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Governor Jay Nixon announces $4.2 million in AmeriCorps Grants to strengthen Missouri communities

802 AmeriCorps Member positions funded to meet state and local needs

JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Jay Nixon today announced that a total of $4,209,544 through the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has been made available for fiscal year 2015 to 21 Missouri organizations throughout the state to encourage service in their communities.

This funding will support 802 AmeriCorps Members, individuals that commit to a year of civil service, throughout Missouri to tackle critical challenges including tutoring and mentoring youth, assisting veterans and military families, facilitating health education programs, preserving our state’s natural resources through environmental stewardship projects, and helping communities respond to and recover from disasters.

“Volunteering our time and talents builds character while meeting critical challenges in our communities,” said Gov. Nixon.  “These AmeriCorps Members will help strengthen communities as they develop civic and leadership skills to last a lifetime.  I congratulate these outstanding organizations and thank all those who serve their communities through AmeriCorps.”

“AmeriCorps Members make a powerful impact on the toughest challenges facing our nation,” said CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer.  “Building on Missouri’s strong tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, AmeriCorps Members will improve lives and strengthen communities across the state.  As they serve others, AmeriCorps Members will also expand opportunities for themselves – gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers.”

Of the total funding, the CNCS awarded $325,228 to the Boys Hope Girls Hope multi-state program to create up to 31 additional AmeriCorps positions in Bridgeton. Additionally, the CNCS awarded $1,834,221 to the following four Missouri nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the state to serve and strengthen their communities:
Organization

Location

Member Positions

Funds Awarded

AmeriCorps State Competitive Programs:

*   AmeriCorps St. Louis Safety Service Corps

St. Louis

35

$ 439,652.50

*   Eldon R-1 School District

Eldon

30

$ 390,000.00

*   Missouri College Advising Corps

Columbia/Statewide

40

$ 524,000.00

*   Waynesville R-VI School District

Waynesville

77

$ 480,569.00

The remaining $2,104,772 was awarded by the Missouri Community Service Commission to support additional AmeriCorps grants for the following 16 organizations in Missouri:

AmeriCorps State Formula Programs:

*   A Million Stars, dba College Bound

St. Louis

23

$ 299,997.00

*   Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri

Columbia

5

$   67,484.00

*   Child Abuse Prevention Association

Independence

21

$ 109,839.00

*   Harvesters – The Community Food Network

Kansas City

11

$ 151,021.00

*   International Institute of St. Louis

St. Louis

10

$ 137,299.00

*   Jumpstart for Young Children

Columbia & Kansas City

163

$ 299,999.00

*   Kingdom House

St. Louis

5

$   68,646.00

*   Knowledge Management Associates (Primaris/CLAIM)

Columbia/Statewide

14

$   94,674.00

*   Metropolitan Lutheran Ministry

Kansas City

5

$   68,650.00

*   Missouri Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, Inc.

Sedalia/Statewide

10

$   68,263.00

*   Missouri River Communities Network

Columbia/Statewide

10

$ 136,739.00

*   Poplar Bluff R-I School District

Poplar Bluff

31

$ 176,263.00

*   Purdy R-II School District

Purdy

12

$   74,208.00

*   Teach for America

Kansas City & St. Louis

240

$ 150,000.00

*   The Literacy Lab

Kansas City

23

$ 134,733.00

*   YMCA of Greater Kansas City

Kansas City

6

$   66,957.00

The current year’s AmeriCorps grant cycle was highly competitive, due to the strong demand by organizations seeking AmeriCorps resources. The 2015 competition prioritized investments in economic opportunity, education, veterans and military families, and disaster services.

AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 Members in intensive service annually to serve through nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 25,000 locations across the country. These Members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps Members receive an award of $5,730 that can be used to pay for college or qualified student loans.

Since 1994, more than 830,000 Americans have provided more than 1 billion hours of service addressing critical challenges from poverty and hunger to disasters and the dropout crisis.

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The Missouri Community Service Commission (MCSC) is a Governor-appointed state service commission located within the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Its mission is to connect Missourians of all ages and backgrounds in an effort to improve unmet community needs through direct and tangible service. The MCSC serves as the administrator of AmeriCorps State funding in Missouri by awarding monetary grants and providing technical assistance and support to its sub-grantees.

AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov.