Wednesday, January 29, 2025 03:30 PM |
ASC Statement on Federal Funding PauseAmerica’s Service Commissions (ASC) applauds the rescission of M-25-13, which created immediate uncertainty regarding the availability of funding for compliant currently operating AmeriCorps grants. Although M-25-13 has been rescinded by OMB, ASC still has grave concerns regarding the potential impact of a federal funding pause on AmeriCorps (Corporation for National and Community Service) grants that could result from recently issued Executive Orders. ASC represents the 52 governor-designated state service commissions, which administer 75% of AmeriCorps State and National funding and promote volunteering in their respective states and territories. With 90% of all AmeriCorps State and National programs being funded through a state service commission, the majority of AmeriCorps funding has oversight by a governor-appointed and bipartisan board of commissioners. Any potential funding pause would impact the continuity of programming to address critical needs in every state and more than 36,000 locations including urban, rural, and tribal communities across the United States and territories. More than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and volunteers are funded through these grants and providing essential services in areas ranging from afterschool programming, delivering meals to seniors, running food pantries, and responding to local disasters. Grants cannot generally be terminated absent some fault of the grantee or the grantee’s consent, and obligated grant funding cannot be unilaterally rescinded by the Executive Branch. Currently there has been no communication to AmeriCorps grantees that they are out of compliance with applicable grant Terms and Conditions nor are they out of compliance with federal law. As reimbursement based grants, draws from the Payment Management System are based on costs already incurred in compliance with the grant terms and conditions. We understand and support the President’s authority to assess and change priorities. We also are confident state service commissions and their subrecipients are in good faith operating in compliance with relevant civil rights laws referenced in the President’s recent Executive Orders. Any pause on AmeriCorps grant funding or service activities would have a devastating impact on the nonprofits, individual AmeriCorps members, and the communities they serve. ASC looks forward to working closely with the federal AmeriCorps agency, Congress, the White House, and our network to ensure AmeriCorps funding and programming continues to support pressing community needs through service. |