Service Learning

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Federal Support and Resources for Service Learning

The National and Community Service Act of 1990, Section 119, authorizes the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to administer service learning, and these programs were under the program "Serve America".  The National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 formally created the CNCS and Serve America became "Learn and Serve America." Learn and Serve America provided "direct and indirect support to K-12 schools, community groups and higher education institutions to facilitate service-learning projects by:

• Providing grant support for school-community partnerships and higher education institutions;
• Providing training and technical assistance resources to teachers, administrators, parents, schools and community groups;
• Collecting and disseminating research, effective practices, curricula, and program models; and
• Recognizing outstanding youth service through the Presidential Freedom Scholarship, President’s Volunteer Service Awards and other programs."

Funding for the Learn and Serve America program ended in 2011. CNCS, however, continued to support service learning through its other programs, such as AmeriCorps Seniors,  AmeriCorps State & National Education Award Programs, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Public Health AmeriCorps. In July 2022, AmeriCorps (public name for CNCS) submitted a report in support of renewed discrete and specific service learning funding that would have the same purposes:

1. Support high-quality service-learning projects that engage students in meeting community needs with demonstrable results, while enhancing students’ academic and civic learning; and
2. Support efforts to build institutional capacity, including training of educators, and to strengthen the service infrastructure to expand service opportunities. 

The Coalition for Service-Learning is advocating and tracking progress on funding.

Examples of policies, programs and funding for service learning:

This section lists some Public Health and medical education related examples of ways that universities provide support, training, structure, incentives and recognition for service learning.  Some schools have discrete centers for service learning and others integrate them into public service, community engagement and other offices. We hope over time to include other disciplines and welcome suggested additions.

For Temple University, visit the Service Learning at TU page.

Additional organizations, associations and research centers can be searched using the Gale Directory Library databases.