Serve Rhode Island

Serve Rhode Island transforms the lives of Rhode Islanders by increasing the number of people engaged in volunteer and service activities in their communities.

The Rhode Island State Commission for National and Community Service, d.b.a. Serve Rhode Island, was established in 1994 to administer the AmeriCorps program of the federal government. Serve Rhode Island presently administers 9 AmeriCorps programs funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. In 2009-2010 Serve Rhode Island made grants totaling over $3.8 million in federal AmeriCorps funds to support the work of 396 AmeriCorps members assigned in Rhode Island working to meet community need through: The Charter Corps at Highlander Charter School and Times Squared Academy, The National College Advising Corps at Brown University, College Guides Program, Mt. Hope Learning Center, Providence Children’s Museum, Ocean State Environmental Education Collaborative, Ready to Learn Providence, Providence CityArts’ Expanded Day Teaching Artists Program, East Bay Community Action Program, and Scholarships for Service/Rhode Island Campus Compact.

For 40 years, The Volunteer Center of Rhode Island (VCRI) has been connecting people and opportunities for effective community service. On January 1, 2009, VCRI merged into Serve Rhode Island to become the Volunteer Center at Serve Rhode Island. This merge creates one statewide organization dedicated to meeting the volunteer service needs of the Rhode Island community.