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Our Vision: A future where each state can ensure that a service year is available to any resident who wants to serve.
The Center for State Service Innovation brings together leaders, funders, and organizations working to build the next chapter of service in America, one powered by states as engines of innovation and impact. By advancing bold, state-driven approaches and strengthening the capacity of state service leaders, the Center is building a movement that expands what service can achieve while supporting a strong and thriving national service sector led by AmeriCorps.
More than 40,000 people complete a service year annually. Yet demand for service years among young people routinely exceeds the number available, and gaps persist to meet critical needs in healthcare, education, disaster relief, and environmental stewardship — impact areas at the heart of the service year community.
States are stepping in to fill this gap. Alongside AmeriCorps, states are leveraging service to address community needs while preparing their workforce of the future in critical industries and career areas. Today, this effort is being accelerated by state leaders, funders, and service champions who see the potential for sustained, meaningful growth of service opportunities at the local level.
people complete a service year annually.
The Center for State Service Innovation provides state service commissions, lawmakers and civic leaders the tools to create new funding for service years at home, including technical assistance, policy support, capacity building and a new way to learn from other states doing the same work.
In 2025, we partnered with leaders in four states to strengthen service where they live:
Added 500 new service positions to the California Service Corps.
Secured $1.5M in new resources for the Youth Mental Health Corps.
Launched a first-of-its-kind effort to better connect service years to the workforce development ecosystem in the state.
Added 500 new service positions, doubling the size of the Empire State Service Corps at SUNY.
The Service United Fund was launched by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and the Schultz Family Foundation at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in 2026 to provide philanthropic capital to help states and territories strengthen service as a strategy for creating meaningful pathways for young people, strengthening communities, and bringing people together.
Learn More
The Service United Fund provides philanthropic support for states to plan, build, or expand service strategies that drive impact across three pillars:
Funding levels vary by level of support. The deadline to submit the application is midnight ET on October 23, 2026.
States and territories selected for a Round 1 grant will be notified in early 2027.
Visit Service United Fund to learn more, including how to submit an Expression of Interest to initiate the process.
The Center for State Service Innovation is a resource to help potential Fund applicants to:
Connect with our team to understand how the Center can be a thought partner for your strategy.
Contact UsThis work is made possible by funding from:
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State service news, funding deadlines, and what other states are learning, a few times a year.
