Volunteer Tennessee

Volunteer Tennessee, a state government entity based in Nashville, acts as Tennessee's prime recipient for AmeriCorps federal grants administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) under multiple grant programs. As a U.S. state government rather than a for-profit vendor, Volunteer Tennessee operates outside traditional SBA set-aside categories and competes in full-and-open federal grant channels managed by CNCS's Office of Grants Management.

Volunteer Tennessee's federal footprint is entirely concentrated in AmeriCorps programming across four core grant vehicles. The Corporation for National and Community Service's Office of Grants Management funds all 17 recent awards, representing $61.1 million in combined obligated dollars. The portfolio spans AmeriCorps State and National (CFDA 94.006), AmeriCorps State Competitive programs, the AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund (CFDA 94.021), and the AmeriCorps Commission Investment Fund (CFDA 94.008). Volunteer Tennessee functions as the state service commission, coordinating AmeriCorps deployment and volunteer initiatives across Tennessee and providing training and technical assistance to over 500 volunteer connector organizations statewide.

Representative grant work includes a $7.17 million AmeriCorps State and National project grant (August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2029) supporting approximately 517 AmeriCorps members annually in education, economic opportunity, health, environmental stewardship, and emergency preparedness across Tennessee. A $1.84 million fixed-amount award (August 4, 2025 through August 3, 2028) at $7,183.32 per Member Service Year funds six sub-grantees including Public Education Foundation, Porter-Leath, Teach For America Nashville-Chattanooga, Teach For America Memphis, Relay Graduate School of Education, and Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee, collectively deploying approximately 289 AmeriCorps members. A $1.938 million AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund award (March 1, 2023 through February 28, 2026) supports volunteer recruitment and capacity building for nearly 200 organizations across Tennessee through sub-grantees Hands On Nashville and Volunteer Memphis. Volunteer Tennessee also receives Commission Investment Fund support ($332,272 awarded September 10, 2025) and Commission Support Grants for operational and administrative capacity building at 50% matching rates.

Volunteer Tennessee's service delivery model distributes work through a sub-grantee network that includes established national service partners such as City Year, Inc., Memphis Teacher Residency, Martha O'Bryan Center, Emerald Youth Foundation, Hands On Nashville, and regional education and environmental organizations. Five awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting recompete exposure in calendar 2027 and early 2028. Award activity peaked in 2022 with four grants and has remained steady at three to four annual awards in 2023, 2025, and 2026, reflecting the rolling cycle of AmeriCorps formula and competitive program renewals.