An Evaluation of AmeriCorps Supported Programs Tackling Climate Change

In 2020, AmeriCorps contracted with an independent consulting firm, ICF, to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of AmeriCorps projects that explicitly connect their work to climate change to learn more about them and to build evidence in this high-priority area. The definition of climate change in the study’s context was based on AmeriCorps performance measures as well as areas of interest and recommendations from AmeriCorps (e.g., preparation for green jobs, direct reference to climate change, equity, and recruitment) and includes the “big areas” of disaster response, conservation, wildfire mitigation, other forms of mitigation, energy efficiency, education and training, and community resilience. The study used a “bundling” approach that pooled together projects across AmeriCorps funding streams with similar program models and outcomes for the evaluation. This contract also included delivering evaluation capacity-building sessions to project staff from the bundle of participating organizations to support their efforts to build their own evidence and encourage knowledge sharing on this important topic.