Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism Announces $1.8 Million in Competitive Grants to Support Statewide AmeriCorps Programs

Grants Awarded to Seven Organizations in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism today announced that seven Maryland organizations will receive $1.8 million in AmeriCorps State Competitive grants for initiatives taking place from August 15, 2019, to August 14, 2020. The organizations submitted proposals to the federal Corporation for National and Community Service and successfully competed in a national competition. Among the recipients are two new grantees: The Literacy Lab and Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake. All of the grant funds will be used to provide living stipends for AmeriCorps members – individuals who will commit up to one year of service to support the mission of these organizations and improve Maryland communities.

“We are extremely proud of the Maryland organizations that successfully competed nationally and demonstrated effective program models to bring over $150,000 in new money to the state,” said Van Brooks, director of the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism. “These organizations address important issues including the opioid crisis, youth literacy and education, community development, and environmental stewardship.”

In addition to the $1.8 million administered by the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism, the grantees also will raise more than $2.5 million in non-federal matching funds.

Once the AmeriCorps members complete their service commitments, over $1.9 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards will be dispersed for AmeriCorps members serving in Maryland. The monies can be used to pay educational costs at eligible post-secondary educational institutions, as well as to repay qualified student loans.

The grantees are as follows:

• Service Corps – Civic Works, Inc.
  Baltimore City and Baltimore County
  $609,225
  Service Corps AmeriCorps members will make public land improvements, complete energy efficiency retrofits, tutor and mentor students, and help older adults age in place in Baltimore City.
• Conquering Opiate Abuse Together (COAT) – Frostburg State University
  Allegany, Washington, Garrett, and Frederick Counties
  $36,970
  COAT AmeriCorps members will engage community members in open community forums, one-on-one meetings, hotlines, and other outreach activities to distribute information on resources.
• HabiCorps – Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake
  Baltimore City
  $224,625
  HabiCorps AmeriCorps members will participate in on-the-job construction traineeships to build and rehabilitate homes for economically disadvantaged families in Baltimore City.
• Reading Partners Maryland
  Baltimore City
  $410,184
  Reading Partners Maryland AmeriCorps members will manage volunteer recruitment and daily operations of a one-on-one literacy tutoring program for students reading below grade-level at several Title I elementary schools across Baltimore City.
• Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Corps – Salisbury University
  Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties
  $53,226
  HOPE Corps AmeriCorps members will engage community members in drug-related health education programs and recruit volunteers to expand naloxone training and awareness on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
• Teach For America Maryland
  Baltimore City, Baltimore, and Prince George’s Counties
  $169,974
  Teach For America Maryland AmeriCorps members will teach for two years in low-income and disadvantaged schools in Baltimore City, and Baltimore and Prince George’s counties, going above and beyond traditional expectations to help their students achieve at high levels.
• Maryland Reading Corps – The Literacy Lab
  Baltimore City
  $340,300
  Maryland Reading Corps AmeriCorps members will provide low-income pre-Kindergarten children with daily, targeted early literacy intervention to increase school readiness in classrooms in Baltimore City.