NYCC VISTA Program Lillian Hartman, Program Coordinator

NYCC VISTA Program Goals New York Campus Compacts VISTA program provides full-time AmeriCorps members to campus-community partnerships: Advancing community priorities Empowering non-profit agencies to end poverty with sustainable, evidence-based programs Developing deep and meaningful learning opportunities for students Increasing scholarship opportunities for faculty

NYCC VISTA Program History Since the programs inception in 2003: 49 campuses have hosted 151 NYCC VISTAs NYCC VISTAs have coordinated 51,137 volunteers (mainly college students) in 484,031 hours of service. NYCC VISTAs have developed $1.06 million in cash and non- cash resources for their campus-community projects. Historically, NYCC VISTAs have been placed at member campuses without named community partners. Many projects have focused on developing service learning opportunities.

NYCC VISTA Program Changes – 2012 to 2013 The Corporation for National and Community Service has demanded NYCC adopt a more community-driven model for placing VISTAs to better align with national VISTA strategy and best practices in campus-community partnerships: Naming and co-applying with a nonprofit or government agency partner Sharing costs and supervision between campus and partner Fully shifting to this model may not work for current sites, and that does not preclude you from hosting a VISTA next year! Please contact for details.

NYCC VISTA Host Site Application Process Intent to Apply - Due: December 3, 2012 All continuing and new sites should submit a brief notice via to including: Community organization and campus partner contact information CNCS programming area and primary activity Host Site Application - Due: January 18, 2013 Download the Application Form and helpful links at

NYCC VISTA Application Components Cover Page signed by campus and partner (hard copy) Executive Summary Program Narrative Project description highlighting anti-poverty focus, community empowerment, sustainability, and capacity-building Quantitative and qualitative description of community need Anticipated impact of VISTA project, measures, and relation to poverty How campus and partner will jointly plan, support, and evaluate project History of campus/community partnership How project will be sustainable after 1-3 VISTA years Supervisors experience mentoring/overseeing projects

NYCC VISTA Application Components VISTA Assignment Description Program Year (1,2,3) CNCS Programming Area (Econ Opp, Education, Healthy Futures, Vets) Community Needs Statement (quantitative and qualitative) Multi-Year Project Goal (related to CNCS Priority Activities/Outcomes) Current year Objectives, Action Steps, and Performance Milestones VISTA Project Budget VISTA Admin Fee VISTA Support Costs (office, supervision, transportation, housing) List of Project Advisors (incl. low-income representatives) Letter of support from Campus President

NYCC VISTA Award Timeline Now through January 18: Draft and revise application NYCC assists in meeting CNCS application requirements January 18: Host Site Applications due to NYCC February: Combined VISTA Application due to CNCS NYCC will submit and advocate for top projects depending on number of slots available. Priority given to: Continuing VISTA projects (8-10 slots estimated) New projects closely aligned with NYCC and CNCS goals, showing clear evidence of need, strong partnership and capacity for supervision (2-6 slots estimated)

NYCC VISTA Award Timeline March: Notice of Award from CNCS to NYCC/Host Sites Incorporating feedback, finalizing VISTA Assignment Descriptions April - September: VISTA Recruitment Graduating students, community members, and/or national applicants July - November: Current VISTA placements end Continuing sites will receive preference for replacing outgoing VISTAs in the same month. New sites may receive summer or fall VISTAs depending on availability and project design.

Is NYCC VISTA Right for Your Community? Please review this handout to determine if the NYCC VISTA Program is a good fit for your campus needs and resources: nyccvista.org/host-site-application.html Do campus and community partner agree on project objectives that address their interests as well as CNCS? Will your project expand the scale, reach, efficiency, or effectiveness of programs that fight poverty and achieve lasting positive outcomes for beneficiaries? Can campus and community partner commit the resources needed to support a successful VISTA project, both financially and through effective supervision?

Planning Your VISTA Project Visit the NYCC VISTA Request for Proposals: nyccvista.org/host-site-application.html Review CNCS programming areas, priority activities, values and service restrictions for VISTA Define 3-year project goals (or fewer, as agreed by partners) Y1: Assessment and Planning Y2: Implementation and Evaluation Y3: Development and Sustainability Outline 1-year VISTA objectives and support needed Agree on division of partner costs and responsibilities