2026-27 Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Host Site Application

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Thank you for your interest in the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Program

With a broad vision of higher education institutions as social change agents, and a belief that addressing issues like poverty is essential to the vision of the public purpose of higher education, the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Program seeks to activate higher education institutions and their partners to impact poverty on their campuses and in their communities.


By placing a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA Member on campuses and with campus partners for year long terms of service, our program builds the capacity of programs, organizational efforts and system-level strategies that seek to address critical poverty-related issues.


Click here for more information about the program.


Application Guidance

Please complete this application for the 2026-27 Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA program.  The priority deadline is December 17th, 2025. The application will close January 23rd, 2026.


Though you will submit a completed proposal here, please feel free to download and use our application worksheet to enhance collaboration amongst team members. 


Please note that when you are working from FormAssembly, you can save your progress and resume later. You will be asked to provide an email address and create a password. If you get locked out of your application, please email bmckinney@compact.org for assistance.


Application Resources 

  • Request For Proposals - It is highly recommended that applicants read our RFP
  • Host Site Information Session - We encourage all applicants to attend one of these sessions to learn more about our program and what we are looking for in proposals. Sessions will be held on Tuesday, October 28th from 2-3pm EDT, Thursday; November 13th from 12-1pm EDT; and Tuesday, December 2nd from 3-4pm EDT.
  • Application Assistance Office Hours - These drop-in sessions are intended for folks who are actively working on an application. Please register for sessions using the links below:
  • Application Worksheet - to enhance collaboration so that applicants can better work as a team to develop their project proposal. Applicants will download this worksheet and save it to a shared drive where their team can readily access and contribute to the proposal’s development. 

  • Application Contact - Bella McKinney, Campus Compact VISTA's Outreach Coordinator is the point of contact for all application related questions. You can reach her at bmckinney@compact.org or schedule a 30-minute meeting with her using her calendly link. 

Campus and Organization Information

Organization Information
Section Description
Required: This information is required whenever individuals at colleges/universities are the primary audience for your form.
Select "Remote/Hybrid" if your organization is not based in a specific State/Province.
Choose the correct organization from the dropdown. If not listed, select "Not Listed" and type the name in the dialogue box that appears below.
Membership Status Defined
  • Pending Renewal: Previously active member with a renewal invoice for the current fiscal year. Applied at the start of the fiscal year to institutions active in the previous one. [Current FY dues are still due.]
  • Active: Member institution in good standing. Dues are paid and current.
  • Inactive: Non-Member Institution.
  • Lapsed Commitment: The institution committed to membership in the previous fiscal year, participated in a program for which membership was required (e.g. VISTA), but has not paid that year’s dues. Consult with the membership team before discussing membership or admitting to any member-required program. 
Application Information
Required: This information is required. Please change the text to the appropriate application type [options > placeholder]. It is hidden from end users.

Please confirm the Application Type, Program Cohort Name, and Program Name with Membership.
Primary Contact Information
Required: This information is required and is pulled directly from Salesforce. It is hidden from end users.
Membership Required
Great News! Please click here to be rerouted to the Member Interest Form! Our Membership Team will follow up with you directly after receiving it.

Please note that you may continue your application, but your institution must be an active Campus Compact member in good standing (dues paid) by your VISTA member's start date. 
Awesome, your organization is an active member of Campus Compact! In order to be eligible for this program, your organization must remain an active Campus Compact member in the coming fiscal year.
Data from Salesforce

Host Site Information

Co-Hosting
Primary Applicant Information
Section Description
Please do not remove any of the required questions in this section from your application. These are designed to help us build out profiles on the people involved in our programs.
Please select the options that most accurately describes your current role.

Budget Authority
In addition to having a partnership with an active Campus Compact member, co-hosted Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA host sites must pay a host site fee. Please provide the information for the individuals in each co-host institution who is able to commit these funds.
In addition to your institution being an active member of Campus Compact, Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA host sites must pay a host site fee. Please provide the information of the individual in your institution who is able to commit these funds.
College/University Budget Authority
Please select the options that most accurately describes your current role.

Co-Host Budget Authority 

Official Signatory 
All Campus Compact host sites must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). MOUs are issued upon the VISTA Member's start date. Please provide the information of the person at each co-hosting institution who is able to serve as the official signatory.
All Campus Compact host sites must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). MOUs are issued upon the VISTA Member's start date. Please provide the information of the person at your institution who is able to serve as the official signatory.
College/University Official Signatory
Please select the options that most accurately describes your current role.

