PRESIDENT’S F.Y. 2010-11 REQUEST: $1.4 BILLION

House Voted: $118 million for shutdown costs

House Republicans voted to eliminate the Corporation for National and Community Service and the $1.4 billion in federal funds it would provide to programs that encourage Americans to serve in their communities and around the nation, including AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, City Year, Foster Grandparents and others.

If the federal funds are snatched away, some of these programs will lose matching private contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations, as well as money from localities. Some may have to close down.

Habitat for Humanity would be hit hard. Last year, nearly 660 AmeriCorps members assigned to the group helped recruit and supervise 200,000 community volunteers to build 3,600 homes for low-income families. Shutting AmeriCorps means Habitat for Humanity will lose those AmeriCorps workers and find it harder to oversee projects and recruit volunteer builders. Fewer houses will be built. The savings to taxpayers for this folly? About $4 million.

Teach for America says losing its $11 million grant from AmeriCorps means it would be short of money to pay for recruiting, training and other operating costs. It says it would have to reduce by about 500 the 8,200-member corps of recent college graduates it dispatches to help raise achievement in low-income schools. The separate loss of the $5,000 educational stipend available to AmeriCorps participants at the end of their service would make their recruiting harder.