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AmeriCorps State
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- Current programs
- Become an AmeriCorps member
- Apply for AmeriCorps State Grant
AmeriCorps*State operates through the Virginia Office on Volunteerism and Community Service (OCVS) and the Governor-appointed Advisory Board on National and Community Service to provide grants to public and nonprofit organizations that sponsor service programs throughout Virginia, including faith-based and community organizations, higher education institutions, and public agencies. Grants assist these groups in recruiting, training and placing more than 740 AmeriCorps members to meet critical community needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment across Virginia. Since 1994, more than 10,000 Virginia residents have served over 15 million hours and qualified for AmeriCorps Education Awards totaling nearly $29,000,000.
Purpose
The purpose of AmeriCorps*State is to engage AmeriCorps members in direct service and capacity-building to address unmet community needs. Local programs design service activities for a team of members serving full- or part-time for one year or during the summer. Sample activities include tutoring and mentoring youth, assisting crime victims, building homes, and restoring parks. AmeriCorps members also mobilize community volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the organizations where they serve.
The organizations that receive grants are responsible for recruiting, selecting, and supervising AmeriCorps members to serve in their programs.
Who May Apply for AmeriCorps*State Grants?
Roughly three-quarters of all AmeriCorps' funding available in Virginia is allocated by OCVS. We oversee an annual Request for Proposal process that solicits and funds grant proposals from community and faith-based organizations seeking to use AmeriCorps service members in the delivery of program services. Additional AmeriCorps funding, available through the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), is distributed directly to state, multi-state, and national organizations through a competitive grants process. For AmeriCorps*State, OVCS accepts applications from:
- State and local nonprofit organizations
- Community and faith-based organizations
- State, local, and higher education institutions
- State and local governments
- U.S. Territories
Learn more about applying for AmeriCorps*State funding.
Do You Want to Serve in an AmeriCorps*State Program?
In exchange for their service, AmeriCorps members may earn an education award of up to $5,350 that can be used to pay for college or to pay back qualified student loans.