Co-Host Official Signatory 

ADA Compliance
AmeriCorps expects all of its host sites to be ADA compliant. Please provide the proper contacts to help us ensure both co-host sites meet federal guidelines.
AmeriCorps expects all of its host sites to be ADA compliant. Please provide the proper contact to help us ensure your site meets federal guidelines.
College/University ADA Contact
Please select the options that most accurately describes your current role.

Co-Host ADA Contact

Additional Counties Served 
Additional Counties Served

AmeriCorps VISTA Governing Policies and Restrictions

All Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA host sites are expected to uphold federally determined, AmeriCorps guidelines, policies, and governing legislation that set parameters for the activities of VISTA Members and their host sites. 


The VISTA program’s governing legislation and applicable regulations are as follows: 


Campus Compact recommends all applicants review relevant legislation and regulations before submitting their application; however, the following regulations are key to determining suitability for a VISTA project:

 
Prohibition against supplanting/displacing existing workers: AmeriCorps members are not staff members or employees of the sponsoring organization to which they are assigned or the host site and its partners. AmeriCorps members may not engage in activities at the sponsoring organization or host site that would displace or supplant paid staff, contractors, or existing volunteers. These prohibitions against displacing or supplanting workers include activities related to the application and management of other Federal grants and programs (including using AmeriCorps members to apply for Federal grant programs).  

Hatch Act prohibitions on engaging in political and electoral activity: VISTA members are unable to participate in any partisan political activity and are also unable to engage in voter registration activities, even when that activity is nonpartisan. Hatch Act prohibitions include limits on engaging in or appearing to engage in legislative, labor union-related, or religious activities during service hours. Projects will need to uphold these regulations. Fraternization policy: VISTA policies limit fraternization, and given the nature of service on college campuses, Campus Compact also has strict rules regarding fraternization between VISTA members and students, program beneficiaries, and host site staff.
Prohibition against nepotism: AmeriCorps VISTA  members cannot be relatives of staff members or employees of the sponsoring organization or host site to which they are assigned Executive order compliance: All VISTA Members and VISTA projects must comply with applicable executive orders and memoranda. For further details regarding AmeriCorps VISTA governing legislation and regulation, please visit Section 2.B of the RFP [Link].

Your VISTA Project's Fundamentals

On this page you will answer questions to lay out the fundamentals of your project, beginning with the level at which your VISTA project will operate.  Each project level is linked to a corresponding project model that will populate upon your selection. Refer to this model as you complete the rest of this page. 

The choices you make on this page will determine the information required in subsequent pages of the application. Make selections carefully, but remember you can navigate back to this page to edit your responses, should you need to. Please refer to Section 3-E in the RFP for guidance.
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Program change projects are the most straightforward. A VISTA member builds capacity for a concrete intervention, or interventions, that directly serves a low-income population. As a result of participating in the intervention(s), low-income beneficiaries experience a desired, anti-poverty outcome. 

Below is an example of a program change project. For further guidance regarding program change level projects, please visit section 3.C of the RFP. Program change model
Organizational change projects leverage a VISTA member to build capacity so that disjointed anti-poverty efforts are coordinated between various offices and departments within the same institution, such that the low-income population ultimately served experiences improved outcomes. 

Below is an example of an organizational change project. For further guidance regarding program change level projects, please visit section 3.C of the RFP. Org Change Model
Collective impact projects leverage a VISTA member to create systems level change through multi-sector partners coming together to address needs under a shared strategy. 

Below is an example of a collective project. For further guidance regarding program change level projects, please visit section 3.C of the RFP. Collective Impact Model
Because collective impact projects are inherently less straightforward, we require that all applicants who intend to propose a project at this level meet with Bella to ensure programmatic alignment and assist with the application. Please use this link to schedule a meeting with her.

Will be referred to as "Intervention 1" in following pages
Will be referred to as "Intervention 2" in following pages

Identifying the Low-Income Population

In this section, you will be asked to provide more information about the low-income population that is ultimately served by the VISTA project, including how you determine low-income status and the unmet need your project or program seeks to fulfill. 

Working backwards on our project model flow chart, this page should describe the low-income population selected on page five.

Basic Chart - LI


The Anti-Poverty Focus of Your Project 

In this section you will tell us about the anti-poverty focus of your proposed project. In other words, you will tell us how this project ultimately serves the low-income population described on the last page. 

