HELENA, MT- The Montana Commission on Community Service and the Governor’s Office of Community Service announced $844,657 in funding from AmeriCorps.
The total funding amount is granted to the Montana Commission on Community Service, the Governorappointed state service commission, which in turn has awarded grants to nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the state.
"It is an honor to grow AmeriCorps in Montana with these diverse partners" Sarah R. Sadowski, Director of the Governor's Office of Community Service said, "AmeriCorps is a key strategy to improving lives through health education, environmental stewardship, and more. The new planning grants will empower organizations to create thoughtful and long-lasting solutions to meet local needs that impact us all."
These AmeriCorps grants provide $511,126 to support 21 AmeriCorps members who will be deployed into service across the state. The additional $333,531 will be distributed to five organizations whose intent is to assess and develop new AmeriCorps interventions to address Montana’s pressing needs.
The following Montana organizations were successful in receiving funding this AmeriCorps grant cycle:
- Richland County Health Department, Montana Public Health Corps, $309,526, 14 AmeriCorps Members: AmeriCorps members develop community building processes to increase the capacity of local coalitions and positively impact in Eastern Montana and several counties across Montana.
- Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Montana State Parks AmeriCorps, $201,600, 7 AmeriCorps Members: AmeriCorps members will educate 3,500 youth and adults about responsible river recreation, aquatic invasive species, bear aware, fishing and hunting throughout the state of Montana.
Planning Grant Awardees:
- Boys and Girls Club of Yellowstone County, $65,975: is planning to engage AmeriCorps members to provide direct service to Club Members aged 6 to 18 years old, in multiple locations around Montana. Developing an AmeriCorps program will expand opportunities for Club youth, support them in overcoming obstacles, and fully realizing their potential as a productive, caring, responsible citizens.
- The LifeGuard Group, $69,913: is planning to engage AmeriCorps members to support multiple programs to end human trafficking in Montana. The LifeGuard Group plans to develop an AmeriCorps program that will lead a stronger volunteer network and create a comprehensive database of Montana agencies and organizations.
- Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies/ LIFTS, $67,645: is planning to engage AmeriCorps members to serve families during pregnancy and raising children aged zero to three across Montana. LIFTS will develop an AmeriCorps program that will result in improved access to community resources, direct supports, and health-related outcomes for families.
- Montana Department of Agriculture, $60,000: is planning to provide AmeriCorps members a hands-on experience in natural resources and agriculture alongside field experts, expose members to career opportunities, and foster relationships with organizations and stakeholder groups.
- Montana Office of Public Instruction, Tribal Relations Resiliency Unit (TRRU), $69,998: planning to engage AmeriCorps members in tribal youth programs rooted in positive self-identity, cultural engagement, character development place-based learning, and service alongside tribal communities.
In Montana, more than 10,000 AmeriCorps members have served over 11 million hours and have qualified for Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards totaling more than $26.4 million since 1994. In August 2019, AmeriCorps announced that Montana ranked sixth in the nation in producing AmeriCorps members. The Governor’s Office of Community Service expands and promotes AmeriCorps and community volunteerism in Montana. Visit serve.mt.gov.
Across the country, AmeriCorps engages more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors in service annually to serve with nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations in more than 40,000 communities. AmeriCorps is a federal agency that engages Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Volunteer Generation Fund. Visit www.AmeriCorps.gov.