National Civilian Community Corps
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is a team-based national service program to which 1,200 18- to 24-year-olds dedicate 10 months of their time annually. Corps Members are trained at and operate from one of five regional campuses, located in Sacramento, California, Washington D.C., Denver, Colorado, Perry Point, Maryland, and Charleston, South Carolina. They travel with their team throughout a multi-state region to a series of 6- to 8-week-long service projects. Projects fall in the areas of the environment, education, public safety, human needs, disaster relief, and homeland security. While in the program, members receive room & board, a modest living stipend of approximately $13 a day, health coverage, and, after graduation they receive a taxable $4,725 education award.
AmeriCorps*NCCC funding cut by Bush White House
President Bush's 2006 budget includes only $5 million for AmeriCorps NCCC, just enough to shut down the program. The White House has branded the program as "ineffective," citing an OMB report which claimed that the program was under-performing. The decision to end the NCCC program has drawn a lot of fire from NCCC alumni, some members of Congress, and those who support its efforts to improve the environment, strengthen education, and assist with disaster-response. The White House funding decision has been praised by some conservatives.
As of 2006, NCCC cost $27,859 per member for each 10 month service year. $4,725 of this is accounted for via the taxable education award, with the balance going towards salaries and operating/living expenses across the five campuses and numerous project sites.
The NCCC currently needs new new members to help them work in disaster preparedness.
NCCC funding approved for continued work in the Katrina-impacted Gulf region
On April 4, 2006, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an emergency funding package that includes $20 million for the NCCC program to continue their disaster relief work in the Gulf Coast. This is not a complete restoration of the NCCC program, but rather a project-specific funding supplement. This most recent $20 million funding allocation for NCCC efforts in the Gulf region is not too far off from the entire annual budget of NCCC in years past. Whether NCCC receives continued annual funding is yet to be seen, but for the time being, NCCC relief efforts in the Gulf Coast will continue. The NCCC currently needs new members to help their disaster preparedness work effectivly.
External links
- Official Website
- Official Office of Management and Budget Rundown Cited To Justify The Dissoloution Of The Program For Fiscal 2007
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