The humanities are intrinsically linked to connecting people and communities. New reports indicate a yearly decline in humanities enrollment across higher education. But with our society deeply in need of critical engagement, a renewed civic understanding and commitment, and shared sense of value, there is a need more than ever before for more people to be involved with the humanities. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Service Year Alliance aims to design a service year program that contributes to solving pressing needs in the humanities field. Our goal is to develop a program that can be scaled and sustained over time, creating new opportunities for those interested in a humanities-centered service year and recruiting diverse talent to serve in the sector.