Report Card for Serve America Act Shows A’s and F’s

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed into law five years ago, promised to usher in a golden era of national and community service. But progress has been decidedly mixed, according to two advocacy groups that issued a report card today about the law’s achievements.

Many of the act’s ambitious provisions fell victim to the budget ax after Republicans won control of the House in the 2010 election.

The groups, ServiceNation and Voices for National Service, said Washington gets F’s on efforts to meet these goals:

Increase the number of AmeriCorps positions to 200,000 by 2014. There are fewer than 80,000 spots now in the flagship national-service program.

Expand school-related volunteer opportunities. The Learn and Serve America student program, operated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, has been eliminated.

Increase volunteer opportunities for older Americans. Spending on Senior Corps, housed in the Corporation for National and Community Service, has been significantly cut since 2010. President Obama’s 2015 budget proposes further cuts and moving many Senior Corps positions into AmeriCorps.

The groups awarded better grades in other areas. They said Congress and the Obama administration deserved A’s for focusing AmeriCorps on a core set of national problems, developing partnerships with other federal agencies, and providing help to organizations responding to federal disasters.

They awarded a B-plus for progress toward creating a Social Innovation Fund, which provides grants to help nonprofits expand effective programs, and a C-minus for efforts to create a Volunteer Generation Fund. While the Serve America Act envisioned $50-million for the fund to help nonprofits manage volunteers, it received only $3.8-million this year.

“This report highlights a leadership opportunity for Congress and the administration to step up and make good on the promises made five years ago to expand and strengthen national service,” AnnMaura Connolly, president of Voices for National Service, said in a statement.

Send an email to Suzanne Perry.