NH Receives Nearly $3 Million in AmeriCorps Funding

AmericCorps volunteers with then Governor Maggie Hassan at the NH State House during a past AmeriCorps Week event. Photo: Volunteer NH

New Hampshire received $2.9 million in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for volunteering and service programs. The federal investment is projected to generate an additional $2.5 million in local support.

AmeriCorps engages more than 80,000 members in service projects annually to serve nonprofit, faith-based and community organizations at 21,600 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. Since 1994, more than 1 million men and women have served in AmeriCorps, providing more than 1.4 billion hours of service and earning more than $3.3 billion in scholarships to pay for college, more than $1 billion of which has been used to pay back student loan debt.

The federal investment includes four grants totaling $1.3 million. These grants will support 233 AmeriCorps members in the state and create additional funding for Volunteer NH, the nonprofit that administers AmeriCorps programs in the state.

AmeriCorps members in NH will address issues like improving educational outcomes for young students, assisting domestic violence victims and providing conservation and environmental education to residents and visitors in NH. CNCS will also provide up to $937,015 in education scholarships for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants to help pay for college, vocational training or pay back student loans.

The federal investment also includes $645,344 for Volunteer NH, a Governor-appointed state service commission. Later this summer, Volunteer NH will make additional grants to support AmeriCorps programs in the state.

Below is a listing of 2017 AmeriCorps competitive grants in NH:

• City Year New Hampshire: AmeriCorps members will provide academic and youth development services to students in six public schools in Manchester (50 AmeriCorps members)
• CCNH Success Corps: AmeriCorps members will increase access to college for 293 economically disadvantaged and special needs youth (127 AmeriCorps members)
• AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program: AmeriCorps members will provide direct assistance to victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking.(26 AmeriCorps members)
• Student Conservation Association New Hampshire Corps: AmeriCorps members will provide conservation stewardship to public lands and environmental education to residents and visitors.(30 AmeriCorps members)

“As Volunteer NH prepares to launch these programs, we welcome hundreds of bright, talented individuals into service across the Granite state," says Gretchen Berger, executive director of Volunteer NH. “AmeriCorps members have made an immeasurable impact in our communities, they will continue to improve lives and address our states most difficult problems through service; including domestic violence, environmental education, land stewardship and education. AmeriCorps service transforms individuals, accelerates their pathway toward meaningful employment and offers them the opportunity to grow as civilly engaged citizens."