---

The Serve America Act creates Encore Fellowships for Americans age 55 and older to serve in one-year management and leaderships positions with nonprofit organizations.

Each year, 10 Encore Fellows from each state will be matched with qualifying organizations. In addition to their service, they will receive leadership training and help in arranging their post-service placement. Encore Fellows will receive a minimum stipend of about $23,000, with the federal funding at least matched by the recipient organization.

The fellowships and other provisions of Serve America build on growing nationwide enthusiasm for tapping the talents and experience of Americans who have finished their midlife careers to tackle society’s biggest challenges.

Other provisions of Serve America:

• Increase the number of AmeriCorps positions to 250,000 (from 75,000 currently) and targets 10 percent of those slots for people age 55 or older.
• Allow AmeriCorps members over 55 to use their education awards for their own retooling for encore careers or transfer the awards — increased to $5,350 — to their children and grandchildren.
• Create Silver Scholarships that would provide a $1,000 higher education scholarship to people 55 or older who contribute a minimum of 350 volunteer hours a year. Like the education awards, volunteers can use the scholarship for their own education or transfer it to their children, foster children or grandchildren.

What’s revolutionary? John Gomperts, president of Civic Ventures, explains, “Most people think national service is for young people. And it is. But once President Obama signs this legislation, service will be for people of all ages. That’s really quite revolutionary.”

Gomperts, who has extensive experience in the national service movement as the former chief of staff of the Corporation on National and Community Service (AmeriCorps) and as the former CEO of Experience Corps, says, “For the first time, federal legislation recognizes that a new stage of life and work follows midlife careers and that people in this stage of life need bridges and pathways to get from one stage to the next.

"National service is often a pathway to work for young people. Under this bill, national service will provide a pathway for those in midlife, too. Given the problems in our nation right now, we can’t afford to waste their experience. This legislation marks the beginning of a new story about how an aging society can use its experience to make a better society for us all.”

Read “A Quick Summary of a Quiet Revolution in National Service” to learn more about the opportunities the act creates for experienced Americans.