Serve Wisconsin Announces $9.2 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for Wisconsin
[Madison, WI] – Serve Wisconsin proudly announces that Wisconsin received $9.2 million in grant funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and community volunteerism. The grant funds will support 17 AmeriCorps programs across the state, Volunteer Generation Fund grants for supporting local volunteer projects, and the operations of the Wisconsin National and Community Service Board. The unique model for AmeriCorps means that Wisconsin AmeriCorps programs and Volunteer Generation Fund grantees will leverage an additional $3.3 million from the private sector, foundations, and other sources – further increasing the return on the federal investment for Wisconsin communities.
“The more than $8.25 million in federal funding our AmeriCorps programs are receiving will put 716 AmeriCorps Volunteers on the ground at roughly 200 service sites across the state to help make a difference and improve the lives of people across Wisconsin,” said Kyle Clower, Executive Director of Serve Wisconsin. “The service of these AmeriCorps Volunteers will address numerous needs and challenges throughout the state by providing educational support to students, helping people lead healthier lives by accessing health care and addressing substance abuse disorders, building homes, completing conservation projects, assisting individuals with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness, and strengthening communities in numerous other ways.”
“Our AmeriCorps Volunteers serving this year are building upon the service legacy of those that have served before them,” Clower continued, “They will expand upon the previous service of over 32,000 Wisconsin AmeriCorps Volunteers, whose combined efforts amount to an incredible 48 million service hours and have undeniably and positively shaped the lives of Wisconsin’s citizens.”
Governor Evers described the impact AmeriCorps Volunteers and programs have in Wisconsin when speaking at the Governor’s Service Awards in July, stating “Whether it’s helping communities in need, cleaning up and protecting our natural spaces, or supporting veterans and their families, the work AmeriCorps does makes a real difference in people’s lives… There is no denying that the overall success of our state has always relied on the hard work and dedication of individuals and organizations like you.” Governor Evers continued by explaining that “here in Wisconsin, we are defined by the depth of our empathy and the strength of our selflessness. We take care of our communities and our neighbors when they need our help and we make sure that people who dedicate their lives to serving others have the recognition, the support, and obviously the resources they need to succeed. Your important work makes Wisconsin stronger, healthier, and more vibrant place to call home. I declared 2026 the “Year of the Neighbor” because I want to spend this year celebrating all the outstanding neighbors who make our state the great place it is to call home, and this includes all of you.”
2026-2027 Wisconsin AmeriCorps programs
The funding will support the following 17 AmeriCorps programs:
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee – ClubCorps — 98 AmeriCorps Volunteers will provide youth with in-school or afterschool academic enrichment, early literacy instruction, college preparation and career readiness programming, arts programming, social-emotional instruction, community service programming, and afterschool sports programming at local Boys and Girls Clubs and environmental education activities at Camp Whitcomb-Mason.
Central Conservation, Inc. — 158 AmeriCorps Volunteers will complete high-priority conservation projects across Wisconsin and facilitate environmental education programming. Conservation crew AmeriCorps Volunteers will improve public land, manage habitats, build or maintain trails, plant trees, and complete other projects. Additional AmeriCorps Volunteers will engage students and the public in environmental education and support conservation efforts at Wisconsin nonprofit organizations.
Easterseals Wisconsin — 25 AmeriCorps Volunteers will provide intensive personal care and lead or facilitate therapeutic recreation activities for individuals with disabilities and their families at Camp Wawbeek and Respite Camp. AmeriCorps Volunteers will also provide therapeutic recreation activities at Veteran Family Camps for veterans and their families.
Green Bay Conservation Corps — 39 AmeriCorps Volunteers will complete conservation projects and engage the public in educational programming and volunteer service. AmeriCorps Volunteers will address areas such as habitat restoration and preservation, trail maintenance and expansion, invasive species removal, native plant establishment, community garden upkeep, and access improvements in Green Bay’s parks and other outdoor spaces.
Marquette University – 414 Fellows — 24 AmeriCorps Volunteers will engage children from birth to three in one-on-one language-building activities to increase school readiness through gains in language skills.
Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps – Community Corps — 50 AmeriCorps Volunteers will be placed in nonprofits and public health organizations across the state to increase their capacity to address local health needs.
Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps – Recovery Corps — 20 AmeriCorps Volunteers will be trained as recovery coaches to help people recover from opioid and other substance addictions and provide community education about substance use disorders and recovery resources.
Milwaukee Justice Center – MJC AmeriCorps — 34 AmeriCorps Volunteers will provide information and assistance to the public accessing the Milwaukee County Courthouse by providing information and helping individuals navigate the processes of filing documents at the courthouse.
Racine Zoo AmeriCorps Program — 10 AmeriCorps Volunteers will provide environmental education programming to elementary, middle school, and high school students to reinforce the grade-level science curriculum through inquiry and research activities, environmental presentations, and programming for participating classes at the zoo.
Teach For America Milwaukee — 40 AmeriCorps Volunteers will lead classrooms across the City of Milwaukee while growing and strengthening the movement for educational equality and excellence.
United Way Fox Cities – Be Well Fox Valley — 15 AmeriCorps Volunteers will provide capacity-building services to improve community health and well-being and address social determinants of health at nonprofit organizations and public agencies throughout Calumet, Outagamie, Winnebago, and neighboring Wisconsin counties.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – ECLIPSE — 36 AmeriCorps Volunteers will provide one-on-one interventions to 3-5year-old children at risk and/or from low-income families to help them grow in language, literacy, social interaction, and initiative skills.
University of Wisconsin System – Wisconsin 4-H Expanding Access — 55 AmeriCorps Volunteers will be placed throughout the state in partnership with county-based youth development professionals to design and implement community-based, highly effective, and evidenced-based youth development programming to assist youth in communities across Wisconsin.
Western Dairyland EOC, Inc. – Chippewa Fresh Start — 20 AmeriCorps Volunteers will construct new homes for income-eligible families in the local community while working on achieving high school diplomas/HSEDs, developing career goals, improving self-esteem, and alleviating barriers to economic self-sufficiency.
Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Services — 21 AmeriCorps Volunteers will meet the immediate needs of youth experiencing homelessness in their community by connecting them with supportive services, shelter, and basic needs. Activities include outreach, shelter support, crisis management, and response to community referrals.
Wisconsin Association of Free and Charitable Clinics — 21 AmeriCorps Volunteers will help build capacity and support Free and Charitable Clinics and Community Health Departments throughout Wisconsin. Through this program, AmeriCorps Volunteers will increase access to healthcare services for low-income and uninsured patients by creating new resources, programs, and opportunities in their communities.
Wisconsin Math Corps — 50 AmeriCorps Volunteers will provide math tutoring to kindergarten through 8th grade students to help them build their math skills to become algebra-ready by the end of 8th grade.
In addition to supporting these 17 AmeriCorps programs and their AmeriCorps Volunteers serving across the state, Serve Wisconsin received $354,374 through the AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) to support volunteer initiatives in Wisconsin. Funds will support three areas of volunteer engagement. The first is to support work that facilitates demographic based volunteerism. VGF supported agencies will recruit volunteers from demographic groups like faith communities, youth, families, veteran and military members, senior citizens, or skill-based volunteers, and facilitate volunteer activities for these groups. The second is to provide “mini grants” to agencies across the state to support general volunteer engagement activities. The third is to promote our volunteer clearing house website, Volunteer Wisconsin (volunteerwisconsin.org), which allows organizations to post volunteer opportunities and individuals to search for ways to volunteer in their area.
AmeriCorps Volunteers make a vital impact in communities nationwide. Through their service, they help prepare students for the 21st-century workforce, support veterans and military families, complete conservation projects, address the opioid epidemic, promote economic opportunity, and improve community health—among many other efforts that strengthen local communities. They have also played an essential role in helping communities across the United States recover from floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters.
Every year, roughly 75,000 AmeriCorps Volunteers serve across the country at thousands of nonprofit, community, and faith-based organizations. Since 1994, AmeriCorps Volunteers have provided more than 1.8 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 32,000 Wisconsin residents who have served approximately 48 million hours and earned education awards totaling more than $125 million. Additionally, Wisconsin higher education institutions and applicable organizations have received more than $270 million in education award payments since 1994. Those interested in serving can learn more at servewisconsin.wi.gov/become-a-member and AmeriCorps.gov/join.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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