Agency executive Kim Mansaray Founded 1990 | Founder Bill Clinton Number of employees 485 (2006) | |
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Annual budget $1.055 billion USD (2013 Annualized CR level) Website www.nationalservice.gov Headquarters Washington, D.C., United States Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States Profiles | ||
Wendy spencer ceo corporation for national and community service
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a U.S. federal government agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, Senior Corps, and other national service initiatives. The agency's mission is to "support the American culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility". While a government agency, CNCS acts much like a foundation and is the nation’s largest annual grant maker supporting service and volunteering. CNCS, formerly known as the "Corporation for National Service" or "CNS," was created as an independent agency of the United States government by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993.
Contents
Programs
Currently, CNCS delivers several programs that are designed to help communities address poverty, the environment, education, and other unmet human needs. The programs include:
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a national service program designed to engage Americans in a variety of service. Programs under the AmeriCorps umbrella include AmeriCorps National and AmeriCorps State programs, National Civilian Community Corps, and VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America).
On April 21, 2009, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act was signed into law which reauthorized and dramatically expanded the AmeriCorps volunteer service program. The new law would more than triple the number of available AmeriCorps volunteer slots from then current 75,000 to 250,000 by fiscal year 2017 with 50% of these positions becoming full-time. The measure would also tie college tuition aid to demonstrated favorable community impacts; create a pilot Social Innovation Fund; expand eligibility for the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent program; and expand participation by military veterans.
Learn and Serve America
Formerly known as Serve America, Learn and Serve America engages students in community-based organizations and schools in service learning programs. In 2011 the United States House Appropriations Committee eliminated the entire budget for the Learn and Serve America program. As a result, Learn & Serve America, which funded service-learning for more than 1 million students annually in k-12 schools, community based organizations and higher education institutions for 21 years was completely eliminated.
Other programs
History
The Commission on National and Community Service was a new, independent federal agency created as a consequence of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.
The Commission was intentioned to mean to bring about a renewed focus on encouraging volunteering in the United States and was charged with supporting four streams of service:
- Service-learning programs for school-aged youth
- Higher education service programs
- Youth corps
- National service demonstration models
In 1993 the Corporation for National and Community Service was created by merging another agency, ACTION, and the Commission on National and Community Service together, thus ending the Commission.
Timeline
1990: President George H.W. Bush signs the National and Community Service Act of 1990 into law, ushering in a renewed federal focus on encouraging volunteering in the U.S. This legislation created the new independent federal agency called the Commission on National and Community Service.
1992: Enacted as part of the 1993 National Defense Authorization Act, the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is created as a demonstration program to explore the possibility of using post-Cold War military resources to help solve problems here at home. It is modeled on the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps and the United States military.
1993: President Bill Clinton signs into passage The National and Community Service Trust Act, formally merging the federal offices of ACTION and the Commission on National and Community Service, including Serve America and NCCC, to form CNCS, along with the addition of the new AmeriCorps program.
2002: President George W. Bush creates the USA Freedom Corps.
Administrative history
Past CEOs of CNCS include: