Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 129— - NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE STATE GRANT PROGRAM › Part Part I— - Additional Corporation Activities To Support National Service › § 12653c
The Corporation can fund two programs for people age 55 or older: Silver Scholarships and Encore Fellowships. For Silver Scholarships, local community groups can get fixed grants to run a program where each older volunteer does at least 350 hours of service in a year and earns a $1,000 national service educational award. These grants run for 3 years (they can include 1 planning year) and might be extended for 1 more year if the program meets performance goals set by the Corporation. Groups must apply and be eligible to get a grant. The Corporation will move money to the National Service Trust to pay the $1,000 awards. Grantees may use some grant money to help volunteers with transportation. Encore Fellowships are 1-year placements to help people 55 or older do service projects and get training to move into nonprofit or government work. The Corporation keeps a list of eligible nonprofit host organizations and will place fellows with those groups or, if approved, with other nonprofits the fellow proposes. Applicants must be 55 or older, not currently in public service but wanting to be, and apply with information about the project, their skills, and the region they want to serve. No more than 10 fellows may be selected from any State, and priority goes to people with skills in high demand. When approved, the Corporation gives $11,000 to the host organization to cover the fellow’s living expenses. Hosts must match federal funds at least $1 for $1, provide training and oversight, and help fellows move into public service jobs. The Corporation must bring current and former fellows together each year and run an independent evaluation of both programs and share the results widely. Definitions: community-based entity = a local group that can apply for a Silver Scholarship grant; listed organization = a nonprofit on the Corporation’s placement list; Encore Fellow = a person awarded a 1-year Fellowship.
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The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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Citation
42 U.S.C. § 12653c
Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73