AmeriCorps State and National Grants 2026: Who Gets Funded

This guide is for: Nonprofits considering launching or expanding an AmeriCorps program who need to understand whether to apply for State grants through their state commission or National grants directly to AmeriCorps, what financial commitments are involved, and what it takes to write a competitive application.

Last updated: October 2026

Full answer: AmeriCorps State and National is the federal government's largest national service grant program. In FY2024, AmeriCorps awarded more than $370 million in competitive funding to over 300 organizations, plus $177.4 million in formula funding to state commissions. If your organization operates in one state, you almost certainly apply through your state commission, not directly to AmeriCorps. The program requires real match (starting at 24%), charges you a cost-per-member-service-year that must stay under a set cap, and reviewers weight Program Design at 50 points out of 100. The FY2027 competition is open now: applications to AmeriCorps are due January 13, 2027, at 5:00 p.m. ET, and state commissions set earlier deadlines for single-state applicants.

AmeriCorps State and National Grants: FY2024 Award Data and How to Win

Data note: Program-level statistics reference AmeriCorps press releases, the FY2024 funded grants list published at americorps.gov, and award data from USASpending.gov under CFDA/Assistance Listing 94.006. State commission sub-grant amounts reflect publicly available state commission announcements.

Source review by Grantsights, October 9, 2026: We rechecked the FY 2027 AmeriCorps State and National NOFO, FY2024 awarded-grant data, Assistance Listing 94.006 context, state commission routing, cost-reimbursement versus fixed-amount rules, match, and MSY limits. Where official sources stop: The state-versus-national split remains the first decision point, while match and cost-per-MSY rules decide whether a strong service idea is financially ready. Based on our analysis, a weak fit is a single-state nonprofit applying as a National Direct applicant without multi-state operations or AmeriCorps management depth.

AmeriCorps State and National is a program that divides cleanly into two tracks, and most nonprofits don't realize which track they're on until they're well into the application. The distinction between State and National grants isn't about the size of your organization or how strong your program is. It's almost entirely about your geography. Get that wrong and you'll spend months applying to the wrong competition.

This guide covers how the program works, what FY2024 funding actually looked like, what reviewers score in competitive applications, and the honest case for when AmeriCorps is worth your organization's time. For a broader look at federal funding options, see our list of the best grants for nonprofits in 2026.

What AmeriCorps State and National Is

AmeriCorps State and National (CFDA/Assistance Listing 94.006) is the Corporation for National and Community Service's primary grant vehicle for placing AmeriCorps members at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and tribal organizations. Members serve in direct service roles, earn a modest living allowance, and receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award at the end of their service (worth $7,395 in FY2024) that they can use for college costs or student loan payments.

The program funds two types of grants:

Cost-reimbursement grants cover a portion of operating costs and member living allowances. The grantee submits a detailed budget, tracks expenditures, and reports on both. Match is required.

Fixed-amount grants provide a flat per-MSY payment. There's no detailed budget submission, no financial reporting on program costs, and no match requirement. Organizations cover the rest of their program costs from other sources.

Both types support the same goal: placing trained AmeriCorps members in high-need communities. The choice between them affects how much administrative burden you take on, not how many members you can recruit.

Member Service Year: The Unit of Measurement

Everything in AmeriCorps budgeting flows through the Member Service Year (MSY). One MSY equals a full-time AmeriCorps position, which requires at least 1,700 service hours. Part-time positions count as fractions of an MSY. When AmeriCorps approves your grant, it approves both a dollar amount and a number of MSYs.

FY2024 Award Data: What USASpending Shows

According to USASpending.gov FY2024 data, AmeriCorps recorded about $470.0M in FY2024 obligations under CFDA 94.006 across 519 awards active that year, covering formula funding to state commissions and competitive awards to direct grantees.

The competitive portion of the FY2024 program tells a specific story. AmeriCorps distributed more than $370 million in competitive grants to over 300 nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations. State commissions received an additional $177.4 million in formula funding to sub-grant based on their own state priorities. AmeriCorps members supported by FY2024 grants were eligible to earn more than $157.7 million in Segal Education Awards.

According to USASpending.gov FY2024 data for CFDA 94.006, the five recipient states with the most obligations were Minnesota ($60.5 million), Massachusetts ($48.2 million), California ($37.8 million), Texas ($20.0 million), and Florida ($19.2 million). These totals follow the recipient's location, so a national organization headquartered in Minnesota or Massachusetts shows up there even when its members serve in other states. USASpending doesn't record non-federal match, so it can't show total program investment by state.

