Since 1990, Learn and Serve America has furthered America’s tradition of civic participation and volunteerism by making grants to integrate community service with curricula through service-learning. Learn and Serve America grantmaking fosters collaboration among schools, faith-based and other communityorganizations, and institutions of higher education to meet immediate community needs and strengthen the capacity of communities to address long-term needs.

Learn and Serve America grants are used to create new programs or replicate existing programs, as well as to provide training and professional development to educators and volunteers. Service-learning programs allow schools, community groups and colleges to combine community service activities with educational, civic, or leadership objectives. All Learn and Serve America programs work to support education, the environment, public safety, and other human needs.

The largest source of funding for service-learning, Learn and Serve America funds, per statute, a wide variety of education and nonprofit organizations that provide opportunities for youth to serve while they learn.

Please select from the following Learn and Serve America program types for more information.

• K-12 School-Based Programs
• Higher Education Programs
• Innovative and Community-Based Service-Learning Programs
• Programs for Native American Communities
• Service-Learning Impact Study

In addition, Learn and Serve America administers the Presidential Freedom Scholarships. This program accepted its last application in 2007. All students who have earned a Presidential Freedom Scholarship have up to seven years from the date of the Scholarship award to claim their funds.  To receive instructions on how to claim their Presidential Freedom Scholarship, students should send email or any questions to PFS@cns.gov.