Serve America Act signed into law!

Yesterday marked a milestone in the service movement, with President Obama signing the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law. We have seen the huge interest in our pilot Inspire Fellows program and are excited that this legislation will create more opportunities for service.

Some of the key changes this Act will enable are:

1. Expansion of service programs
Grows the number of volunteers nationwide to 250,000, up from 75,000. These new service opportunities will include the expansion of existing service programs, like AmeriCorps, as well as four new service corps focused on education, health care, energy and veterans. All service programs established under the bill will be overseen by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

2. Engage middle and high school students, disadvantaged youth, and older Americans in service

– Establishes Youth Engagement Zones, a new service-learning program to engage low-income high school students and out-of-school youth in volunteer efforts that address challenges in their local communities.
– Creates two new fellowships to engage social entrepreneurs, boomers and retirees, the private sector and Americans from all generations into service. Older Americans will be allowed to transfer their awards to a child, foster child or grandchild to help them pay for college.

3. Create a nationwide community-based infrastructure to leverage investments in service

– Creates a pilot Social Innovation Fund that awards competitive matching grants to social entrepreneur venture funds in order to provide community organizations with the resources to replicate or expand proven solutions to community challenges, including a new focus on leveraging public private partnerships in small communities and rural areas.
– Provides grants to improve the quality and capacity of organizations to work with volunteers, and to create innovations in volunteerism in the areas of recruitment, training and management.