The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (often shortened to “Education Award,” or “Ed Award”) is a post-service benefit that AmeriCorps members receive after successfully completing a term of national service. This includes service through AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps NCCC, and AmeriCorps State and National programs. Named in honor of Eli Segal, a key figure in the national service movement and the first CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the award recognizes the contributions of AmeriCorps members to their communities and the nation.
Upon successful completion of their service, AmeriCorps alums are eligible to receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which can be used to cover the cost of attendance at qualified post-secondary educational institutions or to repay qualified student loans.
The amount of the award is linked to the maximum Pell Grant amount for the year, meaning it may change annually. As of now, members can earn up to the value of two full-time Education Awards throughout their service with AmeriCorps. Additionally, recipients have seven years from the date they earned the award to use it.
Montana’s Schools of National Service Match the Education Award
In 2015, in honor of the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps, our board voted as a network to offer matching contributions to AmeriCorps alums who use their Education Awards in Montana. This initiative is referred to as “Schools of National Service” and Montana’s institutions, and the details of the match they offer are listed on this part of the AmeriCorps website.
The following MCNCE campuses have formalized agreements to match the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
- Carroll College
- Flathead Valley Community College
- Fort Peck Community College
- Helena College UM
- Miles Community College
- Montana State University
- MSU Billings
- MSU Northern
- Montana Technological University
- University of Montana
- University of Montana Western
AmeriCorps alums seeking to leverage a campus match for their Education Award should work with their campus’s financial aid office to have the match applied. Each campus has individual rules and exclusions about how its match is applied, and matches are not guaranteed.
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