Emergency Support - 2023 Government Shutdown

Emergency Funding Request

for civic bridge builders during the 2023 government shutdown

Move for America Fellows are civic bridge builders. They commit to a year of service to their nation to bring diverse communities together, elevate marginalized voices, and heal our divided nation.

And yet it is these same divides we work against that risk the service and livelihood of our Fellows alongside that of more than 200,000 AmeriCorps volunteers across the country and nearly half a million government employees and their families.

Due to the government shutdown, Move for America Fellows will be working with no pay. Many Fellows live paycheck to paycheck as part of their commitment to service. Without the federal living stipend, it is very difficult for them to make ends meet.

To support the nine Move for America Fellows serving across Minnesota for one month costs $15,000. These funds will keep Fellows in service and ensure they don’t suffer from crippling financial strain. The longest US government shutdown was in 2018-19 for 35 days.

The irony of the moment is not lost on us: the increasingly divided and radicalized Congress is a reflection of the divisions fracturing our communities; and Move for America Fellows are civic bridgebuilders on the frontlines of a battle for a more compassionate and collaborative future.

Can we count on you to keep our civic bridge builders in service?