Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced his office has prevailed in preserving funding to AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. On July 23, Raoul and a coalition of 24 states and attorneys general challenged the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) attempt to gut AmeriCorps by withholding tens of millions of dollars in funding for critical service programs.

On Thursday, OMB and AmeriCorps instead agreed to release over $184 million in funding that AmeriCorps plans to award to service programs across the country.

“The administration’s abrupt termination of these vital grants and programs had far-reaching and devastating impacts,” Raoul said. “I am pleased the hundreds of Illinoisans who serve some of Illinois’ most vulnerable populations will once again be able to give back to their communities.”

On April 29, Raoul and a coalition of 24 states and attorneys general challenged the administration’s plans to eliminate nearly 90 percent of AmeriCorps’ workforce, abruptly cancel its contracts and close $400 million worth of AmeriCorps-supported programs. In June, the court granted a preliminary injunction that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that were unlawfully cancelled and barred AmeriCorps from making similar cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite the order, OMB continued to withhold over $184 million intended for outstanding service programs, including AmeriCorps Seniors programs, and many programs funded with highly competitive federal grants.

Because the Trump administration withheld these critical resources, the coalition filed an amended lawsuit in July that added OMB as a defendant. On August 7, Raoul and the coalition filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, asking for an order to stop OMB from withholding the relevant funds. Rather than oppose the states’ motion, the administration instead informed the court on Thursday that OMB would release all withheld AmeriCorps funds, totaling over $184 million, which AmeriCorps will distribute to programs nationwide.  

AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide.

The Trump administration’s previous termination of $400 million worth of AmeriCorps programs and the recent OMB withholding of funds threatened numerous service programs in Illinois and other states. Additionally, in late April, the Trump administration canceled 26 grants managed by Serve Illinois, impacting 28 programs and 632 workers or volunteers, which served students, veterans and individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as other programs across the state. These cancelations impacted hundreds of AmeriCorps members and the individuals they served and disrupted schools, health systems and services, food banks and other critical community agencies upon which Illinoisans rely.

Attorney General Raoul was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania in filing the lawsuit.