Washington, D.C. - The Corporation for National and Community Service today announced more than $16.7 million in new, three-year Learn and Serve America grants to 46 State Education Agencies to support service-learning programs beginning in the 2006-07 school year.

The grants, one of several categories of grants to be awarded by Learn and Serve America each year, are known as School-Based Formula Grants, which Learn and Serve awards to State Education Agencies based on a statutory formula that includes the population of school-age youth. State Education Agencies typically “subgrant” the funds to schools and local education agencies in their state to involve young people between the ages of 5 and 17 in service-learning projects that simultaneously support student development and meet community needs in such areas as the environment, education, public safety and other human needs.

"Learn and Serve America provides an ‘on ramp’ to a lifetime of civic engagement for more than one million young Americans each year," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation, which oversees the national service programs Learn and Serve America, Senior Corps, and AmeriCorps. All told, the Corporation will award $37 million in grants in fiscal year 2006 to support 1.1 million students in service-learning activities in schools, institutions of higher education, and faith-based and community groups. Grants in the other categories will be announced later this spring or early summer.

Applications for School-Based Formula Grants were received from 46 State Education Agencies representing 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. A list of states and the amounts they received can be accessed by clicking here.

Service-learning is an approach to education that links community service to academic achievement while also teaching students about our country’s civic institutions and traditions. According to Department of Education statistics, about one-third of all K-12 schools in the United States participate in service-learning programs.

Learn and Serve America is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and AmeriCorps. In addition to making grants, Learn and Serve America serves as a national resource on service-learning to nonprofit groups, educational institutions, teachers, faculty members, schools, and community groups. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility. For further information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.

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