(The Center Square) – Advocates are applauding the return of federal taxpayer funding for AmeriCorps programs in Michigan.
This comes after months of uncertainty for their future – uncertainty that began with Trump administration efforts to cut what it deemed “wasteful” spending through the The Department of Government Efficiency.
Two of the AmeriCorps programs in question were administered by the Michigan College Access Network. With the return of federal funding following a heated legal battle, AdviseMI and College Completion Corps have both now been relaunched.
Trisha Caldwell is the director of advising and coaching for both of those programs and spoke with The Center Square in an exclusive interview about the significance of having that funding continued.
“MCAN was able to start a new program year of placing AmeriCorps members in high schools and community colleges throughout the state to provide high touch, in depth, individualized support to students to help them realize their dreams,” Caldwell said. “We are again positioned to engage 6,500 high school seniors and 2,500 community college students in communities across the state.”
AmeriCorps is a U.S. government-funded service organization created in 1993. According to americorps.gov, the agency enrolls more than 200,000 people each year, while also providing more than $4.8 billion in education awards.
In February, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing every federal agency to reduce its staff in a money-saving effort.
In the wake of that order, AmeriCorps placed nearly 90% of its workforce on administrative leave. It also canceled more than $400 million in grant funding nationwide, which has totaled nearly $1 billion annually in recent fiscal years.
Following months of ongoing certainty, the Office of Management and Budget announced it would release all of the paused funding.
Caldwell said those cuts will have lasting effects on AmeriCorps programs.
“The gap in program funding and implementation over the summer meant that we lost high quality individuals whose roles were abruptly terminated, lost partnerships with education providers who were navigating uncertainty, and missed out on several months of supporting students during a time that is critical for students in their college-going process,” she explained. “We’re thankful for the restoration of funding as we continue to work to rebuild.”
In Michigan, AmeriCorps had 7,900 members working from February 2024 through February 2025. In total, Michigan’s AmeriCorps received more than $31.6 million in federal funding and generated more than $17.5 million in funding from businesses, foundations, public agencies, and other sources in Michigan.
AdviseMI was first launched in 2015. It places AmeriCorps members as college advisors in high schools with low college-going rates. College Completion Corps, which launched in 2020, places AmeriCorps members as completion coaches on college campuses.
Caldwell said these programs are invaluable for the state.
“AdviseMI college advisers and College Completion Corps coaches provide college access and success support complementing and enhancing the work that is already facilitated by wonderful but stretched school counselors and college staff,” she said. “The AmeriCorps funding allows MCAN to provide this vital resource to the state at a very low cost to the participating high schools and colleges so that students who can most benefit from the support of an AmeriCorps member are able to get it and together we are able to create a more prosperous Michigan.”
Through those two program, AmeriCorps members have assisted nearly 100,000 Michigan high school and college students.
Caldwell explained that funding uncertainty continues for AmeriCorps members, despite it currently being restored.
“With the restoration of funding, we hired a new group of members, making sure to be very transparent with them about funding cut risks,” she said. “We’re so impressed by our new members who have stepped into roles to support their communities, despite the long-term uncertainty.”
