FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov 10, 2021

Results for America Awards AmeriCorps with Silver Certification in the Annual “Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and service, has been recognized for outstanding performance in the Results for America’s 2021 Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence. The Federal Standard of Excellence recognizes agencies which use data-driven decision making to get results for young people, their families, and communities and improve the impact of federal investments.

AmeriCorps was highlighted for the agency’s use of data and evidence to increase the impact of national service grants in more than 40,000 communities to make our government as effective and efficient as possible. The agency hired a chief data officer to support implementation of the Evidence Act and in FY21 increased its investment in grantees with strong or moderate evidence to 68%, a 17% increase from FY20. The agency also released a toolkit to help organizations and grantees successfully scale effective interventions while ensuring they can produce meaningful outcomes.

“Over the last seven years, AmeriCorps has worked with our agency’s Office of Research and Evaluation to support grantees with their evidence building activities. As the body of our evidence has grown, AmeriCorps has re-prioritized our investments to fund what works,” said Sonali Nijhawan, AmeriCorps State and National director. “As we look to plan for future years, evidence will be used to fuel AmeriCorps’ planning grants that incorporate principles of equity, evidence, and innovation.”

Acting White Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young praised federal agencies for putting evidence and data at the center of their efforts to help drive an equitable recovery. “The data tells us that people were left behind in this economy and in this country,” Young said. “We need to use that data to make sure we are getting to these underserved communities.”

“We are encouraged by these agencies’ efforts to use evidence and data to advance economic mobility and close racial gaps,” said Michele Jolin, CEO and co-founder of Results for America. “By building a culture of data-driven decision-making, they are accelerating the federal government’s ability to invest in what works and deliver better results for the American people.”

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency invests more than $800 million in grants for local nonprofit, community, tribal, and state organizations; places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.