Total funding dropped from FY2023 to FY2024. In FY2023, AmeriCorps awarded more than $444 million in State and National competitive grants supporting over 42,000 members. The FY2024 total of $370 million supported roughly 35,000 members, according to AmeriCorps funding announcements. Grantsights analysis of USASpending.gov records for CFDA 94.006 shows the top five recipient states took $185.7 million of the $470.0 million obligated in FY2024, about 39.5%. Because those totals follow headquarters, they say little about competition for any one state commission's sub-grants; ask your commission how many applications it received last cycle.

Who Actually Wins National Grants

"National" in AmeriCorps terminology means two things: the program overall is called State and National, and there's a specific "National Direct" track for organizations that apply straight to AmeriCorps rather than through a state commission.

National Direct grantees fall into three categories:

1. Multi-state organizations: Nonprofits operating AmeriCorps programs in two or more states must apply directly to AmeriCorps, not to a state commission.
2. Territorial and tribal applicants: Organizations in South Dakota, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands apply directly to AmeriCorps because those jurisdictions don't have established state commissions. Federally recognized tribal nations and tribal organizations also apply directly.
3. Certain single-state direct placements: AmeriCorps makes exceptions in specific cases, but this is not the default for single-state nonprofits.

The organizations that receive National Direct grants tend to be large, multi-site networks with years of AmeriCorps experience. Habitat for Humanity International received $8.05 million in FY2023 to support 362 AmeriCorps members building and repairing homes in more than 100 communities across all 50 states. The Student Conservation Association received seven separate AmeriCorps grants in FY2023 totaling nearly $4.5 million to place over 1,200 members protecting public lands across all 50 states, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. YouthBuild USA has served as a national AmeriCorps intermediary since 1994, supporting over 2,100 participants annually across 60 programs.

The FY2024 Native Nations set-aside offers a separate window: AmeriCorps awarded 11 grants totaling more than $2.8 million to Native Nations and native-led organizations. Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma) received $434,678 for 20 members, Alaska Pacific University received $405,000 for 15 members, and Chinle Chapter (Arizona) received $347,839 for 22 members.

For program focus areas, National Direct grantees span education, conservation, housing, economic opportunity, veteran services, and disaster recovery. There's no single sector that dominates. What they share is organizational scale: managing AmeriCorps programs across multiple sites requires compliance infrastructure most small nonprofits don't have.

What AmeriCorps.gov Doesn't Tell You About State and National Grants

The NOFO describes the program. The funded grants list shows who won. Neither tells you the things that determine whether your first application will succeed.

State commission priorities vary dramatically, and there's no single national standard. AmeriCorps allocates formula funding to each state commission, which then runs its own competitive process. One commission may prioritize environmental conservation and veteran services this cycle; another may focus on education and economic opportunity. Two nonprofits with nearly identical programs can have opposite application outcomes depending solely on which state they're in. Before writing a single page of narrative, contact your state commission directly and ask what sectors they funded in the last cycle and where they see gaps. That conversation will shape your application more than anything in the national NOFO.

The match requirement is cumulative across grant cycles, not a one-time burden. The 24% match in year one grows to 26% in years four through six and reaches 30% by year ten. Organizations that treat match as a grant cycle problem and don't plan for it across three consecutive three-year awards regularly find themselves unable to sustain programs they've built over six or more years. The organizations that hold AmeriCorps grants for a decade have match strategies embedded in their annual fundraising, not pieced together annually.

The administrative overhead is substantially higher than the NOFO suggests. Organizations that have never managed a federal grant often discover after award that AmeriCorps requires member hour tracking through an online system (eGrants), periodic financial reports on the schedule in the award terms, performance data submitted against NOFO-specified measures, and a full closeout process at grant end. New grantees commonly underestimate that load, so staff it before award rather than after.

Cost per MSY caps change year to year, and commissions can add their own limits. The FY 2027 AmeriCorps State and National NOFO sets one national maximum of $26,800 per MSY for competitive cost-reimbursement and full-cost fixed-amount grants, and $27,000 for non-EAP formula subgrants. A commission can still expect a lower cost per MSY in its own competition, and the same cap stretches less in a high-wage city than in a low-cost rural area. Before finalizing your budget, confirm the limit your state commission will apply.

Related Guides

• AmeriCorps Grants

---

State Grants vs. National Grants: Which Path Fits Your Organization

If your organization runs programs in one state, you apply through your state's Governor-appointed Service Commission. Full stop. Organizations can spend months preparing a National Direct application, only to learn close to the deadline that their single-state geography makes them ineligible. Contact your state commission first. The state commission runs its own competitive process, sets its own priorities (within AmeriCorps guidelines), and selects which applications to forward to AmeriCorps. Organizations in Tennessee, for example, competed for a share of $8.14 million that Volunteer Tennessee received in FY2024 formula funding. Eighteen organizations received awards ranging from Clinch-Powell Resource Conservation and Development Council ($837,502 for 82 members) to Teach For America: Nashville-Chattanooga ($120,000 for 120 members).

