FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jun 24, 2011

Washington, DC – The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has announced the availability of approximately $700,000 in grants for organizations to plan and carry out projects that bring Americans together to serve on the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service.

In 1994, Congress designated the King Holiday as a national day of service and charged CNCS with leading this effort. The MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." CNCS works with the King Center and thousands of nonprofit, education, business, and other organizations around the country to carry out the MLK Day of Service, which will take place on Monday, January 16, 2012.

As one component of the MLK Day of Service, CNCS awards grants to organizations to engage volunteers in service projects to meet local community needs. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to nonprofit organizations, state service commissions, volunteer centers, institutions of higher education, national or regional education agencies, educational institutions, and faith-based institutions.

CNCS anticipates making an estimated seven awards to intermediary organizations to support 2012 King Day activities, with awards ranging from approximately $50,000 to $300,000, to support the first year of these grants. Grantees must competitively subgrant a portion of the federal funds to eligible organizations to plan and carry out direct service activities.

In alignment with the CNCS Strategic Plan, applicants are encouraged to identify potential subgrantees that focus on the agency's six focus areas: disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans and military families.

Applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 21, 2011. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-September.

For more information and to read the Notice of Funding Availability on the CNCS website, to go https://www.nationalservice.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa.asp.

A direct link to the notice is available here: https://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/11_0617_nofa_mlkday.pdf.

A technical assistance call for individuals wishing to learn more about the 2012 MLK Day of Service grant competition will take place on Thursday, June 30, 2011, at 1:30pm EDT. Interested individuals should call 1-866-705-1874 and use passcode 7103609.

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AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country's most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.