WASHINGTON, D.C. – AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteering and national service, has launched Public Health AmeriCorps, a new partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the recruitment, training, and development of a new generation of public health leaders who will be ready to respond to the nation’s public health needs.

The program, which is supported by a $400 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act, is anticipated to fund up to 5,000 AmeriCorps positions over the next five years and comes as part of a larger $7 billion investment in the public health workforce announced by the Biden-Harris Administration.

Today, AmeriCorps released the notice of federal funding availability for Public Health AmeriCorps through AmeriCorps’ State and National program. The competition is open to nonprofit, faith-based and community-based organizations; higher-education institutions; state, local and territorial government entities, such as cities or counties; and Indian Tribes. New organizations are encouraged to apply for these grants.

“In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health AmeriCorps will help vulnerable communities recover from COVID-19 and address broader public health needs, especially those exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Mal Coles, acting CEO at AmeriCorps. “This is an exciting new partnership that builds upon the expertise, best practices, and lessons learned from both existing AmeriCorps and CDC programs to support communities and also provide much-needed surge capacity for state and local public health agencies that continue to bear the burden of caring for a nation in crisis.”

“The experience and networks AmeriCorps brings to this partnership provide a valuable opportunity to engage communities around the United States, including many people who may have never considered a deeply fulfilling career in public health,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H. “This program is a critical component of CDC’s effort to develop a strong, diverse workforce to face the public health challenges of the future.”

Potential applicant organizations are encouraged to fully review the information posted on americorps.gov funding opportunities webpage. The deadline for applications is Monday, Nov 8, at 5 p.m. ET.

AmeriCorps will host a variety of technical assistance calls, webinars and workshops to answer questions about this funding opportunity, including how to submit an application. Times and dates for these calls, along with additional technical assistance information, will be posted on its funding opportunity page. Questions from organizations about the grant competition can be directed to AmeriCorpsGrants@cns.gov.

AmeriCorps continues to invest in the nation’s COVID-19 recovery. With existing programs in more than 40,000 locations across the country, AmeriCorps is uniquely positioned to bolster community response efforts. For the past year and half, thousands of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers across all 50 states and U.S. territories have continued their service, quickly adapting to meet the changing needs caused by the pandemic and have provided vital support, community response, and recovery efforts, providing support to more than 11.5 million Americans, including 2.5 million people at vaccination sites.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Justin Vining

Interim Director, Marketing & Communications

Justin.Vining@dca.ga.gov

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs/Georgia Serves Announces $4.5 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for Georgia

ATLANTA (August 5, 2021) – Georgia received $4,531,101 in AmeriCorps funding from AmeriCorps, a federal agency. With the agency’s unique model, the grants announced will leverage an additional $4 million from the private sector, foundations, and other sources – further increasing the return on the federal investment.

The grants will put 565 AmeriCorps Members on the ground to serve with 21 organizations. AmeriCorps Members will tackle some of the toughest problems in Georgia including education, economic opportunities, healthy futures, homelessness, people living with disabilities, financial literacy, and environmental issues.

In addition, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will provide close to $3 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps Members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, full-time AmeriCorps Members may receive an award of approximately $6,345 that they can use to pay for college or to pay off student loans. Awards vary based on members’ status such as full-time or less than full-time.

The following organizations were awarded grants for 2021-2022 to implement AmeriCorps programs in Georgia.

AmeriCorps Covenant House Georgia                                                                       $   162,700

AmeriCorps Georgia Relay Teaching Residency                                                        $     64,000

Breakthrough Collaborative AmeriCorps Program                                                   $   180,494

Central Georgia Council, Boy Scouts of America                                                       $   137,733

Clayton State University AmeriCorps Program                                                         $     97,878

Communities in Schools of Georgia – AmeriCorps Reading Tutorial Program       $   191,995

Extra Special People AmeriCorps Program                                                                $   239,030

Georgia State University Research Foundation T.E.E.M.S. AmeriCorps                  $   198,896

Girls Scouts of Historic Georgia-AmeriCorps Planning Grant                                   $     40,178

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers AmeriCorps Program                          $   119,658

Greater Valdosta United Way AmeriCorps Planning Grant                                      $     63,377

Hands On Atlanta AmeriCorps                                                                                    $1,062,668

Harmony House Domestic Violence Shelter Planning Grant                                   $      26,422

Jekyll Island State Park Authority dba Georgia Sea Turtle Center AmeriCorps      $    358,433

New American Pathways – AmeriCorps Project RISE                                               $    274,830

One World Link AmeriCorps Project                                                                          $    259,940

Teach For America – Metro Atlanta                                                                           $    140,000

The Christian City AmeriCorps Planning Grant                                                          $      75,000

The Scholarship Academy, Inc. – AmeriCorps Financial Aid Awareness Program  $    178,596

The University of Georgia – Georgia 4-H AmeriCorps Project                                 $    423,800

Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus AmeriCorps Program                                  $    235,473

                             TOTAL                                                                                                                $4,531,101                                                                          

Every year, 75,000 AmeriCorps members serve through 21,000+ schools, nonprofits, and community and faith-based organizations across the country. These citizens have played a critical role in the recovery of communities affected by disasters and helped thousands of first-generation college students access higher education. They also tutor and mentor young people, connect veterans to jobs, care for seniors, reduce crime and revive cities, fight the opioid epidemic, and meet other critical needs.