Anti-poverty

As a reminder, a VISTA Member is not permitted to implement anti-poverty interventions directly. For more information and guidance, please review Section 3-A, 3-B, and 3-C of the RFP. 
Anti-Poverty Intervention(s) Breakdown:
We would like to understand the anti-poverty intervention(s) you selected on page 5. Please tell us the following information for each of the anti-poverty intervention(s):
  1. What is the intervention?
  2. When, where, and how is the intervention administered?
  3. Who implements this intervention and why are they the appropriate person to do so? 
If you are not able to answer each of these questions in detail for a selected anti-poverty intervention, then you may need to consider unselecting it on page 5. Based on your answer, we should understand the basics of what this intervention is and how it is implemented.
We would like to understand the organizational landscape of the anti-poverty intervention(s) you selected on page 5. In the space provided below, please answer the following question for your selected intervention(s):
  1. What is the intervention?
  2. Which offices or departments provide, or will provide, this intervention and how do they currently collaborate?
  3. How will the organizational change facilitated by VISTA resources allow your organization to improve the intervention? 
If you are not able to answer each of these questions in detail for a selected anti-poverty intervention, then you may need to consider unselecting it on page 5. Based on your answer we should understand the basics of what this intervention, how it is implemented across departments, and how it can be improved.
200 word limit
200 word limit
Evidence Base: 
AmeriCorps VISTA and Campus Compact seek to support evidence-based programs. For each of your previously selected anti-poverty interventions, you will choose the type of evidence that supports this intervention and explain how this intervention will lead to your selected anti-poverty outcome.

Consider both available literature, and your programs own findings.
Beneficiary Tracking:
AmeriCorps requires that VISTA projects collect data on the low-income individuals they serve. Specifically, we are required to report anti-poverty outputs and outcomes.

In the context of AmeriCorps VISTA, an anti-poverty output refers to the total number of unique individuals that participated in an anti-poverty intervention. We require our VISTA projects be able to track and report the number of individuals that are served by the intervention(s) described above. Because we report aggregate numbers and want to avoid double counting, beneficiaries need to be tracked individually (ie tied to an identifier) rather than just tallied.

In the context of AmeriCorps VISTA, an anti-poverty outcome refers to the total number of participants who, as a result of participating in an anti-poverty intervention, experienced a desired change in behavior or condition. This means that we require our VISTA projects to have a means of measuring impact and a way for impact to be tracked in relation to unique participants.

The following questions establish your projects beneficiary tracking methods. If your project does not currently have robust beneficiary tracking methods in

place, it is expected that your VISTA member will develop these in the first year of your project.
AmeriCorps requires that VISTA projects collect data on the low-income individuals they serve. Specifically, we are required to report anti-poverty outputs and outcomes.

In the context of AmeriCorps VISTA, an anti-poverty output refers to the total number of unique individuals that participated in an anti-poverty intervention. We require our VISTA projects be able to track and report the number of individuals that are served by the intervention(s) described above. Because we report aggregate numbers and want to avoid double counting, beneficiaries need to be tracked individually (ie tied to an identifier) rather than just tallied.

In the context of AmeriCorps VISTA, an anti-poverty outcome refers to the total number of participants who, as a result of participating in an anti-poverty intervention, experienced a desired change in behavior or condition. This means that we require our VISTA projects to have a means of measuring impact and a way for impact to be tracked in relation to unique participants.

In year one, organizational change projects are required to develop beneficiary tracking methods, if they are not already in place, but are not expected to have a means to measure or track beneficiary outcomes. Below, you will be asked to detail the status of anti-poverty output tracking.

Does not include current participants
Collective Impact

Capacity Building Activities

Capacity Building vs Direct Service

The difference between capacity building and direct service is central to all VISTA projects. VISTA Members engage in capacity building activities to enhance the impacts of anti-poverty interventions serving a low-income population, and they are not permitted to do direct service, excepting the specific circumstances detailed below.


Capacity building is a term commonly used to describe tasks, activities, and ideas that expand a program or organization’s ability to carry out its mission and vision and improve how an org/community meets the needs of its beneficiaries and puts them in a better position to address the issues they are aiming to solve. In the context of the VISTA program, capacity-building activities must be directed toward an anti-poverty intervention.


Direct service refers to services that immediately address the needs of an identified target population, program recipient, or client of an organization. Your host site is providing direct services (anti-poverty interventions) to a specific population. VISTA capacity building efforts will help your organization carry out its direct service interventions. 


