AmeriCorps

As AmeriCorps’ designated evaluation officer, the director of the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) coordinates evaluation policy and the use of findings. The agency has a Research and Evaluation Council that meets monthly to assess the agency’s learning agenda and evaluation plan. Members of the Council include the director of ORE, the chief information officer/chief data officer, the chief of staff, the chief of program operations, and the chief operating officer.

AmeriCorps hired its first chief data officer (CDO) in FY 2021 to improve data governance, collection, sharing and analysis. Since then, the CDO has tackled longstanding data management priorities, including enhancing the agency’s data analytics capacity and establishing a structure to coordinate data integrity, performance and research efforts across AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps has implemented a robust Data Governance Framework to guide its data management strategy, using a tiered and tailored approach. The Research and Evaluation Council and Strategic Advisory Board support this framework. The Strategic Advisory Board, led by senior executives, including the chief data officer, chief of staff, chief operating officer, chief modernization officer, chief program officer, and director of the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE), provides leadership and guidance to advance data-driven decision-making. This board ensures AmeriCorps’ data initiatives align with the organization’s goals and stakeholder needs.

The Data Governance Council (DGC) serves as the collaborative core of the Data Governance Framework, co-chaired by the CDO and the Director of ORE. The DGC unites business units across AmeriCorps to foster consistent data definitions and manage data as “enterprise assets” that benefit the entire organization rather than remaining siloed within individual departments.

To further its evaluation agenda, AmeriCorps has invested 1.2% of its $975 million FY 2024 operating budget — about $12 million — in evaluation, evaluation technical assistance and evaluation capacity-building.

AmeriCorps has developed a Strategic Learning and Evidence Building Plan to define its learning agenda for FY 2022-26, reinforcing its commitment to using evaluation to shape policy and practice. This agenda addresses priority research questions through approximately 13 contracts, which support dozens of evaluations, and over 20 research grants.

In addition, AmeriCorps established an evaluation policy built on five guiding principles: rigor, relevance, transparency, independence and ethics. To enhance collaboration, staff from the agency’s budget, evaluation and strategic planning teams meet weekly to discuss strategies for better integrating these areas.

AmeriCorps has two grant programs that both define and prioritize the use of evidence of effectiveness, totaling $391 million and representing 45.4% of their grant program funding. This analysis includes all competitive grant programs and the five largest (in dollar amount) noncompetitive grant programs. These grants direct funds for evidence-based programs focused on a wide array of state priorities such as after-school programs, disaster relief, health services and building affordable housing.

Many of the remaining grants encourage or intend to build evidence. Practices that have not yet been documented to be effective can become evidence-based after an impact evaluation is conducted. Adding a definition of evidence and a mechanism to prioritize evidence in the grant can direct funds to those programs. Programs can benefit from a combination of well-established EBPs and innovative programming intentionally designed to meet emerging community needs.

AmeriCorps employs performance management practices to foster a culture of accountability focused on achieving equitable outcomes. The agency’s first goal in its FY 2022–26 Strategic Learning and Evidence Building Plan is to “partner with communities to alleviate poverty and advance racial equity.”

Reporting to the chief of staff, AmeriCorps’ strategic planning team oversees performance management. This team — which includes a member from the Office of Research and Evaluation as well as enterprise risk management specialist, chief data officer governance specialist, chief operating officer, and Office of Budget Management and Program analyst — meets quarterly with agency leadership to review progress toward strategic goals. Performance outcomes guide agency decisions, and the FY 2022–26 strategic plan, approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget, includes performance indicators. Additionally, the agency has developed an internal implementation tracker to assess progress toward its goals and objectives.

AmeriCorps demonstrates how performance data supports outcomes in underserved communities by analyzing how programmatic changes, like increased living allowances from the American Rescue Plan Act, impact participation in national service programs. By assessing the redesign of service experiences and using performance data, the agency can refine its strategies to build a diverse pipeline of service members. Additionally, evidence from grantmaking models shows that removing barriers, such as waiving cash match requirements, can improve access for community-based organizations in underserved areas. AmeriCorps will use this learning to improve its programs.