Office of Research and Evaluation 

What is a Research Grant? 

AmeriCorps strives to be a thought leader in the field of civic engagement. Towards that goal, AmeriCorps’ 

Office of Research and Evaluation provides research grants to researchers, scholars, and dissertators at 

institutions of higher education to advance the field’s understanding of civic engagement, volunteering, 

and national service, and civil society more broadly. 

What do research grants fund? 

• Studies that are designed to increase the understanding of the nation’s civic health 

• Studies that identify facilitators and barriers to participating in civic life and in national service to help 

optimize the agency’s effectiveness in improving lives and strengthening communities 

• Studies that use innovative research methods, such as participatory research, to identify and tackle 

community priorities 

What To date, AmeriCorps has are examples of previously funded research grants? 

funded four research • Studies that focused on understanding the civic engagement of grant cycles (2015, 

various populations (such as, youth, adults, seniors, immigrants 2017, 2018, and 2022) and refugees, urban and rural) at varying geographic levels (such with 57 grants awarded 

as, local, regional and national) 

• Organizational research studies that examined volunteer 

management practices at nonprofits and interactions of participants of civil society organizations 

• Summaries of past and current studies can be found on our website, “Snapshot of AmeriCorps’ 

Research Grantee Activities.” 

Who should know about the research grants? 

• Researchers, scholars, and graduate students interested in addressing knowledge gaps and 

discovering innovative ideas that advance the knowledge base around civic engagement. Additional 

information on past research grant eligibility requirements can be found on our website. 

• AmeriCorps staff and partners (grantees and sponsors) invested in understanding civic engagement 

barriers and facilitators and how it connects with national service activities through AmeriCorps. 

• Policymakers and grant funders seeking to understand civic engagement benefits, challenges, and 

solutions to help them effectively support national service and civic engagement in their local context. 

For more information about AmeriCorps Research Grants, please reach out to the AmeriCorps Office of 

Research and Evaluation at evaluation@cns.gov. 

About the Office of Research and Evaluation 

The AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation assists AmeriCorps and its partners in collecting, analyzing, and 

disseminating data and insights about AmeriCorps programs and civic life in America. 

About AmeriCorps 

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, 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 places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and 

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, shortterm, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at https://americorps.gov/. 

Produced and published at US taxpayer expense.