May 9, 2024—Teach For America (TFA) announced today that it received a grant from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. The grant will enable TFA to support a significant number - more than 2,600 - of their corps member teachers, enhancing its capacity to recruit, train, and develop educators dedicated to serving in low-income and under-resourced schools throughout the country. This grant is a critical resource for TFA’s AmeriCorps members, providing the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which can be used to repay qualified student loans and cover current educational expenses, such as teacher certification costs. This support makes it financially viable for recent college graduates and those early in their career to channel their energy and leadership to choose to join TFA’s corps and teach for at least two years, making a lifelong commitment to be part of the work to end educational inequity.

This school year, Teach For America grew its incoming corps by 40%. About 45% of TFA teachers are first generation college graduates, and 57% identify as BIPOC. TFA is one of the country’s most diverse sources of new teachers, and continues to be among the largest providers of educators to low income communities, and one of the country’s largest and most diverse pipelines of STEM teachers. TFA is fueling an exceptional, diverse leadership pipeline that helps schools fill critical, hard-to-staff roles. The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is particularly important given the socio-economic diversity of TFA’s corps, helping to reduce the financial challenges for TFA AmeriCorps members as they strive to provide children with the foundations necessary to learn, lead, thrive, and shape a brighter future for themselves and society.

AmeriCorps State and National, a federal-state partnership with a central role for governor-appointed State Service Commissions, develops and implements state-specific national service programs. These grants allow organizations to recruit, train and supervise AmeriCorps members who are providing services to support education, disaster services, health, environmental stewardship, economic opportunity and service to veterans and military families.

"We are immensely grateful for AmeriCorps' support, which is essential as we recruit, train, and develop thousands of teachers to serve in under-resourced communities across the country,” said Elisa Villanueva Beard, chief executive officer. “Their efforts provide vital academic and mental health support to students, drive innovation in teaching, and help us reimagine an education system that serves every child with equity and excellence."

AmeriCorps State and National engages more than 65,000 Americans in intensive service each year. Full-time AmeriCorps members in the AmeriCorps State and National program receive a modest living allowance, health care and childcare. At the successful completion of each service term, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to repay qualified student loans and to pay current educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs.

This year, AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, celebrates its 30th anniversary. Three decades ago, more than 20,000 Americans raised their right hands and pledged to get things done for America. These members helped more than 1,000 communities nationwide during AmeriCorps’ first year of service. Since then, more than 1.3 million Americans have served with AmeriCorps. Join AmeriCorps to celebrate the successes, impact, and milestone moments that helped change the nation’s trajectory – moments that brought out the best of America, visit AmeriCorps.gov/AmeriCorps30.

About Teach For America 

Teach For America works in partnership with communities across the country to expand educational opportunities for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America finds, develops, and supports excellent and diverse leaders to transform education and expand opportunity for all children. Today, Teach For America is a force of 70,000 alumni, corps members, and Ignite fellows working in pursuit of profound systemic change so that one day every child has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

About AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.

AmeriCorps offers opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to be a part of the national service community, grow personally and professionally, and receive benefits for their service. Learn how to get involved at AmeriCorps.gov/Serve.