AmeriCorps Loses Funding – This Is What We KNow

Will the county save AmeriCorps Cape Cod?

What is happening with AmeriCorps Cape Cod?

09 May, 2025 – CAPE COD, MA – An immediate termination of federal funding to AmeriCorps - including AmeriCorps Cape Cod - triggered an outpouring of support with Barnstable County drawing on previously-budgeted funds to fill in the gaps through the end of the current program year this summer, although the longer term future of the program remains unknown.

On April 28th the federal government announced an immediate termination of funding for AmeriCorps Cape Cod. The decision shocked the county government which held an emergency public meeting two days later, May 1st. More than 100 participants attended the meeting, testifying about the need for and value in the AmeriCorps program on Cape Cod. Ultimatley the County Commissioners vote unanimously to keep funding AmeriCorps for the rest of the current program, which ends in July. 

How is the funding gap getting filled?

“What they decided to do was use available funds, currently budgeted funds in order to maintain the AmeriCorps program throughout the program year,” explained Michael Dutton, County Administrator. 

“The funding and their vote would allow us to continue the same kind of work, providing services for our service partners and be able to close out the program and make sure that the participants in this year's program complete their commitment, and we complete our commitment to them.”

How much does AmeriCorps cost?

AmeriCorps Cape Cod receives around $1M dollars annually, half from the county budget and half  from the federal government. The federal funds arrive in a monthly reimbursement grant.

With the Trump administration's immediate termination of AmeriCorps, the county will not receive reimbursements for the final months of the current program year,  May, June, and July. However, the county had a bit of luck on its side.

Since Covid, the number of applicants dropped significantly. For the current service year, which began in September, the county had budgeted for more than twice as many volunteers as the number that ended up participating.  As a result, the AmeriCorp Cape Cod budget had surplus already allocated for the current cohort. In addition a gap in staffing, added to the surplus. As a result the county was able to not only vote in favor of funding through the program year, but also had money already in place to fill the estimated $80,000 gap left by the withdrawal of the federal government.

Why was the program cut?

The cut has left local officials scratching their collective heads.

“One of the frustrating things about this whole announcement and the termination of the grant mid-year is that there's very little information forthcoming ... we didn't get any explanation as to why these grant funds were being cut,” said Dutton.

“The next step is to get as much information as possible from the AmeriCorps program in order to figure out exactly how we should sort of step down this program and exit the participants.”

What might happen to AmeriCorp Cape Cod in the future?

After the post-COVID lull in applications, interest had already spiked for the next service year, beginning in September, 2025. And Cape Cod officials say they don't want lose that momentum.

After more than a quarter of a century of AmeriCorps service on Cape Cod, the county said the program is worth fighting for.  It said it will seek $560,000 for fiscal year 2026, to transition the program out of AmeriCorps, but keep the service model on Cape Cod.

Sheila Lyons, Chair of the county government executive branch, the Regional Board of Commissioners, said they are looking at different routes such as keeping the program on a smaller scale. 

“We voted it last week, so the program will continue, but we can't guarantee next year. So right now, we are engaging with our congressional delegation, our state delegation, is there any way the state could maybe help partner with this?” said Lyons.

“And I think that we should talk to the towns as well because they have been the beneficiaries of a lot of this work.”

What happens next?

The next step is for the county government to gather more information, to try to find funding partners and to figure out how keep program in a re-worked, post-AmeriCorp form.