Shaheen Announces $3.1 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for New Hampshire

(Washington, D.C.) U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today announced that New Hampshire has received more than $3 million in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees volunteering and service programs. The grants will support 169 AmeriCorps members in the state and create additional funding for Volunteer NH, the Granite State nonprofit organization that administers AmeriCorps programs in New Hampshire. The federal investment is projected to generate an additional $2.7 million in local support.

“AmeriCorps members are an indispensable resource for nonprofits, communities, and the individuals they serve,” said Senator Shaheen. “Citizen service is an essential part of the solutions to many of the challenges New Hampshire faces, and we are so glad to have AmeriCorps members and Volunteer NH working hard in Granite State communities. I congratulate all the organizations receiving grants, and thank all those who serve in AmeriCorps for their commitment to serving our country. ”

“For more than 20 years, AmeriCorps members have had a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our nation,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Building on New Hampshire’s strong tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, AmeriCorps members will improve lives and strengthen communities across New Hampshire. While they serve others, AmeriCorps members will also expand opportunity for themselves - gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers. I salute every AmeriCorps member for his or her dedication and determination to ‘get things done’ and respond to the needs in their communities.”

“AmeriCorps members have made an immeasurable impact in Granite State communities,” said Gretchen Berger, Executive Director of Volunteer NH. “We are preparing to welcome a record number of members into service across New Hampshire and these individuals will dedicate their service experience to addressing some of our toughest challenges including education, domestic violence and land stewardship. Their work will strengthen the fabric of our communities, and we are incredibly grateful for their dedication to our country.”

The federal investment includes five grants totaling nearly $1.7 million, which will support 169 AmeriCorps members. AmeriCorps members will tackle some of the toughest problems in New Hampshire including improving educational outcomes for young students, assisting domestic violence victims, and providing conservation and environmental education to residents and visitors in New Hampshire. CNCS will also provide nearly $800,000 in education scholarships for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants to help cover college costs, vocational training, or student loan repayment.

The federal investment announced today also includes more than $650,000 for Volunteer NH, the 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 2016 AmeriCorps competitive grants in New Hampshire:

• City Year New Hampshire: AmeriCorps members will support the academic and youth development of students at six public schools in Manchester. (50 AmeriCorps members)
• Student Conservation Association – New Hampshire Corps: Through the SCA New Hampshire Corps, AmeriCorps members will provide conservation stewardship to public lands and environmental education to residents and visitors in New Hampshire. (30 AmeriCorps members)
• AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program: AmeriCorps members will assist victims of domestic and sexual violence to find and transition to safe housing, while providing financial literacy services. AmeriCorps members serving with this program, which is part of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, will also recruit and lead additional volunteers in community awareness projects. (26 AmeriCorps members)
• Granite State Education Corps: A grant to Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, will support a program that utilizes AmeriCorps members as mentors to academically disengaged students in grades K-12. Implementing the Check & Connect model, the AmeriCorps members will increase student engagement, better preparing students to reach their full potential in school and in life.  (43 AmeriCorps members)
• Northwood Elementary BADS Program: AmeriCorps members will provide mentoring in STEM subjects at Northwood Elementary in Northwood, N.H. (20 AmeriCorps members)

Senator Shaheen has supported AmeriCorps since she was a New Hampshire State Senator, and as Governor she was instrumental in bringing AmeriCorps to the state. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she works to provide robust funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service, which funds AmeriCorps and other domestic national service programs.

AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 members in intensive service annually to serve nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 21,000 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. Over the past two decades, more than 980,000 Americans have served in AmeriCorps providing more than 1.3 billion hours of service, and earning more than $3.1 billion in education scholarships. Later this year, the one millionth AmeriCorps member will take the AmeriCorps pledge, committing to ‘get things done’ for America.

AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov .