AmeriCorps members and volunteers serve together with local communities to address the country’s most pressing challenges, including conservation, resource management, and environmental education. AmeriCorps-funded environmental stewardship programs and interventions have produced positive results using independent, rigorous impact studies, and systematic evidence review.
The Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) program was authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009 and invests in volunteer management practices that strengthen nonprofit organizations and other entities’ ability to increase recruitment and retention of volunteers to meet critical community needs through service.
In 2016, AmeriCorps commissioned Mathematica to conduct the Scaling Evidence-Based Models (SEBM) project to gain insights into which AmeriCorps State and National and Social Innovation Fund interventions were effective and potentially ready to scale.
The Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) is an AmeriCorps State and National Program, operated by Washington State University, that focuses on environmental stewardship. WCC provides young adults ages 18 to 25 years old an opportunity to learn how to protect and restore natural habitats for the state- and federally protected species throughout Washington state.
The goal of this return on investment (ROI) analysis report was to conduct a cost-benefit assessment of the WCC 2014-2015 program outcomes.
Birth & Beyond Home Visitation (B&B HV) is a parenting education and support intervention program designed to reduce child abuse and neglect. The program is designed to improve bonding, parent-child relationships, and child behavior to help children reach their full potential, while parents receive the support needed from the comfort of their own homes. The program is being implemented in nine local Family Resource Centers in Sacramento County, California.
YouthBuild USA (YouthBuild) is a national youth leadership program designed to improve education and employment outcomes for opportunity youth (individuals between the ages of 16 to 24, who are neither in school nor employed). 233 local programs across 46 states use the YouthBuild model in their communities. The program’s goal is to help these youth attain high school diplomas or equivalency credentials, obtain occupational skills and experience, develop leadership skills, and deepen their commitment to service in their communities.
Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is a nonprofit homebuilding program that operates nationally and internationally. It provides low-income families living in substandard housing with volunteer-built, rehabilitated, or repaired homes and affordable mortgages. The program also offers homeowner education to the HFH homeowners
The goal of the return on investment (ROI) study was to measure the benefits of the HFH program against its costs based on the analytical approach and data sources specified in its respective feasibility study.
Communities In Schools (CIS) of Central Texas recruits, trains, and supports AmeriCorps Members who provide both individual and small group support to CIS students. The program’s goal is to positively impact 4th and 5th grade students’ academics, behaviors, and perceptions of school.
Study Goals:
The goal of the study is to analyze the impact of working with AmeriCorps Members on CIS students’ academic outcomes, including achievement, behavior, and attitudes. The study used a quasi-experimental research design that compared treatment and comparison groups to analyze outcomes.
Reading Partners placed AmeriCorps members in California schools to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring for economically disadvantaged students at locations in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Silicon Valley. At the end of the first program year, the AmeriCorps members were responsible for measurably increasing the literacy skills of at least 1,471 high-need target students. In addition, the AmeriCorps members leveraged an additional 3,500 community volunteers who were engaged in individualized reading tutoring through the model.