Invest in National Service to Meet Community Challenges and Create Career Pathways
Adopted at the in 2023
WHEREAS, AmeriCorps, formerly known as the Corporation for National and Community Service, is the nation's largest annual grant maker for service and volunteering, investing over $800 million annually to fund programs with nonprofit, faith-based, local government, and community organizations; and
WHEREAS, more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers nationwide serve at over 36,000 locations where they make an impact across urgent community needs – from environmental stewardship to education to economic opportunity; and
WHEREAS, after successful completion of service, AmeriCorps members earn the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for qualified educational costs, and since 1994, more than 1.25 million AmeriCorps members have earned education awards totaling more than $4.5 billion; and
WHEREAS, each year AmeriCorps places over 140,000 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, adults over age 55, with service opportunities offered by partner organizations where they tutor and mentor students and help elderly individuals receive assistance so that they can continue to live independently; and
WHEREAS, recent Return on Investment Studies[1] demonstrated AmeriCorps programs generate as much as a $34.26 return on investment for every federal dollar invested, and other studies reported benefits of AmeriCorps programs including increased wages and decreased rates of unemployment for members, improved health outcomes for AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, increased economic growth and tax revenue in communities served and positive environmental outcomes for native plant populations; and,
WHEREAS, 8 of 10 AmeriCorps alumni say that their experience benefited their career path, with 42% of those alumni employed within 6 months saying they found a job through a connection made thru AmeriCorps[2], and the program has been a powerful workforce development pathway for cities across the country; and
WHEREAS, with the investments in the American Rescue Plan, AmeriCorps launched a new partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called Public Health AmeriCorps, investing $400 million in the next generation of public health workers, modeled on other successful federal agency partnerships such as FEMA Corps, which has created emergency management and federal career pathways for AmeriCorps members for over ten years.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress to support AmeriCorps programs in our communities;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges Congress to include robust funding for AmeriCorps, formerly known as the Corporation for National and Community Service, in fiscal year 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges Congress to act to make national service more accessible for all who want to serve by increasing the living allowance for AmeriCorps members and stipends for Senior volunteers and removing the taxation on Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards.