Potential job opportunities for young adults in a significant field could be jeopardized due to federal budget reductions
The Trump administration's decision to slash funding for AmeriCorps has had profound effects on community services across the United States. The cuts have resulted in significant reductions in program capacity, job losses for thousands of community service workers, and lasting disruptions to the critical community services the program provides, particularly in education and youth mentorship.
The funding cuts, amounting to approximately 41% of AmeriCorps’ funding, translated to a loss of about $400 million in grants and the termination of more than 32,000 AmeriCorps member positions nationwide. In California alone, over 5,600 public service workers were laid off, and more than $60 million in funding was lost.
The reductions led to cancellations of internships, elimination of full-time community service positions, and severe staffing shortages, impacting schools and nonprofits that rely heavily on AmeriCorps members for tutoring, mentorship, after-school, and other community programs. Even after court rulings ordered partial restoration of funding, the original full allocation was not reinstated, and the Trump administration’s budget proposal after 2026 excluded AmeriCorps funding altogether, threatening the program’s future viability.
Historically, AmeriCorps has been a critical pathway to career and education opportunities for young adults, offering stipends, health insurance, and college tuition grants. The cuts have reduced these opportunities, thereby affecting workforce development in the longer term. Many affected members did not return after the funding cuts, often finding other employment, which causes ongoing capacity gaps in community service efforts.
One former AmeriCorps member, Lily Tegner, worked at the Alaska Afterschool Network, helping expand science, technology, engineering, and math access in its programs. Tegner is now a full-time employee managing the nonprofit's AmeriCorps program. Another affected member, Josh Mullins, senior director of operations at the Hindman Settlement School in rural Kentucky, expressed confusion over the termination of grants, as the nonprofit regularly passes audits and shows an average gain of seven months in reading levels among students in its dyslexia intervention program.
The Trump administration's budget proposal for 2026 calls for shutting down AmeriCorps entirely. Programs whose grants were cut can apply again in the next grant cycle, but the future of the program remains uncertain. Many members, like Peter Fleckenstein and Deja Johnson, had their terms cut short due to funding cuts, affecting their education grants and career aspirations.
Despite the challenges, some AmeriCorps members, like Tegner, remain hopeful that the program will continue to provide a pathway for young idealists who aren't sure what they want to do with their lives. Tegner expressed concern that if the program ends, there won't be another pathway on the same scale for young people seeking to make a difference in their communities.
AmeriCorps, created more than three decades ago to oversee expanded federal volunteer programs, is currently in the process of "conducting a full review" to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion in federal programs. However, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts were not listed anywhere as part of the operations of the affected nonprofits.
The Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development experienced delays from the national AmeriCorps office in getting members approved for the programs that are still operating, due to the administration gutting 85% of the agency's federal staff. Federal surveys of AmeriCorps members show that 90% of members joined the national program in part to gain skills that would help them in school and work.
Some AmeriCorps members, like Tegner, found their career paths through the program. Tegner, a chemical engineering graduate, started her career through AmeriCorps. The Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky had its funding restored this summer due to a lawsuit, giving Mullins hope that the nonprofit will continue to receive AmeriCorps funding for the upcoming grant cycle in the fall. However, many terminated members that were with the Philadelphia organization have already moved on, and the injunction does not undo the chaos caused by the abrupt cancellation of half of the organization's funding.
- The funding cuts to AmeriCorps have resulted in a significant loss of opportunities for career and education advancement, particularly for young adults.
- The elimination of thousands of AmeriCorps member positions has led to a decrease in the availability of skilled workers in community services, particularly in education and youth mentorship.
- The Trump administration's proposed budget for 2026 calls for the elimination of AmeriCorps, which could lead to a loss of a large-scale program for young people seeking to make a difference in their communities.
- The funding cuts to AmeriCorps have had lasting disruptions to the critical community services the program provides, including tutoring, mentorship, and after-school programs.
- Despite the challenges, some affected members of AmeriCorps remain hopeful that the program will continue to provide a pathway for personal growth, job search, and career development.
- Programs whose grants were cut can apply again in the next grant cycle, but the future of AmeriCorps remains uncertain due to the administration's budget proposals.
- The advocacy for education, skills training, and community development is critical in policy-and-legislation discussions, as the viability of programs like AmeriCorps will impact the general-news landscape and opportunities for self-development.
