CURRENT TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Projects
AmeriCorps VISTA members are eligible for a host of benefits during their service year, including:
- Stipend/Living allowance
- Health Coverage
- Relocation Allowance (HOR must be at least 50 miles from your service site)
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award or End of Service Stipend upon successful completion of service
- Application waivers & scholarship opportunities at colleges & universities designated as Schools for National Service as an AmeriCorps VISTA alumni
- One year of non-competitive eligibility for federal employment opportunities after service year
- Professional development opportunities through TMA & partner organizations
- Gym Membership, free on campus parking, housing (differs based on project site)
- Childcare assistance, if eligible
Bridges to Success is a proposed partnership between the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) and Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) to address the needs of low-income students to gain confidence in their ability to succeed at CCBC. Many students enter CCBC from our high school partners without understanding the labor market and with limited guidance about various programs and degree, certificate, and credential options. The VISTA volunteer will develop the capacity to serve students through hands-on, interactive events to connect local students in 6th-12th grade to CCBC faculty and resources, building their confidence in the ability to succeed in higher education. Additionally, CCBC has many opportunities for students to leverage stackable credentials, applying credits earned in one program to other related fields. Our VISTA member will also help build our capacity to offer middle and high school-students access to stackable credentials, applying credits earned in one program to other related fields. These opportunities often go underutilized due to a lack of clarity, information, and connection. This VISTA project will develop resources to help low-income students understand stackable credentials and create co-curricular activities that demonstrate the benefits of these pathways.
A Civic Engagement Student Experience project works with the Eagle Achievement Center to oversee the orientation experience for students in their first year and build on these outcomes and experiences during their second year. This collaboration through the recruitment stage with admissions makes for a cohesive voice on student expectations and the student experience. The first-year student experience includes a Seminar course taught by faculty, which will include intentional elements connected to the out-of-class experiences managed by the Eagle Achievement Center. The second-year student experience will intentionally incorporate students taking leadership roles and introduce service learning as an experiential way to further the learning outcomes. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer will provide additional support to implement the civic engagement elements of the first- and second-year experiences. As mentioned above, service learning is an important outcome for students and aligns with the mission of Coppin State University. The VISTA will support the development of service project opportunities, community relations connections, civic engagement experiences, and an entire class Service Day experience.
This TMA AmeriCorps VISTA project addresses the critical need for economic mobility among low-income high school students in West Virginia, where access to post-secondary education and financial literacy resources remains limited. The project will build capacity for a statewide initiative focused on harnessing the power of higher education to reduce poverty. By developing and disseminating financial literacy training and increasing awareness of affordable college pathways, the initiative aims to equip students from under-resourced communities with the tools to make informed decisions about college, student loans, and their economic futures. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTA member will lead the development of a comprehensive financial literacy and college access curriculum designed specifically for low-income and first-generation college students. This curriculum will include modules on budgeting, understanding student loans, college affordability, and long-term financial planning.
This VISTA project aims to strengthen community engagement, student outreach, and organizational capacity by facilitating student participation in volunteer initiatives and addressing local community needs through service events and projects. The VISTA member will support the recruitment and coordination of students for community service opportunities, develop new service initiatives, and work closely with campus and community partners to ensure effective implementation and data-driven outcomes.
The Goucher Prison Education Partnership (GPEP) works to break the cycle of poverty by enabling incarcerated people to earn a bachelor's degree from Goucher College. The GPEP Bridging Education and Reentry VISTA Project will create sustainable systems that "close the loop" for GPEP students moving from prison education to successful reentry, degree completion, and career advancement. The VISTA Member will build capacity for expanded reentry support by building a comprehensive and robust GPEP alumni database and communications system; developing Returning Home Guides and a program of reentry resource fairs for current and former students; formalizing partnerships with reentry organizations, employers, and other nonprofits; and laying the foundation for a stand-alone reentry program with a career-readiness curriculum.
The Homes Not Borders Community Support TMA AmeriCorps VISTA will focus on creating sustainable programs within Homes Not Borders that will promote opportunities for economic growth and volunteer recruitment that will help the families we serve better integrate into their new communities. These projects will include supporting our Client Storytelling Program, growing the reach and output of New Neighbor Designs, our online Artisan Store, and supporting volunteer recruitment and outreach. In addition, the TMA AmeriCorps VISTA will assist on other planned projects such as our annual Night of Thanks and Storytelling Night.
