AmeriCorps has released the funding opportunity “Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 AmeriCorps State and National Public Health AmeriCorps Grants”. Two of the priorities for the funding opportunity are:
Programs creating pathways to good-quality public health-related careers through onsite experience and training (including pre-apprenticeship or registered apprenticeship programs, work experience and job training programs, and other workforce training and development programs).
Organizations leading service in communities with concentrated poverty, rural communities, tribal communities, and those organizations serving historically underrepresented and underserved individuals, including but not limited to communities of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, people who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with arrest and/or conviction records, and religious minorities.
Further, the opportunity states: “Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that they can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans.”
While it seems proposed projects can have a wide variety of topics, some behavioral health-related items mentioned in the notice include:
Outreach
Education/Training
Referrals
Medical Services
Counseling/Coaching
Opioid/Drug Intervention/Harm Reduction
Navigation of Services
Eligibility is broad, including various levels of government, higher education institutions, public health departments, and nonprofits. Applications are due January 4, 2023. However, the announcement notes that state applications need to go through the State Service Commission (for Maryland this is https://gosv.maryland.gov/) which may have earlier deadlines. Awards are expected to be for 2 years. No estimated award amount is provided; instead, funding seems to be largely based on the number of “Member Service Years” (MSY), which equates to at least 1,700 service hours per year. Awardees can be reimbursed for up to $28,800 per MSY in the proposed project (this is outside of the education award).