Template Letter/Email in Support of National Service & Americorps

Template Letter/Email in Support of National Service & AmeriCorps

Subject: Prioritize National Service & AmeriCorpsFunding in FY18

To: Your US House Member and US Senators

[DATE]

The Honorable [Name]

Member of Congress

[Room Number & Name of House/Senate Office Building]

Washington, DC

Dear Representative/Senator [Last Name],

We write to urge your support for strong funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in the Fiscal Year 2018 Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill and ask that you oppose the elimination ofCNCSand its programs like AmeriCorps. With the release of the President’s FY18 Budget, we want to emphasize the importance of this funding locally to thousands of constituents in your state. It is unacceptable that a bipartisan program like AmeriCorps with such broad support and history of effectiveness in our state would be eliminated.

CNCS programs like AmeriCorps enable locally-based organizations like [name of your Corps] to engage young adults and veterans (Corpsmembers) in service projects that address critical conservation, disaster response, infrastructure, recreation, and community needs in rural and urban areas. Corps provide an opportunity for Corpsmembers to advance obtain in-demand skills and credentials that businesses want, advance their education, and get on a pathway toward a career all while accomplishing projects important to our local communities and states.

AmeriCorps invests in local cost-effective public-private partnerships in our state that generate significant private matching funds, while meeting the most pressing needs of our communities and giving Corpsmembers an opportunity to serve their country. In fact, AmeriCorps programs nationally generate more private resources than the federal investment, making this program a solid return on taxpayer funds. In fact, a recent study put the return on investment of AmeriCorps at 4:1 in total community benefits.

Without AmeriCorps, the following recent Corps accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible:14.7 million pounds of waste handled/recycled; 1.6 million acres of wildlife habitat improved and made accessible; 1.5 million trees managed & planted; 365,000 acres of invasive species removed; 32,000 acres of fire fuel reduced; 22,000 miles of multi-use trails constructed and improved; 20,400 low-income homes audited/retrofitted for energy savings; 16,000 recreation facilities improved; 8,200 acres of erosion, landslide, and flood prevention; 2,600 miles of fish and waterway habitat restored; 500 wildfires and disasters responded to; and 190 historic structures preserved.

We understand the difficult ongoing budget situation, but we cannot balance the budget on the backs of small programs like AmeriCorps that help our struggling communities. This is why ensuring more opportunities for cost-effective, locally driven, public-private partnerships like through AmeriCorps is more important than ever. We again respectfully urge your support for these programs and ask that you strongly oppose elimination of CNCS and AmeriCorps. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

[Signature]

#CorpsWork #21CSC | 1275 K St. NW, Suite 1050 | Washington, DC 20005 | p: 202.737.6272 | f: 202.737.6277