How a Legislative Milestone For Volunteerism Has Worked Out
March 18, 2012 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, passed in 2009, was designed to greatly expand national service. The federal deficit and other public-policy concerns have kept the law from achieving much that was promised.
| What It Called For | What Actually Happened |
|---|---|
|
140,000
Number of AmeriCorps members in 2012 250,000
Number of members in 2017 |
82,500
Number of AmeriCorps members in 2012 |
|
$70-Million
2012 budget for Social Innovation Fund to help charities expand effective projects $80-Million
2013 budget for the fund |
$45-Million
Social Innovation Fund budget in 2012 $50-Million
Amount President Obama proposed for 2013 |
|
$50-Million
2010 budget for fund to help charities recruit and manage volunteers $80-Million
2013 budget for the fund |
$4-Million
Volunteer-fund budget in 2012 0
Amount President Obama proposed for 2013 |
|
$5-Million
2010 budget for fund to provide management training to smaller nonprofits; same amounts to be spent in each of the following four years $250,000
Minimum administrative payment to state national-service commisions |
0
Nonprofit training fund budget for 2012 0
Amount President Obama proposed for 2013 $200,000
Minimum administrative payment to state national-service commissions in 2012 |
|
Other Efforts
• Additional college and summer service programs for students • Offer fellowships and scholarships to encourage people 55 and older to volunteer |
Other Efforts
• 2011 budget eliminated Learn and Serve America, the schools program • No fellowships or scholarships created to help older volunteers |
