through Adobe Sign and Save.
DISCUSSION
The City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Partners in Learning has been extremely
successful in its 23 years of operation, 15 of which have been under the leadership of
the City of Dubuque. The program's success is apparent in the over 1000 AmeriCorps
Alumni giving over 500,000 hours of service in our community. These members and
alumni have performed invaluable service.
AmeriCorps members are paid living allowance stipend for their service and receive an
education award. The stipends and awards are a part of the grant. These funds are
often directly invested in our community in the form of groceries, rent or tuition to local
colleges and universities as well as other direct living expenses. Some of the
AmeriCorps members are grandparents and earn education awards they are passing
along to their grandchildren.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has established priority
areas of funding for their grants. The Partners in Learning program fits nicely into CNCS
priority area of education. CNCS emphasizes performance measures and being able to
measure progress. They require evidence-based approaches with evaluative data and
use of a logic model.
This competitively funded grant is a continued effort to support the Dubuque
community's youth through social-emotional learning interventions, academic support,
mentoring, and future-ready programs through Carnegie-Stout Public Library, City of
Dubuque Arts & Cultural Affairs, City of Dubuque Engineering, Dubuque Community
School District, Hillcrest Family Services, Multicultural Family Center, and St. Mark
Youth Enrichment. With a primary focus on fostering essential skills, AmeriCorps
members will spearhead programs that target self-awareness, social awareness, self-
management, goal-directed behavior, relationship skills, personal responsibility,
decision-making, and optimistic thinking.
By prioritizing these critical attributes, the City of Dubuque AmeriCorps members aim to
equip local youth with the necessary tools to navigate challenges, enhance well-being,
and succeed academically and beyond. Each of these attributes are often traits that we
admire in our friends, family members, colleagues, and leaders. At the conclusion of the
first program year, AmeriCorps members will be responsible for driving measurable
changes in students' social and emotional competencies, empowering them to thrive in
various aspects of life. Through in-school and out-of-school-time programs, these
dedicated individuals will create supportive environments that promote personal growth
and positive development among the student population.
In addition to our impact on community youth and local organizations, one of the areas
that the AmeriCorps Program prioritizes is with the AmeriCorps members themselves.
The Program strives to recruit from a diverse pool of candidates, with the program
previously having had a wide range of AmeriCorps from retirees to college students, to
newcomers to Dubuque, to stay at home parents, to people looking for a career change.
The program strives to encourage it's AmeriCorps members to recognize their service
as engagement and continue to serve in some facet after their term of service.
Council approved the request to apply for 23-24 City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program:
Creating Opportunities. On 7/1/2023, Leisure Services was notified of the award. The
details of the award are below.
Awarded Amount: $404,798.00
Match Required: Yes
Match Amount: $217,776
Match Funding Source:
• Hillcrest Family Services (Secured) 25,500 Cash Private
• St Mark Youth Enrichment (Secured) 15,750 Cash Private
• Dubuque Community School District (Secured) 45,000 Cash Private
• City of Dubuque (Secured) 131,526 Cash State/Local
Anticipated Receipt of money: 9/1/2023
Department Contact: Heather Satterly
Departments Involved: Leisure Services, Economic Development, Library, Engineering
GRANT OBJECTIVE
The City of Dubuque will have 45 AmeriCorps members who will develop and
implement social and emotional learning interventions to K-12th grade students through
in-school and out-of-school-time programs in Dubuque, IA. At the end of the first
program year, the AmeriCorps members will be responsible for a change in social-
emotional skills as measured by the Devereaux Student Strengths Assessment
(DESSA). In addition, the AmeriCorps members will leverage 100 volunteers who will be
engaged in mentoring youth and supporting youth programming. The AmeriCorps
investment will be matched with $217,776, $176,526 in public funding and $40,250 in
private funding.
COUNCIL GOAL(S) ADDRESSED
Comprehensive Plan: Economic Prosperity
Outcome(s)
Workforce retention/recruitment and skills challenges to maintain strong employment
growth and occupational diversity
Comprehensive Plan: Social and Cultural Vibrancy
Outcome(s)
Promote healthy lifestyles
Council Goal: Diverse Arts, Culture, Parks, and Recreation: Experiences and
Activities
Outcome(s)
Expand arts and cultural opportunities with access for all
Value s
Opportunities for all to experience diverse arts and culture
Council Goal: Financially Responsible, High Performance City Organization:
Sustainable, Equitable and Effective Service Delivery
Outcome(s)
Hire, retain a highly skilled City workforce reflective of the Dubuque community
Value s
Service value for taxes and fees
Council Goal: Partnership for a Better Dubuque: Building our Community that is
Viable, Livable and Equitable
Outcome(s)
Become an inclusive and welcoming community for all
Have non-profit institutions, private businesses and educational institutions contributing
toward implementation of the Imagine Dubuque plan
Have opportunities for residents for upward mobility and empowerment across all
demographics
Value s
Leveraging community resources in order to accomplish more than tax revenues
More ownership of "end" products — residents involved in the process and support
outcomes
Sense of community pride and commitment to the Dubuque community
Council Goal: Robust Local Economy: Diverse Businesses and Jobs with
Economic Prosperity
Outcome(s)
Embrace diverse populations to support a diverse multicultural workforce with equitable
job opportunities
Have a diverse workforce prepared for 21 st century jobs in the global marketplace
Value s
Children and grandchildren want to stay or return to raise their families
Variety of educational opportunities and internships for jobs
Council Goal: Vibrant Community: Healthy & Safe
Outcome(s)
Continue to become an inclusive and equitable community in which all feel welcome,
included, and leaving no one behind
Have residents feeling that they are part of the solution
Value s
City services are available for all and delivered in an equitable and fair manner
Equitable treatment for all
ACTION STEP
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information on the award and request
approval for the City Manager to execute the 23-24 AmeriCorps Grant Agreement for
the City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities grant. This
agreement has been reviewed and approved by City of Dubuque Senior Council, Barry
Lindahl.
Attached: 23-AC-10 City of Dubuque Grant Agreement
23-AC-10 City of Dubuque Application and Budget Narrative
23-AC-10 City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program Grant Award Letter
CC: Heather Satterly, Community Impact Director
Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Jennifer Larson, Director of Budget and Finance
MW/hs
PART I - FACE SHEET
APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE 1.TYPEOFSUBMISSION:
Modified Standard Form 424(Rev.02/07 to confirm to the Corporation's eGrants System) Application X� Non-Construction
a.DATE SUBMITTED TO CORPORATION 3.DATE RECEIVED BY STATE: STATE APPLICATION IDENTIFIER:
FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY
ERV ICE(CNCS): 09-DEG22 N/A
b.APPLICATION ID: 4.DATE RECEIVED BY FEDERAL AGENCY: FEDERAL IDENTIFIER:
23A C250967 21 A CEIA 0010012
5.APPLICATION INFORMATION
LEGAL NAME: DUBUQUE,THE CfTY OF(INC) NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PROJECT DIRECTOR OR OTHER
UEI NUMBER: TLJMHPVMMUD3 PERSON TO BE CONTACTED ON MATTERS INVOLVING THIS APPLICATION(give
area codes):
NAME: Heather M.Satterly
ADDRESS(give street address,city,state,zip code and county): TELEPHONE NUMBER: (563)690-6171
50 W 13th St
Dubuque IA 52001 -4805 FAX NUMBER:
County:Dubuque INTERNET E-MAIL ADDRESS: hsatterl@cityofdubuque.org
6.EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER(EIN): 7.TYPE OF APPLICANT:
426004596 7a. Local Government-Municipal
7b. Local Government,Municipal
8.TYPE OF APPLICATION(Check appropriate box).
