For more than 30 years, AmeriCorps has empowered millions of Americans to tackle pressing challenges facing our communities—from rebuilding after natural disasters to mentoring youth and improving education outcomes. In South Carolina, this spirit of service thrives through the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service, the state’s hub for national service.
With over 2,000 active members and more than 400 project sites statewide, AmeriCorps SC directs more than $13 million annually in federal resources to locally driven initiatives. Guided by the principles of local leadership, state stewardship, and federal support, AmeriCorps members work tirelessly to “get things done for America.”
AmeriCorps is more than a program—it is a reflection of American values. It is neighbor helping neighbor. Stranger helping stranger. AmeriCorps is the American spirit in action.
Benefits of Service
The benefits that individuals serving with an AmeriCorps SC program are eligible to receive are listed below.
Living Allowance
Your living allowance will help cover the basic costs of living, which allows national service to be an option for everybody. Furthermore, living within tight economic bounds encourages AmeriCorps Members to relate more closely with the resource-limited communities they serve. (The amount of living allowance varies by program and term type. Please refer to the application process for each AmeriCorps SC program listed below for more details.)
Health Insurance
Health insurance, which meets Affordable Care Act standards, is provided to those serving full-time as AmeriCorps Members. Coverage varies by program, but general questions are addressed on this website.
Education Award
Following your successful completion of your AmeriCorps term of service, you will become eligible to earn the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. This can be applied to existing student loans or to future education endeavors. Each AmeriCorps Member can earn up to the equivalent of two full-time education awards, totaling over $11,000. Over 180 institutions of higher education will match your AmeriCorps Education Award.
Professional Development / Job Training
Many AmeriCorps Members utilize the valuable job training, professional development, and networking opportunities they participating in while serving in an AmeriCorps SC program to advance their career after their term of service.
Childcare Assistance
Full-time service Members may qualify for childcare assistance. The application process can be completed here.
Loan Forbearance
Your federal student loans qualify for loan forbearance (i.e. payment postponement) during your term of service. Furthermore, the federal government will pay for the interest that your loans accrue while in forbearance during your year of service. You can learn more about applying for loan forbearance here.
Meet Like-Minded Peers
You will get to serve alongside other service-minded peers who seek to strengthen our South Carolina communities. Further, you will join a network of over 1,000,000 AmeriCorps Alum, who can link you to resources and job opportunities following your AmeriCorps service. Register here to start receiving AmeriCorps Alum benefits today.
2026-2027 AmeriCorps SC Programs
Learn more about your local AmeriCorps programs!
ArtistYear places three-quarter time AmeriCorps Volunteers - professional teaching artists with discipline-specific expertise and experience in teaching or youth development - in Title I partner schools across Laurens and Newberry Counties, SC. Serving in a full-time capacity during a 10-month school-year term, these Volunteers expand access to arts education and youth development opportunities for students through direct arts instruction, creative learning experiences, and school-community engagement. Through their service, ArtistYear strengthens schools' capacity to provide meaningful arts programming while supporting students' creativity, academic achievement, and character development.
City Year operates in schools across Richland and Lexington County providing critical support to students through academic tutoring, mentorship, and after-school programs. Our AmeriCorps Members serve as Student Success Coaches, working directly with students to enhance their educational experience, build essential skills, and foster a positive school environment.
College Advising Corps (CAC) plans to place recent college graduates in high schools across South Carolina as full-time postsecondary advisers. CAC advisers work primarily with high school seniors to help them develop individualized plans for life after graduation, including career exploration, financial aid applications, and college or workforce enrollment. Through one-on-one advising and support, CAC helps students identify and pursue their best-fit pathway, whether that includes a trade school, certificate program, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or military service. CAC ensures students graduate with a clear plan to support their long-term goals.
