Posted May 1, 2025
On Tuesday, the State of Colorado filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s abrupt cuts to funding and services that help Colorado prevent wildfires, support student success, and ensure Coloradans’ access to mental health care through AmeriCorps.
“In Colorado, AmeriCorps members are on the front lines: supporting wildfire mitigation, helping students succeed in school, and expanding mental health access. Their work touches every part of our state, and these cuts are taking important services away from Coloradans and our communities,” said Governor Jared Polis.
This sudden termination by the Trump administration will prematurely end the service of nearly 300 AmeriCorps members in Colorado at close to 200 sites across the state. This means cuts to fire mitigation work, support for Colorado students and schools, less access to mental health support and more. Nationally, these cuts impact $400 million in current AmeriCorps grants – accounting for 41% of the agency’s current 2025 funding, without statutory authority or Congressional approval.
“AmeriCorps unlocks the power of national service which supports transformational outcomes for both communities and members,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera, whose office oversees the state service commission, Serve Colorado. “This decision will have devastating effects on communities across our state, impacting our ability to support students, provide families food and housing supports, protect against forest fires, and lift up our neighbors. Cutting AmeriCorps undermines our ability to meet local needs and erases a pipeline of passionate, skilled individuals ready to lead in every sector. We believe these actions are not only reckless but immeasurably harmful, and we will continue to consider every approach to support the power of national service in our state and across the country.”
AmeriCorps programs have long served as a vital workforce pipeline in Colorado, training teachers, mental health workers, firefighters, and conservationists. In 2024 alone, Colorado’s nearly 1,400 AmeriCorps members served at over 700 local sites statewide across all branches of AmeriCorps service, from rural mountain towns to urban centers. Their impacts include:
- Contributing over 1 million hours of service to uplift fellow Coloradans
- Returning over $30 million in tax refunds to low-income families through tax preparation assistance
- Supporting almost 20,000 students with mentorship, classroom support, and tutoring
- Removing 25,000+ hazard trees and thinning 3,000+ acres to reduce wildfire risk
- Graduating 100 fully trained wildland firefighters and 350 certified chainsaw operators annually
- Treating almost 1,000 miles of public trails
- Providing human services to over 27,000 community members
In addition to the importance of the services provided to Coloradans by AmeriCorps members, it also saves communities money. For every $1 spent on AmeriCorps efforts, up to $34 is returned.
The Trump administration has already impacted the federal infrastructure of AmeriCorps by initiating the Reduction in Workforce (RIF) process to most of AmeriCorps’ 650 federal employees, further destabilizing the agency’s ability to function. It has also demobilized the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), including the 300-member campus in Aurora, which deployed hundreds of young adults annually for hands-on service projects across the region. The demobilization of NCCC is already resulting in canceled recovery efforts, lost housing projects, and the disappearance of surge capacity in times of crisis. Recently, Lt. Governor Primavera advocated against these actions and for the importance of national service.
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