America’s Service Commissions announces five finalists for Innovation Awards.
MINNEAPOLIS – December 18, 2023 – Five state service commissions from across the nation were recognized at the 2023 Commission Innovation Awards, hosted by America’s Service Commissions (ASC), an association of the 52 state and territory commissions. The awards program was held as part of festivities in honor of ASC’s 25th anniversary. ServeMinnesota was recognized for Innovation in AmeriCorps Programming.
ServeMinnesota has an extensive track record of maximizing the power of national service through evidence-based AmeriCorps programs making a significant impact on our state. In fact, ServeMinnesota receives the second highest AmeriCorps funding in the country (more than $50 million in the last program year) to provide needed support in education, environmental stewardship, affordable housing, and community building.
The Innovation in AmeriCorps Programming award honors a commission working with community partners to create innovative programming to meet the needs of its state or territory today and in the future. ServeMinnesota was selected because of its tenured history of developing strong programming that has been replicated both statewide and nationally. This includes programs like Reading Corps, which launched in 2003, and more recently Heading Home Corps and Resettlement Corps.
ServeMinnesota is committed to developing evidence-based approaches as well as rigorous evaluation to continue to improve program effectiveness and the quality of the AmeriCorps member experience. Programmatic areas include reading and math tutoring, refugee response programming, and efforts to address affordable housing and community referrals in Minnesota. Several programs have been developed and funded in partnership by the state legislature and other state agencies, including the Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Department of Education.
A full review of the award winners can be found on ASC’s website. ServeMinnesota was also a finalist in the Policy Making category.
“Evidence and evaluation are pillars of our program development and improvement. We are honored that our work to invest in Minnesota has been recognized among our peers,” said ServeMinnesota CEO Julia Quanrud.
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About ServeMinnesota
ServeMinnesota blends service and science to accelerate positive social change. Each year, thousands of individuals commit to transformative AmeriCorps service opportunities focused on improving the lives of Minnesotans through education, affordable housing, employment, the environment, and health. These AmeriCorps members translate research on what works into on-the-ground implementation. Two of ServeMinnesota’s strategic initiatives, Minnesota Reading Corps and Minnesota Math Corps, demonstrate speed to implementation in their work to close the opportunity gap and help struggling students become successful learners. By leveraging federal dollars, building strong community partnerships, and continually improving programs, ServeMinnesota ensures national service is positioned to make meaningful contributions to our state. For more information, visit www.serveminnesota.org.
About America’s Service Commissions
America’s Service Commissions is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing and promoting the 52 state service commissions across the United States and territories with the mission to lead and elevate the state service network. State service commissions are governor-appointed public agencies or nonprofit organizations made up of more than 1,000 commissioners, private citizens leading the nation’s service movement and administering more than 75 percent of the federal AmeriCorps funds to address pressing community needs.
