Trump AmeriCorps cuts include grant terminations for $12 million in Illinois programs

Illinois nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations have seen $12 million in AmeriCorps grants terminated amid the Trump administration's dismantling of the venerated federal agency for volunteer service.

That includes grants administered to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago and the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, whose AmeriCorps members were told by the federal government on Monday to stop all grant activities and to stop reporting for service, according to a state of Illinois email obtained by the Sun-Times.

"I know all of us were blindsided today. I was not expecting to receive a directive such as this from the AmeriCorps Federal Agency today and neither were you," the email read. "We are saddened by nearly 400 million in federal funding cuts and over 1,000 program cuts nationwide. Our state is continuing to push and advocate alongside several other states in the nation and I will let you know results/actions/guidance each step of the way."

The grant terminations represent about $12 million in cuts and have impacted 25 of 33 Illinois grantees, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. Both IDHS and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office are reviewing the notice of grant termination from the federal government.

The department called the cuts "another example of the Trump Administration cruelly eliminating programs that have a tremendous impact on the people they serve."

"From seniors in rural communities to youth in afterschool programs, the Trump Administration has stripped Illinoisans of needed services, further weakening the safety net of already vulnerable populations," the department said. "This means students losing mentors, meals not provided to food insecure communities, and much more.”

Raoul on Tuesday joined about two dozen states in suing the Trump administration over its dismantling of AmeriCorps and the cancellation of millions of dollars in grant funding for projects across the country. The suit claims Trump's Department of Government Efficiency's illegally slashed the agency and terminated grants through the AmeriCorps State and National program, which was budgeted $557 million by Congress this year, according to The Associated Press.

According to AmeriCorps Illinois, more than 9,400 people provided service for the agency in Illinois last year.

At least 85% of AmeriCorps staff were put on administrative leave this month, while some were notified they had been terminated.

The White House on Tuesday pointed to improper payments reported by AmeriCorps, totaling over $40 million in 2024 and to insufficient documentation from grantees and expense errors.

“President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch,” Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, said in an email to The Associated Press.