Service Year Alliance shared the following statement today in response to the launch of Service United and the Service United Fund at the National Governor’s Association (NGA) Summer Meeting.
AUGUST 1, 2026 (Washington, DC) - The launch of Service United and the Service United Fund at the National Governor’s Association (NGA) Summer Meeting is a bold leap forward for service that will accelerate the work already underway to strengthen and grow service years in states across the country.
“Today’s announcement of Service United from the National Governors Association reflects the growing commitment among Governors, Republican and Democrat, to deploy service as a governing strategy in their state,” said Kristen Bennett, CEO of Service Year Alliance. “With this investment, Governors are poised to lead a new era of service in their states, and advances our vision to make service part of growing up in America. We celebrate this transformative investment in service years at the state level, and look forward to continuing our work through the Center for State Service Innovation alongside Governors, commissions, and service leaders across the country.”
Service Year Alliance and America’s Service Commissions established the Center for State Service Innovation in 2025 to grow the number of paid, service year opportunities through state-based innovation and investment. The Chair’s initiative and accompanying Fund is further evidence of the growing recognition that states have long been catalysts for innovation in national service.
Governor Moore’s choice of service as the signature priority during his NGA chairmanship builds on his administration’s efforts to grow service years at the state level, including the creation of a cabinet-level Secretary of Service and Civic Innovation, a newly formed state Department of Service and Civic Innovation, the Maryland Corps/Service Year Option. Maryland’s success—along with efforts in states including California, New York, and Utah—underscores what is possible when governors embrace service as a pathway to economic opportunity and community impact.
Service Year Alliance, through the Center for State Service Innovation, is committed to supporting this initiative to help states and territories make service an enduring opportunity for any resident that wants to serve.
About Service Year Alliance
Service Year Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to make a year of paid, full-time service—a service year—a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans. Learn more at serviceyearalliance.org.
