Serve Colorado Announces $10 Million in Funding for AmeriCorps Programs in Colorado | Opportunities for Individuals to Serve their Communities

Thursday, September 30, 2021

DENVER — Serve Colorado, which administers Colorado’s AmeriCorps State program, announced today that AmeriCorps has awarded $10,026,259 in federal grants to place AmeriCorps members across Colorado. The Colorado AmeriCorps State program is a national service program that employs national service and volunteerism to address critical needs in local communities across the state.. 

“In Colorado, we know that service is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to address the most urgent challenges facing our state and communities. Whether you are passionate about confronting climate change, educating the next generation of Coloradans, reducing disparities in access to healthcare, and much more, there is an AmeriCorps service opportunity for you,” said Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera. “ I encourage individuals of all ages and backgrounds to learn more about giving back to their communities through AmeriCorps.”

Over the next fifteen months,1,511 AmeriCorps members will be recruited to programs operated by 17 organizations in 55 counties. Specific information on each program, including geographic information, can be found here. 

Organizations receiving AmeriCorps Grant Awards to implement AmeriCorps programs in the 2021 Program Year:

  • Alpine Achievers Initiative will provide math and literacy tutoring and out-of-school programming to underserved K-12 students. 
  • Artist Year will provide student-centered arts education to over 1500 economically disadvantaged students to promote academic success, artistic skill, and civic engagement.
  • City Year Denver will provide full-day academic and school engagement services to students in Denver Public Schools. 
  • Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education will expand and enhance environmental education programming to meet the goals of the Colorado Environmental Education Plan in locations throughout Colorado. 
  • Colorado State University Extension will provide 4-H science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities in out-of-school programming for underserved and at-risk youth ages 8-18. 
  • Colorado Youth Corps Association, as part of the Colorado Climate Corps, will conduct disaster mitigation and relief; conserve and steward public lands; and conduct energy and water weatherization and retrofitting in low-income households.
  • Colorado Youth for a Change will operate 3 programs, Reading Corps, Math Corps and Corps for a Change, to place 470 AmeriCorps members focused on providing attendance support to off-track, disengaged high school students. 
  • Community Resource Center and Conservation Legacy partnered with Colorado Department of Health and Human Services, among other organizations, to provide AmeriCorps members to the Colorado COVID-19 Containment Response Corps to support contact tracing, vaccine outreach support, and resource coordination. 
  • La Puente Home, Inc. will focus on meeting critical needs such as providing housing, emergency food assistance, and social, emotional, and academic support services in the San Luis Valley. 
  • Mountain Roots Food Project and Trailhead Institute will focus on decreasing food insecurity through health and nutrition education, community gardens, and increased food access. 
  • Parent Possible will operate Colorado HIPPYCorps to deliver an evidence-based school readiness program to families, helping them prepare their preschool-aged children for school. 
  • United Way of Southwest Colorado will provide school readiness, social-emotional learning, youth and family engagement, and housing services in Southwest Colorado. 
  • Vail Valley Foundation Youth Power 365 will provide wrap-around support, extended learning, mentoring, and caregiver engagement to 6 -12th graders in Eagle County. 

The funding was also used to award planning grants to the following organizations to plan a future AmeriCorps program. 

  • Lincoln County Economic Development Corporation will develop an AmeriCorps program to address access to healthcare services in rural areas of Lincoln County Colorado. 
  • Literacy Lab will develop an AmeriCorps program to help implement the Leading Men Fellowship program in Colorado which will focus on increasing the diversity and representation of teachers in public schools. 
  • Local Government Commission, as part of the Colorado Climate Corps, will develop an AmeriCorps program that will empower local governments to address climate change and community resilience needs in their communities through direct project activities, capacity building, and leadership development. 
  • Young Americans Center for Financial Education will develop an AmeriCorps program that will expand youth financial education programs in Colorado's rural areas.  

AmeriCorps members are eligible to receive a Segal Education Award to help pay education costs at qualified institutions or to repay qualified student loans. While in service, members also may receive a modest living allowance, student loan deferment, professional development, health insurance and childcare.
AmeriCorps is the federal agency connecting individuals through national service and volunteering to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges. Serve Colorado empowers community-based organizations to meet locally identified needs and statewide challenges through service and volunteerism, building a culture of citizenship, service, and individual responsibility. To learn more about Serve Colorado’s programs and how to serve with AmeriCorps, visit servecolorado.colorado.gov.