SSC Partner Application

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Welcome to Sustainability Service Corps

Thank you for your interest in Sustainability Service Corps (SSC), a bridge-to-career AmeriCorps Fellowship program for emerging and transitioning sustainability professionals seeking a foundational opportunity in the climate action world. SSC is a program of Bay Area Community Resources (BACR). More information here.


The following application is for government, nonprofit, and educational organizations interested in growing their capacity for climate resilience projects and mentoring a passionate individual participating in a term of community service. Within the application, you will provide details on your organization, answer programmatic questions, and describe your vision for the Fellow’s scope and responsibilities.

As a Host Partner, you will provide your Fellow(s) with structure and support that enables their success, including regular meetings, clear communication, project guidance, mentorship, and professional development resources, a physical workspace or equipment to work from home, and an inclusive work environment that welcomes people of all backgrounds.

Cornerstone Equity Statement: At Sustainability Service Corps, we believe that our combined experiences and identities make us stronger. Therefore, we are building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive network of passionate Fellows and partners to advance climate change efforts that result in environmentally just and community-based solutions. This is our mission and our promise. If we falter, we will listen, learn, and do better.

Program Term

The full-time Fellowship takes place from September 3, 2024 - July 31, 2025. Over 11 months, the Fellow will complete a 1700-hour term of service with 80-90% of their time spent with you, the Host Partner Organization, and 10-20% of their time spent on the SSC training program. 


The partner match is $28,000 per Fellow.


Application Instructions

Priority applications will be accepted until April 3, 2024. Applications will be reviewed competitively and decisions will be announced in mid-April. For applications that require clarification, potential Host Partners will have two weeks to resubmit. Once applications are approved, we will move forward with a standard Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and begin recruiting the Sustainability Service Corps Fellow(s).

Applications received after April 3, 2024, will be reviewed and considered on a rolling basis, depending on space in the program. There are only 45 spots in the Fellowship.

This application serves as the beginning of a job description that we will co-design for publishing on our website and recruiting your Fellow(s).

Save & Resume Application

To save your application and resume at a later time, please follow these steps: 

1) Check the box in the top right corner of the page that says “Save my progress and resume later”. 

2) Provide an email and password then click “Save”.

3) You will receive an email with a link to complete your application. 

4) There is no autosave. Follow this process each time you need to save and resume later.

Reach out to Sustainability Service Corps (ssc@bacr.org) with any questions or concerns.



Organization Information

In this section, please provide background and contact information for your organization. We will use the organization description on the public-facing Fellow position description.


Applicant MUST be the agency or organization that will sign the Memorandum of Understanding to host and supervise Fellows directly. Applications on behalf of a third party organization will not be approved.









Please select your organization type. Entities organized for profit are not eligible to host AmeriCorps Members per federal regulations.

Please describe the role and purpose of your organization. This description may be copied to populate other documents if your application is approved and should be written in the third person and suitable for copying. (limit to 250 words)

Organization CalEnviroScreen Score

This score should be based on the address where the Fellow(s) will be primarily serving (e.g., office, field site, etc.), which may differ from the organization address.

Note: Click here to launch the website and click on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the map. Enter the full address, click anywhere on your census tract on the map, and look for the CalEnviroScreen 4.0 Percentile Score listed under Overall Percentiles. Select your score from the dropdown menu. Scores must be between 0 and 100. This score helps us understand your community’s environmental burden.





This may include: applying for more or fewer Fellows, changing Site Supervisors, altering Scope of Work, etc.






Organization Contacts


In this section, please provide key organizational contacts. 

Specify an individual for each role below. The same person can be listed for multiple roles, but only one person should be identified as the “partner applicant.” Add additional contacts as needed. 

The person filling out this form who can be contacted for initial project communications. 






Recipient of program invoices who can be contacted for billing questions. 






Contact to sign Memorandum of Understanding AND ensure Fellows are supported, supervised, and program requirements are met consistently, even in the event of staff transitions.





Agreements


In this section, please confirm your understanding of Sustainability Service Corps policies and Host Partner supervisory and administrative responsibilities.


