“Over the past two years, AmeriCorps members have stepped up to the plate, supporting public health outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting catastrophic wildfires and standing up recovery efforts to natural disasters, and helping students get back on track as schools reopened. Service Year Alliance is grateful to the Biden Harris Administration for their recognition of the value of national service in the President’s FY23 budget, which proposes investing $1.34 billion in AmeriCorps — a 16% increase above last year’s funding level. The President’s budget also opens the door to making national service more equitable by committing to increasing corps member benefits as well as allowing DACA recipients to participate in AmeriCorps.
We are also grateful for the Administration’s ongoing support for the Peace Corps, proposing a 5% increase for the agency above 2022 levels as volunteers continue to return to countries across the globe. Service-related workforce development funding saw major increases in the President’s budget as well, including a proposed 50% increase for YouthBuild programming.
In particular, Service Year Alliance is pleased to see the Administration’s continued emphasis on expanding climate resilience and mitigation national service opportunities, building upon a long history of environmental conservation work over many decades. We look forward to working with bipartisan congressional leaders to secure a strong investment in national service and AmeriCorps, and we continue to support and encourage the passage of the reconciliation package which would provide a pathway for broader national service expansion and accessibility for all young Americans.”
