WASHINGTON, D.C – The Corporation for National and Community Service today announced $1,063,850 in grants to nine nonprofit organizations and educational institutions to support 1,573 AmeriCorps Professional Corps members. If all members complete their service, an additional $5 million will go to providing them with educational awards that can be used to pay for college or to pay back student loans.

The AmeriCorps Professional Corps grant competition is designed to support programs that engage individuals in fields where insufficient numbers of qualified professionals exist to serve a critical need. The kinds of professionals to be supported with the grants announced today include health care providers, teachers, social workers, business executives, and volunteer coordinators.

“The AmeriCorps Professional Corps program attracts talented and dedicated men and women into serving in high-need areas,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Without these professionals, rural and poor communities across the country would have a much more difficult time providing critical services to people in need.”

The organizations and programs selected to receive grants in this competition are:

• The American Humanics ProCorps program in Kansas City, Missouri, will receive $130,000 to support 130 AmeriCorps members, who will serve as professional volunteer coordinators for community-based nonprofit organizations, half of which provide programming for at-risk youth. Participants can earn more than $614,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• The AmeriProCorps program sponsored by the town of West Seneca, New York. The 72 AmeriCorps members supported by this grant for $38,930 will act as first responders as part of an emergency outreach team; members also will recruit, train, and coordinate community volunteers to serve as “second responders.” Participants can earn up to $189,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Corps at A.T. Still University of Health Sciences in Kirksville, Missouri, will receive $120,000 to support 120 AmeriCorps members, who will provide medical and social work services and health education to individuals in rural and medically underserved areas. Participants can earn nearly $567,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• The Community Voices Professional Corps at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, will receive $19,978 to support 24 members, who will provide direct physical, mental, and dental health services in underserved communities, and mobilize community volunteers to assist with health outreach, public policy education, and enrollment efforts. Participants can earn up to $113,400 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• The Executive Service Corps of Houston’s ESC Professional Corps initiative will receive $38,000 to support 152 retired or experienced business executives in efforts to provide pro bono management consulting services to nonprofit organizations. Participants can earn nearly $180,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• MedServe Professional Health Corps, a program of the Health Literacy Foundation in Munster, Indiana, will receive nearly $283,000 to support 640 members, who will develop disease-prevention projects, create health literacy tools, and provide free clinic services to low-income people in underserved areas. Participants can earn more than $1,300,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• The Nurses for America program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., will receive $20,000 to place 20 registered nurses at federally funded community health centers in underserved, high-need communities. Participants can earn $94,500 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• The TEAMS Teaching Fellows Program at the University of San Francisco School of Education will receive $399,000 to support 400 teachers at the K-12 level to serve in public schools in urban areas. Participants can earn nearly $1,900,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.
   
• The Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship Program at YouthBuild USA in Somerville, Massachusetts, will receive $15,000 to support 15 AmeriCorps members to serve as alumni coordinators, construction trainers, and program assistants, as well as help YouthBuild participants successfully complete the program. Participants can earn up to $70,875 in AmeriCorps Education Awards.

For the Professional Corps competition, organizations had to propose operating in two or more states and agree to pay AmeriCorps members' salaries and benefits. The Corporation may continue funding for each of the grantees for an additional two years, contingent upon satisfactory performance, the availability of funds, and other criteria.

AmeriCorps members serve full or part time with hundreds of national and local organizations. Full-time members who complete their service earn an education award of $4,725 to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back student loans. Members who serve part time receive a partial education award. In addition to the AmeriCorps*State and National grant programs, of which the Professional Corps competition is a part, AmeriCorps also includes AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps, a 10-month, full-time residential program for men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 who carry out projects in public safety, public health, and disaster relief, and AmeriCorps*VISTA, whose members help bring individuals and communities out of poverty by serving full-time to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, increase housing opportunities, or bridge the digital divide. Information on joining AmeriCorps is available at http://www.americorps.gov.

AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America. The programs of the Corporation engage more than 1.6 million Americans each year in meeting critical needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other areas. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.

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