RIDE Announces $1.7 Million in AmeriCorps Grants to ServeRI Partners

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) announced today that Serve Rhode Island is now part of the agency’s portfolio. Serve Rhode Island (ServeRI) is the state service commission responsible for distributing AmeriCorps grants, and the operation has transitioned to be housed and administered by the Department of Education.

The move is in response to a 2017 law that dissolved Serve Rhode Island’s previous structure and incorporated it instead into the Department of Education.

“Enhancing education and supporting young people have long been key priorities for ServeRI and the AmeriCorps organizations it works with, so it’s exciting to welcome this body of work into our agency,” said Ken Wagner, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. “It has been a seamless transition so far, and I look forward to working with the team to continue to ensure strong alignment between the state’s volunteer force and the educational needs of our students and communities.”

RIDE also announced today the awarding of $1.7 million in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency responsible for AmeriCorps and other national service programs. These grants will support 207 AmeriCorps members working with 11 organizations that tackle significant challenges in Rhode Island, such as affordable housing and education.

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

• AIM (Attendance Improvement Matters) at Family Service of Rhode Island provides an evidence-based program at two Providence elementary schools to improve the school attendance rate for 200 students.
• College Advising Corps Program at Brown University provides in-school and summer college advising to 3,000 students annually to increase the number of urban, low-income, and first-generation students entering and completing higher education.
• Providence Children’s Museum provides engaging math enrichment programs and works to close achievement gaps for more than 1,400 youth during out-of-school time and in pre-school
• The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence provides nonviolence training to 1,000 students in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls to address trauma and reduce instances of school discipline.
• Accessing Home at NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley provides housing services to 3,700 low-income renter households that are victims of or at risk of eviction from safe, healthy, affordable housing.
• The Learning Community’s Education Fellows Program connects academic tutors with 450 students in Central Falls and Providence for both in-school and after-school support
• The Newport Working Cities AmeriCorps Team at Boys and Girls Club of Newport County is developing a future AmeriCorps program to assist unemployed and underemployed Newport residents to access higher skilled, higher paying jobs.
• Generations of Learning at Connecting for Children and Families, Inc., provides more than 250 K-5 students in Woonsocket with in-school, after-school and summer programs for literacy tutoring and enrichment.
• Jumpstart for Young Children Inc. is planning the expansion of its national program to provide language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for pre-school children in Rhode Island.
• Providence After School Alliance provides hands-on after-school learning opportunities for 1,200 low-income middle school youth in Providence, with a focus on improved school attendance for a select cohort of students.
• Teach for America, Inc. Rhode Island will place 60 AmeriCorps members in high-need, low-income schools in five cities throughout Providence County.

Every year, 75,000 AmeriCorps members serve through 21,000 schools, non-profits, and community and faith-based organizations across the country. Since 1994, AmeriCorps members have provided more than 1.4 billion hours of service. These individuals have played a significant role in the recovery of communities affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. They also tutor and mentor young people, connect veterans to jobs, care for seniors, reduce crime and revive cities, fight the opioid epidemic, and meet other critical needs.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is the federal agency for volunteering, service, and civic engagement. The agency engages millions of Americans in citizen service through its AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs, and leads the nation’s volunteering and service efforts. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.