ICYMI: Boyle, Local Leaders Sound Alarm on Trump’s Elimination of AmeriCorps Funding and Its Impact on Philadelphia Youth
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Yesterday, Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02) joined local education leaders to denounce the Trump Administration’s elimination of AmeriCorps funding—cuts that threaten critical education and youth development programs across Philadelphia.
At the press conference, Congressman Boyle was joined by Hillary Kane, Director of the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND); David Weinstein, Executive Director of Joyful Readers; Darryl Bundridge, Executive Director of City Year Philadelphia; and Anna Shurak, Executive Director of Teach For America Philadelphia. Together, they highlighted the devastating consequences these cuts would have on students, schools, and communities throughout the city.
“You can understand why AmeriCorps has long had bipartisan support in Congress, and I stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to demand that this funding be restored across our commonwealth,” said Congressman Boyle. “AmeriCorps members are meeting this moment. They're working in our schools and food banks. Helping veterans access vital services, supporting seniors and so much more in every ZIP code. They're actively working to make Philadelphia a better place.”
“Our program this year served 170 students, mostly in high schools in West Philadelphia. And we had to tell our members that Friday was their last day,” said Hillary Kane, Director of the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND). “AmeriCorps has been a vital resource for us to help make these connections and to provide better services to folks.”
“Can you imagine being an AmeriCorps member, serving for a modest stipend, supporting kids, and being told over the weekend you can't go back, your term of service has ended,” said David Weinstein, Executive Director of Joyful Readers. “Can you imagine being a student who's learning how to read, who's struggling a little bit, but has someone there supporting them, and now you're starting to get it, but on Monday your tutor just doesn't show up and you don't really know why.”
In Pennsylvania, AmeriCorps invested nearly $39 million in federal funding last year, leveraging an additional $16 million from private and local partners—generating over $17 in economic value for every dollar spent. In Philadelphia alone, more than 1,300 AmeriCorps members served in schools, afterschool programs, and nonprofits during the 2023–2024 fiscal year. That includes 125 Teach For America teachers reaching over 7,700 students in North and West Philadelphia, and City Year Philadelphia, which provided success coaching and academic support to more than 7,000 students across 12 local schools.
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