X� N� ❑ NEW/PREVIOUS GRANTEE
� CONTINUATION 0 AMENDMENT
IF Amendment,enter appropriate letter(s)in box(es): ��
A. AUGMENTATION B.BUDGEf REVISION
C.NO COST DCTENSION D.OTHER(specify below):
9.NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY:
Corporation for National and Community Service
10a.CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER: 94.006 11.a.DESCRIPTIVETITLE OF APPLICANTS PROJECT:
10b.TffLE: AmeriCorps State City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program
12.AREAS AFFECTED BY PROJECT(List Cities,Counties,States,etc): 11.b.CNCS PROGRAM INITIATNE(IF ANY):
Dubuque,IA
13.PROPOSED PROJECT: START DATE: 09/01/23 END DATE: 08/31/24 14.CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF: a.Applicant IA 02 b.Program IA 02
15.ESTIMATED FUNDING: Year#: 1� 16.IS APPLICATION SUBJECT TO REV IEW BY STATE IXECUTNE
ORDER 12372 PROCESS?
a.FEDERAL $ 404,798.00
0 YES.THIS PREAPPLICATION/APPLICATION WAS MADEAVAILABLE
b.APPLICANT $ 217,776.00 TO THE STATE EXECUTNE ORDER 12372 PROCESS FOR
REV IEW ON:
c.STATE $ 0.00 DATE:
d.LOCAL $ 0.00 ❑X NO.PROGRAM IS NOT COVERED BY E.O.12372
e.OTHER $ 0.00
f.PROGRAM INCOME $ 0.00 17.IS THE APPLICANT DELINQUENT ON ANY FEDERAL DEBT?
� YES if"Yes,"attach an explanation. � NO
g.TOTAL $ 622,574.00
18.TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF,ALL DATA IN THIS APPLICATION/PREAPPLICATION ARE TRUE AND CORRECT,THE DOCUMENT HAS BEEN
DULY AUTHORIZED BY THE GOV ERNING BODY OF THE APPLICANT AND THE APPLICANT WILL COMPLY WITH THE ATTACHED ASSURANCES IF THE ASSISTANCE
IS A WA RDED.
a.TYPED NAME OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATNE: b.TffLE: c.TELEPHONE NUMBER:
Heather M.Satterly (563)690-6171
d.SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE: e.DATE SIGNED:
12/09/22
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Executive Summary
The City of Dubuque will have 45 AmeriCorps members who will develop and implement social and
emotional learning interventions to K-i2th grade students through in-school and out-of-school-time
programs in Dubuque, IA.At the end of the first program year, the AmeriCorps members will be
responsible for a change in social-emotional skills as measured by the Devereaux Student Strengths
Assessment (DESSA). In addition, the AmeriCorps members will leverage ioo volunteers who will be
engaged in mentoring youth and supporting youth programming.
The AmeriCorps investment will be matched with $2i�,��6, $i�6,526 in public funding and $40,750
in private funding.
Rationale and Approach/Program Design
i-THEORY OF CHANGE AND LOGIC MODEL -- Dubuque, IA (DBQ) youth are in crisis, resulting
in lower school attendance, higher need for behavioral intervention in school, decreased graduation
rates, increased need for mental health interventions, and higher rates of risk-taking &law-breaking
behaviors. Additionally, youth from marginalized communities are experiencing these crises at higher
rates. The Dubuque County social vulnerability index (SVI) is not high, but many categories fall in the
moderate level including the percentage of i) children who are i� and younger; 2) single-parent
households with children under i8; 3) housing in structures with io or more units; 4) persons in
group quarters, and 5) households with no vehicle available. While the County SVI may not be high,
the City of Dubuque (DBQ) AmeriCorps Program operates primarily in a severely economically
distressed area, specifically in Downtown DBQ, in census tracts i, 5, and�.oi where the per capita
income was $20,296, the average unemployment rate was ii.i%, and the average percentage Below
the Poverty Level was 28.6%. In 2o2i, the city published the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan that
found the following: i6% of DBQ families of 4 survive at i00% of the Official Poverty Measure
(OPM), 24% of families of 4 survive on just i5o% of the OPM, 32% of families of 4 survive on 200%
of the OPM. 44% of DBQ families of 4 survive when using United Way's ALICE measure (i00% OPM
+ Working Poor). The overall racial composition of those experiencing poverty shows that 3 out of 4
are White, while nearly i in 5 is Black. Categories of Asian & Pacific Islanders, Two or More Races,
and Latinx account for 3% each. While 90% percent of the DBQ population is White, the Black
community in DBQ is 4 times as likely to be poor as their White neighbors, almost twice as likely as
Blacks statewide, and 2.5 times as likely to live in poverty as Blacks nationwide. DBQ's poverty data
shows a profoundly disproportionate poverty level, especially considering that the Black community is
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5% of the total population. School attendance in Dubuque Community School District (DCSD) has
been significantly impacted by the COVID-i9 pandemic. The chronic absenteeism rates (io% or
more) have been significantly high for the last 3 years: Elementary School (ES): 2oig-2o (i8%),
2020-21 (21%�, 2021-22 (22%�; Middle School (MS): 2oi9-2o (2�%), 2020-21 (24%�, 2021-22 (23%�;
and High School (HS): 2oi9-2o (39%), 2o2o-2i (37%), 2021-22 (35%). When disaggregating chronic
absenteeism by race, DCSD students of color were disproportionately more likely to be chronically
absent than their white counterparts, Black/African-American students: 6i% (ES), 59% (MS), ��%
(HS); Hispanic: 2�% (ES), 35% (MS), 53% (HS); Pacific Islander: 73% (ES), �i% (MS), 86% (HS);
White: io% (ES), i6% (MS), 29% (HS), especially considering that DCSD's student demographics are
75•3��'hite, 9.9% Black/African-American, 6% Multi-Racial, 4.9% Hispanic, 2.8% Pacific Islander,
i%Asian, and.i% Native American. DCSD's 4-year graduation rate has decreased by nearly io% in 8
years, beginning in 2oi3-i4 at 9i.49%, and falling to 8i.9i% in 2o2o-2i. When disaggregating this
data by race, we continue to see the same pattern that our most marginalized students are
disproportionately struggling. In 2o2o-2i, the 4-year graduation rates by race were Black/African
American: 56.i4%; Hispanic: 69.09%; Pacific Islander: 2�.�8%; White: 8�.i�%. In 2o2o-2i, 9i.5% of
DCSD's K-5th grade students had o or 1 major office discipline referral (MODRs), 4.5% had 2-5
MODRs, and 4.i% had 6 or more MODRs. MODRs require behavioral intervention & de-escalation
external to the classroom. In February 2022, DCSD opened 2 Brain Health Retreat Rooms (BHRR) in
two high schools. In 4 months, the BHRRs were used by i,o82 students for a total of 3,i6i times. In
DBQ County (DC), youth reporting plans to kill themselves rose from 6.4% in 2oi2 to io.5% in 2oi8.
From 2oi6 to 2018, the percentage of DC 8th-grade students who reported having a plan to kill
themselves within the past year increased from 6.8% to i3.5%. According to the 2oi8 Iowa Youth
Survey (IYS), i8% of DC youth felt that they did not have someone they can talk to within their
homes. Of the DC youth surveyed in 2018, 21% of youth identified as another race besides white (up
from i4% in 2oi4); 6% of youth were made fun of because of their race or color (up from 5% in
2oi4); 3i% disagreed that students were respected for their differences (up from 2i% in 2oi4), and
ii% disagreed that adults respected differences in students (up from 8% in 2oi4). Since COVID, the
data is even more alarming. The 2o2i IYS (DC-specific data not available) reported that i�% of 6th-
grade students, 21% of 8th-grade students, and 24% of iith-grade students had thoughts of killing
themselves over the last year. When disaggregating this data, the details are staggering. 2�% of female
students indicated they had thought about killing themselves in the past i2 months compared to i4%
of males. Non-White students reported higher rates of suicidal ideation with the highest rate (3i%)
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reported among students who identified as two or more races and the lowest rate among White
students (i9�)• 55� of LGBTQI students indicated they had thought about killing themselves in the
past i2 months compared to i5% for participating heterosexual students. i in io students who had
thought about killing themselves reported they had made a plan to kill themselves in the past i2
months, equivalent to 8% of all participating 6th graders, ii% of all participating 8th graders, and 12%
of all participating iith graders. Further, of the students who had thought about killing themselves,
24% of 6th graders, 26% of 8th graders, and 20% of iith graders reported they had tried to kill
themselves during the past i2 months. Students who attempted suicide during this period account for
4% of 6th graders and 5% of 8th and iith graders among the full sample of participating IYS students.