Imagine building a house. Direct service is laying the foundation and physically constructing the building. Capacity building is pricing out building materials, pulling permits, securing personnel to build the home, and ensuring the knowledge of how to properly build a home is retained and recorded for future use. 

So when is it okay to do direct service?

  1. When a brief period of direct service is necessary to understand the service elements of the sponsoring organization. VISTA members can participate in direct service to get a better idea of what your organization does, more clearly understand a system that they are trying to improve, or document a process they are trying to implement.


    Example: A VISTA member who is going to revitalize a middle school mentor program by reassessing its volunteer engagement strategy might participate in mentoring activities alongside volunteers during their orientation period (first 4-6 weeks) to better understand how things are currently being done.


  1. Direct service is incidental to the time and effort in carrying out the primary responsibilities of the member assignment.


    Example: A VISTA Member is conducting community assessment to understand the gaps and barriers faced by low-income college students visiting the food pantry. While they conduct this assessment, they may also organically perform elements of direct service like direct beneficiaries to additional resources.


  1. All hands-on-deck activities. From time to time your office may host larger events that require the efforts and assistance of everyone on your staff. Assuming your office isn’t hosting events weekly that require whole office assistance and this isn’t something that is part of the VISTAs day-to-day, this is acceptable!


  2. Emergency activities and unexpected scenarios. If a volunteer does not show up for a shift to unload the food pantry delivery and the VISTA is available to pitch in, they certainly can. However, VISTA members should not be regular coverage for emergencies – i.e., they can’t be the automatic backup for when a staff member or volunteer is out. This is something that should happen occasionally and not regularly. 


When is it not okay to do direct service? As a standard, AmeriCorps and Campus Compact require that VISTA members do not engage in regular direct service daily or as a part of their regular VISTA service.

Connecting the VISTA Member's Capacity building activities to an anti-poverty intervention. It’s important to also note that a VISTA member’s capacity building service is designed to support an anti-poverty intervention, and VISTA activities should be connected to that specific anti-poverty intervention. As part of building capacity, VISTA members will often have to do things that fall into the category of clerical work – sending emails, scheduling meetings, etc. When a VISTA is doing these things, they should be directly connected to the anti-poverty intervention(s), or be something that everyone participates in. The VISTA Member's capacity building activities should not be intended to

Thank you for letting us know you need further clarification on some of the above information about Capacity Building vs Direct Service activities. This is a foundational element of all VISTA projects. To ensure this critical part of the AmeriCorps VISTA project aligns with your proposed project and is understood by all parties, please use this calendly link to schedule a meeting with Bella McKinney.  Alternatively, please email her your questions (bmckinney@compact.org).
On page 7, you selected checkboxes for the various capacity building activities a VISTA member will do to progress your project. On this page, you'll provide detail about those selected capacity building activities, including how they connect to improved capacity for your program, organization, or collective impact project to better carry out its anti-poverty work. 

Please note that this section only refers to the capacity building activities a VISTA member will undertake in the first year of the project. 
CB Model
For further guidance, please visit (Section) of the RFP. 
Describing your VISTA's Capacity Building Activities
Community Assessment
Secure Financial Resources
Develop and Expand Parternships
Develop Materials
Program Development
Conduct Outreach, Develop Community Awareness and Engagement
Enhance Technology Utilization
Recruit and Support Volunteers
Beneficiary Tracking
Output Tracking
An anti-poverty output refers to the total number of unique individuals that participated in an anti-poverty intervention. We require our VISTA projects be able to track and report the number of individuals that are served.. Because we report aggregate numbers and want to avoid double counting, beneficiaries need to be tracked individually (ie tied to an identifier) rather than just tallied.
Outcome Measure
An anti-poverty outcome measure refers to how your project determines that low-income participants, experienced a desired change in behavior or condition. We require our VISTA projects to have a means of measuring impact, or determining that a desired change in condition or behavior has taken place.

Outcome Tracking
An anti-poverty outcome refers to the total number of participants who, as a result of participating in an anti-poverty intervention, experienced a desired change in behavior or condition. We require our VISTA projects to have a means of tracking the number of participants that experience an anti-poverty outcome.