Site Supervisor Responsibilities - Our program is committed to developing the next generation of climate leaders by providing a strong professional development experience for Fellows. A critical part of that experience is placing Fellows under the guidance of a Site Supervisor who can help each Fellow learn and grow. As the Host Partner Organization, the primary Site Supervisor should be co-located with Fellows to oversee daily project tasks on-site, support their personal growth, and complete SSC administrative requirements. Site Supervisor responsibilities include:
  1. Help recruit and screen Fellow candidates to support successful placement (June and July). 
  2. Attend Site Supervisor Orientation (August) and supervision check in meetings with SSC Regional Supervisor (45 minutes/month). 
  3. Onboard Fellows to the organization and direct their projects (approximately 8-10 hours/month/Fellow). 
  4. Provide 37-40 hours of Fellow service assignments per week, direct projects and provide guidance, and support their professional development. 
  5. Conduct weekly, consistent 30 minute to 1 hour check-ins with each Fellow providing regular feedback and guidance. 
  6. Partner with program staff to resolve any challenges or concerns. 
  7. Complete mid-term and end-of-term Fellow and program evaluations, approve timesheets, and support Fellow project data collection.



We are committed to recruiting a strong and diverse cohort of Fellows who will have a positive impact on the communities they serve. Part of our success in building a strong cohort is recruiting broadly and locally. Identifying local candidates who already know the community and have connections for housing or support can be a significant advantage and tends to be the most successful. 

SSC will share your job description to popular job boards, social media, and our network of partners. SSC staff screen applicants before sending them to your for further interviews.

To support this process, we ask Host Partners to share recruitment information through their local networks, such as online postings, newsletters, job boards, partner meetings, etc. Your direct outreach will result in a stronger candidate pool and more successful placement. The program will provide recruitment materials.



BACR is an equal opportunity employer. We cultivate an environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all employees and National Service members. We are firmly committed to maintaining an atmosphere in which people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles may grow personally and professionally. Therefore, we enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, religion or religious creed, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, marital status, medical condition, disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws or ordinances. Our management is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this equal opportunity policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruitment advertising, pay, and other forms of compensation, training, and general treatment during employment.


While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or the Corporation, staff and members may not engage in the following AmeriCorps-prohibited activities:
  1. Attempting to influence legislation; 
  2. Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes; 
  3. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing; 
  4. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements; 
  5. Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office; 
  6. Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials; 
  7. Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization; 
  8. Providing a direct benefit to a business organized for profit; a labor union; a partisan political organization; A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 except that nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; An organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph (g) of this section, unless Corporation assistance is not used to support those religious activities; and 
  9. Conducting a voter registration drive or using Corporation funds to conduct a voter registration drive; 
  10. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and 
  11. Such other activities as the Corporation may prohibit.
Note: Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non-AmeriCorps funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while doing so.


AmeriCorps members engage in a term of service to complete projects that benefit their community according to the specific goals of the AmeriCorps program in accordance with a pre-approved position description. To protect the purpose of the intended term of service from changes through the year, the Host Partner Organization may not allow the Fellow to do the following activities that violate AmeriCorps requirements:

  1. Non-duplication

    1. AmeriCorps assistance may not be used to duplicate an activity that is already provided in the locality of the program by a State or local government agency.

  2. Non-displacement

    1. An employer may not displace an employee or position, including partial displacement, such as reduction in hours, wages, or employment benefits, as a result of the use by such employer of a participant in a program receiving AmeriCorps assistance.

    2. An organization may not displace a volunteer by using a participant in a program receiving AmeriCorps assistance. 

    3. A service opportunity will not be created under this chapter that will infringe in any manner on the promotional opportunity of an employed individual.

    4. A participant in a program receiving AmeriCorps assistance may not perform any services or duties or engage in activities that would otherwise be performed by an employee as part of the assigned duties of such employee.

    5. A participant in any program receiving assistance under this agreement may not perform any services or duties, or engage in any activities that – 

      1. Will supplant the hiring of employed workers; or

      2. Are services, duties, or activities which an individual has recall rights pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement or applicable personal procedures





AmeriCorps members may raise resources directly in support of your program's service activities. Any time spent on fundraising or soliciting donations must be logged using the “Fundraising” category of the member’s timecard. Fellows may not:
  1. Raise funds for living allowances or for an organization's general operating expenses or endowment;
  2. Write a grant application to AmeriCorps or to any other Federal agency.
  3. Spend more than 10% (cumulatively) of their Fellowship term on fundraising activities.