DBQ youth also struggle with risk-taking behaviors and criminal activity. Data from DBQ Police for
the timeframe of Jan. 2oig through Oct. 2022 show 2,452 criminal charges involving youth aged 9-
i�, with the top 5 charges being assault (i�%), disorderly conduct (i�%), interference (8%), theft (8%),
and vandalism (�%). 1i% of charges were drug-related, and 8% of charges were alcohol-related.
Youth were more likely to be engaged in risk-taking and unlawful behavior during after-school &
evening hours, with 48% of charges occurring between 2:3o pm - io pm. Our program utilizes an
integrated, comprehensive, TWO-PRONGED APPROACH to address our community's problem of
youth in crisis. The FIRST PRONG is focused on developing positive connections between youth &
positive adult role models within a school setting. AmeriCorps Members will provide i-i Social
Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions using the Check In, Check Out (CICO) Model to support
youth in crises by strengthening their social-emotional health. The SECOND PRONG of the program
focuses on developing community-based mentoring and enrichment for at-risk youth during out-of-
school and summertime. AmeriCorps Members will develop and implement after-school and summer
programs to build community within and around DBQ youth to improve social-emotional health.
Our program believes that utilizing AmeriCorps members to develop and increase opportunities for
community connection, as well as fostering direct connections with youth will create and foster
resiliency among these youth. In contexts of risk, relationships are crucial to mitigating the negative
impact of toxic environments.AmeriCorps Members are the ideal solution to address these needs, as
most partners are experiencing tightened budgets due to the current economic situation. Without the
utilization of AmeriCorps members, youth would simply not receive targeted SEL health interventions
in our school building and our larger community. In the DBQ community, there is no other
organization that has worked collaboratively across the partners to help leverage resources and
address needs as the AmeriCorps program does, as this program has pivoted to address youths' needs
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since 200�. 2-EVIDENCE BASE Our program falls into the pre-preliminary evidence tier as an
evidence-informed program. Previously, our program was focused on reading. Since 200�, our
partnerships expanded, and our needs shifted. Through our partners and work with DBQ youth, we
determined that our program would be better suited to address the community needs of youths' SEL &
mental health. Our program previously saw the success of SEL interventions through the
Multicultural Family Center (MFC)'s Summer Teen Empowerment Program (STEP), which saw 35
out of 4o at-risk teens complete a summer mentoring and workforce development program in
Summer 2019; 18 of 2i in Summer 2020; and 35 out of 4o in Summer 2o2i. In Summer 2022, STEP
aligned its future-ready programming with SEL outcomes, leading to significant growth of
participants. The overall SEL composite score showed that the 'Need for overall SEL Instruction'
decreased from 24% to 2% of the 47 teens in the program, resulting in a 22% growth for students
needing the most SEL Support. Additionally, the overall SEL composite score showed that 'Strength in
overall SEL' grew from 2% to 18% of the 47 teens in the program, resulting in i6°/o of teens
strengthening their SEL skills. The largest growth in specific competencies for the 47 teens include
Optimistic Thinking- 47% improved in their attitude of confidence, hopefulness, & positive thinking;
Self-Awareness- 46% improved in their realistic understanding of their strengths, limitations, & desire
for self-improvement; and Relationship Skills- 4i% improved in their performance of socially
acceptable actions that promote & maintain positive connections with others. The success of the STEP
program, the lack of other teen opportunities in DBQ, and the increasing number of teens
experiencing crisis helped our program determine that utilizing AmeriCorps can help meet these
community needs. Additionally, our program wanted to help support teens in crisis by fostering
resiliency. Research has shown that resiliency increases when youth relate to positive adult role
models, leading our program to aim to create mentoring relationships with youth. Since the onset of
COVID-19, our elementary school-focused AmeriCorps members &host sites reported and
documented an increased need for SEL services, both in school & during out-of-school time. The
severe SEL needs of students often interrupted AmeriCorps interventions, requiring de-escalation and
leading to time needing to be set aside for social-emotional needs to be addressed before learning of
any kind could occur. This small adaptation led partners to request that our AmeriCorps program
adapt to address SEL needs for youth, as there are no free services focused on these needs in our
community, and there is no capacity or funding to address these needs in our schools. Knowing the
need for SEL, the program will utilize the Check In/Check Out Intervention (CICO) which is a well-
developed, evidence-based, and efficient Tier II behavioral intervention. CICO (also known as the
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Behavior Education Program) was designed to reduce the behavioral problems of students who are
not responding to Tier I intervention strategies (Filter, K.J., Ford,A.L.B., Bullard, S.J. et al). CICO is a
K-i2 Intervention strategy that provides students with immediate feedback on behavior& increased
positive adult attention. Students will be identified as eligible for AmeriCorps Member i-i interventions
if they meet 2 of the 4 criteria: having the highest SEL needs through the SEL Screener (Criteria i);
and meet Iowa's definition of at-risk in academic, attendance, or behavior (Criteria 2+). Each CICO
session will occur at least 3 times/week for 3o minutes for at least 24 sessions and until the student
has been reassessed& results show the student has improved in at least one SEL category. Members
will serve as CICO Coordinators or CICO Coaches. CICO follows a structure of i) Check-in with a
positive adult to set goals, 2) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Feedback with CICO Coordinator, and 3)
Check-out with the same positive adult to review successes and provide support. During Check-In,
CICO Coaches will individually check in with their student caseload to review behavioral goals,
collaboratively set goals for the day, and provide encouragement. The CICO Coordinators will observe
students'behaviors and provide feedback using a 'point card'to reward students with points for
meeting goals. Before the end of the day, students will meet individually with their CICO Coach to
assess their point cards, discuss their goals and behaviors, and provide encouragement, praise, and
support. Successful implementation of this program will result in students improving in at least one
SEL Category. Research on CI CO has found that the intervention can improve student behavior,
increase accountability and motivation, improve self-monitoring skills and self-esteem, and enhance
family engagement efforts. 3-NOTICE PRIORIT'Y - The program fits with the priority areas of: -
Organizations leading service in communities with concentrated poverty and serving historically
underrepresented and underserved individuals as detailed in our theory of change section; Programs
that provide additional benefits to AmeriCorps members. Additionally, the program does fit with
several State of Iowa priorities based on the ICVS State Service Plan: 1) comprehensive community
strategy 2) engage underrepresented populations and those that provide a high return on investment
3) address disparities with minority populations 4) Governor's priority areas of Future Ready Iowa,
childcare and enrichment, and education; 5) actively participate in A-DRT, and 6) priorities based on
Iowa Code: Summer Youth Corps through the Multicultural Family Center STEP Program, where
students receive workforce development, service learning, high school credit, and the ability to earn a
paid stipend, and Iowa National Service Corps. 4-MEMBER EXPERIENCE -- Leadership
development is a priority of our program that begins with a strategic strength-based, equity-focused
recruitment process. Program staff recruit, interview, and select each member based on their personal
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and/or professional career goals.All Members receive training & professional development on DEI,
Emotional Intelligence,ACES &Trauma-Informed Service. During their term of service, members
are challenged to develop personally and professionally by seeking out development opportunities that
match their goals and interests. Each host site, as part of the program partnership, offers unique
training and professional development opportunities to all members across all program partners, to
professionally prepare members for human services careers. For example, DCSD offers Youth Mental
Health First Aid Certification, the MFC offers training on Youth Behaviors Interventions, and St.
Mark offers a Working Genius workshop. The program has taken significant effort in the last 5 years
to increase the living allowance to a 'livable allowance' (from $�.io/hour to $i3/hour equivalency) to
ensure that members can focus on their experience, instead of worrying about their survival.
