The Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service (MOCEVS) which, co-leads the National Service Task Force and Service Year Impact Community in the city with PennSERVE, the state service commission, is developing an AmeriCorps Emergency Fund that will support the emergency needs of AmeriCorps members serving with Philadelphia-based programs. Through several donations and grants, the AmeriCorps Emergency Fund is currently set to launch with $120,000 available to support local members, but MOCEVS and the National Service Task Force hope to continue to grow this amount through raising additional funds.
It is expected that the first round of emergency funds will be distributed to members in the Summer of 2022.
The Philadelphia National Service Task Force understands that a successful completion of a term of national service can be difficult when unexpected financial challenges arise. To help address this barrier, and make service years more accessible and equitable for all, the Task Force will launch an AmeriCorps Emergency Fund and hire a coordinator to provide trauma-informed support services for Philadelphia-based AmeriCorps members.
