FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2025
Cora Davis, NDMV Communications Director [email protected]
After 30 Years, AmeriCorps Cuts Funding for Notre Dame Mission Volunteers
Baltimore, MD - On June 16, 2025, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers received a notification that their application for AmeriCorps funding for the 2025 - 2026 service year was denied. Their application was among dozens of others, including many legacy programs, that were denied funding for the coming year.
“While this decision is deeply disappointing, it does not define us,” said Ted Miles, Executive Director, NDMV. “Notre Dame Mission Volunteers was born of the Sisters’ vision long before AmeriCorps—and that vision continues. AmeriCorps helped us grow, but it has never been the source of our mission. That came from the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur—and from every member who has served in classrooms, job readiness programs, food distribution, and community centers across the country. This is not the end of our story. It’s a turning point, and we intend to move forward with commitment, creativity, and hope.”
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur started Notre Dame Mission Volunteers (NDMV) in 1991, before AmeriCorps was established. The first volunteers were recruited by the Sisters to support their ministries and live out the charism of the congregation, particularly by supporting education and standing in solidarity with the poor.
In 1995, the second Executive Director of NDMV, Sr. Katherine “Sissy” Corr, sought out to expand the work of the program. She, alongside a few other leaders of faith-based programs, pursued AmeriCorps funding to support the living allowance, benefits, and continued education of the NDMV participants. Since then, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers has expanded greatly, from just six volunteers in 1992, to 32 in the first group funded by AmeriCorps. By 2016, almost 500 NDMV participants served all across the country.
"AmeriCorps helped the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to build our outreach and solidarity with the poor all across the U.S.," said Sr. Katherine Corr, Executive Director, St. Julie Haiti Project. "Notre Dame Mission Volunteers has grown and advanced right alongside AmeriCorps, and as one of the largest faith-based grantees, NDMV had the opportunity to share a unique perspective in the national service community. NDMV is a vital national SNDdeN ministry, and in the last 35 years, it has transformed people and communities across the country. The Sisters have had the special opportunity to invite thousands of laypeople, particularly young people, into their traditions of service, education, and nurturing human dignity. This partnership has brought together people of all faiths and backgrounds in a shared pursuit of enabling people to keep growing their potential and expand their hearts as wide as the world."
This year, AmeriCorps has encountered a myriad of challenges. Two temporary pools of funding from Congress expired, at a time when there was an influx of applications. Meanwhile, the department of government efficiency arrived in April and took steps to dismantle the agency’s operations, placing 85 percent of staff on administrative leave, suddenly terminating grants across the country, and ending contracts that carried out key functions to support programs like NDMV. Executive Orders have hindered AmeriCorps-funded organizations’ ability to carry out their missions. And while there is not yet a funding proposal from Congress for the coming year, the White House’s proposed budget calls for elimination of the agency.
Notre Dame Mission Volunteers had requested $4.6 million in funding from AmeriCorps for each of the next three service terms. In light of this news, NDMV will pivot its model in the coming service term. This year, there will be fewer program managers and fewer participants. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur continue to sponsor NDMV and support the organization as it reflects on re-imagining the programming and opportunities for national service. NDMV looks forward to this opportunity to build on the long legacy of partnerships and solidarity with marginalized communities as it carries forward in this new chapter.
The coming year marks the 35th anniversary of Notre Dame Mission Volunteers. The organization plans to celebrate its long legacy of service throughout the year, culminating in August 2026. The theme – “35 Years of Goodness in Action” – will honor the people, stories, and spirit that brought and continue to bring this mission to life.
For updates on the organization’s progress, anniversary celebration, and other ways to get involved, visit their website, ndmva.org, follow them on social media (@ndmva on Instagram or Facebook @ Notre Dame Mission Volunteers). Other inquiries contact: Communications Director Cora Davis at [email protected].