Additionally, the program expects all host sites to practice barrier removal for AmeriCorps members,
including paying for downtown parking, and covering up to $20o per member in expenses for
additional professional development opportunities. Recruitment efforts are focused on recruiting
members directly from the DBQ Community, from retired professionals & stay-at-home parents to
college students & recent high school graduates. Positions are advertised virtually on local job boards,
internship websites, and city social media. Paper flyers are taken to bulletin boards in apartment
complexes, religious institutions, and community centers across all areas of town. Position
advertisements are included in the following City Mailers that go to all households in DBQ: 4
quarterly utility mailers, 2 annual leisure services guides, and 2 City-Focus magazines. Recruiting a
representative & diverse member corps is an important part of our program. We prioritize making
sure that members from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences are respected, valued, and
supported by following up with members on navigating the difficulties of public benefits, referring
members to the Member Assistance Plan for mental health services, training host sites in DEI and
Trauma to create inclusive service environments, and ultimately meeting members where they are at
and listening to what they need to ensure they can be successful in their AmeriCorps Contract. Before
enrollment, 20% of the questions asked in interviews are related to DEI to ensure that the program
hires members who reflect the youth that we serve through their lived experiences and identities.As
many interviews as possible are conducted at the Multicultural Family Center to create a safe,
welcoming, and inclusive environment for all applicants, as this is one of the only spaces in DBQ that
actively engages and welcomes diverse communities, including, but not limited to communities of
color, LGBTQI, and other culturally diverse groups.Additionally, the Program has worked with ICVS
to advocate for changes to the AmeriCorps citizenship requirements to include COFA migrants. The
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AmeriCorps program is housed in the Community Impact Division, which works closely with the
City's Equity & Human Rights Department and the Office of Shared Prosperity. Together, they ensure
that AmeriCorps programming & other city programs are culturally competent, equitable, and
accessible to community members. Additionally, program staff work with the City's Human
Resources department to ensure that all program hiring practices are equitable and inclusive to
applicants, members, and staff.Additionally, the city and DCSD have positions within their structure
to ensure equitable and strategic recruitment and hiring practices.
Organizational Capability
1-ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND AND STAFFING - The City of Dubuque has sponsored an
AmeriCorps Program since 200�. The city relies on its expert personnel to plan & implement the grant
and provides in-kind administration, personnel, and fiscal support. The Community Impact Director,
Heather Satterly, a 3-term AmeriCorps alum, has been the Director since 2oi�, in addition to
managing another Iowa AmeriCorps Program for 3 years. Heather focuses on program compliance,
program monitoring, technical assistance, and in-depth training for AmeriCorps Members. Heather
serves as a trainer& facilitator for the city & program in the following areas: DEI, Emotional
Intelligence, ACES &Trauma, & High-Performing Government. Sarah Berna is the AmeriCorps
Coordinator& focuses on the member experience from recruitment to exit. Sarah, an AmeriCorps
Alum of the program, has previously worked for the program as a coordinator, a Site Supervisor, & a
COVID-i9 Virtual Tutoring contractor. Sarah is a certified Elementary Education teacher. The
Administrative Assistant for the division will provide administrative support, including conducting
background checks, maintaining & auditing member files ×heets, and providing supplemental
member support. Marie Ware, Leisure Services Department Manager, provides oversight of the
Director& program and has been directly & indirectly involved with grant award management for
over 25 years for 3 cities & a non-profit agency. Nathan Kelleher serves as the Grant Financial Analyst
for the City &has worked on the AmeriCorps Program finances since 2021. The Finance Manager for
the City provides oversight& support to the Grant Financial Analyst to ensure financial compliance.
Jennifer Larson, Finance & Budget Director, has been monitoring all of the City's federal grant
activity since 2oi9. The city has effectively partnered with & facilitated several education &workforce
development programs. The city supports Opportunity Dubuque & the Four Mounds Foundation's
Heart Program, both focused on education & skill development for DBQ's most marginalized
communities. The city has implemented apprenticeship programs in the Public Works Department, a
Circles program in the Housing Department, and the Summer Teen Empowerment Program (a
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Na rratives
future-ready, career program) with the AmeriCorps Program at the Multicultural Family Center.
Currently, the city is developing an equity-focused program called "Municipal Career Pathways"
(MCP) to engage at-risk youth in public service career exploration. The MCP program intends to
change the makeup of the City's future workforce to better represent our community. The city
currently has 74o employees, predominantly made up of white males. Breakdown by race & gender
for those are as follows: Male= 66%, Female= 34%; White= 92.5%, Black= 4.5%, Hispanic= 2%,
Asian= 0.75%, Native American= 0.25%. The city expects over 50% of its workforce to retire in the
next io years, creating many leadership openings. Program staff has lived experience that shapes how
they support & design the program with partners. Staff have grown up in generational poverty, are
part of the LGBTQI community, are religiously diverse, and live with several psychiatric disabilities.
Staff inembers were also first-generation college students that had to navigate systems without
parental support or guidance. Their experience growing up in poverty and time as AmeriCorps
members have informed every action that the program takes. The city has prioritized Diversity,
Equity, & Inclusion in all aspects of its service delivery, including equity audits of all financial
decisions made by the organization, and the intentional engagement with community members from
diverse backgrounds in learning about local government and ways to get involved through boards,
commissions, and career and volunteer opportunities. 2-COMPLIANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY -
The program prides itself in having a reputation as a high-functioning program and has a complete
plan for compliance & accountability. The program ensures site supervisors & host sites fully
understand the prohibited activities, non-duplication & non-displacement guidelines, and all other
rules and regulations through service agreements and training. The program conducts at least two site
visits a year, and a mid-term review to ensure rules & regulations are being followed. Program staff
keeps lines of communication open between members and site supervisors to ensure compliance &
accountability. Should a compliance issue be suspected or arise, the Director holds a meeting with all
parties involved to review guidelines and design a corrective action plan. If compliance issues continue
to be a concern, members are removed from their assigned placement until the site can ensure all
activities fall within the AmeriCorps guidelines. If compliance issues are not corrected or re-appear,
the Director will no longer place members at the host site. Lastly, our staff takes AmeriCorps' Criminal
History Record Check very seriously as well as other program management policies including
timesheets, in-kind documentation, Member Service Agreements, Host Site Agreements, and more.
The Director runs all background checks on members.As these checks are completed, the Director
completes the ICVS NSCHC Monitoring Checklist and attaches it to copies of all checks that are kept
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in the member's electronic file and in a hard copy format. The Administrative Assistant audits all
background checks and program staff conduct member/staff file audits twice a year to ensure
compliance. The city has strong policies, procedures, and internal controls to prevent, detect, and
mitigate the risk of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. The city utilizes internal control best
practices, including segregation of duties,job rotation, oversight management, safeguarding of assets,
and organizational, departmental, and divisional standards of procedures and administrative policies
that apply to all employees to ensure that staff are educated& trained to prevent mismanagement.
These standards are reviewed& updated annually to ensure that relevancy. All levels of the program
understand the expectation to report concerns regarding instances of criminal activity, fraud, waste,
or abuse directly to the Director, with subsequent reporting to the City's Director of Finance & City
Manager, ICVS, and the Office of Inspector General. 3-MEMBER SUPERVISION - All members
receive two layers of supervision. i) Every host site designates a site supervisor to provide daily
supervision to members and conducts biweekly, 1-i meetings with each member for clear guidance.
Site supervisors provide on-site training and observation to ensure accurate interventions. 2) The
Program serves as an added level of supervision. The Coordinator meets regularly with each member
to discuss progress and ensure member activities fall within allowable activities and has an open-door
policy so members may contact via an in-person meeting, email, phone, or text at any time for any
reason. Before members arrive on site, each site supervisor is trained in person, i-i, and in recorded
webinar format to review overall program changes. Site supervisor training consists of an overview of
AmeriCorps & ICVS, member responsibilities, supervisor responsibilities and host site agreements, in-
kind match documentation, time sheets, data collection, prohibited activities, and unallowable
activities including nonduplication & non-displacement.
Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy
See Budget
Evaluation Summary or Plan
N/A
Amendment Justification
N/A
Clarification Summary
N/A
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Na rratives
Continuation Changes
N/A
Grant Characteristics
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Performance M easures
I4�IS�FS�lY FOClLS 1�i1�8 I��I��'s l�v Ol�je�ti�-�
�oo� �oo�
�Eduoation:l-.[3 �I�-12 Suooess:l-.[3
Table1: MSYs by Focus Areas Table2: MSYs by Objectives
Education 100% K- 12 Success 100%
°fo of MS�NPM VS Applicant VS Not ui AN3�
ao� �
����-� so�
■A.pplicar�t:0 Nationa1:10.5 r Not in ANY:r.03
Table3: %MSYs by NPM vs.Applicant vs. Not in ANY
NPM plicant Not in ANY
60% 0% 40%
Table4: No of MSY and Members by Objective
�
K- 12 Success 17.60 45
Primary Focus Area: Education
Primary Intervention: Mentoring
Secondary Focus Area:
Secondary Intervention:
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Performance M easure: DBQ Soaal-Emotional Intervention
Focus �ucation Objective: K- 12 Success No of 10.57 No of 32
Area: M SY's: M embers:
Problem Statement:
Dubuque Community youth are in crisis, resulting in low school attendance, higher need for school behavioral
intervention, decreased graduation rates, increased need for mental health interventions, and high rates of
risk- taking behaviors.Additionally, youth from marginalized communities are experiencing these crises at
higher rates than non- marginalized youth. The program will support K- 12 students through a 2- pronged
approach. In the 1st prong, 10RHT + 10QT Members will provide student- specific Social and Emotional
Learning (SEL) interventions to K- 5th grade students identified through a Multi- Tiered System of Support.
During the summer, 10MT and 2FT positions will be allocated to the Multicultural Family Center' s Summer
Teen Empowerment programs to provide mentoring, SEL health interventions, and academic support/career
coaching to 50 middle/high school teens. Students will be eligible for services if they meet 2 of 4 criteria.
Students identified as having the highest SEL needs through the SEL Screener (Criteria 1),will be further
evaluated by identifying if a student meets lowa' s definition of at- risk in the areas of academic, attendance,
or behavior (Criteria 2+). If a student meets the definition in at least 1 at- risk category& is identified as
needing SEL interventions,the student will be eligible to receive AmeriCorps support. The 2nd prong utilizes
members to engage youth during out- of- school time & summer as mentors through SEL- focused
enrichment programs. This programming is tailored to experiential learning with adults that are interested in
furthering 500 youth' s futures & opportunities. Members will develop & implement free, community
middle/high school programming focused on building SEL skills that translate into academic & career. 2RHT &
4 MT positions will provide SEL enrichment with K- 5 students during afterschool and summer programs. 1- 1
support requires more time & attention, serving 300 students with 80°/o improvement is a reasonable goal.
Selected Interventions:
Mentoring
Desa-ibe Interventions:
Interventions will follow the Check In, Check Out (CICO) model,focusing SEL intervention needs as
determined bythe DESSAassessment in a 1- 1, mentoring setting. Each CICO session (total 30 minutes/day)
will occur at least a minimum of 24 sessions and until the student has been reassessed and results show the
student has improved in at least one intervention- targeted SEL category. The 10 RHT (Dubuque Community
School District - DCSD)/2 FT (Multicultural Family Center - MFC) Members will serve as CICO Coordinators,
while the 10 QT (DCSD)/10 MT (MFC) members will serve as CICO Coaches. CICO follows a structure of 1)
Check- in with a CICO Coach to set goals, 2) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Feedback with CICO Coordinator, 3)
Check- out with the same CICO Coach to review successes and provide support. During Check- In (15 min),
CICO Coaches will individually check in with their student caseload to review behavioral goals, collaboratively
set goals for the day, and provide encouragement. The CICO Coordinators will observe students' behaviors
and provide feedback using a ` point card' to reward students with points for meeting goals. Before the end
of the day, students will meet individually for Check- Out (15 min) with their CICO Coach to assess their point
card, discuss their goals and behaviors, and provide encouragement, praise, and support.
m1A Output:
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Page 13
Performance M easure: DBQ Soaal-Emotional Intervention
Problem Statement:
S���i�erventions:
ED1A: Number of individuals served
Target: 300 I n d ivid u als
M easured By: Tracking System
Described Instrument: AmeriCorps Members will record the names of youth and the number of hours
spent receiving interventions in our AmericaLearns data system. Students
receiving interventions through DCSD will have a unique identifier associated to
them that consists of their grade level,teacher last name, student first name,
student last name (ie: K- Satterly, Test, Student). Students receiving
interventions through the Summer Teen Empowerment Programs will have a
unique identifier associated to them that consists of first name, last name,full
birthdate (ie: Test, Student, 01012008).All members, regardless of site, are
required to complete detailed intervention reports in AmericaLearns after each
session with a student. These reports include information about the length of the
session, intervention content, the student' s level of engagement, and a brief
assessment of student' s progress. These reports are reviewed and approved by
the Site Supervisor of each member to ensure that student information is
documented correctly. Program staff regularly review identifiers to ensure no
duplication has occurred. The Student Name and unique identifier is then
extracted from the AmericaLearns system and uploaded by AmeriCorps Program
Staff into the program' s Aperture System to complete the Devereux Student
Strengths Assessment (DESSA) assessments.AmeriCorps members will complete
the 8- 10 minute DESSA in the first week of ineeting and conducting Check- Ins
with youth participating in the programs.Youth will be considered served upon
completion of at least 24 sessions of the program, when AmeriCorps members
complete a 2nd DESSAfor the student to assess student progress in the
targeted SEL subcategory.
m27C Outcome:
ED27C: Number of students with improved academic engagement or social- emotional skills
Target: 240 Students
Measured By: Observation Tool
Desa-ibed Instrument: AmeriCorps Members will complete the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment
(DESSA), a nationally standardized, adult- rating screening tool, that will assist
AmeriCorps members to identifywhat Social- Emotional Competencies (Self-
awareness, Social awareness, Self- management, Goal- directed behavior,
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Performance M easure: DBQ Soaal-Emotional Intervention
Problem Statement:
S���i�erventions:
Desa-ibed Instrument: Relationship skills, Personal responsibility, Decision- making, Optimistic thinking)
that a student is strong, typical or needs further assistance with. The DESSA is a
five- point Likert- tyle scale assessment that provides an overall Social-
Emotional Composite score and a subscore for each of the eight social- emotional
competencies. DESSA results are reported using T- scores and percentile ranks.
Tools are also available for pre- test/post- test comparisons and rater
comparisons. Online administration produces individual student, classroom, site,
and program- level reports.
Students will be considered as having improved social and emotional skills when
AmeriCorps members complete a 2nd (or more) DESSA for the student to assess
student progress, and that progress shows a student has moved from " Needs
further assistance" to " Typical" or from " Typical" to " Strength" in at least
one of the intervention- targeted social- emotional competencies. The DESSAwill
be re- administered every 8 weeks or every 24 sessions,whichever comes first.
Students who do not improve or that have multiple areas of need will continue to
receive services,while students who have improved will be strategically
transitioned out of the program.
The DESSA has very high internal reliability, and evidence of criterion and
construct validity for using the DESSA to measure social- emotional competence
is reported in the test manual (LeBuffe et al., 2009/2014) and by Shapiro and
LeBuffe (2006). The DESSA has also been examined for racial and ethnic
differences for both parent and teacher raters and found no interpretable
differences for most comparisons.
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Page 15
Program Information
AmeriCorps Funding Priorities
*Check any priority area(s) that apply to the proposed program. Please refer to Underrepresented
the NOFO for the information on the threshold for meeting priority communities, underserved
consideration people,Additional benefits to
AmeriCorps members,
Creating workforce pathways
for AmeriCorps members
Grant Characteristics
*Check any characteristics that are a significant part of the proposed program. Innovative Community
St rat egies
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Page 16
Demographics
Other Revenue Funds 0
Number of volunteers generated by AmeriCorps members 100
Percent of disadvantaged youth enrolled 0
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Page 17
Required Documents
Document Name Status
Evaluation Not Applicable
Labor Union Concurrence Not Applicable
Other pocuments Not Applicable
Federally Approved Indirect Cost Agreement Sent
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Page 18
Logic M odel
Problem Inputs Activities Outputs Short-Term Mid-Term Outcomes Long-Term
Outcomes Outcomes
The community Resources that are The core activities Direct products from Changes in Changes in behavior Changes in
problem that the necessary to deliver that define the program activities. knowledge,skills, or action. condition or status
program activities the program intervention or attitudes and Depending on in life. Depending on
(interventions) are activities program model that opinions. These program design, program design,
designed to address. (interventions), members will outcomes,if these outcomes may these outcomes may
including the implement or applicable to the or may not be or may not be
number of deliver,including program design,will measurable during measurable during
locations/sites and duration, dosage almost always be the grant year. the grant year.
number/type of and target measurable during Some programs,
AmeriCorps population. the grant year. such as
members. environmental or
capacity-building
programs,may
measure changes in
condition over a
period as short as
one year.
