Tenacity Receives an Increase in Funding and AmeriCorps Members
BOSTON, MA, July 22, 2016 – Massachusetts Service Alliance’s (MSA) CEO, Emily Haber, today announced that they have received $11,035,464 in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). These grants will support over 1,400 AmeriCorps members across the state to serve with 23 AmeriCorps host sites, including Tenacity, whose award was increased to support 32 AmeriCorps members.
AmeriCorps members will tackle critical challenges in Massachusetts in the areas of academic enrichment, early literacy, land conservation, mentoring, citizenship assistance, legal services and housing. At Tenacity, AmeriCorps members will help close the opportunity gap for Boston students in our Middle School Academy program by providing academic support, helping build critical non-cognitive skills, serving as mentors inside and outside of the classroom, and playing a pivotal role in creating a trajectory to high school and college graduation.
Tenacity Founder and CEO, Ned Eames, shared, “We are proudly entering our ninth year of partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Massachusetts Service Alliance, who have been invaluable in Tenacity’s work to narrow the opportunity and achievements gaps for Boston students. To date, 186 AmeriCorps members have served with Tenacity, delivering more than 300,000 hours of service. Tenacity is thrilled to further its partnership with the AmeriCorps program, working together to prepare Boston’s youth for success in high school, college and beyond.”
“National service is an essential part of the solution to many of the challenges facing our state,” said Emily Haber. “These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs and strengthen communities as they develop civic and leadership skills to last a lifetime. I congratulate these outstanding organizations and thank all those who serve their communities through AmeriCorps.”
“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. “Building on Massachusetts’ strong tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, AmeriCorps members will improve lives and strengthen communities across the state. As they serve others, AmeriCorps members will also expand opportunity for themselves – gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers. We congratulate all the Massachusetts organizations who received funding this year, and thank all AmeriCorps members for their service.”
MSA, which serves as the state commission on service and volunteerism, will award $11 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the state. The law creating AmeriCorps gave a key role to states in determining how national service resources are used and promoting service and volunteering to meet community needs.
In addition to the grant funding, CNCS will make available over $5 million 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 is a public-private partnership, and AmeriCorps grantees leverage significant outside resources to operate their programs. The federal investment for programs in Massachusetts is projected to generate an additional $11.6 million in local support to increase community impact and return on federal investment.
The current year’s AmeriCorps grant cycle was highly competitive, due to the strong demand by organizations seeking AmeriCorps resources. The 2016 competition prioritized investments in economic opportunity, education, veterans and military families, disaster services, and continued a new initiative for governors and mayors.
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. In Massachusetts, more than 31,000 AmeriCorps members have served more than 42 million hours and have qualified for Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards totaling more than $101,140,000.
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The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) invests in community-based organizations and institutions that rely upon volunteers and people engaged in service to meet their community’s needs. Through investing, convening, advocating, and building capacity, MSA develops and supports initiatives that incorporate service and volunteerism as effective strategies to address the pressing needs in the Commonwealth.
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.
Founded in 1999, Tenacity’s programs provide a Pathway to Post-Secondary Success through a combination of academic enrichment, mentoring, family engagement, and tennis/fitness coaching which together improve educational outcomes for students, increase graduation rates, and help transform the lives of less advantaged Boston youth.
Contact:
Brandon Andrusic, Director of Marketing and Communications
617-562-0900 x34