The Three Year Arc and Sustainability Information

VISTA projects take place over the course of a three year period, with an individual VISTA member serving for a one-year term. The activities VISTA Members complete are expected to build upon each other, moving the project to sustainability, or the ability to function without a VISTA member’s support. On the previous page you outlined the first year of this proposed VISTA project. Please outline what you imagine the VISTA member will do in year two and three to move the project forward and ensure sustainability. For further guidance, please consult Section 3-G of the RFP.
Year 2
Beneficiary Output Tracking: It is expected that organizational change projects in their second year set a target for and collect data on beneficiary outputs, or the number of unique individuals that participate in your project's intervention(s). Output tracking methodologies will have been developed by your first year VISTA member, and should be detailed on the previous page.
Data Tracking Expectations
AmeriCorps requires that VISTA projects collect data on the low-income individuals they serve. Specifically, we are required to report anti-poverty outputs and outcomes.

In the context of AmeriCorps VISTA, an anti-poverty output refers to the total number of unique individuals that participated in an anti-poverty intervention. We require our VISTA projects be able to track and report the number of individuals that are served by the intervention(s) described above. Because we report aggregate numbers and want to avoid double counting, beneficiaries need to be tracked individually (ie tied to an identifier) rather than just tallied.

In the context of AmeriCorps VISTA, an anti-poverty outcome refers to the total number of participants who, as a result of participating in an anti-poverty intervention, experienced a desired change in behavior or condition. This means that we require our VISTA projects to have a means of measuring impact and a way for impact to be tracked in relation to unique participants.

The following questions establish your projects beneficiary tracking methods. If your project does not currently have robust beneficiary tracking methods in

place, it is expected that your VISTA member will develop these in the first year of your project.

Community Input

One of the pillars of the AmeriCorps VISTA program is community empowerment. Projects are expected to involve the community, including the populations being served, in project design and implementation. In this section you will tell us how people served by this project have been involved so far in developing this VISTA project, and how they will be involved in shaping its implementation.

Additionally, you will answer questions below regarding the status of this VISTA project's Community Advisory Board. Community Advisory Board's are essential components of all VISTA projects. Should your project not have one in place, your VISTA Member may work to develop this body in the first year of your project.

VISTA Member Supervision and Support

On this page you will enter information pertaining to how a VISTA member will be supported through their year of service. To review host site expectations, please read Section 5 of the RFP.
Primary Site Supervisor Information
Please select the options that most accurately describes your current role.

Secondary Site Supervisor Information
Please select the options that most accurately describes your current role.

VISTA Start Dates: We hope to offer two start dates for the 2026-27 Campus Compact VISTA program year, with VISTA Members starting in either July or August of 2026. We strive to accommodate the preferences of host sites in determining when VISTA members start, and will provide concrete start dates when AmeriCorps has given us that information.
200 word limit
200 word limit
200 word limit
VISTA Member Non-Cash Support
VISTA member stipends are set federally at the rate of poverty in the county they serve. Living on this limited income can be challenging and can limit the participation of otherwise qualified applicants. Providing non-cash support helps recruit and retain VISTA members. Please check the boxes below indicating which supports your institution is able to commit to providing your VISTA member. Please note that non-cash support may not be in the form of direct cash payments or reimbursements, except for the express purpose of defraying the cost of housing. A detailed list of non-cash supports will be finalized in part II of the application.

Commitment Verification

Letter of Support
A letter of support from an organization's executive is required. This letter must be on the host site applicant's letterhead and be a signed document.

The letter should include the following:
  • Indicate knowledge of the proposal
  • Demonstrate how the goals of the project are aligned with the organizational mission, vision, and strategic priorities of the host organization, 
  • State the host site's commitment to support the project by (1) maintaining Campus Compact Membership, (2) paying the host site fee, and (3) supporting the placement and supervision of full-time AmeriCorps VISTA Member. 
If the applicant is from a higher education institution, this letter must come from a President, Provost, Vice President, etc. 

If the applicant is a non-profit organization, this letter will come from the Executive Director or Board Chair. If the applicant is from a K-12 school, this letter will come from the Principal or Superintendent.
 
Letters should be submitted in PDF format.
Additional Information

Certification
By my signature below, I certify the information I provided on and in connection with this form is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I also understand that any false statements or deliberate omissions on this form will result in my application being rejected and may impact my organization's eligibility for future opportunities. 

Additionally, I certify that our organization is committed to providing the nonrefundable Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA host site fee and that my institution will be an active Campus Compact member in good standing, upon placement of the AmeriCorps VISTA member with my site.
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