Host AmeriCorps

Thank you for your interest in the Habitat for Humanity of Iowa AmeriCorps Programming. Below you will find information about our application timeline, benefits and expectations of host sites and more.

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Hosting an AmeriCorps Volunteers means, the affiliates have a person serving 40 or 24 hours a week for 3 to 12-month commitments. These members build capacity, expand programming, a create lifetime housing advocates and leaders for the affiliates through their service. Habitat Iowa helps with recruitment, administrative, and training support throughout the year. The fact sheet linked above explains the program and how your organization can participate! 

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Yearly Timeline:

• January-March: Host Site Interest Applications are open for 3-month Summer programming

• February-June: Host Site Interest Applications are open for 12-month programming!

• April 1: Affiliates and host sites are notified of selection for Summer Programming and host site agreements sent out

• May -July: Affiliates and host sites are notified of selection for 12-month programming and host site agreements sent out. 

• May - June: 3-month Summer members begin serve

• September-October: 12-month members start

 

Benefits for the Affiliates and Host Sites

• An AmeriCorps Volunteer serving full or part time for 3 to 12-month commitments.

• Recruitment help through Habitat Iowa staff 

• Habitat Iowa Staff support your AmeriCorps members throughout the year

• Training provided to members to help with soft skills

• Habitat Staff handle all the HR, payroll, and other administrative roles. Learn about member benefits here or by viewing the fact sheet at the top of the page. 

• Access to the Mobile Response Team, when teams are not responding to natural disasters in Iowa.

 

Cost Associated with Programming:

• Pay a host site fee for each member (More info under Disaster Response Tiers section below)

  • Tier 1 - Disaster Response - $1,000 per member

  • Tier 2 - Non-Disaster - $9000, $7500, $6000, or $3800​

• Provide supervision to the AmeriCorps volunteers 4-5 hours per week

• Nurture and encourage the training and growth the AmeriCorps members at your site

• Provide sufficient resources and tools needed for member to perform their service effectively.  This may include a desk, computer, and other office supplies.

 

Why do we charge a program fee?

While AmeriCorps is a federal grant that allows amazing things to be accomplished, it does come with many financial requirements to ensure it continues. The host site fee is required to help the program operate, cover administration costs, and meet the minimum 30% federal match requirements of the grant. Many of these expenses are fixed regardless of the recruited number of AmeriCorps volunteers. As an ASO, we do not fundraise to ensure we’re not competing with affiliates for grant applications to the same donors.   If Habitat Iowa can secure different funding sources, we will work to reduce or reimburse host site fees as we are able.

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Read through our AmeriCorps Host Site Agreement to learn more. 

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Disaster Response Tiers

The AmeriCorps program is changing in 2026-2027 to better accommodate programmatic changes and to better support the state of Iowa in disaster response. 

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AmeriCorps host sites have the ability to choose between two different response levels as part of the Volunteer Iowa Disaster Cadre Unit through the State of Iowa.

 

Tier 1 – AmeriCorps Volunteers available and expected to join disaster response

Program Fees reduced thanks to disaster funding grant through Volunteer Iowa

 

AmeriCorps Volunteer is hired with disaster designation. Host site will pay a reduced fee for having the member, but then in turn the sites must allow AmeriCorps volunteers to respond and make a good faith effort to make them available to response to local disasters under Habitat Iowa and Volunteer Iowa. 

 

• Typical disaster response would only be a few days (1-3) and anything more than a work week would be case by case basis.

• Typical activities would be – debris clean up, mucking and gutting, volunteer reception center help, donations center work.

• Host sites would be given as much notice as possible to plan for AmeriCorps volunteer absence.

• If AmeriCorps volunteer’s disaster response creates undue hardship on the site or the member, the host site can keep members back. An example would be a festival build or a huge building blitz project or member has a personal obligation already planned during time of deployment.

• Members will be trained by Habitat Iowa staff and Volunteer Iowa staff.

 

Tier 2 – AmeriCorps Volunteers available but not expected to respond to disaster.

Normal non-reduced program fees will be collected.

 

AmeriCorps Volunteer and Host Site will not have an expectation to respond to disaster outside of normal disaster requests. AmeriCorps volunteers will still be asked to join disaster activities by Habitat Iowa, Volunteer Iowa and/or state of Iowa on occasion. This is a requirement of all AmeriCorps programs to make the ask of members especially when directed by the governor of Iowa or Iowa Homeland Security.