OSM/VISTA AmeriCorps

 

The purpose of the OSMRE Youth Program is to carry out appropriate environmental projects cooperatively with non-profit IRS 501(c)(3) eligible applicants that have access to AmeriCorps Volunteers to Service to America positions through partnership with the Corporation for National and Community or other intermediary organization on issues impacting coal communities and historic coal mining areas. The goal is to promote and stimulate public purposes such as education, job training, development of responsible citizenship and productive community involvement. The program is designed to further the understanding and appreciation of natural and cultural resources through the involvement of youth and young adults. It is also designed to continue the longstanding efforts of OSMRE to provide opportunities for public service, youth employment, minority youth development, training, and participation of young adults in accomplishing environmental-related work.

Active 15.254 Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Department of The Interior B - Project Grants; C - Direct Payments For Specified Use Fiscal Year 2017 In FY2017 the program anticipates to provide 264 work opportunities for youth. In FY2017 the program anticipates to provide 264 work opportunities for youth.
Fiscal Year 2018 By the end of FY18, participants of the program have planted over 1 million trees on abandoned mine lands as part of reclamation work
Fiscal Year 2019 By the end of FY 2020, OSMRE had 33 VISTA years ongoing or completed. The VISTAs engaged over 1,000 volunteers and generated more than $125,000 in funding and in-kind resources in just the first half of FY 2020.
Fiscal Year 2020 OSMRE had 35 VISTAs and 5 Semester Interns participate in the Youth Program in FY 2020. The VISTAs engaged volunteers to provide over 3,000 hours of community service and generated more than $510,000 in funding and in-kind resources for their communities
Fiscal Year 2021 In FY 2021, OSMRE did not award any grants under this program.
Fiscal Year 2022 In FY 2022, there were no awards as there were no applications to the Program.
Fiscal Year 2023 For FY 2023 three (3) awards were selected. OSMRE expects to engage at least 30 youths in the AmeriCorps, VISTA, and Semester Internship programs in opportunities that further serve and improve communities affected by legacy mining and develop the careers of the participants. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, as amended; Public Law 95-87; 91 Stat. 445-532; Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2005, Public Law 109-154 as amended in the National Park Service Centennial Act, Public Law 114-289; Direct Hire Authority for Resource Assistant Internship Programs outlined by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, Public Law 112-74, H.R. 2055 Division E Title I Section 121, and 16 U.S.C. 1725(a); Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 or the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973. Authority: 5 CFR 315.605. The not-for-profit sponsor organization will be responsible for the daily operation of the OSMRE/VISTA Program, working closely with OSMRE to ensure the program aligns with the mission of the Bureau. Eligible sponsor organizations will have, at minimum, the following to be considered eligible: o Have a 501(c)(3) status o Have access to AmeriCorps positions through partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, or other intermediary organization o Have the organizational capacity to oversee participants in the field and across the country Youth and local communities that benefit from reclamation of abandoned mine lands; Youth interested in gaining experience in a Federal agency. Proof of not-for-profit, IRS 501(c)(3), status is required of participating organizations Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Application should be submitted in response to a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) posted on Grants.gov. o Applications submitted through Grants.gov and received by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on the due date identified in the NOFO, will be reviewed to determine whether they are eligible, complete, and responsive and aligned with the respective program objectives as described in the Program Description. o Applications determined to be ineligible, incomplete, and/or non-responsive based on the initial screening will be eliminated from further review. o Applications that are determined to be eligible, complete, and responsive will proceed for full merit reviews in accordance with the review and selection processes set forth below for each of the respective programs. o At least three objective reviewers, knowledgeable in the subject matter of this NOFO and its objectives, will evaluate each application based on the evaluation criteria. o Each reviewer will assign individual scores to each criterion for each application. o The scores provided by each reviewer for each application will then be combined to form a composite score for each application, which serves as the basis for the relative ordering or ranking of applications. o OSMRE may select some, all, or none of the applications, or part(s) of any particular application. o The OSMRE Approving Official or his/her designee approves and awards cooperative agreements for this program See the Notice of Funding Opportunity posted on Grants.gov, for the application submission deadline. From 120 to 180 days. Not applicable. Not applicable. The criteria used to evaluate and select a proposal will be based on objective merit review criteria, program policy factors, provisions of appropriation laws, reports, and as otherwise specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. The breakdown of the merit review criteria will include and analysis of 1. Organizational Capacity 2. Program Design 3. Access to AmeriCorps Positions Access 4. Cost Effectiveness/Budget Adequacy Funding for the OSMRE Youth Initiative is used to support an innovative partnership working directly with OSMRE and community and watershed improvement groups addressing poverty, environmental reclamation and safety, community environmental stewardship, economic improvement, environmental education, environmental research, geographic information systems, environmental mapping, and more. There are three structured programs under the OSMRE Youth Initiative. Each program is funded through a separate Cooperative Agreement. Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity posted every other year on grants.gov with specific requirements for each program. OSMRE AmeriCorps Program Utilizing AmeriCorps State and National positions, OSMRE enters into a Cooperative Agreement with a non-profit sponsor to administer the OSMRE/AmeriCorps Program. This program places recent graduates from academic and vocational institutions in OSMRE Regional, Field Offices and Headquarters, for one year to gain experience in the work of OSMRE and the Federal government. Participants are mentored by OSMRE staff and exposed to various professional development and training opportunities. The OSMRE/AmeriCorps Program may fund up to 25 participants annually. OSMRE Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) Program Utilizing AmeriCorps VISTA, OSMRE enters into a Cooperative Agreement with a non-profit sponsor to administer the OSMRE/VISTA Program. This Program places recent graduates from academic and vocational institutions in non-profit organizations in communities impacted by mining practices. The goal of the OSMRE/VISTA Program is to build capacity and economic opportunities in impoverished communities, with an emphasis on helping underserved populations. The OSMRE/VISTA Program may fund up to 60 participants annually. OSMRE Semester Internship Program OSMRE enters into a Cooperative Agreement with a non-profit sponsor to administer the OSMRE Semester Internship Program. This program provides students with a meaningful work experience in OSMRE offices nationwide and an opportunity to develop significant workplace skills during their service. Semester Interns are tasked with projects that significantly contribute to their professional development. Assignments may include policy research, data analysis, environmental impact studies, and public outreach activities related to underground and surface coal mining activities. The OSMRE Semester Intern Program may fund up to 15 participants annually. Performance Reports: Quarterly performance reports are required. Not applicable. Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report; If any litigation, claim, or audit is started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records must be retained until all litigation, claims, or audit findings involving the records have been resolved and final action taken, in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart D ?200.334. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary. 25%. When using the Public Land Corps Act, participating nonprofit organizations shall contribute to the expenses of providing and supporting the participants, through private sources of funding, at a level equal to 25 percent of the total costs of each participant in the OSMRE/AmeriCorps and the Semester Internship Program who has been recruited and placed through that organization.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Please refer to the applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity for length and time phasing of assistance information. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Lump. None/Not specified. Yolande J.C. Norman-Moore
Department of Interior
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement
1849 C Street NW
Main Interior Building, Room 4545
Washington, DC 20240 US
ynorman@osmre.gov
Phone: (202) 208-2868 http://www.osmre.gov 14-5015-0-2-999 (Direct Payments for Specified Use (Cooperative Agreements)) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $1,000,000.00; FY 24 est $1,000,000.00; FY 21$0.00; FY 20$724,510.00; FY 19$875,582.00; FY 18$357,500.00; FY 17$357,500.00; - Range and Average of Financial Assistance for OSMRE's Youth Program is $80,000 - $700K OSMRE/VISTA Program: Est. Average of $250,000 OSMRE Semester Internship Program: Est. Average of $90,350.76 OSMRE/AmeriCorps Program: Est. Average of $491,250 The FY 2024 obligation estimate is subject to the availability of appropriations. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-87) as amended; 91 Stat. 445-532; Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2005, Public Law 109-154 as amended in the National Park Service Centennial Act, Public Law 114-289; Direct Hire Authority for Resource Assistant Internship Programs outlined by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, Public Law 112-74, H.R. 2055 Division E Title I Section 121, and 16 U.S.C. 1725(a). Fiscal Year 2017 Program accomplishments have not been reported for FY2017. The program anticipates projects accomplishing projects related to environmental education, healthy food access, community development, reclamation, and data monitoring. Program accomplishments have not been reported for FY2017. The program anticipates projects accomplishing projects related to environmental education, healthy food access, community development, reclamation, and data monitoring.
Fiscal Year 2018 The AmeriCorps program placing recent graduates from academic and vocational institutions in OSMRE Regional, Field Offices and Headquarters, for one year to gain experience in the work of OSMRE and the Federal government. The OSMRE/AmeriCorps Program may fund up to 25 participants based on funding availability. The goal of the OSMRE/VISTA Program is to build capacity and economic opportunities in impoverished communities, with an emphasis on helping underserved populations. Up to 60 participants are mentored by OSMRE staff and exposed to various professional development and training opportunities. The goal of the OSMRE Semester Internship Program is to provide students with a meaningful work experience in OSMRE offices nationwide and an opportunity to develop significant workplace skills during their service. Assignments may include policy research, data analysis, environmental impact studies, and public outreach activities related to underground and surface coal mining activities. The OSMRE Semester Internship Program may fund up to 16 participants based on funding availability
Fiscal Year 2020 In FY 2020, OSMRE provided educational and employment opportunities to youth in the areas of communications, budget, information technology, auditing, and general administration.
Fiscal Year 2021 In FY 2021, OSMRE provided and continues to provide educational and employment opportunities to youth in the areas of communications, budget, information technology, auditing, and general administration.
Fiscal Year 2022 In FY 2022, OSMRE did not issue any Youth Program awards as there were no applications to this Program.