AmeriCorps terminates Serve Idaho AmeriCorps grants
AmeriCorps, the federal agency responsible for national service and volunteers, has reduced its workforce and reach of its service year programs because of funding cuts. As a result, the agency's staff was reduced by an estimated 85%, National Civilian Community Corps was demobilized and $400 million in grants were terminated.
This loss of funding has impacted nearly 33,000 AmeriCorps members and senior volunteers at more than 1,000 nonprofit and civic organizations.
Additionally, 134 AmeriCorps members in Idaho have lost their positions. Since members are not employees of their host site, they do not qualify for unemployment benefits. Therefore, it has been difficult for members to pay rent, cover food expenses and more.
You can support impacted AmeriCorps members in Idaho by donating to the national fund.
The following Idaho programs were affected by the grant terminations. Despite not completing their program year, they made significant impact in their communities.
University of Idaho 4H Extension
AmeriCorps members serving with University of Idaho 4H Extension recruited or managed 144 volunteers who contributed 1,023 hours of service providing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education including LEGO robotics and circuitry to 9,623 youth.
The program focused on the seven indicators of thriving in youth: 1) growth mindset, 2) openness to challenges and discovery, 3) hopeful purpose, 4) prosocial orientation, 5) transcendent awareness, 5) positive emotionality and 7) goal management.
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Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute
The Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute made significant impacts in the eight months its AmeriCorps program ran.
The program recruited or managed 309 AmeriCorps volunteers who provided 818 hours of conservation education to 1,906 youth and supported 664.61 acres of public land through restoration projects and invasive weed removal.
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Student Conservation Association
This program is a summer program, and their members were unable to start service.
Teach for America (TFA)
As a professional corps, Teach for America AmeriCorps members earn $1,000 yearly from AmeriCorps and receive an education award worth $7,395 to pay for the teaching certificate they earn during their two years of service.
During the 2024-2025 school year, 30 TFA members served 2,000 students with 1,000 of those students seeing improved academic performance.
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White Clouds Preserve
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White Clouds Preserve saw a period of strong momentum and measurable success, significantly advancing environmental stewardship goals on the preserve and surrounding areas.
The program has surveyed and planted over 1,300 willow stakes and utilized Global Positioning System and Global Information System tools to systematically document restoration sites, ecological conditions as well as the presence of invasive species.
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Serve Idaho VISTA Community Collaboration Corps
Serve Idaho Community Collaboration Corps partnered with four host sites where members served to build capacity in the organization with a focus on alleviating poverty.
Members achieved the following:
- Built a marketing and outreach strategic plan.
- Walked the organization through their first strategic planning session with leadership and the board of directors.
- Developed a collaborative program addressing workforce solutions focused on manufacturing.
Map of affected Idaho programs
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