Learn and Serve America Learn and Serve America supports service learning by students from kindergarten through graduate school. Service learning is an innovative concept through which students participate in organized service experiences that meet community needs and are supported by a curriculum that allows research, reflection, and discussion of their experiences. The focus of Learn and Serve America is to build a solid foundation for service learning in the curriculum of every school in America. The Corporation awards competitive grants to support Learn and Serve America on an annual basis. Notices of funds availability published in the Federal Register provide information concerning application deadlines and program requirements.

School-Based and Community-Based Programs The goal of Learn and Serve America's School-Based and Community-Based Programs is to increase opportunities for school-age youth to learn and develop through service to their communities. The Corporation supports these initiatives through distribution of funds to State education agencies according to a population-based allotment. Grants to State commissions on national service, nonprofit grantmaking entities, Indian tribes, and U.S. territories are competitive.

School-based programs are administered by State education agencies, local education agencies in States not applying for funding, Indian tribes, and U.S. territories. Participants are elementary and secondary school students and out-of-school youth between the ages of 5-17. Schools use Learn and Serve America grants for adult volunteer programs and teacher training in service-learning, along with planning, implementing, and expanding servicelearning programs. Community-based programs are administered by State commissions on national and community service and nonprofit organizations. Higher Education Programs Service Learning at the post-secondary level is supported by grants to institutions of

higher learning, consortia of institutions of higher learning, and public and private nonprofit organizations in partnership with institutions of higher education. These grants enable creation or expansion of community service opportunities for students and explore new ways to integrate service into the college curriculum and support model community service programs on campus. The programs are located in 38 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

National Senior Service Corps (Senior Corps)

The three Senior Corps ProgramsRetired and Senior Volunteers (RSVP), the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP), and the Senior Companion Program (SCP)-support community service by senior adults. These programs demonstrate the continued resource of seniors, provide valuable community service, and engage the experience, expertise, and commitment of seniors in a continued active involvement in the community. Each of these programs is funded through renewable project grants to public and private nonprofit organizations, who enter into memoranda of agreement with local institutions, including schools, hospitals, senior cer.ters, and other organizations, who directly assign and supervise participants. Most Corporation funding supports continuation projects; new projects are awarded competitively when funds are available.

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program provides part-time, uncompensated service opportunities for persons age 55 or older. Participants, serving in community-based projects across America, serve a wide range of national and community needs, working with persons of all ages.

Foster Grandparent Program The Foster Grandparent Program provides service to children with special needs. Participants must be 60 years of age or older, and must be considered lowincome by published Corporation criteria. Participants serve 20-hour

weeks, typically 4 hours a day, and provide personal love, attention, and support to children. Children served include those with physical and developmental disabilities, living in conditions of poverty; involved in the juvenile justice system; teen-age mothers and their children; and Head Start participants. Foster Grandparents receive a stipend of $2.45 per hour and are provided meals, transportation, and physical examinations. They serve in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Senior Companion Program The Senior Companion Program engages lowincome seniors age 60 and older in service to adults with special needs, with a focus on service to the frail elderly. Eligibility criteria and program benefits. for Senior Companions are the same as those provided to Foster Grandparents. Senior Companions provide support, assistance, and companionship to those whom they serve in both in-home and institutional settings. They also provide respite care to caregivers, especially family members of the frail elderly. Other Corporation Initiatives The Corporation's mission to develop and support an ethic of service in America involves initiatives, special demonstration projects, and other activities, in addition to the three major program areas. These include the new National Service Leadership Institution in San Francisco, CA, the AmeriCorps Leaders Program (and similar leaders

programs in AmeriCorps*VISTA and AmeriCorps*NCCC), a disaster response initiative, and short-term summer service initiatives. The Corporation also carries out an extensive training and technical assistance effort to support and assist State Commissions and service programs. Through partnerships with the private sector, other Federal agencies, and the Points of Light Foundation, the Corporation further advocates and advances service in America. The Corporation provides timely information. about grants and financial assistance through notices of funds availability in the Federal Register.

Sources of Information

General Inquiries To obtain additional information regarding the Corporation's programs and activities, call 1-800-9422677, or for Senior Corps programs, 1800-424-8867.

Grants Notices of funds availability are published in the Federal Register for most Corporation programs. Corporation State Program Offices and State Commissions on National and Community Service are located in most States and are the best source of information on programs in specific States or communities.

National Service Recruitment Persons interested in participating in service activities should call 1-800-942-2677, or contact Corporation State Offices or State Commissions on National and Community Service.

Chairman

Vice Chairman

Members

General Counsel

JOHN T. CONWAY

A.J. EGGENBERGER

JOHN W. CRAWFORD, JR., JOSEPH J.

DINUNNO, HERBERT J.C. KOUTS ROBERT M. ANDERSEN