Corporation State Offices, State Service Commissions, and State Education Agencies
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is part of a network that supports collaboration among national, state, and local entities. Together, Corporation State Offices, State Service Commissions, and State Education Agencies coordinate the resources of CNCS at the state and local levels.
What's the difference between a Corporation State Office, State Service Commission, and State Education Agency?
Corporation State Offices are federal offices staffed by federal employees in the state. They conduct public outreach and program support. They are directly responsible for developing grants and projects, and for overseeing all Senior Corps and AmeriCorps VISTA projects within their states.
Each Corporation State Office works closely with governor-appointed State Service Commissions and State Education Agencies.
State Service Commissions provide CNCS funding to AmeriCorps state programs in their states through annual grant competitions. In addition, the commissions manage, monitor and evaluate these AmeriCorps programs.
Grants are made either directly to an organization or through an intermediary group that handles the distribution of grant funding. Visit our grants and funding opportunities section to learn more.
State Service Commissions are also charged with encouraging volunteering in their states, and they often administer special volunteer initiatives.
State Education Agencies (SEAs) receive formula-based funds from Learn and Serve America. Most of the funds are distributed by subgrant to schools and school districts that work with one or more community partner organization to create service-learning projects that simultaneously meet community needs and support the development of students’ academic, civic, and service skills. SEAs may also apply for School-Based Competitive funds from Learn and Serve America.
The chief state school officer in each state is a member of the State Service Commission; frequently the chief is represented on the commission by the SEA Learn and Serve program director. SEAs are partners in the CNCS’s Unified State Plan for Service.
When should you contact a Corporation State Office, State Service Commission, or State Education Agency?
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