AmeriCorps has quietly, but meaningfully, changed how competitive applicants communicate their evaluation plans during the application process.
Beginning with the upcoming competitive NOFO, the AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) is streamlining the process. The goal: reduce administrative friction while still holding programs accountable to evaluation requirements.
Here’s what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and why having strong evaluation data systems in place matters more than ever.
What’s New: The Evaluation Plan Summary Form
Under the new approach, applicants will no longer submit a full evaluation plan or go through a separate process to request an Alternative Evaluation Approach (AEA).
Instead, all competitive applicants will submit a single Evaluation Plan Summary Form as part of the application.
Key details from AmeriCorps include:
A single form replaces prior evaluation plan submissions
Applicants have up to 4,500 characters to summarize their evaluation approach
The form includes a dedicated section to request an AEA, if applicable
By signing the form, grantees attest that they meet all evaluation requirements in the NOFO and Terms & Conditions
The form is submitted once, at the time of application
Programs only resubmit the form if they later request a new AEA
Importantly, the form is for compliance purposes only. AmeriCorps will not provide feedback or approval unless an AEA is requested, and there will be no Evaluation Planning Technical Assistance available for FY25–26.
What This Signals for AmeriCorps Programs
On the surface, this change may feel like a simplification—and in some ways, it is.
But it also represents a shift in responsibility.
AmeriCorps is placing clearer ownership on grantees to:
Know which evaluation tier they fall into based on grant size
Ensure their evaluation design meets NOFO requirements
Maintain documentation and data systems that stand up to audits, monitoring, and external evaluation
In short: less hand-holding, more accountability.
Programs still need real evaluation plans. They just won’t be reviewed upfront.
Why Evaluation Data Systems Matter More Than Ever
This is where many programs feel the tension.
Even when evaluation plans aren’t submitted in full, programs are still expected to:
Collect high-quality participant, service, and outcome data
Aggregate results across sites, cohorts, and years
Support external evaluators without rebuilding datasets from scratch
For hundreds of AmeriCorps programs nationwide, this work already happens inside the America Learns Impact Suite.
How the Impact Suite Supports AmeriCorps Evaluation Readiness
The Impact Suite’s data collection and aggregation tools weren’t built just for compliance; they were built to make evaluation easier, calmer, and less expensive.
Programs using the platform already have:
Structured, consistent data collection across members, sites, and activities
Clean, evaluator-ready datasets without weeks or months of manual cleanup
Built-in aggregation for outputs, outcomes, and performance measures
Historical continuity, making longitudinal analysis far simpler
As a result, external evaluators spend far less time:
Designing duplicate data collection tools
Cleaning inconsistent spreadsheets
Reconciling missing or mismatched records
That translates directly into lower evaluation costs and less staff time spent recreating work that already exists.
A Quiet Shift With Real Implications
AmeriCorps’ new Evaluation Plan Summary Form is simpler on paper; but, it assumes programs already have their evaluation house in order.
For programs that do, this change removes friction.
For programs that don’t, the risk hasn’t gone away… it’s just deferred.
If your team is thinking ahead about evaluation readiness, data quality, and long-term sustainability, now is the moment to ensure your systems are doing the heavy lifting, so your staff and evaluators don’t have to.