SSC Fellows are required to spend 10-20% of their expected 40 hours per week on training and professional development. Approximately half of those hours are provided by SSC with a multi-tiered curriculum to build essential workplace and sustainability skills during the term to enhance employability post-service. The Fellow can spend the remaining time on independent professional development and training provided by the Host Partner. Fellows also complete SSC deliverables and assignments including a scope of work, two metrics reports, two performance evaluations, and a transition document.



Partnership Needs


You may apply for one or more SSC Fellow. If you apply for multiple Fellows with the same position description, please indicate that below. If you are applying for multiple Fellows with different position descriptions, please click “Add Another Response” at the bottom of this form to provide more details.


In this section, please outline the Fellow’s position, including their title, position description, any required and desired qualifications, and the support they will receive at your organization. This information will be used on the public-facing Fellow position description. Please be aware that the position description may not include any AmeriCorps-prohibited activities.

Please enter the Position Title(s) that best convey the proposed position(s). Position titles should be limited to 2-4 words, followed by the word “Fellow”. For example, “Climate Action Fellow”, “Community Engagement Fellow”, or “Sustainability Education Fellow”, would all be acceptable Position Titles







Please click 'Add another response' if more than one person will supervise fellows.

Projects that include in-person work and team-building activities are beneficial to Fellow professional development in the workplace. Fully remote positions are subject to further review. Note: BACR policy states that all Fellows must live in California and within commuting distance of your office space. AmeriCorps policy expects that Host Partners have a physical office space).








Will the position require consistent contact with minors in school or community settings? If yes, the Fellow must be vaccinated against Tuberculosis (TB).

Will Fellows need a personal vehicle to complete any of the project work assigned to them by your organization? Note: Partner organizations are responsible for mileage reimbursement for Fellows for any driving required for their project work. The program only offers mileage reimbursement to Fellows for program-sponsored events like orientation and the midterm retreat.


Project Description, Responsibilities, & Qualifications

In this section, please outline the Fellow’s position, including their title, position description, any required and desired qualifications, and the support they will receive at your organization. This information will be used on the public-facing Fellow position description. Please be aware that the position description may not include any AmeriCorps-prohibited activities.



Service projects should primarily address at least one program focus area listed below. Priority will be given to projects that most closely align with program focus areas. Please review the definitions and select all that apply.

Note: The goal of the Fellowship program is to “empower climate-ready communities” by mobilizing AmeriCorps service members to prepare our society for the effects of climate change by leading initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve sustainability of systems, educate community members, and incentivize behavior change. Our program aims to serve disadvantaged communities who are most affected by climate change and preference is given to projects that meet this goal.


Note: Please consider tasks that are achievable, meaningful and appropriate for an emerging or transitioning sustainability professional to complete over the course of 11-months.





Provide a brief description of the skills or qualities not yet mentioned that you would like to see in a Fellow.



You may apply for one or more SSC Fellow. If you apply for multiple Fellows with the same position description, please indicate that below. If you are applying for multiple Fellows with different position descriptions, please click “Add Another Response” at the bottom of this form to provide more details.

Mentorship & Fellowship Experience



Note: Sustainability Service Corps’ mission is “to implement community-based climate change solutions by empowering the next generation of leaders committed to a just and sustainable future.” Host Partner Organizations play a key role in upholding our vision by supporting the Fellow’s personal and professional growth. For a Fellow, the 11-month experience will balance a mission-driven, full-time job with an extensive professional development training program. For many applicants, the Fellowship is their first full-time role and a foundational career step into the climate and environmental justice field. Your answer helps us understand your commitment to ensuring a supportive, growth-oriented Fellowship experience.


Note: Fellows spend 10-20% of their expected 40 hours per week on training and professional development. A portion of those hours are available for site-specific training or other independent opportunities that interest Fellows and support their career goals, with guidance from their Site Supervisor and Regional Supervisor.

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