FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug 12, 2011

Washington, DC -- The Corporation for National and Community Service today announced $5.9 million in additional 2011 AmeriCorps grants to 17 organizations meeting pressing challenges in communities across the nation.

The grants will support 1,500 new AmeriCorps members who will strengthen education, assist veterans and military families, preserve the environment, expand health services, and foster economic opportunity.

“At a time of great human need, AmeriCorps members are serving millions of our most vulnerable citizens and having a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our nation,” said Robert Velasco, II, acting CEO of CNCS. “AmeriCorps members and the millions of volunteers they mobilize are a vital resource to help local leaders meet immediate community needs and make a lasting difference.”

Together with the grants announced on June 8, the fiscal year 2011 AmeriCorps competition resulted in more than $223 million in grants awarded to 321 organizations to support 51,600 new AmeriCorps members. Along with positions supported through AmeriCorps formula funding and other positions in AmeriCorps VISTA and NCCC, AmeriCorps is projected to support approximately 80,000 members this year. A list of the 17 additional grants is below, and a complete list of all 2011 grants is available by clicking here.

The additional grants will go to national and local nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups. AmeriCorps members supported by these grants are projected to earn more than $5.5 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards to help pay for college or to pay back student loans.

The current year's AmeriCorps grant cycle was highly competitive, due to the strong and growing demand by organizations seeking AmeriCorps resources and a $23 million cut in AmeriCorps grant funding over last year's level. Organizations requested nearly twice the number of grant dollars and AmeriCorps positions than could be funded.

"The surging demand for AmeriCorps members by organizations across the country is a testament to the value of this program and the transforming impact AmeriCorps members have on pressing challenges facing communities,” said John Gomperts, Direct of AmeriCorps. "AmeriCorps members bring the energy and talent to supercharge nonprofits so that they can increase their impact. And like serving in the military or the Peace Corps, being an AmeriCorps member is a patriotic act and experience that helps to form the next generation of leaders in all sectors of society.”

The additional grants make a focused investment in the priorities laid out in the Serve America Act and the CNCS 2011-2015 Strategic Plan. Below are some examples of the organizations receiving funds through today's announcement:

  • Economic Opportunity: The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will engage 31 AmeriCorps members to serve at nonprofit organizations throughout Vermont to address needs in housing and homelessness, energy savings, and environmental protection.
  • Education: ReServe, a new grantee, will engage 116 AmeriCorps members to provide educational support, mentorship, college assistance and adult literacy to students and adults residing in disadvantaged and immigrant-rich communities. AmeriCorps members serving with Commonbond will tutor K-8 children who live in public housing in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin to increase academic achievement in reading and math.
  • Environment: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's GreenCorps program will engage 31 AmeriCorps members to support green infrastructure, energy conservation and air quality, and waste prevention and recycling across Minnesota. AmeriCorps member serving with the Partners Energy Conservation Corps will provide free home weatherization services to low-income families in Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and Ozaukee counties in Wisconsin.
  • Healthy Futures: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County, Indiana, will engage 118 AmeriCorps members to work with youth across Indiana to combat obesity and increase academic achievement, and the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, will engage 27 AmeriCorps members to provide public health, domestic violence prevention, and victim services.
  • Veterans and Military Families: The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America will engage veterans to serve as Prevention Coordinators for veterans and military families, resulting in improved access and availability of social and mental and physical health services in ten states.

In the past 17 years, more than 700,000 men and women have served in AmeriCorps, providing more than 860 million hours of service. AmeriCorps members serve with more than 14,000 nonprofit, faith-based, and community groups each year, helping them expand their reach and better meet their mission.

Most of the positions announced today will be available starting in the fall. Interested individuals can learn about available opportunities and submit an online application by visiting AmeriCorps.gov.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

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Additional Fiscal 2011 AmeriCorps Grants

Below is a listing of additional AmeriCorps grants awarded in the fiscal year 2011 AmeriCorps competition. Click here for a full listing of all grantees.

Multi-State Programs:

· Catholic Volunteer Network, Takoma Park, MD, $608,000, 847 AmeriCorps members

· Commonbond, Door To Door Learning Corps, Saint Paul, MN, $532,000, 40 AmeriCorps members

· Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, Alexandria, VA, $359,096, 27 AmeriCorps members

· ReServe, New York, $471,495, 116 AmeriCorps members

Single State Programs:

· Arkansas Literacy Councils, Little Rock, AR, $238,374, 38 AmeriCorps members

· Rogers Public School, AmeriCorps Family Outreach, Rogers, AR, $278,748, 44 AmeriCorps members

· City of Dubuque Partners in Learning AmeriCorps Program, Dubuque, IA, $210,587, 48 AmeriCorps members

· Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County Project ACES, Richmond, IN, $559,284, 118 AmeriCorps members

· Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants, New American Integration Program, Boston, MA, $399,002, 30 AmeriCorps members

· Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota GreenCorps, Saint Paul, MN, $362,700, 31 AmeriCorps members

· Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, AmeriCorps LEAP Initiative, Owatonna, MN, $260,000, 20 AmeriCorps members

· NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program, Concord, NH, $350,988, 27 AmeriCorps members

· Inspiring Minds, Providence, RI, $133,000, 10 AmeriCorps members

· Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, $378,000, 31 AmeriCorps members

· Dane County Human Services, Partners for After-School Success, Madison, WI, $440,540, 35 AmeriCorps members

· Partners for Community Development, Partners Energy Conservation Corps, Sheboygan, WI, $104,000, 8 AmeriCorps members

· Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, Enhancing Assets to Benefit Communities, Elkins, WV, $260,000, 20 AmeriCorps members

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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.