AmeriCorpsEstablished in 1993, the AmeriCorps agency, also known as the Corporation for National and Community Service, is the federal agency tasked with overseeing national service. In addition to conducting oversight and compliance, the AmeriCorps agency provides grants to service commissions and nonprofit organizations to fund service programs meeting local needs across the country. Programs include AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps Seniors, AmeriCorps VISTA, and the Volunteer Generation Fund. Since 1994, more than one million AmeriCorps members have contributed more than one billion hours in service across America while tackling pressing problems and mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. AmeriCorps State and NationalAmeriCorps State and National (ASN) supports a wide range of local service programs that engage thousands of Americans in intensive community service each year. ASN provides grants to a network of local and national organizations and agencies committed to using national service to address critical community needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. AmeriCorps State and National members serve directly with the host nonprofit in a local community. AmeriCorps NCCCAmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, team-based, residential service program. AmeriCorps NCCC teams complete a variety of service projects and respond to local communities’ needs throughout the United States and territories. Projects fall within the areas of energy conservation, infrastructure improvement, natural and other disaster services, and urban and rural development. FEMA Corps and Forest Corps both fall under the AmeriCorps NCCC umbrella. AmeriCorps SeniorsFor individuals 55 and older, AmeriCorps Seniors comprises the Foster Grandparent Program, RSVP, and the Senior Companion Program. AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers help students learn to read, deliver groceries to elderly neighbors, and support families impacted by natural disasters. AmeriCorps VISTAFounded in 1965, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) is an anti-poverty program designed to provide needed resources to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to increase their capacity to lift communities out of poverty. AmeriCorps VISTA members serve in an administrative capacity to create or expand programs designed to empower individuals and communities in overcoming poverty. |