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RESEARCH BRIEF − ROI PROJECT

YouthBuild AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps.gov

Program Description

YouthBuild USA (YouthBuild) is a national youth leadership program 

designed to improve education and employment outcomes for youth aged 

16 to 24 who are neither in school nor employed (referred to as opportunity 

youth). The goal of the program is to help these youth attain high school 

diplomas or equivalency credentials, obtain occupational skills and 

experience, develop leadership skills, and deepen their commitment to 

service in their communities. 

YouthBuild has received AmeriCorps funding since 1994 and—for a subset of 

YouthBuild programs—program participants are, themselves, AmeriCorps

members. YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs enroll over 2,500 opportunity 

youth as AmeriCorps State and National members annually across 65 U.S.-

based programs. They directly participate in the YouthBuild program and, as 

AmeriCorps members, earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon 

successful completion. In this way, these AmeriCorps State and National 

members are both service providers and program participants.

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.
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Return on Investment Analysis

To better understand the impact of YouthBuild AmeriCorps in relation to the program’s 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 for per dollar 

invested. The ROI analysis estimated YouthBuild AmeriCorps’s ROI to be between -$0.40 and $9.58 per 

funder dollar, depending on how long YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants experience increased earnings 

from serving and participating in YouthBuild AmeriCorps. The return on each dollar of federal support for the 

program is higher, between -$0.72 and $17.97. These results are driven by favorable employment and 

education outcomes for YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants in the years following their service. 

Overview of Benefits and Costs

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

Benefits of YouthBuild AmeriCorps include:

• Additional earnings from increased employment for YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants. 

YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants benefit from the completion of a high school diploma or 

equivalency, as part of their national service, which also leads to improved employment outcomes.

• Additional lifetime earnings from increased educational attainment as a result of education 

awards for YouthBuild AmeriCorps Participants. All YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants that 

complete the program receive education awards after program exit. ROI analysis estimated the 

expected increased lifetime earnings of YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants attributable to the use of 

education awards to pay for additional post-secondary schooling.

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

increased YouthBuild AmeriCorps participant earnings post-service, as well as additional sales tax 

revenue related to those earnings. Government also realizes tax revenue from the taxable 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 YouthBuild AmeriCorps 

participants, government spends less on these items. 

Funding for the YouthBuild AmeriCorps program totaled $19,572,480 and came from the following sources:

• AmeriCorps State & National Grant - $8,068,367

• Expected Education Awards - $2,576,958

• Match Federal Funding - $66,839

• Match State & Local Government Funding - $4,661,442

• Match Private Funding - $4,198,874
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ROI Results

The table below shows the ROI results for YouthBuild AmeriCorps. 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 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 -$0.72 $10.05 $17.97

Total Benefits per Funder Dollar -$0.40 $5.39 $9.58

Federal Government Benefits per Federal Dollar -$0.06 $1.87 $3.37

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

negative, indicating that costs outweigh the benefits after the initial year. A negative ROI in the first year postprogram is common in programs where there is an initial one-time investment made and benefits accrue in 

the following years. This is because it often requires several years of benefits to recoup the initial investment 

and generate positive returns, as indicated in the results for the medium- and long-term scenarios. During 

the program, AmeriCorps members gain the experience, skills, and knowledge that result in future benefits, 

such as improved employment and wages, which can be sustained throughout their working years. 

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

following factors:

• YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants’ strong secondary education and employment outcomes. 

Therefore, the completion of secondary credentials through the YouthBuild AmeriCorps program 

plays a crucial part in driving YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants’ employment gains. The completion 

of a high school diploma or equivalent not only leads to increased employment but also additional 

earnings. This analysis calculated that YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants who were unemployed 

pre-service but employed post-service experienced a $26,000 increase in per-person pre-tax annual 

earnings. 

• Medium- and long-term accumulation of benefits. In the short-term, the three ROI calculations are 

negative because only one year of post-program employment and earnings gains are counted while 

the entire program cost is considered. Additionally, the short-term scenario does not include any 

lifetime benefits in terms of reduced spending on corrections, public assistance, and social insurance 

or increased tax revenue. As these benefits accumulate over time, the analysis shows positive returns. 

This is indicated by the ROI results in the medium- and long-term scenarios (15 and 30 years postprogram, respectively).

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