AmeriCorps Upstate

Find your path with AmeriCorps Upstate.

AmeriCorps Upstate creates access to services for people in need. Our members connect Upstate families and individuals with community resources like financial classes and tools, educational programs, food, and social service applications for SNAP benefits and Medicaid. Our members provide economic mobility coaching to create a personalized plan to help clients define and reach long-term goals. Members are also IRS-certified to provide free tax preparation through our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. By placing our members at local nonprofits and other services locations, we are able to support opportunities that improve economic mobility and create vibrant communities for all in Greenville County.

AmeriCorps Upstate creates greater access to programs and services across Greenville County. United Way works in collaboration and alongside local nonprofits to partner, share best practices, leverage resources and gather measurable results to find sustainable outcomes for our local communities. United Way of Greenville County serves as the grantee and administrator for this effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Living allowance of up to $27,000 per year
  • Segal Education Award of $7,395 at the end of service year (toward existing student debt or continued education)
  • Health coverage
  • Childcare benefits
  • Federal student loan forbearance
  • Payment of student loan interest on eligible loans
  • Monthly professional development training
  • Skill-building opportunities

Our application opens each spring and stays open until all positions are filled or for one month after orientation, whichever occurs first. If our application is not currently open, please fill out this information form and we will contact you when it reopens.

  1. Create a profile and application on my.americorps.gov.
  2. Complete and save your general application in the MyAmeriCorps system.
  3. Submit your application to our specific program: AmeriCorps Upstate

To help guide you through the application process, download this step-by-step tutorial.

  1. Initial Interview | Selected applicant meets with program staff. We provide a general overview of AmeriCorps and assess if you are the right fit for our program and team.
  2. Site Specific Interview | If selected to continue, you will be matched with sites that fit your interests and skills. A site partner will interview you and discuss the specifics of the role at that location.
  3. Site Match | Applicant and site will let program staff know if they feel the site match is a good fit. When all parties agree, successful applicants will be sent an acceptance letter with information about next steps.
  4. Enrollment | Applicant submits paperwork to staff and completes background check process. 
  5. Begin Service | New team members attend orientation with the team in Greenville, S.C. in August.
  6. Make a Difference! | Start at your host site and give a year of service to the community!

Team members serve directly at a partner site for an 11-month term helping individuals and families on the road to economic mobility. You serve full-time coaching clients in ways that aim to increase their personal income, build savings, and gain and sustain assets. Your daily duties could vary widely depending on your host site placement. In general, you would be spending time on the following three focus areas:

  • Economic Mobility Coaching | Become a mentor and coach to those in need utilizing the evidence-based Empath Mobility Mentoring Model
  • Resource Navigation | Case management, crisis assistance, connecting clients with community resources and helping people apply for benefits
  • VITA: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance | Free tax preparation at community locations

Our entire team is trained on tax preparation and is mobilized during the 10-week tax season to help at local free tax clinics through the VITA program. During this time (late January–mid-April) team members’ schedules vary from the norm; you may have some evening or Saturday morning service hours depending on your placement.

AmeriCorps Upstate terms run from late-August through the end of July. Members must serve 1,700 hours over the 11-month service term, averaging about 36 hours per week. Time management is up to the team member and the schedule varies by site. Hours are longer during tax season, including some evening and Saturday morning hours.

We collaborate with other local United Ways and partner agencies to host AmeriCorps members so they can connect with the community. Sites reapply each year, so this list may vary. Below is a list of our partners for the upcoming (2024–2025) service year:

United Way of Greenville County (Grant Holder)
Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina
Greenville Technical College
Legacy Early College
Pendleton Place
Salvation Army
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

If you’re interested in hosting an AmeriCorps member at your organization, please complete our host site interest form.

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If you’d like to learn more about AmeriCorps Upstate, please complete the form below or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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