State commissions set their own deadlines, often several months ahead of when AmeriCorps finalizes formula allocations. If you miss your state commission's deadline, you're out for the year. Check your commission's calendar first, before anything else.

If your organization operates in multiple states or you're a tribal nation, you apply directly to AmeriCorps through the competitive NOFO posted on Grants.gov. The FY2026 deadline was March 31, 2026. The FY2027 FY 2027 AmeriCorps State and National NOFO is open now, with applications due Wednesday, January 13, 2027, by 5:00 p.m. ET.

Choose the State path if: You operate in one state, you're building a new AmeriCorps program, or you want the commission's local knowledge and support in developing your program.

Choose the National path if: Your program spans multiple states, you have dedicated grant compliance staff, you've operated AmeriCorps programs before, and you have the financial infrastructure to manage a multi-site grant.

Don't assume the National path is more prestigious or more money. State commission sub-grants can be competitive and the commissions often provide technical assistance that helps new programs succeed.

Cost-Per-Member Requirements and Match

Two numbers define your AmeriCorps budget viability before you write a single word of narrative:

Cost per MSY. AmeriCorps sets a maximum for how much federal money you can spend per Member Service Year. For FY2027, the maximum cost per MSY is $26,800 for competitive cost-reimbursement and full-cost fixed-amount grants, and $800 or $1,000 for Education Award Program grants, per the FY 2027 AmeriCorps State and National NOFO. If your budget exceeds the cap, AmeriCorps will reduce your member count or require you to restructure. Most programs try to stay comfortably under the cap to show cost-effectiveness.

Match requirement. For cost-reimbursement grants awarded after October 1, 2024, match starts at 24% for the first three-year grant cycle and increases with each successive cycle, reaching 30% by the tenth year. Match can be cash or in-kind contributions. You need to demonstrate that match is secured or realistically attainable when you submit your application.

Here's what the math looks like for a simple example: If you're requesting $500,000 in AmeriCorps funds and you're in your first grant cycle, you need at least $157,895 in match (24% of total costs, which means AmeriCorps covers 76%). The NOFO schedule is 24% for years 1 through 3, 26% for years 4 through 6, 28% for years 7 through 9, and 30% from year 10. A second three-year cycle at 26% raises the match on the same $500,000 request to about $175,676.

Fixed-amount grants skip the match requirement entirely. They pay a fixed sum per MSY, don't require detailed budgets, and don't track match. They're simpler administratively but typically less funding per position than a well-structured cost-reimbursement grant.

Member living allowances add to your cost structure. For FY2027, the full-time living allowance must be at least $20,954 and no more than $41,908 for 1,700 hours of service, about $12.33 per hour at the minimum. You include this in your budget as either AmeriCorps share or match, not as an add-on.

Two other FY2027 rules change the math. Competitive applications must propose at least 20 AmeriCorps Volunteers (the NOFO's new term for members), or they're deemed noncompliant and not reviewed; tribal applicants are among the listed exceptions. And the NOFO says that given limited funding, AmeriCorps may prioritize existing partners instead of making new awards.

What Reviewers Look For in National Grant Applications

AmeriCorps National competitive applications are scored on a 100-point scale across three sections:

The rubric for AmeriCorps State and National competitive applications divides as follows:

Program Design (50 points). Half the score. Reviewers evaluate: the community need and how you've documented it, your theory of change, what members will actually do day-to-day, how member activities connect to your proposed outcomes, and your evidence base. AmeriCorps uses a tiered evidence framework. Applications with strong evidence (well-designed evaluations showing effectiveness) score higher. Applications rated as having "insufficient evidence" can be removed from funding consideration entirely. Don't propose a program you can't connect to at least a reasonable evidence base.

Organizational Capability (25 points). Reviewers assess your background and track record, staffing structure, member supervision plan, and your organization's administrative capacity to manage the grant. Organizations running AmeriCorps for the first time often lose points here because they can't demonstrate prior program results. If you're new to AmeriCorps, a planning grant year first can strengthen this section significantly.

Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (25 points). This section checks whether your budget math is correct, whether your costs are reasonable and allowable under federal rules, and whether you've provided enough detail for reviewers to evaluate each line item. A budget with mathematical errors is a red flag. Costs that clearly don't connect to program activities raise questions. Reviewers are not just checking numbers: they're assessing whether you understand how to run a compliant AmeriCorps program.

Within Program Design, AmeriCorps has consistently prioritized applicants who clearly demonstrate member roles. Vague descriptions like "members will support community programs" don't score well. Strong applications name specific daily tasks, explain how those tasks connect to outcomes, and cite the research showing why that intervention works.

