FUND THE SERVE AMERICA ACT
Email Your Member of Congress

On April 21, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. This bill dramatically expands the opportunities for Americans to volunteer for national service programs such as AmeriCorps, and also encourages Americans of all ages to volunteer time in community service programs. Read more about the Serve Act here.

President Obama has requested $1.149 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service to implement the new initiatives in the Serve America Act -- a 29% increase from the agency's previous budget. This funding would help create 10,000 new AmeriCorps positions, support 500,000 volunteers in the Senior Corps, and strengthen a whole range of additional service programs.

Last week, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees met to determine the budget for the Corporation for National and Community Service and recommended $1.059 billion - fully $90 million less than President Obama asked for.

If Congress doesn't fund the CNCS to the fullest, thousands of Americans will lose their opportunity to serve their communities. Right now, thousands of Americans must wait for the law to receive funding before they can start serving their communities and improving people's lives.

With our country still working through these tough economic challenges, now is not the time to cut funding for programs that put people to work and help them gain new skills by serving fellow Americans. Help make sure Congress gives them the funding they need -- write the members of the Appropriations Committees today:

Use this simple tool to write your members of Congress and urge them to fully fund the Kennedy Serve America Act.