Alliance for Catholic Education
ACE Teaching Fellows has received a $135,000 AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support 154 AmeriCorps members who will serve as teachers of record in rural and urban schools throughout the United States.
This grant will support AmeriCorps members in 30 cities and 15 states across the country. AmeriCorps members will tackle the critical challenges of providing a quality education to students in some of America's most high-need schools, allowing ACE Teaching Fellows to expand its impact on this important national issue.
"AmeriCorps is an indispensable resource to help meet critical challenges facing our communities and nation," said John Staud, executive director of the Alliance for Catholic Education. "We're thrilled that the Corporation for National and Community Service has recognized the value that AmeriCorps members serving with ACE Teaching Fellows offer to communities. These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs as they develop civic and leadership skills that last a lifetime."
"AmeriCorps members make a powerful impact on the toughest challenges facing our nation," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps. "As they serve others, AmeriCorps members will also expand opportunity for themselves - gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers. We congratulate ACE Teaching Fellows for their strong application, and thank all AmeriCorps members for their service."
In addition to the grant funding, CNCS will make available $889,350 in education scholarships for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants to help pay for college, vocational training, or pay back student loans. After completing 1,700 hours of service, AmeriCorps members earn an education award of $5,775.
AmeriCorps operates as a public-private partnership that leverages significant amounts of outside resources to stretch the federal dollar and increase community impact. This grant will generate an additional $3 million in local matching support and other outside resources from businesses, foundations, and other organizations.
AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 members in intensive service annually to serve through nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at more than 21,000 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve.
Since 1994, 980,000 AmeriCorps members have given more than 1.3 billion hours of service to their country, earning more than $3 billion in education scholarships. Later this year, the one millionth AmeriCorps member will take the AmeriCorps pledge, committing to "get things done" for America.
ACE is a leading program of the University of Notre Dame that recruits, educates, and supports talented college graduates who serve as teachers in under-resourced schools across the United States. ACE teachers simultaneously participate in an innovative two-year Master of Education degree that prepares them for the rigors of the classroom and to become the next generation of educational leaders for America's elementary and secondary schools.
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov .