Volunteer Iowa has approved federal and state AmeriCorps funding that will leverage private and local funding for a total of $12.2 million in support of more than 700 AmeriCorps State members for the 2021-22 program year. These AmeriCorps members will be eligible to earn over $2.6 million worth of Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants, the agency said in a news release. After completing a full term of service, each AmeriCorps member receives an award of about $6,300 to use to pay for college or to pay off student loans. With these awards, Iowa will now have more than 1,500 AmeriCorps members serving statewide, and more than 7,400 National Service positions. AmeriCorps state grants provide funding to local organizations to support AmeriCorps members meeting critical community needs in the areas of education, disaster services, health, environmental stewardship and economic opportunity. In addition to the program grants announced, Volunteer Iowa also approved the award of planning grant funding to four organizations to plan for future AmeriCorps operations. A complete list of awards can be found at the Volunteer Iowa website.