The Corps Network Receives National AmeriCorps Grants
AmeriCorps members of Kupu’s Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps at work.
WASHINGTON – The Corps Network has received AmeriCorps program continuation grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service for its AmeriCorps Education Awards Program and its AmeriCorps Opportunity Youth Service Initiative. The grants will support 3,555 AmeriCorps members who will participate in a variety of high-impact conservation service projects this program year, while also building valuable career skills, preparing them to serve as the next great generation of conservation and community leaders who tackle some of America’s greatest challenges.
Examples of projects that these AmeriCorps members will complete include critical improvements to public lands like national parks, national forests, state parks, rivers, as well as to urban greenspaces. These efforts support local economies while also facilitating improved ecological and community health, while enhancing recreational opportunities for Americans and their communities. In addition to service in outdoor landscapes, AmeriCorps members serving in The Corps Network’s programs will also help low-income families save money and conserve resources by making their homes more energy efficient.
Forty-five organizations that operate Corps programs in a total of 26 states will enroll youth to serve through AmeriCorps thanks to the support of these grants. Furthemore, these grants will allow The Corps Network to expand its impact as leaders of a national “Corps movement” that supports restoration and stewardship of the environment, communities, and helps members who serve to further advance their job and leadership skills, and reach their personal educational goals.
“AmeriCorps is an indispensable resource to help meet critical challenges facing our communities,” said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network. “We’re thrilled that the Corporation for National and Community Service has recognized the value that AmeriCorps members serving with Service and Conservation Corps offer to communities. These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs as they develop civic and conservation leadership skills that can last a lifetime.”
“AmeriCorps members are improving the lives of millions of citizens and having a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our communities,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. “While they serve others, AmeriCorps members also expand opportunity for themselves – gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers. As we mark the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps, we congratulate The Corps Network for their strong application, and thank all AmeriCorps members for their dedication to service.”
The current year’s AmeriCorps grant cycle was highly competitive, due to the strong and growing demand by organizations seeking AmeriCorps resources. The 2014 competition prioritized investments in economic opportunity, education, veterans and military families, disaster services, and continued a new initiative for governors and mayors.
In addition to the grant funding, CNCS will make available $7,480,793 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members receive an award of $5,645 that they can use to pay for college or to pay off student loans.
AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 members in intensive service annually to serve through nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 25,000 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve.
2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the AmeriCorps program. Since 1994, more than 830,000 Americans have provided more than 1 billion hours of service addressing critical challenges from poverty and hunger to disasters and the dropout crisis.
About The Corps Network
The Corps Network provides critical leadership to the Corps movement and our nation’s Service and Conservation Corps as they harness the power of youth and young adults to tackle some of America’s greatest challenges and transform their own lives. Our 100+ members operate in all states and the District of Columbia. Each year they collectively enroll approximately 26,000 Corpsmembers from ages 16-25. Corps are comprehensive youth development programs that provide their participants with job training, academic programming, leadership skills, and additional support through a strategy of service that improves communities and the environment. Learn more at www.corpsnetwork.org.
About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov.
Media Contact:
Levi Novey
The Corps Network
1100 G Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202.737.6272
Fax: 202.737.6277
Email: [email protected]