Seeking Letters of Interest for the new AmeriCorps grant opportunity
College Access Corps
Due: Thursday, December 12, 2013
Washington Campus Compact (WACC) is applying for an AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for
National and Community Service (CNCS) to help participating member campuses develop, implement,
and/or expand K -12 college access programs. The College Access Corps Grant will allow selected
member campuses to hire an AmeriCorps member to help coordinate college access programs in their
local communities. AmeriCorps members will recruit and train college students from their campuses to
act as college access coaches to economically disadvantaged youth* in schools, or to student groups,
that have a student population that is at least 50% eligible for the federally-funded free/reduced lunch
program.
*Economically disadvantaged youth is defined as youth eligible for the free/reduced lunch program.
Grant funding period: August 15, 2014 – June 30, 2015
Eligibility
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All WACC member campuses are eligible to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) and subsequent
Request for Proposal (RFP).
Campuses that are not currently a member of WACC can submit a LOI and later an RFP;
however, if selected they must become a member of WACC.
Process
1. Review the LOI requirements below.
2. Participate in one of the conference calls planned to review the LOI requirements and answer
any questions:
 Monday, November 25, 2013 2 – 3PM
 Tuesday, November 26, 2013 11 – Noon
Conference Dial-In Number: 712-432-0375
Participant Access Code: 475291#
3. Please submit your Letter of Interest and answers to the supplemental questions to
Debbie.Curry@wwu.edu with Subject Line: 2014 CAC LOI – name of your campus by Thursday,
December 12, 2013.
If you have questions about the College Access Corps Letter of Interest and supplemental questions,
please contact Patrick McGinty at 360-650-7257
Letter of Interest
In your Letter of Interest please address the following:
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the reasons for your interest in applying for the College Access Corps grant
your past experience in addressing college access issues in your local communities
detail the value-added of having an AmeriCorps member be a part of your program
the goals of your College Access Corps program
Please attach the supplemental question answers to your Letter of Interest.
Supplemental Questions
These questions are designed to learn more about your program. The information we receive from
these questions will help our grant writers as they complete our AmeriCorps grant proposal.
1. Please provide the number of College Access Corps members you plan to apply for to support
your program: _________ (each member will require a $7,000 cash match in Year 1).
Describe the need your program intends to address:
2. Briefly describe the community need that your program is addressing (please check all that
apply):
 assisting economically disadvantaged youth to persist through high school graduation
 helping economically disadvantaged youth become more engaged in their educational
experience
 helping economically disadvantaged youth recognize the importance of education
 preparing economically disadvantaged youth to apply for further education and/or to
apply for financial aid to help finance further education
 Other:
3. Please list the schools your program serves/intends to serve and list the % of students at that
school that are eligible for free/reduced lunch (our program standard is 50%+ - Use OSPI
website):
4. If your program does not serve a school that has 50%+ free/reduced lunch eligibility, does your
program work with a subgroup of that school that is made up of 50%+ students eligible for
free/reduced lunch? If so, please describe that group and provide data that supports the
eligibility requirement.
Program Outcomes:
5. Briefly describe your desired outcome (please check all that apply):
 Improve academic engagement of economically disadvantaged youth served
 Increase interest in school of economically disadvantaged youth served
 Increase educational aspirations of economically disadvantaged youth served
 Other:
 Other:
6. Please provide the estimated number of youth served within each CNCS National Performance
Measures as part of your College Access Corps program:
 Number of youth who will start your College Access Corps program? __________
 Number youth who will complete your College Access Corps program? __________
 Number of youth that participated in your College Access Corps program who
demonstrated improved academic engagement? __________
Describe the intervention (Core Activities):
7. What college access interventions (core activities) does your program provide economically
disadvantaged K-12 youth and/or will provide these youth if your program receives a College
Access Corps AmeriCorps member? (please check all that apply)
Check
Intervention
Train youth on academic skills development (ex. test taking, study skills, time mgt.,
etc)
Act as academic coaches in support of the youth’s school work
Talk to youth about the benefits of graduating high school and seeking further
education
Coach youth about various educational opportunities after high school
Coach youth about the application process
Coach youth about financial aid and scholarships
Coach youth about the college experience
Provide youth with a college visit or visits
Take youth to a college fair
Assist youth with their college applications
Assist youth with completing the FAFSA
Other:
Other:
Other:
Estimated
# of youth
served
8. What is the dosage of intervention (the number of hours per session or sessions per week)?
9. What is the duration (total number of weeks, sessions or months of intervention)?
Evidence (This program must be evidenced based)
10. What quasi-research or research completed are you using to support your program design and
intervention strategies?
11. Please provide URL addresses or document the sources of articles or research that supports the
program design, interventions, and intended impacts of your program on K-12 youth:
Assessment
12. Will your program be able to administer a pre and a posttest survey to your K-12 youth
participants that will show impact of intervention and help define the outcomes of your
program?
 Yes
 No
If no, why not?
I certify that the contents of the Letter of Interest and the answers to the supplemental questions are
true to the best of my knowledge, and that if selected as a sub-grantee of the College Access Corps
AmeriCorps Grant, our campus and program intends to fully participate.
Signature of Program Director: _________________________________________________________
Print Name of Program Director: __________________________________ Date: ________________
Phone: ___________________________________ Email: ____________________________________