This VISTA Project provides capacity building for the HU CARES Mental Health Development Initiative at Howard University, a groundbreaking project addressing the mental needs of low-income people in Washington, DC, particularly young children and adults in Wards 1, 7, and 8. The HU CARES clinic will provide comprehensive mental health services for individuals facing academic, cognitive, and social-emotional challenges which create barriers to educational and employment success, thereby creating obstacles to breaking the cycle of poverty. Howard University graduate students and post-graduate fellows will serve as trainee service-providers, which will enhance the sustainability of this outreach. The VISTA member will build capacity for this initiative by fostering partnerships with local organizations and contributing to the development of sustainable funding strategies, thereby ensuring the project's long-term impact.
These two (2) TMA AmeriCorps VISTA positions will build the capacity of the IRCs Community Engagement Program, which contributes to the economic opportunity and self-sufficiency of clients in Prince Georges County and the Baltimore area. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTA positions will serve closely with the IRCs Community Engagement Program to educate community members about the IRC, the role the organization plays in the community, and meaningful opportunities to support IRCs work. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTAs will assess the impact of the IRCs community engagement efforts and propose strategies to improve the organization's reach in the community. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTAs will focus on the areas of external communications, community partnership building and outreach.
Currently, undergraduate students at JHU engage in education- based programming to support the education of Baltimore City youth primarily through tutoring. Although these programs aspire to provide City Schools' students with quality tutoring as well as access to valuable mentorship opportunities, there are often gaps in training across programs which we hope to address within the City Schools/JHU Mapping and Training VISTA role. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Member will be an integral part of working to build and implement training and onboarding protocols for Baltimore colleges and universities; train students on best practice in tutoring, risk management, and ethical community engagement and collaboration with City Schools; and assess the program and adjust the scope of project as needed. APPLY TODAY!
The K-12 entrepreneurship, innovation, and STEAM outreach program at SEED Innovation Hub will empower K-12 students with the skills of the future. SEED is a cutting-edge makerspace and provider of entrepreneurial support, developed within the realm of regional economic development plans alongside input from community members, entrepreneurs and educators. Just opened in 2025, SEED connects higher education resources, K-12 leaders, businesses and community members in a community accessible space in downtown Farmville. SEED is focused on building the economic health of our region and community, providing assistance ranging from idea generation, prototype development, entrepreneurial education, and small business consulting to regional economic development support. 20% of the population in the region surrounding SEED live beneath the poverty level.
Loyola University Maryland is located in the Greater Govans community of Baltimore City. Our community lacks access to basic produce, and oftentimes the small amount of produce available is not fresh or locally grown. The York Road Food Access and Security TMA AmeriCorps VISTA project will coordinate and strengthen sustainable food access programming through overseeing the implementation of the Govans Community Fridge, revitalizing interest in and support for Freshcrate: A Healthy Corner Store Initiative to work towards a healthier York Road and Govans community. Through the York Road Initiative at Loyola Maryland, strong community connections including neighborhood associations, residents, and schools will collaborate with staff to develop a healthy neighborhoods educational initiative that will be distributed through pre-existing programming. Over the course of the next two years, this project will continue to improve nutrition and food access in the Govanstowne neighborhood of Baltimore City. This year, two VISTAs are requested for this project, reflecting the multiple challenges of developing the educational initiative, helping expand community partnerships on the York Road corridor while maintaining and expanding the offerings of the Govans Community Fridge.
Loyola University Maryland partners with community groups, public and nonprofit organizations, schools, and initiatives in Baltimore City and beyond that provide learning, service, and scholarship opportunities for Loyola community members and create positive impact. The VISTA Member will provide on-site support and direction to volunteers in the after-school tutoring program; develop materials for tutor recruitment, onboarding, and training; track attendance and student participation in after-school tutoring programs; and create standardized data collection methods. The VISTA volunteer will communicate with community partners to identify program improvements; update parent and teacher communication materials; collaborate with community organizations to identify and procure resources; plan and implement family engagement opportunities and events; identify and share opportunities for community and parental engagement in school activities. The VISTA volunteer will collaborate with the Center to map out a plan for a paid student leadership structure to sustain the Community Engaged Literacy Program post-TMA AmeriCorps VISTA; identify internal (CS FWS) and external funding sources needed to resource paid leadership structure; and act as a liaison with community-based organizations.
Montgomery College's Leaders in Learning: Enhancing Academic Support through Student Leadership and Career Opportunities VISTA Project will expand economic and academic opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds by creating a sustainable paid student leadership program within the Achieving the Promise Academy (ATPA) and MC Learning Centers. This three-year project, in its first year, leverages Montgomery College's commitment to student success, career readiness, and equitable access to resources. Through this initiative, students will gain valuable work experience, leadership development, and career-aligned skills by serving as peer academic coaches and tutors. The project addresses structural barriers to economic mobility by embedding paid leadership roles into the College's academic support infrastructure. The VISTA member will support the creation of these roles, develop and adapt student-focused training programs, and coordinate partnerships with local employers to integrate career exploration into peer academic coaching. By the end of the three-year project, Montgomery College will institutionalize these roles, expand micro-credential offerings, and increase student retention, career readiness, and degree completion--especially in high-demand fields such as health care and skilled trades.
