By Tobi Raji
Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service has ordered AmeriCorps to terminate close to $400 million in grants — roughly 41 percent of the national service agency’s total grant funding, according to three people with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss it publicly.
It’s the latest blow to the organization, which deploys thousands of young people to work on community service projects across the United States. The decision to eliminate millions of dollars in grants affects 1,031 organizations, and 32,465 AmeriCorps members and senior volunteers, the people said.
The agency’s 2025 annual operating budget is about $1 billion. AmeriCorps and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Termination notices for the grants started going out Friday. Recipients were told that their award “no longer effectuates agency priorities,” according to notices reviewed by The Washington Post.ADVERTISING
“You must immediately cease all award activities,” the notice says. “This is a final agency action and is not administratively appealable.”
In Kansas, for example, all funding for AmeriCorps State and National programs has been eliminated, according to a letter sent to the Kansas State Department of Education. The State and National branch of AmeriCorps provides grants to local and national organizations and agencies that offer direct community services such as after-school tutoring.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) expressed disappointment at the cuts.
“I support improving efficiency and eliminating waste, but I would have to object to cutting AmeriCorps grants like those that support Louisiana’s veterans and organizations that provide crucial support after hurricanes and natural disasters,” he wrote on X.
Last week, the White House put most of the agency’s roughly 650 full-time staff members on paid administrative leave “effective immediately.” Layoff notices began arriving Thursday, employees said, with an effective date of June 24.
AmeriCorps was created in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, who moved under its umbrella Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), an anti-poverty program established in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
AmeriCorps has three main branches: VISTA; State and National; and the National Civilian Community Corps, or NCCC, a residential program that assigns Americans as young as 18 to community service projects in areas such as disaster preparedness and environmental conservation.
The fourth branch, AmeriCorps Seniors, is open to people 55 and older. Each year, nearly 200,000 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers mentor students, participate in volunteer activities, and offer assistance and friendship to seniors who have difficulty with daily living tasks.
The changes to AmeriCorps began after DOGE visited the agency’s headquarters two weeks ago. On April 8, AmeriCorps unveiled plans to cut its workforce by “up to 50 percent or more.”
A week later, on April 15, AmeriCorps demobilized hundreds of NCCC service members, placing them on administrative leave until April 30.Shortly after, the White House began the process of laying off most of AmeriCorps’ full-time staff.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/04/25/americorps-grant-cuts-doge/