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Program Description

SBP is a national organization that engages in disaster recovery efforts across 

the country. SBP seeks to make vulnerable residents resilient to potential 

disaster and to streamline the rebuilding of homes for those who have 

survived disaster, to reduce the time and cost of disaster relief. With the 

support of volunteers and donors, including AmeriCorps investment, SBP 

pursues that mission with five interventions: 1) quickly rebuilding homes by 

utilizing private sector innovations, 2) sharing rebuild ideas and innovation 

with other organizations to provide relief as rapidly and efficiently as 

possible, 3) preparing home and business owners before and after a disaster 

to mitigate risks and promote resilience against possible future disasters, 4) 

advising policymakers on pressing recovery needs immediately after 

disasters so federal funding can be distributed sooner, and 5) advocating for 

improved strategies to prepare for disasters and provide relief when

disasters occur. 

AmeriCorps, the federal agency 

for volunteerism and national 

service, provides opportunities for 

Americans to serve their country 

domestically, address the nation’s 

most pressing challenges, improve 

lives and communities, and 

strengthen civic engagement. 

Each year, the agency invests 

more than $800 million in grants 

for local nonprofit, community, 

tribal, and state organizations; 

places more than 250,000 

AmeriCorps members and 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in 

intensive service roles; and 

empowers millions more to serve 

as long-term, short-term, or onetime volunteers. Learn more at 

AmeriCorps.gov.

RESEARCH BRIEF − ROI PROJECT

SBP AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps.gov 
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Return on Investment Analysis

To better understand the impact of the program in relation to costs, AmeriCorps commissioned a return on 

investment (ROI) analysis by ICF, an independent research firm. ROI analyses of national service programs 

estimate the monetary value of benefits that a program generates per dollar invested. 

The ROI analysis of total benefits per funder dollar estimated the SBP AmeriCorps program’s ROI to be 

between -$1.27 and $4.14, depending on how long AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings as 

a result of the program. Total benefits per federal dollar are between -$3.67 and $11.96. These results are 

driven by favorable employment and education outcomes for AmeriCorps members following their service, 

as well as by benefits to government of reduced construction time and contsruction costs. 

Overview of Benefits and Costs

To calculate the ROI, the program benefits were identified, quantified, and compared to the program’s costs. 

Benefits of SBP include: 

• Benefits to government of reduced construction time and construction costs. SBP reduces the 

time spent on home reconstruction, which decreases government spending on temporary housing 

during reconstruction. SBP also limits government spending on construction itself by rebuilding 

homes at a lower cost. 

• Additional earnings by AmeriCorps members. Serving in AmeriCorps leads to increased wages 

and reduced unemployment post-national service through skill acquisition, as well as increased 

educational attainment post-service.

• Living allowances, stipends, and education awards. AmeriCorps members receive living 

allowances and stipends during their national service and receive Segal AmeriCorps Education 

Awards after successful completion. 

• Increased tax revenue for government. The government receives more income tax revenue from 

increased AmeriCorps member earnings post-service, as well as additional sales tax revenue related 

to those earnings. Government also realizes tax revenue from the taxable living allowances, stipends, 

and education awards provided to AmeriCorps members. 

• Reduced lifetime spending on corrections, public assistance, and social insurance. Because of 

the increase in secondary and post-secondary educational attainment for AmeriCorps members, 

government spends less on these items. 

Program costs for SBP program totaled $29,619,288 and came from the following sources:

• Federal government (AmeriCorps) 

• State and local government

• Private

• Other

ROI Results

The table below shows the ROI results. Each row represents a different ROI calculation depending on which 

benefits are considered (all benefits or only benefits to the federal government) and which funding is 

considered (federal funding only, or all funding including contributions and non-federal grant, other 
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contributions, and program fees ). The ROIs are presented as dollars returned for every $1.00 of investment. 

The analysis used three different scenarios to estimate benefits under different assumptions. Specifically, the 

study assumed that increased earnings attributable to the programs last for one year (short-term scenario), 

15 years (medium-term), or 30 years (long-term).

ROI Calculation

ROI Scenario

Short-Term Medium-Term Long-Term

Total Benefits per Federal Dollar -$3.67 $3.38 $11.96

Total Benefits per Funder Dollar -$1.27 $1.17 $4.14

Federal Government Benefits per Federal Dollar -$0.33 $1.61 $3.76

The program produces strong returns for the medium- and long-term scenarios when benefits to 

AmeriCorps members, societal stakeholders, and state/local governments are included. This is indicated by 

the results of the total benefits per federal dollar and the total benefits per funder dollar ROI calculations for 

these two scenarios. 

In the short-term scenario—where benefits for only one-year post-program are included—the ROI results 

indicate that there is a short-term loss to investing given the results of the total benefits per funder dollar and 

the federal government benefits per federal dollar ROI calculations. An ROI below the break-even point of $1 

in the first year post-program is common in programs in which there is an initial one-time investment

followed by the accrual of program benefits in the following years. It can require several years of benefits to 

recoup the initial investment and generate positive returns. An ROI of less than $0 indicates that the 

combination of opportunity costs and program costs exceeds the amount of funding invested for the period 

analyzed.

The magnitude of the positive ROI estimates in the medium- and long-term scenarios are driven by the 

following factors:

• Benefits to government of reduced construction time and construction costs. SBP reduces the

time spent on home reconstruction, which decreases government spending on temporary housing

during reconstruction. SBP also limits government spending on construction itself by rebuilding

homes at a lower cost.

• Additional earnings by AmeriCorps members. Serving in AmeriCorps leads to increased wages

and reduced unemployment post-national service through skill acquisition, as well as increased

educational attainment post-service.

• Reduced lifetime spending on corrections, public assistance, and social insurance. Because of

the increase in secondary and post-secondary educational attainment for AmeriCorps members and

program participants, government spends less on these items. 

For more information, please contact evaluation@cns.gov.

The report summarized in this research brief was commissioned by AmeriCorps’ Office of Research and Evaluation under 

Contract # GS00Q14OADU209 and Order # 5332A20R0013. Information in the report is in the public domain. Please, direct 

communications related to the report to Lily Zandniapour at lzandniapour@cns.gov and Sarah Yue at syue@cns.gov. Cite the report as 

follows: Borgida, J., Clark, D., Kulka, L., Miller, B., Modicamore, D., Pershing, J., Thompson, P., Sarwana, M., & Voigt, G. (2022). Return on 

Investment Study: SBP. ICF.