§12653b ServeAmerica Fellowships

Summary

Creates a program that gives money to each State Commission (the States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) so they can fund ServeAmerica Fellowships. The money is split among the States based on population. If a State does not apply or is not approved, its share is given to the other States. Up to 1.5 percent of a State’s allotment may be used for administrative costs. The program set approved service slots at 500 for fiscal year 2010 and raised that number each year to 750 (2011), 1,000 (2012), 1,250 (2013), and 1,500 (2014). Grants must fund service projects in five “areas of national need”: improving education for poor students, expanding health care access, saving energy and natural resources, improving economic opportunities for low-income people, and better disaster preparedness and response. Definitions: area of national need (these five areas), eligible fellowship recipient (a person picked by a State Commission), fellow (an eligible recipient who is awarded a fellowship), and small service sponsor organization (a sponsor with no more than 10 full-time and 10 part-time employees). People who want a fellowship apply to one State Commission and describe the need they will address, their skills, the service they will do, and the local area where they will serve; they may say if they prefer a small or large sponsor. State Commissions pick fellows based on their grant size and should try to award one-third of slots to those serving small sponsor organizations. Service sponsor organizations must be nonprofits, meet rules set by the Corporation or State Commission, not already receive other national service slots, register with the State Commission, agree to follow program rules, provide a sponsor payment for each fellow, certify completion and hours, and give access to records. If a sponsor breaks the rules, the Commission can revoke registration, bar the sponsor from certain assistance for 5 years, and move the fellow to another site. A selected recipient must, within 3 months, pick a registered sponsor, sign a one-year service agreement (full- or part-time), and give that agreement to the State Commission. The State Commission then awards the ServeAmerica Fellowship. Each State Commission must pay each fellow 50 percent of the average annual VISTA subsistence allowance. The sponsor must add money so the fellow’s total is at least 70 percent of that average (60 percent for small sponsors), but total pay cannot exceed 100 percent; part-time terms are prorated. The Corporation can waive the sponsor’s payment rule if the 50 percent alone meets local living costs. Sponsors must report each fellow’s hours and services every two weeks through a web portal. Fellows count as serving in approved national service positions and, if they meet service rules, are eligible for the national service educational award; the Corporation will move funds to the National Service Trust to pay that award.