The CISofSC AmeriCorps program will place Student Support Coaches in elementary, middle school, and high school campuses across the state to meet students where they are and provide wraparound support for students and their families to thrive.Our site schools are spread out in the upstate, midlands and lowcountry regions. Our Members are serving in three-quarter time, half and minimum time positions.
Teach For America recruits and develops promising leaders to teach for two years in an under-resourced elementary school in South Carolina's LowCountry, Pee Dee, or Midlands regions. AmeriCorps members serve as classroom teachers, engage in robust professional development, and receive the financial and professional support to build a rewarding career in the classroom.
Breakthrough South Carolina offers joyful and rigorous summer academic programming in Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg Counties. AmeriCorps members serve as Teaching Fellows in full time positions for 8-9 weeks to achieve 300 hours.
Ready Readers is a partnership between United Way of Kershaw County and AmeriCorps of South Carolina. The focus is developing a love of literacy for our elementary school students who are struggling to read. We know literacy lifts lives out of poverty, and by reading to children early and often, we can better prepare them for success.
The Environmental Conservation Corps is a service-learning and workforce development program which engages AmeriCorps members in conservation experiences that lead to careers in conservation. The program's goal is to create the next generation of conservation leaders by engaging members in nature-based restoration work that advances coastal resilience and protects essential habitat and vulnerable places across all coastal counties of South Carolina. Members engage in three categories of restoration activities while in service: (1) Oyster and salt marsh restoration; (2) Rain garden design, construction and maintenance; and (3) Conservation work in parks, National Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, and National Estuarine Research Reserves. AmeriCorps members serve in 300 hour positions.
Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC) engages young adults and transition-aged youth in hands-on AmeriCorps service that strengthens South Carolina’s forests, waterways, trails, and communities. Through crew-based and individual placements with partners such as the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and The Nature Conservancy, members restore lands impacted by natural disasters, improve public access to outdoor infrastructure, and enhance ecosystem resilience. While serving, AmeriCorps members gain critical workforce skills, certifications, and career pathways in conservation, advancing environmental stewardship and community resilience across rural and coastal counties in South Carolina.
Healthy Learners operates across South Carolina, providing essential health services to school-aged children to improve their overall well-being and academic performance. Our AmeriCorps Members serve directly with schools and communities to ensure children receive necessary medical care and health education. By bridging the gap between healthcare and education, we help create a healthier future for our state's children.
National Mental Health Corps South Carolina 10 full-time AmeriCorps members will deliver evidence-based/evidence-informed prevention and early intervention mental health activities that increase community knowledge, strengthen early identification of mental health challenges, and improve connections to care, helping to build a stronger local safety net across the state of South Carolina. The program will develop a sustainable mental health workforce pipeline by providing members with an applied service experience, professional development, and clear pathways into South Carolinas mental health workforce.
The SCFCA Community Health Worker (CHW) program will increase access to care, increase health knowledge, promote positive change in health behaviors, and improve health outcomes for patients in South Carolina's free clinics. AmeriCorps members serving as CHWs will track and improve quality improvement measures and/or a behavioral/social measure. The quality improvement measures will align with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) standards for diabetes and hypertension. AmeriCorps members will receive training and will become certified CHWs upon passing the exam.
Able SC is a disability-led organization in Columbia and Greenville seeking transformational changes in systems, communities, and individuals. Our members focus on direct service to our consumers. We help consumers reach their goals through skill building, peer support, finding and navigation resources, and more!
AmeriCorps F.R.E.E. (Financial Readiness and Education for Everyone), operated through the United Way of Sumter, Clarendon, and Lee Counties, serves communities across Sumter, Clarendon, and Lee Counties in South Carolina. Through financial literacy workshops, resource navigation, and community outreach, the program empowers youth and adults with the knowledge and skills needed to achieve greater financial stability and long-term success. AmeriCorps members serve in direct service and capacity-building roles, providing financial education, supporting community partnerships, coordinating workshops and events, and connecting individuals and families to essential resources and support services.
@ AmeriCorps SC Alums