Dubuque SCHOOL-BASED INDIVIDUAL EDiA: 30o students ED2�C: 24o Youth will have: Youth will become
Community Youth PROGRAM STUDENT/SMALL served students with more resilient in
are in crisis with (Sept.-May) GROUP SEL improved social- Improved their social-
regards to school io RHT+ io QT INTERVENTIONS: 25o students with emotional skills. attendance. emotional health
attendance; with Dubuque -i-i Social- SEL needs will and mental health.
academic success; School District at io Emotional Learning complete our Zoo students who Improved academic
social and emotional Elementary Schools (SEL) Interventions intervention complete our success. Youth will be more
challenges; and risk- in Dubuque Co,IA to K-5 Administered program. program will likely to graduate
taking behaviors. at least three times improve at least one Decrease risk-taking high school on time.
OUT-OF-SCHOOL per week for i5-3o 5o at-risk teens will of the social- behaviors.
The DCSD chronic TIME PROGRAM minutes each session complete the Teen emotional skills as
absenteeism rates (Sept.-Aug.) for a minimum of 8 Empowerment determined by the Increased positive
have been i FT at Carnegie weeks or 24 sessions Programs. DESSA. adult relationships.
significantly high: Stout Public Library and until the child
Elementary 2o2i- i FT at City Arts& has been reassessed 50o community 4o at-risk teens who
22(22%); Middle Culture Dept. and results show the youth will complete our
2ou-22(23%); and i FT at City student has participate in free program will
High 2021-22 Engineering Dept. improved in at least enrichment improve in at least
�35�)• 2 FT at City one SEL category programs during one social-emotional
Multicultural the program year. skill as determined
DCSD's 4-year Family Center -i-i or small group by the DESSA.
graduation rate has 2 FT at Hillcrest mentoring and SEL
decreased by nearly Family Services for at least once a Youth will improve
io%in 8 years: 2 RHT at St Mark week for 4o weeks or in at least one of the
2013-14= 9i•49�; Youth Enrichment a total of 4o hours following Social and
Page 19
Logic M odel
Problem Inputs Activities Outputs Short-Term Mid-Term Outcomes Long-Term
Outcomes Outcomes
2o2o-2i= 8i.9i%. during a 6-week Emotional Skills:
SUMMER PROGRAM summer program. Self-awareness,
The 2o2i Iowa (June-Aug.) Social awareness,
Youth Survey 4 MT at St Mark COMMUNITY-WIDE Self-management,
reported that i�%of Youth Enrichment SEL ENRICHMENT: Goal-directed
6th-grade students, Summer Program -Conduct free behavior,
21%of 8th-grade 2 MT at City enrichment for K- Relationship skills,
students, and 24%of Carnegie Stout 5th grade Personal
iith-grade students Public Library community youth responsibility,
had thoughts of io MT at City 2x times a week for Decision-making,
killing themselves Multicultural 5o weeks for at least and Optimistic
over the last year. Family Center 2 hours per activity. thinking.
STAFF: i Director at -Conduct free
.5 FTE, 1 enrichment for
Coordinator at.95 Middle&High
FTE, i School community
Administrative youth 3x times a
Assistant at.58 FTE week for 5o weeks
for at least 2 hours
EXTENSIVE per activity.
MEMBER TRAINING
&CERTIFICATIONS: CAPACITY
i) 6 hours program BUILDING
orientation,2)4 SERVICES:
hours ACES& -Develop and
Trauma-informed support
Service,3) 4 hours partnerships with
Intercultural community non-
Competency& profits and
Equity,4) 4 hours businesses to engage
Emotional youth in future-
Intelligence,5) 8 ready,career-
hours Youth Mental focused activities
Health First Aid,6) every week for 50
8 hours Working weeks for at least 5
Genius Workshop, �) hours each week.
4 hours Ropes
Course Team- -Develop and
building implement
activities&
FUNDING: i) Ciry of curriculum for the
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Logic M odel
Problem Inputs Activities Outputs Short-Term Mid-Term Outcomes Long-Term
Outcomes Outcomes
Dubuque, 2) Municipal Career
Dubuque Pathways program
Community School to engage K-i2th
District,3) Hillcrest grade youth in
Family Services,4) public service
St Mark Youth careers every week
Enrichment for 5o weeks for at
least 5 hours each
week.
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Page 21
Budget Narrative: City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program for DUBUQUE, THE CITY OF (INC)
Section I. Program Operating Costs
A. Personnel Expenses
Position/Title-Qty-Annual Salary-%Time CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
AmeriCorps Coordinator-.95 FTE(1984 hours)-responsible for grant
oversight,member recruitment,site/member support:-1 person(s)at 60301 57,286 0 57,286
each x 95%usage
Community Impact Administrative Assistant-.58 FTE(1211 hours)-responsible
for grant compliance,NSCHC,file audits/monitoring:-1 person(s)at 46082 26,728 0 26,728
each x 58%usage
Category Totals 84,014 0 84,014
B. Personnel Fringe Benefits
Purpose-Calculation CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
AmeriCorps Coordinator Fringe Benefits:AmeriCorps Coordinator @ 95%
time.(FICA@.0765=4382+IPERS@.0944=5408+HEALTH(Flat 22,222 0 22,222
Rate=13032)@95%= 12380+LIFE(Flat Rate=55)@95%=52=22222)
Community ImpactAdministrativeAssistant Fringe Benefits:Community
Impact Administrative Assistant @ 58%time. (FICA@.0765=2045+IPERS@ 12,159 0 12,159
.0944=2523+HEALTH(Flat Rate=13032)@58%=7559+LIFE(Flat
Rate=55)@58%=32=12159)
Category Totals 34,381 0 34,381
C. Travel
Staff Travel
Purpose-Calculation CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Travel to CNCS-Sponsored Meetings:N/A to lowa AmeriCorps State Programs 0 0 0
AmeriCorps Program Staff Travel:AmeriCorps Program Staff Travel:Mileage
for site supervision for site visits, mid-term reviews,and service projects-500 0 1,080 1,080
miles per year x$0.58 per mile(City of Dubuque mileage reimbursement rate)
_$580+parking fees=$500.Total=$1,080
Volunteer lowa Required Training:Program Launch: Mileage-2 Trips to Des
Moines @ 450miles each=900miles x$0.58 per mile(City of DBQ 0 1,722 1,722
reimbursement rate)=$522;Meals-$50/day per diem x 3days*2staff=$300;
Lodging-$150/night x 3nights"2staff=$900.Total=$1,722
Volunteer lowa Required Training:Regional Conference:Air/Ground
Transportation,estimated at$500 round trip for 2 staff=$1000;Meals-$50 0 2,300 2,300
per day diem x 4 days*2 staff=$400;Lodging-$150/night x 3 nights*2 staff
_$900.Total=$2300
Category Totals 0 5,102 5,102
Member Travel
Purpose-Calculation CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Category Totals J 0 0 0
D. Equipment
Item/Purpose-Qty-Unit Cost CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Category Totals 0 0 0
E. Supplies
Item-Calculation CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
AmeriCorps Member gear w/AmeriCorps logo: Uniform shirts&badges-45
members x$30/member;tshirts for summer,longsleeve for winter, polo for 0 1,350 1,350
year-long members-all w/AmeriCorps logo=$1,350
Category Totals 0 1,350 1,350
F. Contractual and Consultant Services
Purpose-Calculation-Daily Rate CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
AmeriCorps Copy Machine Lease::AmeriCorps Office Copy machine @ 0 1,824 1,824
$456/quarterly"4=$1824-Daily Rate of 0
Category Totals 0 1,824 1,824
G. Training
Staff Training
Purpose-Calculation-Daily Rate CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Category Totals 0 0 0
Member Training
Purpose-Calculation-Daily Rate CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Member Development:4 Mounds Team Building/communication training: 1 0 600 600
trainings per year at$600-Daily Rate of 600-Daily Rate of 600
Volunteer lowa AmeriCorps Program Council Member Training:$15/member 675 0 675
for registration and material fees=$675-Daily Rate of 50-Daily Rate of 675
Member Training&Recognition Supplies:Orientation,AC Week,Life after
AmeriCorps, End Of Service Ceremony: Portfolios,handbooks,printed
materials,certificates,pins, lunch for trainings over 6 hours and other 1,575 450 2,025
training/recognition supplies as needed.$45/member*45 members=$450-
Daily Rate of 45
i
Category Totals 2,250 1,050 3,300
H. Evaluation
Purpose-Calculation-Daily Rate CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Category Totals 0 0 0
_ _ �
I. Other Program Operating Costs
Purpose-Calculation CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
National Service Criminal History Check:$54/individual x 45 individuals=
$2,430. Includes FBI,state of residence&state of service checks.All staff 2,430 0 2,430
have an adjudicated NSCHC/no expected turn-over for program staff. If staff
changes occur,a NSCHC will be conducted for new staff.