Since the program’s inception in 1994, more than 1 million Americans have served, providing more than 1.5 billion hours of service and earned more than $3.6 billion in education scholarships, more than $1 billion of which has been used to pay back student debt. Those interested in joining AmeriCorps can learn more at AmeriCorps.gov/Join.

AmeriCorps is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs and leads the nation's volunteering and service efforts. For more information, visit AmeriCorps.gov.

About the Department of Community Affairs

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) partners with communities to build strong and vibrant neighborhoods, commercial and industrial areas through community and economic development, local government assistance, and safe and affordable housing. Using state and federal resources, DCA helps communities spur private job creation, implement planning, develop downtowns, generate affordable housing solutions and promote volunteerism. DCA also helps qualified Georgians with low and moderate incomes buy homes, rent housing and prevent foreclosure and homelessness. For more information, visit www.dca.ga.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Creative Artists Agency Foundation and AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteering and service, in collaboration with leading service organizations MENTOR, VolunteerMatch, schoolhouse.world, and the U.S. Department of Education, announced READY SET, a national tutor, mentor, and service recruitment campaign designed to address learning and relational loss among K-12 public school students in the U.S., particularly in historically marginalized communities.  

The web and social media campaign is designed to meet critical learning needs and create a volunteer pipeline for the academic year ahead and will run through September 2021. AmeriCorps, which engages hundreds of thousands of people each year in service in 40,000 communities nationwide, is actively recruiting national service members and volunteers to build a service safety net for children who need academic and social support. 

“AmeriCorps’ programs that teach, tutor, and mentor students in underserved communities are crucial to keeping students engaged, especially as hybrid schooling models continue across the country,” said Mal Coles, AmeriCorps Acting Chief Executive Officer. “Ready Set Serve is an opportunity for Americans to raise their hands to serve their communities. They can help mentor students to higher academic achievement, keep them on track to graduate, inspire creativity with STEM and robotics programs, or even design cost-effective solutions that support teachers and tutors.” 

“We have a critical opportunity to immediately address the gap between what students need now and what resources are available to them,” said CAA Foundation executive and former drop-out prevention nonprofit director Deborah Marcus. “READY SET is a call to action to be a part of a national student support network, galvanizing Americans to bring their hearts and minds to supporting children, many from low-income and historically marginalized communities, and nurturing their full academic, social and emotional well-being.”   

READY SET’s web and social-media-centered campaign will raise awareness of the current demand for volunteers, directing candidates to www.getreadyset.org, where potential volunteers can learn about relevant tutoring, mentoring and service opportunities. Depending on one’s interest, activation happens through VolunteerMatch’s global digital volunteering infrastructure; unifying champion of youth mentoring, MENTOR; the federal agency for national service and volunteering, AmeriCorps; or peer tutoring platform from Sal Khan, schoolhouse.world.   

READY SET information    

• READY SET Website: www.getreadyset.org  
• Campaign Hashtag: #GetReadySet  
• Instagram: @get_ready_set  
• Twitter: @get_readyset 

2020 changed our world: Lives and livelihoods lost. Devastating destruction and unimagined challenges faced.

Despite those obstacles, each day countless Americans answered the call to serve. They raised their hands. Stood up. Showed up. And volunteered to put their neighbors and complete strangers first. To help make America safer and healthier, more fair, and more just. 

AmeriCorps engages 270,000 Americans each year in sustained, results-driven service through our AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs. These dedicated citizens help communities impacted by COVID-19, ensure students stay on track to graduate, combat hunger and homelessness, respond to natural disasters, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, support veterans and military families, and much more.

This AmeriCorps Week (March 7-13) join with us as we celebrate the impact of our programs and offer our thanks to each and every one for volunteering to serve others. Together, we can help the country recover and come back stronger.

We are AmeriCorps.

Protecting the health and safety of our AmeriCorps members, program staff, volunteers, and partners is our top priority. We are continuing to closely monitor the situation and follow the latest guidance from federal, state, and local health departments.CNCS is taking steps recommended by the Office of Personnel and Management and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

See the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and new, program-specific FAQs and resources that can be found at https://www.NationalService.gov/coronavirus.

As a reminder, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the best source for information on COVID-19 and what you can to do protect yourself and others.  Also, see the Georgia Department of Public Health for statewide information and events.

Governor Kemp issued a statewide shelter-in-place order directing all Georgians to remain in their homes except when conducting essential services, traveling to and from work when performing minimum basic operations, or working within “critical infrastructure”.  As the needs of Georgia residents increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we appreciate your willingness to help.  There are volunteer opportunities that meet the essential criteria in helping with the COVID-19 pandemic locally, we anticipate these opportunities will increase as needs are identified.  

We ask that you register as a volunteer and then respond to the needs listed in your local area. Together, we can help communities and individuals overcome challenges and meet the needs of those most vulnerable. We are also collecting ways you virtually volunteer. There are also many funding options for you to donate to.

Thank you for your willingness to serve during this difficult time.