For FY2026, AmeriCorps added specific priorities: faith-based organizations, programs serving communities with concentrated poverty and rural or tribal communities, youth mental health and substance use recovery, veterans services, public safety, and public lands maintenance. Applications aligned with these priorities get additional consideration during the review process.

Application Timeline and Process

For National Direct applicants: The FY2026 NOFO deadline was March 31, 2026. For FY2027, applications are due January 13, 2027, by 5:00 p.m. ET; AmeriCorps plans to notify successful applicants by mid-April 2027 and issue awards by mid-June 2027, and the period of performance can't start before July 1, 2027. AmeriCorps typically makes three-year grant awards but requires applicants to submit only a one-year budget initially. Continuation awards for years two and three are subject to availability of appropriations and satisfactory performance, and the FY2027 NOFO says any award may be terminated if it no longer serves the program goals or agency priorities.

For State Commission applicants: Your timeline is determined by your state commission. Most state commissions accept applications in fall or early winter for programs starting the following July. Check americorps.gov for your state's commission contact, then contact the commission directly to get their specific deadline and application requirements. Many commissions require a concept paper or letter of intent before the full application.

Pre-application steps: AmeriCorps strongly recommends contacting your state commission before writing an application. Commissions know what their state needs, what programs have worked, and where gaps exist. They can tell you whether your program idea fits before you invest months in development.

Planning grants: If you're new to AmeriCorps, a planning grant gives you time and funding to design your program properly, build your evidence base, and develop your compliance infrastructure. Several state commissions offer planning grant competitions separately from the main competitive round.

When AmeriCorps Is Worth Pursuing (and Common Disqualifiers)

AmeriCorps works well for organizations that already have strong program infrastructure and can absorb the administrative requirements. It doesn't work well for organizations looking for flexible general operating support.

AmeriCorps fits your organization if:

• You can sustain the program for at least three years. AmeriCorps rewards multi-year continuers, and the FY2027 NOFO says it may prioritize existing partners over new awards.
• You can document your program model's effectiveness. Even informal evidence, like program data showing outcomes, matters. Programs with no prior results struggle with Program Design scoring.
• You can raise or document match before you apply. Treating match as something to figure out after you get funded is a common failure point.
• You have capacity to comply with federal grant rules. AmeriCorps grants require tracking member hours, managing member enrollment through an online system (eGrants), and following strict rules about member activities and prohibited activities.

Common disqualifiers:

• Single-state organizations applying directly to AmeriCorps instead of through their state commission. The application will be redirected or rejected.
• Programs where members would primarily do work that supplants existing staff. AmeriCorps member activities must be additive, not replacements for paid work.
• Advocacy, lobbying, religious instruction, electoral activities, and certain other activities are prohibited for AmeriCorps members. If your program model relies on any of these, AmeriCorps isn't the right fit.
• Organizations without financial systems that can handle federal grant compliance (single audit requirements apply to organizations receiving $1,000,000 or more in federal awards across all sources, following the updated threshold effective for FY2025). If your organization hasn't registered in SAM.gov yet, see our guide on how to register on SAM.gov before starting any federal application.

The program also involves real compliance overhead. You'll track member hours, manage health insurance eligibility for full-time members, and operate within a federal performance measurement framework. Small organizations without dedicated grant staff often underestimate this load. For tips on structuring a competitive submission, see our guide on how to write a federal grant proposal.

Sources

• AmeriCorps, "AmeriCorps Announces Major $370 Million Funding Boost to Support 300 Programs Across the Nation," May 9, 2024. Available at americorps.gov.
• AmeriCorps, "2024 AmeriCorps State and National Grants" (funded grants list). Available at americorps.gov/funded-grants/2024-americorps-state-national-grants.
• AmeriCorps, "FY 2026 AmeriCorps State and National Grants" (NOFO). Available at americorps.gov.
• AmeriCorps, "FY 2027 AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants" (NOFO): americorps.gov
• AmeriCorps, "AmeriCorps Awards More Than $2.8 Million to Native Nations and Native-led Organizations," June 4, 2024. Available at americorps.gov.
• Habitat for Humanity International, "Habitat for Humanity International to support more than 300 AmeriCorps service member positions through $8.05 million grant," July 2023. Available at habitat.org.
• Volunteer Tennessee, "Volunteer Tennessee Commission Announces $8 Million in AmeriCorps Grants to 18 Tennessee Organizations," July 1, 2024. Available at tn.gov.
• USASpending.gov, Assistance Listings search for CFDA 94.006, FY2024.
• Voices for National Service, "Agency Releases Final AmeriCorps State and National Rule on Match Requirements, Education and Training Hours, and Term Limits." Available at voicesforservice.org.
• 45 CFR § 2522.485 (How to calculate cost per MSY). Available at law.cornell.edu.

---

If you're looking for other federal grant programs that fit your organization's focus area, see our grants database or run the free eligibility checker.