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At 6:20 p.m. on Friday, April 25, Serve Wisconsin was informed without any previous notice that the federal grants for all 25 of the currently operating AmeriCorps programs in our state board’s portfolio were being terminated immediately. Additionally the grants for 5 organizations developing programs, funding to support state Formula programs, and our grant to support local organizations through the Volunteer Generation Fund were terminated. The total amount of these grants was $14.3 million.
The immediate cancellation of Wisconsin’s grants that evening was part of the unexpected elimination of over 800 AmeriCorps program grants from all 50 states, which has drawn bipartisan condemnation from members of Congress, governors, and lieutenant governors across the country.
In response to these grant terminations, Governor Evers announced on April 29 that Wisconsin would be joining a multi-state lawsuit seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction to halt the grant terminations and prevent a loss of service. As part of the press release announcing this action, Governor Evers explained that the sudden ending of AmeriCorps grants “will hurt Wisconsin’s kids who are homeless or who need tutors for math and reading, folks who are working to overcome addiction and substance use, stop work on conservation projects, as well as all of the dedicated public servants whose livelihoods are depending on this work...We’re going to sue to stop them.”
Approximately 430 members were serving with these 25 programs across Wisconsin when termination notices were sent on April 25. The termination of these grants would halt their service at more than 300 sites in 39 counties across Wisconsin, including schools, medical clinics, nonprofit organizations, local government offices, and other locations across the state. This action will curtail or completely end programming through numerous organizations, many of which have been successfully operating AmeriCorps programs for decades.
The impacts of the closure of these AmeriCorps programs will be felt immediately and over the coming months by thousands of Wisconsin residents, as well as by members currently serving. “We were appalled by the immediate termination of the federal grants for all 25 of our current AmeriCorps programs and Volunteer Generation Fund grants whose funds are administered by Serve Wisconsin without any warning, causing incredible upheaval for programs and AmeriCorps members serving at hundreds of sites across Wisconsin,” said Jeanne Duffy, Executive Director for Serve Wisconsin. “The sudden and unnecessary loss of services will have detrimental impacts for thousands of students finishing the school year, as well as people in recovery from substance addiction, homeless youth, individuals with disabilities, people accessing services at health clinics, and those served by hundreds of nonprofit organizations throughout Wisconsin. Additionally, thousands of kids and families may be impacted by the loss of planned summer programming. These terminations are also causing dramatic upheaval in the lives of the hundreds of AmeriCorps members that had dedicated a year of their life to service, losing access to their living allowance that may have been their only source of income and facing immediate financial crises around paying for housing and living expenses.”
Media Coverage and Resources about AmeriCorps Grant Terminations in Wisconsin
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