California Volunteers (CV) – Office of the Governor 

Quarterly Commission Meeting | Department and Program Updates   

Tuesday, October 6, 2026 
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.  
LOCATION 
The Commission meeting is a teleconference. Please call California Volunteers at +1 (916) 323-7646, if you have any questions.

Commission Meeting Public Agenda | Final May 2026 Meeting Minutes | CV Division Reports

AmeriCorps California 

AmeriCorps California successfully filled 92% of awarded slots [2,110 out of 2,288] for the 2025-26 program year, exceeding our target and the enrollment rate from the previous year by 9%. Providing grantees with tailored technical assistance combined with continued higher living allowances have contributed to improved enrollment.    

• Of the 2,110 members enrolled from the 2025-26 program year, 1,097 members have earned full or partial education awards with 672 members still actively serving through the end of October. Members have completed a total of 1,272,118 service hours to date. 

• In July, the Program Committee approved 2026-27 AmeriCorps federal formula grants totaling $1,981,392 to four programs that did not receive competitive funds:  

• Improve Your Tomorrow at $500,000 for 20 Members per Service Year (MSY) for three-year funding.  

• GRID Alternatives at $500,000 for 20 MSY for one-year funding 

• Junior Giants at $500,000 for 20 MSY for one-year funding. 20 MSY of Men’s Service  

• Community Clinic Association of LA County AmeriCorps Health Fellows at $481,392 for 19.26 MSYs for one-year funding 

• The total 2026-27 AmeriCorps CA grant portfolio consists of 36 programs supporting 2,685 members for a total investment of nearly $39.3M ($38M in FY 27 funds in addition to $1.3M in carryforward formula dollars).  This total investment represents an increase of $7.3M in FY 27 federal funds for programs, primarily due to receiving more programs funded at the competitive level (16 programs compared to 8 in 2026).  

• For the 2026-2027 cohort, 24 programs have started with 1,020 members actively serving. The remaining programs are expected to start by November.  

• CV issued FY 2027 AmeriCorps Request for Applications for Competitive Funding by the end of September.  The results of this competition will be presented to the Program Committee at the end of November for review and brought to a vote at the December commission meeting. To better align future AmeriCorps funding opportunities with the priorities of the incoming gubernatorial administration, CV will be issuing a separate Request for Applications for formula funding in February of 2027.  

• In June of 2024, California Volunteers was selected for a Performance Audit by AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General (OIG).  The audit covered the Commission’s programmatic activities and Federal Financial Reports (FFRs) for the period from January 1, 2022, through April 30, 2024, as reported in the Federal Financial Reports submitted by the California Volunteers Commission. OIG reviewed six AmeriCorps federal awards issued to the commission and subawards for seven subrecipients (Bay Area Community Resources, Inc.; Reading and Math Inc.; Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento; Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc.; California Conservation Corps; Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento; and CivicWell). OIG has completed the audit and expects to issue a final report at the end of September.  California Volunteers anticipates that there will be some findings and questioned costs associated with one subrecipient. California Volunteers will have one year from the date the final report is issued to work with the AmeriCorps agency to resolve all findings and any required corrective action. 

College Corps 

• College Corps has now surpassed 5.3 million hours of service statewide. Collectively, Fellows have served 5,375,875 hours in communities across California over the past four years, demonstrating the significant and sustained impact of the program. 

• The 2025–26 program year was another record year for service, with College Corps Fellows contributing more than 1.5 million hours through Community Host Partners across the state.  

• College Corps staff from across the state gathered in Davis for our fifth in-person exchange, creating dedicated time to connect with one another, hear from CV leadership and the College Corps team, share and learn best practices, and prepare to launch another program year. Staff feedback highlighted the tremendous value of the experience, with this exchange described as our best one yet and an important opportunity for campus leaders to learn from one another and strengthen their programs.  

• College Corps is continuing to invest in Fellow leadership and connection, creating more opportunities for Fellows to grow as leaders, connect with one another, and bring that leadership back to their campuses. One example is the Fellow Ambassador program, which brings together 1–2 Fellows from each campus to develop their leadership skills, connect with other Ambassadors across the state, with an intentional focus on how they can lead, build community, and strengthen the Fellow experience on their campus.  

• The 2026–27 program year is launching with an expanded network of 54 campuses and 4,134 service opportunities, including 9 new campuses and dedicated LA Wildfire Recovery opportunities. As of August, campuses had received more than 15,700 applications for these service opportunities, reflecting strong demand for College Corps across the state. 

 California Climate Action Corps 

• CCAC Fellowship: The 2026-27 Fellowship kicked off on September 21, with nearly 400 fellows serving with 110 nonprofits, public agencies, tribes, and educational institutions around the state. This term saw the strongest Fellow recruitment yet with seven applications received for every slot.  

• Climate Action Counts Month: In addition to launching the 2026-27 Fellowship, CCAC celebrated a busy Climate Action Counts month in September by partnering on California Biodiversity Day 2026, Coastal Clean Up Day, hosting a Community Climate Action Day in Los Angeles County  on September 26, a Golden Gate Nature Festival 30×30 volunteer project on September 27, and an online calendar of events featuring 750+ volunteer opportunities throughout the state, including 56 events funded by CCAC’s 2026 Climate Action Event Microgrant Program.  

