Idaho to receive $3.9M for AmeriCorps volunteer programs

Idaho is set to receive more than $3.9 million in federal funding for AmeriCorps volunteer programs. The move comes just over a year after the program faced abrupt cuts sought by the now-defunct federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

AmeriCorps is a federal program that funds volunteers for nonprofits and service projects across the nation.

Funds announced Monday will go to the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, called Serve Idaho, which administers programs in the state.

More than $2.1 million was awarded as part of a competitive grant process and will go toward expanding programming for Idaho State University and the Student Conservation Association,  according to a press release from the Idaho Department of Labor.

The state agency also received nearly $1.8 million in formula funding to go toward existing programs at the University of Idaho, Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute, Teach for America, and the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association.

“We are thrilled that Serve Idaho has received both competitive and formula funding from AmeriCorps to continue advancing national service across our state,” Serve Idaho Program Manager Emily Straubhar said in the press release. “These investments reflect the incredible impact AmeriCorps Volunteers make every day in Idaho communities. We are grateful for AmeriCorps’ continued partnership and look forward to expanding opportunities for service that strengthen communities throughout Idaho.”

In April 2025, the federal government abruptly cancelled more than $1 million in grants for Idaho’s AmeriCorps programs, which affected 133 AmeriCorps members across the state, the Idaho Press reported. The move was part of a broader effort by DOGE to terminate federal grants and contracts across a wide spectrum of programs and agencies nationwide.

Serve Idaho was notified on April 25, 2025, that DOGE terminated $400 million in AmeriCorps grants nationwide, which was just over 41% of the federal agency’s funds for the program. Several Idaho volunteers, who receive a living stipend from the program and educational grants after its successful completion, were terminated from their positions shortly after the notice, the Idaho Press reported.

The grant cancellations were quickly challenged in court by Democratic state officials from 24 states and Washington, D.C. A judge in June 2025 ordered federal officials to restore funding to the states that sued, which did not include Idaho, the Associated Press reported.

Idaho’s grant funding was restored in July 2025 when federal authorities decided to reinstate the grants for all states, according to an Idaho Department of Labor spokesperson.

“The restoration was an executive/ administrative decision and not a new act of Congress,” spokesman Will Hoenike said in an email. “We received funding this year, both competitively and formula-funding, through funds that were appropriated by Congress.”