[Madison, WI] – Serve Wisconsin proudly announces that Wisconsin has received nearly
$8.1 million in grant funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and community volunteerism. Included within those funds are $840,755 in AmeriCorps funding for three AmeriCorps programs specifically centered in Dane County, with several other statewide programs also having members serving in the county.
“This funding will put 888 AmeriCorps members on the ground, including over 80 in the
Madison area, to help our local communities as our state continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19,” said Jeanne Duffy, Executive Director of Serve Wisconsin.
“These AmeriCorps members will continue and expand upon the service of the Wisconsin
AmeriCorps members who have served over 750,000 hours since the beginning of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The service by these new AmeriCorps members will be critical in
providing assistance with local recovery efforts and in tackling some of the toughest
problems in Wisconsin, many of which have been exacerbated in recent months, including the opioid epidemic, the academic achievement gap, healthcare access, and housing shortages for low-income families,” Duffy continued.
The funding will support the following Wisconsin AmeriCorps programs:
Dane County Department of Human Services – Partners for After School Success (PASS) – 49 AmeriCorps members are placed in predominately low-income or resource scarce communities in order to enhance the academic achievement and school engagement of middle and high school youth through positive relationships, literacy tutoring, extended learning programs and volunteer service.
United Way of Dane County – Achievement Connections 18 AmeriCorps members
tutor high school students in math and leverage additional volunteers to provide tutoring
with the goal of increasing the number of students who pass Algebra by 10th grade.
United Way of Dane County – Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project 16 AmeriCorps
members serve as literacy tutors and tutor coordinators in high-need elementary schools
where they work with staff to increase the literacy skills of students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
AmeriCorps’ unique model means the Wisconsin AmeriCorps programs will leverage an
additional $6.5 million from the private sector, foundations, and other sources, including
nearly $1.4 million from the Madison area – further increasing the return on the federal
investment for Wisconsin communities.
AmeriCorps members make a critical difference through their service by educating students for the 21st century workforce, supporting veterans and military families, completing conservation projects, tackling the opioid epidemic, promoting economic opportunity in our communities, helping people to live healthier lives, and through several other projects to make their local communities stronger. Additionally, they have played a critical role helping communities throughout the United States recover from flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, and other national disasters.
For the past year, thousands of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors members across
all 50 states and U.S. territories have continued their service, quickly adapting to meet
the changing needs caused by the pandemic. Dedicated members have persisted to
support communities as they respond and recover from the impact of COVID-19,
developing new ways to deliver the same services to keep both themselves and those
they serve safe.
Every year, 75,000 AmeriCorps members serve through thousands of nonprofit,
community and faith-based organizations across the country. Since 1994, AmeriCorps
members have provided more than 1.6 billion hours of service and earned nearly $4 billion in education awards to pay for college or pay back student loans. Included within those numbers are the more than 28,000 Wisconsin residents have served approximately 43 million hours and earned education awards totaling more than $109.7 million. Those interested in serving can learn more at AmeriCorps.gov/join.
