Apparently it’s not your grandmother’s AmeriCorps program over there at the Corporation for National and Community Services (CNCS)!
The agency just issued a request for proposals to use AmeriCorps slots to provide lawyers and paralegals willing to help with legal proceedings for unaccompanied minors (if you haven’t turned the news on, we have a lot more of them now). Soon, it will unveil a new program aimed at drawing private and philanthropic capital into AmeriCorps.
Look for AmeriCorps to soon release a request for proposals looking for organizations interested in joining the AmeriCorps Partnerships Challenge. The idea appears to be extending the number of AmeriCorps slots while minimizing the federal obligation.
Under the challenge, a nonprofit provider would pair up with funding partners to cover operations and living expenses for AmeriCorps volunteers. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which operates AmeriCorps, will provide the standard education award for the volunteers to the tune of $30 million.
Click here to read more. Looks like CNCS will be pretty flexible in negotiating these agreements.
Youth Services Insider is written mostly by Chronicle Editor-in-Chief John Kelly.