Nearly $12 million in federal grants for Illinois nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations through AmeriCorps will be restored after Attorney General Kwame Raoul sued the Trump administration over the cuts.
Funding to AmeriCorps, a federal agency that places volunteers and supports community service programs, was slashed by $184 million nationwide, the federal government announced this spring. The cuts affected local organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago and the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
But Raoul joined attorneys general and governors from 23 states in a legal challenge shortly after the cuts were announced in April, but the lawsuit never made it to court. A judge granted a preliminary injunction in June, reinstating hundreds of programs that were suddenly canceled.
The White House Office of Management and Budget had withheld $184 million from the service programs until Thursday, when the office and AmeriCorps reached an agreement to have the funds released.
“The administration’s abrupt termination of these vital grants and programs had far-reaching and devastating impacts,” Raoul said in a news release. “I am pleased the hundreds of Illinoisans who serve some of Illinois’ most vulnerable populations will once again be able to give back to their communities.”
Statewide, more than 9,400 people worked or volunteered for AmeriCorps, according to AmeriCorps Illinois. After the cuts were announced, at least 85% of AmeriCorps staff were put on leave, and some were notified that they had been terminated.