Illinois has received $17,120,066 in funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and community volunteerism.

SPRINGFIELD, IL, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service is thrilled to announce that as a result of the AmeriCorps State and National Grant Competition, Illinois has received $17,120,066 in funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and community volunteerism.

These grants will put over 1,000 AmeriCorps members on the ground to serve with 12 organizations awarded with federal competitive-level funds, tackling some of the toughest problems in Illinois. Serve Illinois, the Governor-appointed state service commission, will also receive $5,203,583 in state determined formula funding, which will in turn be awarded to Illinois organizations to support an additional 33 AmeriCorps members in the coming months.

"AmeriCorps is dedicated to creating a more united and equitable future for all Americans,” said Sonali Nijhawan, director of AmeriCorps State and National. “I’m proud to announce new funding that will elevate this work by placing more AmeriCorps members in Illinois. I appreciate all of our AmeriCorps members – past, present, and future – for their dedication. As an AmeriCorps alumna myself, I know tomorrow looks a little brighter because they pledged to “get things done for America.”

12 competitive-level grants totaling $7,335,389 million are going to support organizations operating in Illinois, including Public Allies, Inc., Up2Us, Inc., Academy for Urban School Leadership, American Red Cross - Chicago, Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, Illinois Bar Foundation, Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, Teach For America, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Youth & Opportunity United, Inc., Sauk Valley Community College and Board of Trustees of Western Illinois University.

The 33 state-level determined formula funding totaling $5,203,583 million are going to support organizations operating in Illinois, including Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township, Girl Scouts of Southern, IL, Peoria Park District, Reading & Math, Inc, SAGA Innovations, College Possible, Relay Graduate School of Education, Springfield Urban League, the City of Springfield, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, Girls Scouts of Northern Illinois, Cahokia School District, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Beyond Sports Foundation, The University of Chicago, Leave No Veteran Behind, City of Peoria, Housing Forward, The Gardeneers, Rend Lake College, Herrin House of Hope, Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office, YMCA of Rock River Valley, Boys & Girls Clubs of Livingston County, Chicago Heightening Opportunity and Potential for Educational Success, Illinois Public Health Association, Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, Literacy Volunteers of Illinois, Northwestern University Settlement Association, Southwestern Illinois College, New Star, Inc., Severson Dells Nature Center.

AmeriCorps will provide an additional $4,581,094 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members receive an award of approximately $6,300 that they can use to pay for college or to pay off student loans.

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.

The recently passed American Rescue Plan includes an additional $1 billion for AmeriCorps. The agency will use this investment to expand national service programs into new communities and increase the opportunity for all Americans to serve their country.

Every year, 75,000 AmeriCorps members serve through thousands of nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations across the country. These citizens have played a critical role in the recovery of communities affected by disasters and helped thousands of first-generation college students access higher education. They also tutor and mentor young people, connect veterans to jobs, care for seniors, reduce crime and revive cities, fight the opioid epidemic, and meet other critical needs.

As the federal agency for volunteering and service, AmeriCorps brings people together to tackle the county’s most pressing challenges. Since the agency’s inception in 1994, nearly 1.2 million AmeriCorps members have served the nation.

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