Published 10 months ago • loading... • Updated 10 months ago
Community Organizations Grapple with Funding Cuts to AmeriCorps
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT, AUG 2 – AmeriCorps funding cuts will end NMHC placements at 988 centers, eliminating 100 weekly hours of crisis care and threatening suicide prevention training amid a national mental health workforce shortage.
The National Mental Health Corps will lose AmeriCorps funding for 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline placements starting August 2025, threatening its operations nationwide.
This funding loss follows a 40% federal AmeriCorps budget cut in April 2025, including $60 million for California groups, creating significant uncertainty for programs reliant on this support.
NMHC members provide crisis counseling, contribute nearly 500,000 hours of care, and support underserved communities, while AmeriCorps aids youth education through programs like Breakthrough Sacramento.
Misha Harris from Crisis Text Line revealed that funding reductions will result in a loss of 100 hours per week of care, while the White House reported that AmeriCorps experienced eight consecutive audit failures and disbursed more than $45 million through erroneous payments in 2024.
The loss of AmeriCorps funding risks reducing suicide prevention capacity, increasing counselor burnout, and shrinking workforce pipelines vital to addressing the ongoing mental health crisis.