Volunteer lowa Required State Member Management Monitoring:$36/member 1,620 0 1,620
x 45 members=$1620
Volunteer lowa Required State Support&Monitoring fee:$300 x 17.6 MSY= 6,600 0 6,600
$5,280�25%tiered fee=$1,320.Total=$5,352+$1,338=$6,600
DESSA Student Assessment:300 Aperture System licenses @$9 each 2,700 0 2,700
AmericaLearns Impact Suite: Data Collection($6000 flat fee)&Timekeeping g,100 0 8,100
System($2100 quoted rate)for collection of raw data by AmeriCorps Members
ASC Membership Fee: Flat rate of$250 250 0 250
AmeriCorps Program Recruitment Materials: Professional printjob of program 750 0 750
recruitment fliers/trifolds/materials @$125/job for 6 jobs=$750
Category Totals 22,450 0 22,450
Section Totals 143,095 9,326 152,421
PERCENTAGE I 93.88% 6.12%
Section II. Member Costs
A. Living Allowance
Item-#Mbrs w/Allow-Allowance Rate-#Mbrs w/o Allow CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Full Time(1700 hrs):7 Member(s)at a rate of 22100 each 62,000 92,700 154,700
Members W/O allowance 0
Three Quarter Time(1200 hours):Member(s)at a rate of each 0 0 0
Members W/O allowance
1-Year Half Time(900 hours):Member(s)at a rate of each 0 0 0
Members W/O allowance
2-Year Half Time(1 st Year):Member(s)at a rate of each 0 0 0
Members W/O allowance
2-Year Half Time(2nd Year):Member(s)at a rate of each 0 0 0
Members W/O allowance
Reduced Half Time(675 hrs): 12 Member(s)at a rate of 8775 each 60,300 45,000 105,300
Members W/O allowance 0
Quarter Time(450 hrs): 10 Member(s)at a rate of 5850 each I 43,500 15,000 58,500
Members W/O allowance 0
Minimum Time(300 hrs): 16 Member(s)at a rate of 3900 each 31,650 30,750 62,400
Members W/O allowance 0
Abbreviated Time(100 hrs):Member(s)at a rate of each 0 0 0
Members W/O allowance
Category Totals 197,450 183,450 380,900
B. Member Support Costs
Purpose-Calculation CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
FICAfor Members:$380900'.0765=29139 29,139 0 29,139
Worker's Compensation:$380900*.0320-$12189 12,189 0 12,189
Health Care:Member Healthcare:400/month*12 months*4 members
(additional 3 members will be covered with nongrant funds)_$19200+ 19,650 0 19,650
Member Assistance Program:45 members*$10/member=$450= 19650
Category Totals 60,978 0 60,978
Section Totals I 258,428 183,450 441,878
PERCENTAGE 58.48% 41.52%
Section III. Administrative/Indirect Costs
A. Corporation Fixed Percentage
Item-Calculation CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
Corporation Fixed Amount:CNCS share
[(143095+258428'.0526=21120)*.1551=3275]+Grantee share 3,275 25,000 28,275
[(143095+258428+9326+183450=594299".1=59430]".42066=25000)
Commission Fixed Amount: 0 0 0
Category Totals 3,275 25,000 28,275
�
B. Federally Approved Indirect Cost Rate
Calculation-Cost Type-Rate-Rate Claimed-Cost Basis CNCS Share Grantee Share Total Amount
i
Category Totals 0 0 0
Section Totals 3,275 25,000 28,275
PERCENTAGE 11.58% 88.42%
Budget Totals 404,798 217,776 622,574
PERCENTAGE 65.02% 34.98%
I
Required Match 0.00%
Total MSYs 17.60
Cost/MSY 22,999.89
�
Source of Funds
fSection Match Description Amount Classification Source�
I
City of Dubuque(Secured) 131,526 Cash State/Local
Dubuque Community School District(Secured) 45,000 Cash State/Local
Source of Funds
Hillcrest Family Services(Secured) 25,500 Cash Private
St.Mark Youth Enrichment(Secure) I 15,750 Cash Private
Total Source of Funds 217,776 ��
volunteer
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July 21, 2023
City of Dubuque
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
SUBJECT: 2023—2024 lowa AmeriCorps State Award Letter
Dear Heather Satterly,
We are pleased to inform you that Volunteer lowa has approved an AmeriCorps program grant for 17.60
MSYs and $404,798 in federal funding for City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program. This award amount
does not reflect any additional state funding that your program may receive but does include American
Rescue Plan federal match replacement funding, if applicable. Please share this information with other
agency individuals who may have responsibilities in managing the grant award.
There are several steps in the AmeriCorps grant award process (award in eGrants, award in IowaGrants,
and signing a grant agreement).There are also multiple pre-award/program start up requirements that
you will need to undertake before the formal start of your program.This letter aims to summarize these
steps. We will also include some welcome information as part of our regular Monthly AmeriCorps
Program Webinar scheduled for the 3�d Wednesday of every month.
Waivers
As we prepare your grant agreement, we will make note of any waivers approved for your program
during the application process. All waiver requests should have been made at the time of application. If
you have questions about waivers, please contact your program ofFicer.
Grant Award
Written grant agreement:Your grant award will have a start date of 9/1/2023 and will go through one
program year, ending on 8/31/2024.A signed grant agreement or a pre-award letter(see details below)
must be in place before any grant funds can be expended (although your grant may appear in "awarded"
status in eGrants and IowaGrants at an earlier date, it is not fully awarded until the grant agreement is
executed).
Your requested grant start date: 9/1/2023
Currently, the person to whom this letter is addressed is considered to be the lead program staff/contact
for the grant award process and the address is the agency address we will use in the grant agreement.
Additionally, we have the following individual listed as the authorized representative for the grant, based
on your eGrants submission and/or recent communication. This individual will be listed as the signer for
your AmeriCorps grant agreement.
Authorized Representative Name: Michael Van Milligen
Title: City Manager
Email: ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org
Once your individual grant agreement is drafted it will be sent from Tina Dunphy,Volunteer lowa's
consultant(tdunphy99@msn.com)to the authorized representative via the AdobeSign email system to
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be electronically signed and return it to us. Let us know as soon as possible of
deadlines that impact the approval and signature of the grant agreement.
The grant agreement includes two attachments for which you should be prepared to provide additional
information and/or confirm the information, if applicable.
• Confirmation of the use of the lowa Member Management System:This is a confirmation of the
member timekeeping system the program plans to use in the 23-24 grant year. Programs that
wish to request permission to use an alternative timekeeping system should include that request
as part of their grant application and should budget for additional expense related to the
change. Volunteer lowa will review the request at that time and notify the program of our
decision.
• lowa AmeriCorps Disaster-Response Team Disaster Deployment Agreement: Programs that wish
to participate as a part of the lowa AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team (A-DRT) will indicate this
on the grant agreement signature page and provide a point of contact for AmeriCorps Disaster
Response Team training and activities.
eGrants: If you are an existing AmeriCorps State grantee,you can begin recruiting for the coming
program year via your current access to eGrants. If you are a new grantee,then once the AmeriCorps
grants have been awarded by the AmeriCorps Agency in the eGrants system,you are able to add
recruitment postings. In order to actually finalize member enrollment steps in the
MyAmeriCorps/eGrants portal your grant must be awarded in eGrants. If there are new staff who will be
active in eGrants,they will need to set up their own account.They should register with your
organization's EIN to be connected to your existing account. Here's a resource to help staff create an
eGrants account. eGrants account registration system questions should be directed to the eGrants
helpdesk.
