Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a U.S. federal government agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, Senior Corps, and other national service initiatives.[3] The agency's mission is to "support the American culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility". While a government agency, CNCS acts much like a foundation and is the nation's largest annual grant maker supporting service and volunteering. CNCS, formerly known as the "Corporation for National Service" or "CNS," was created as an independent agency of the United States government by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993.[4]
Agency overview | |
---|---|
Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
Headquarters | 250 E Street, SW Washington, D.C. 20525 [1] |
Employees | 485 (2006) |
Annual budget | $1.055 billion USD (2013 Annualized CR level)[2] |
Agency executive |
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Website | www.nationalservice.gov |
Programs
Currently, CNCS delivers several programs that are designed to help communities address poverty, the environment, education, and other unmet human needs. The programs include:
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a national service program designed to engage Americans in a variety of service. Programs under the AmeriCorps umbrella include AmeriCorps National and AmeriCorps State programs, National Civilian Community Corps, and VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America).
On April 21, 2009, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act was signed into law which reauthorized and dramatically expanded the AmeriCorps volunteer service program. The new law would more than triple the number of available AmeriCorps volunteer slots from then current 75,000 to 250,000 by fiscal year 2017 with 50% of these positions becoming full-time. The measure would also tie college tuition aid to demonstrated favorable community impacts; create a pilot Social Innovation Fund; expand eligibility for the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent program; and expand participation by military veterans.
Other programs
- National Civilian Community Corps
- Volunteers in Service to America
- Senior Corps
- USA Freedom Corps
- President's Volunteer Service Award
- Presidential Freedom Scholarship Program
- FEMA Corps
Special Initiatives
Employers of National Service
On September 12, 2014, President Barack Obama launched the Employers of National Service initiative at the 20th Anniversary of AmeriCorps event on the South Lawn of the White House.[5] Employers participating in the initiative connect to the talent pipeline of AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other service year alumni, by indicating in their hiring processes that they view national service experience as a plus. The initiative is a collaboration between CNCS with the Peace Corps, Service Year Alliance, AmeriCorps Alums, and the National Peace Corps Association. To date, over 500 employers have joined the initiative.[6]
History
The Commission on National and Community Service was a new, independent federal agency created as a consequence of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.
The Commission was intentioned to mean to bring about a renewed focus on encouraging volunteering in the United States and was charged with supporting four streams of service:
- Service-learning programs for school-aged youth
- Higher education service programs
- Youth corps
- National service demonstration models
In 1993 the Corporation for National and Community Service was created by merging another agency, ACTION, and the Commission on National and Community Service together, thus ending the Commission.
Former programs
Learn and Serve America
Formerly known as Serve America, Learn and Serve America engaged students in community-based organizations and schools in service learning programs. In 2011 the United States House Appropriations Committee declined additional funding for Learn and Serve, and the program was discontinued.
Timeline
1990: President George H.W. Bush signs the National and Community Service Act of 1990 into law, ushering in a renewed federal focus on encouraging volunteering in the U.S. This legislation created the new independent federal agency called the Commission on National and Community Service.
1992: Enacted as part of the 1993 National Defense Authorization Act, the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is created as a demonstration program to explore the possibility of using post-Cold War military resources to help solve problems here at home. It is modeled on the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps and the United States military.
1993: President Bill Clinton signs into passage The National and Community Service Trust Act, formally merging the federal offices of ACTION and the Commission on National and Community Service, including Serve America and NCCC, to form CNCS, along with the addition of the new AmeriCorps program.
2002: President George W. Bush creates the USA Freedom Corps.
Administrative history
Past CEOs of CNCS include:
CEO | Service Dates | Appointed by | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eli Segal | 1993–1995 | Clinton | |
2 | Harris Wofford | 1995–2001 | Clinton | |
3 | Les Lenkowsky | 2001–2003 | G.W. Bush | |
4 | David Eisner | 2004–2008 | G.W. Bush | |
Nicola Goren (Acting) | 2008–2010 | |||
5 | Patrick Corvington | 2010–2011 | Obama | |
Robert Velasco II (Acting) | 2011–2012 | |||
6 | Wendy Spencer | 2012–2017 | Obama | |
Kim Mansaray (Acting) | 2017-2018 | |||
7 | Barbara Stewart (US Politician) | 2018–Present | Trump |
See also
- Community service
- National service in the United States
- Service learning
- Gerald Walpin
References
- https://www.nationalservice.gov/about/contact-us
- cncs?government. Retrieved 1/14/2014.
- "National Service". Nationalservice.gov. Retrieved Nov 21, 2011.
- Bill Text, 103rd Congress (1993-1994), H.R.2010.EAS Library of Congress
- Archive of Obama White House Blog https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/03/09/employers-national-service-and-americorps-vista-champions-change Accessed 6 March 2018.
- Employers of National Service Website. https://www.nationalservice.gov/special-initiatives/employers-national-service Accessed 6 March 2018.
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- The Corporation for National and Community Service website
- Corporation for National and Community Service in the Federal Register
- History of Service Learning in Higher Education website
- Booknotes interview with Steven Waldman on The Bill: How the Adventures of Clinton's National Service Bill Reveal What is Corrupt, Comic, Cynical -- and Noble -- About Washington, January 29, 1995.