• Climate Volunteer Events: CCAC partnered with UCLA, ShineLA, and other community partners to host a Community Climate Action Day in Los Angeles County on September 26. The broader day of service included a kickoff at UCLA and service projects across the county expected to engage approximately 2,000 volunteers (final volunteer count pending). CCAC also partnered with San Diego Climate Week to host a Community Climate Action Day in San Diego on October 3. The event included a kickoff and engaged hundreds of volunteers across 14 projects throughout Los Penasquitos Canyon Park (final volunteer count pending). Additional Community Climate Action Days are planned for Riverside on November 14 and Imperial County in December (TBA), with two more planned for January and February 2027. The remaining microgrants funds are in the process of being awarded, with up to $1,500 having been made available to support climate volunteer events throughout the state.  

• 2027 California Service Day: CV has released a funding opportunity to support implementation and engagement for an inaugural 2027 California Service Day (TBD April) – a high-impact day of service and volunteering expected to engage 25,000 volunteers and service members across projects throughout the state. A large-scale project will be hosted by CV with additional projects supported via a microgrant program.  

• Climate Action Counts Campaign: CV’s collective action campaign to engage one million Californians in taking climate action in their everyday lives has nearly reached its goal, with the current total at 188 partners and over 938,000 pledges/actions (66% are individuals showing up/volunteering) The campaign is expected to achieve its goal of one million pledges and actions by early to mid-October, which will be celebrated alongside the Resilient California Summit.  

Neighbor-to-Neighbor 

• Service Corps: The 2025-26 term (Year 2) has completed, with fellows supporting the recruitment and engagement of more than 2,600 volunteers across 519 community events. The 2026-27 term will kick off October 13 with 20 fellows serving with 10 nonprofits, public agencies, and educational institutions across the Greater Bay and Chico areas.  

Youth Service Corps 

• For the 2025 Service Year, YSC has recruited more than 6,500 participants who have served more than 1.2 million hours to date. 

• We have hired two program managers to help manage our grantee portfolio. 

• In October 2026, YSC is expected to release the next round of Requests for Applications (RFAs). 

 Communications & External Affairs 

• Watershed Stewards Program, Year 32 Recognition Ceremony: Commissioner Catherine Milton delivered the keynote address at the graduation ceremony honoring corps members’ dedication and contributions to protecting California’s watersheds. 

• CA Youth Mental Health Career Pathways: In partnership with America’s Service Commissions, GO-Serve engaged with staff from the offices of Senator Alex Padilla and Representatives Ken Calvert (CA-41), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Judy Chu (CA-28), and Nanette Barragán (CA-44) to educate them on California’s YMHCP initiative, which deploys over 100 California Service Corps members in nonclinical roles across K–12 schools to provide mental health navigation and support while building pathways into behavioral health careers. 

• Voices for National Service – Capitol Hill Day: AmeriCorps California leadership met with staff from key congressional offices, including Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Ken Calvert, and Pete Aguilar (CA-33) to provide updates on California’s AmeriCorps programs and educate congressional staff on the state’s service landscape.  

• 25th Anniversary – 9/11 Day of Service Activities: CSO Fryday spoke at a day of service event in San Francisco to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. ABC 7, KRON and KTVUmedia outlets were in attendance, and CV staff shared day-of photos on social media. 

• Capital Fellows Program Orientation: CSO Fryday delivered the keynote address at the first-day orientation for the 2026–27 Executive and Judicial Fellowship cohorts, sponsored by the Governor’s Office and Judicial Council, respectively. He addressed 28 fellows participating in the nationally recognized, yearlong public policy fellowship programs. 

Marketing and Member Engagement  

• Since September, more than 35,000 members and alumni have received the Member Newsletter highlighting member achievements and promoting member events. Our upcoming newsletter in November will promote the CSC Alumni Network and drive sign-ups to the PeopleGrove platform.  

• We are currently soliciting for a contractor to continue and expand our Recruitment Pipeline Activation strategy among high school aged youth and their mentors. This contract expands to activate the CSC Alumni Network members who will undergo training to serve as recruitment ambassadors at relevant conferences and events throughout the state. The contract is expected to run from January 2027-January 2028.  

• We are looking forward to our CSC Swearing-In Ceremony celebrating our 2026-27 cohort happening tomorrow in Sacramento at the May Lee auditorium! This will be the final cohort sworn in under the Newsom Administration, and we look forward to CV Commissioners joining the celebration of this historic occasion. If you are not available to join us in Sacramento, livestream details will be made available.  

 Digital Infrastructure Office (DIO) 

• DIO brought on new contractor to focus on outfitting the Bonderson Building and other return-to-office efforts. 

• Staff attended the Cal OES Business Continuity 101 workshop. Cal OES reviewed the Business Continuity Plan at a high level, outlining the multi-step process coordinated with Cal OES to ensure state agencies have comprehensive disaster preparation plans in place. 

• . DIO plans to support the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) by managing the Technology Recovery Plan that is nested with the BCP. 

• DIO added resources to support America Learns for College Corps and Youth Service Corps external assistance with an additional staff member. 

• A project was launched to deploy Cornerstone, a new Learning Management System that will help with internal and external interactive trainings. 

Finance and Compliance  

• The Finance and Compliance team is currently awaiting initial determinations for two AmeriCorps Payment Integrity Assessments for FY 2026 (Request #s 01-017 and 01-026). Both assessments closed for review on August 31, 2026. 

• The Finance and Compliance team is currently involved in 24 Fiscal Desk Reviews (7 AmeriCorps, 8   College Corps and 4   Youth Service Corps).   

• The Finance and Compliance team is in the contracting phase of the 2026-27 AmeriCorps program year. To date, 25 contracts have been executed, and 11 are pending final approval. 

• California Volunteers submitted management comments to the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General audit draft report that was issued on September 21, 2026. The draft report was released on September 4, 2026, and the final report is anticipated to be published in the coming weeks.