IowaGrants: Most applicants had clarification and/or resolution items that resulted in changes to your
eGrants submission. Note that when your grant agreement is finalized, it will include your final approved
eGrants application and the fully executed version of the agreement will be saved in the Grant Reference
Materials section of IowaGrants. Any versions included in the Application section of IowaGrants may not
be accurate and final. If the program has new/additional staff, including financial staff,that need to
create an IowaGrants account, please follow the directions in this resource. IowaGrants registration or
access questions should be directed to Jane Mild.
State or ARP Match Replacement Budget Allocation: In addition to the regular AmeriCorps award,
some programs receive additional AmeriCorps or state funding from Volunteer lowa to use towards
meeting their required match. This funding appears in the eGrants budget as a part of the program's
grantee share. To account for this state funding and/or ARP Match Replacement funding during the
claims process,Volunteer lowa needs additional detail as to how the state and/or ARP Match
Replacement funding is allocated to the different budget categories. Therefore, programs receiving
these funds must complete a Bud�et Allocation form (or provide the same information via the program's
own worksheet)to provide Volunteer lowa this additional detail. Programs should complete the budget
allocation form by Monday, September 25th, unless the program has not received its final state
allocation in advance of that date.
Basecamp: Volunteer lowa supports an online networking and resource sharing group on the lowa
AmeriCorps State Basecamp page. Request access to Basecamp from Tawney Schreier. Basecamp allows
lowa AmeriCorps program staff to access Volunteer lowa resources, share program resources, connect
volunteer
I � �1��
through conversations, and pose questions to the field. It is also a place where
event information,training dates, and other general communications can occur. Here's a list of
resources, checklist of trainings available in Basecamp, including the 23-24 Start Form Checklist, policy
templates, NSCHC checklists and other items necessary for grant start up. New or updated resources will
be added to Basecamp throughout the year.
23-24 lowa AmeriCorps State Program Manual and Calendar: A comprehensive Program Manual from
Volunteer lowa that covers both AmeriCorps and commission level policies, procedures, and best
practices for lowa AmeriCorps State programs is now available on Basecamp. All program staff,
including financial staff, should review the manual on a regular basis and work to become familiar with
the full contents of the manual. The 23-24 Program Manual is available on the Volunteer lowa website
and on Basecamp.
Section 1.4 in the Program Manual is a comprehensive calendar containing required and optional
training, and program deadlines. Volunteer lowa hosts a required Monthly AmeriCorps Program
Webinar, and will be scheduling regular check-in calls, based upon program and grant monitoring level.
Program staff should become familiar with this resource and put placeholders on calendars as needed.
Program Prework and Start Up: A variety of items should be completed prior to the start of the grant
year. Here's a table of prework that should be completed prior to August 15t. Questions about start
forms or IowaGrants issues should be directed to Jane Mild
ITEM DUE DATE (Aug-Sept/1an) WHERE TO SUBMIT
Member Service No later than 2 weeks prior to IowaGrants—Start Form Attachment status
Agreement* the start date report
Host Site No later than 2 weeks prior to IowaGrants—Start Form Attachment status
Agreement* having the agreement signed report
Program and
Fiscal Staff AmeriCorps Pro�ram Staff Core
Competency Self �uly 30th/Nov 30th Competencies Self-Assessment SurveV
Assessment (surveymonkey.com)
Recruitment Aug. 15Y/ Dec 15t Recruitment and Enrollment Plan in
Plan+ IowaGrants
Enrollment Plan+ Aug. 15Y/ Dec 15t Recruitment and Enrollment Plan in
IowaGrants
Program Staff
IowaGrants—Start Form Attachment status
Position Aug. 15Y/ Dec 15t
Descriptions report
Program
Management Aug 15Y/Dec 15t IowaGrants—Start Form Attachment status
Segregation of report
Duties Chart+
IowaGrants—forall NEW programs,
P re-Awa rd
including new planning grantees,
Financial Form
Aug 15t/Dec 15t competitive programs in the first year of a
new three-year grant, and formula grantees
once every three years.
volunteer
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Pre-Awa rd
Program and Aug 15t/Dec 15Y IowaGrants—for all NEW programs,
Financial Policies including new planning grantees
Form
Keys to Financial In the AmeriCorps training platForm, Litmos.
Management Sept 15t/Jan 15t The certification of completion is uploaded
training as part of the Financial Survey.
Member
Suspension, Exit October 15Y Financial and Program Policies start form
and Payroll status report
Policy*
Teleservice October 15t Financial and Program Policies start form
Policy* status report
Limited English
Proficiency (LEP) October 15t Financial and Program Policies start form
Policy status report
Templates are available on Basecamp for all items with an asterisk (*). Items with + have forms to
complete and those forms are available on Basecamp. Volunteer lowa has a few sample LEP policies for
review if your organization might find that helpful. Programs should also review the 23-24 Start Form
Checklist for additional requirements and due dates.
In addition to the items above, new programs should also complete these tasks prior to the start of the
grant year:
ITEMS/PROCESSES
eGrants account*
IowaGrants account*
NSCHC Vendor Account set up* - https://americorps.�ov/grantees-sponsors/history-check.
Member Payroll
Host Site Orientation Agenda*
Member Timekeeping*
Member Orientation Agenda*
Member Health InSuranCe- https://corpsnetwork.org/health-insurance/
Member Mental Health Benefits- https://www.statecommissions.or�/americorps-member-
assistance-program
Certificate of Insurance
Items with an asterisk (*) have samples or related resources available on Basecamp. Programs may
request assistance from Volunteer lowa for any of these items.
Volunteer lowa AmeriCorps Program recruiting support:Volunteer lowa provides some basic
information about each program for the purposes of helping to direct potential candidates to program(s)
that are of most interest. Please complete this form to use on the Volunteer lowa website.
volunteer
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Congratulations again on the work you have done to be selected for this funding. We look forward to
working with you!
Sincerely,
�
Kristin Honz
Volunteer lowa, Deputy Director of Operations
CC: Volunteer lowa AmeriCorps program staff
Authorized Representative
IowaGrants Correspondence (will be copied to correspondence when grant is awarded)
Required Federal Award Information
PROJECT AND SUBRECIPIENT INFORMATION
AGENCY NAME: City of Dubuque
ADDRESS: 50 West 13th Street, Dubuque, IA 52001
PROJECT TITLE: City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program
TOTAL FEDERAL FUNDS AWARDED TO RECIPIENT: $404,798
OF THE TOTAL FEDERAL FUNDS AWARDED,THE FOLLOWING AMOUNT IS PROVIDED AS MATCH
REPLACEMENT FUNDING THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN: $0
GRANT AWARD PERIOD: 9/1/2023 to 8/31/2024
FEDERAL AWARD PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 2023-2024 lowa AmeriCorps State
FEDERAL FUNDS INFORMATION
FEDERAL FUNDING ENTITY: Corporation for National and Community Service
FEDERAL PROGRAM NAME: 2023 AmeriCorps State and National Grants
FEDERAL PRIME AWARD NUMBER: 21ACEIA001
CATALOGUE OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: 94.006
AWARD FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: No
HHS- IOWA COMMISSION ON VOLUNTEER SERVICE INFORMATION
CONTACT PERSON:Adam Lounsbury
E-MAIL ADDRESS:Adam.Lounsbury@volunteeriowa.org
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 515.348.6230
This information is provided as a requirement of 24 CFR 200.331 Requirements for pass-through entities.
All requirements imposed by the Federal entity are passed on to Health and Human Services- lowa
Commission on Volunteer Service (HHS-ICVS). In turn HHS-ICVS passes on to the subrecipient all
requirements imposed by the Federal entity and that the Federal award is used in accordance with
Federal statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of the Federal award.
PLEASE RETAIN FOR YOUR FILES.