FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jun 22, 2020

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) today announced $3.2 million in funding that will bring Americans together to focus on service to others through national days of service. Awarded to 29 organizations across the country, these grants will support volunteer activities on the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

It was a highly competitive year, with demand far exceeding the available funding. CNCS received applications requesting more than $9.5 million in grant funds. The $3.2 million announced today includes 10 new grants and the continuation funding of 19 organizations funded in the 2019 Days of Service Grant Competition.

The new organizations selected for MLK Day funding are: United Way Augusta (GA); The Mission Continues (MO); Samaritan’s Feet International (N.C.); and the City of Murfreesboro (TN). New September 11 grants were awarded to: My Good Deed (NY); Global Youth Justice (MA); Curators of the University of Missouri (MO); Greene Lamp Community Action (N.C.); United Way Worldwide (VA); and The Arc of the United States (Washington, D.C.). A detailed list can be found here.

“We know that volunteerism creates a sense of unity that allows our differences to fall away as we work together to address a common goal. This sense of service is woven into the fabric of our nation,” said Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “The organizations receiving funding today will provide opportunities for Americans to make a difference through days of service like MLK Day and 9/11 Day.”

Both Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and September 11 are designated national days of service by Congress, which has charged CNCS with leading these efforts. Since they began in 1995 and 2009, respectively, millions of Americans have given billions of hours of service and made a long-term commitment to community service on one of these two official days of service. 

The grants announced today will fund volunteer projects for the 2021 MLK Day of Service and September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, which will also commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Through an agreement with My Good Deed, the nonprofit dedicated to promoting the 9/11 Day of Service, CNCS will support these anniversary activities.

AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country's most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.