This VISTA Project (Agrihood Baltimore: Urban Farmers Food Hub) addresses the AmeriCorps Priority Area of Healthy Futures by connecting Morgan State University (MSU) students with Plantation Park Heights Urban Farmers on co-designing urban interventions for Neighborhood Food Security and youth unemployment. The Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm has established collaboration agreements with the Morgan State University School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) to co-design a demonstration kitchen for the community food garden along with a Design- Build studio to co-design and construct mobile lockers for urban farmers. These projects facilitate the creation of a model for urban communities to integrate urban farming into neighborhood design while encouraging the next generation of American Farmers to grow food locally, to feed the elderly and those at risk in our community. The two TMA AmeriCorps VISTA Members will facilitate programming for events, help with recruiting volunteer urban farmers from the community and instill in Morgan students the value of volunteerism beyond the course requirements at the urban farm.
This VISTA Project will create new opportunities for low-income communities to connect with community design resources to improve their neighborhoods. Through an in-depth process of ecosystem asset mapping, and a series of engagement and informational events, we will connect community and institutional partners. These learnings will be made accessible to the public through digital and print educational material. NDC provides pro bono planning, capacity building, conceptual design, and community engagement services for community-initiated projects across Baltimore City. NDC's approach is to empower communities by utilizing design as a tool for autonomy, agency, and advocacy. The VISTA member will plan a series of events that aim to increase community partners' access to and utilization of design assistance and community capacity building. By the conclusion of this project year, this VISTA Project will have hosted three events which aim to increase community partners' capacity to develop partnerships and advance community health and well-being.
This VISTA project aims to break the cycle of poverty in Baltimore City by conducting after-school programs to improve learning and social-emotional outcomes for students attending Govans
Elementary School and Tunbridge Public Charter School, expanded connections between NDMU, its students, BCPS, and low-income youth from Baltimore City. The VISTA member will work closely with these partner schools to ensure that programming is shaped through community needs and input. At the same time, the VISTA member will continue to develop systems for recruiting and expanding the number of NDMU student volunteers and improving volunteer training. The VISTA member will also foster a partnership between the YES Program, the two partner Baltimore City public schools, and the Department of Education at NDMU, as a means of enhancing program quality while also building long-term sustainability for the project.
The Civic Circle's "Amplify Youth Voices" project will continue to build on a successful program that advances civic learning through music and the arts for Grades 3-5, with further expansion to reach students in Middle and High School. This will realize a longstanding strategic goal and will strengthen both the organization and its impact in the community. This project will also make our web-based curriculum broadly available to educators everywhere, and pilot professional development trainings for teachers. All this will take place within the context of ongoing capacity building for the organization. Our innovative, arts- and skills-based program breaks new ground by lifting youth voices, getting students excited about democracy, and teaching real skills. This program aims to close the equity gap in civic learning and engagement by providing low-income students of color in Eastern Montgomery County the opportunity to learn seven civic skills through civic songs and after-school workshops with teaching artists. Civic learning correlates directly to improved academic achievement, fewer discipline incidents, college completion, and the development of skills that lead to employment, advancing the priority areas of Education and Economic Opportunity.
Through the Communications & Strategic Partnerships AmeriCorps VISTA position, TMA seeks to address the challenges of poverty and promote healthy communities in the Mid-Atlantic region by supporting the development and effectiveness of campus-community partnerships. This VISTA project in Year Three will continue to build on the work of VISTA members in Years One and Two, with a focus on enhancing TMA's communications capacity. This will include co-developing a 2025-2026 Communication Plan, evaluating and improving TMA's digital strategy, drafting a Communications Impact Report, and expanding online giving campaigns, and synthesizing findings into a clear report with actionable recommendations to support TMA's future planning process and ensure sustainable growth in outreach and visibility. POSITION FILLED
This VISTA supports TMA higher education institutions in strengthening capacity-building civic and community engagement efforts with their K–12 partners statewide, leveraging the evidenced-based benefits of community engagement on student retention, success, graduation rates, and job readiness while advancing community-centered anti-poverty efforts through collaborative campus-community partnerships and resource development. Key responsibilities include creating training courses based on the state-endorsed P.A.R.E. model to support capacity building with K–12 and higher education partners. The VISTA will also support outreach and capacity-building efforts for the Baltimore Educators Group with Baltimore City and County Schools service-learning teachers and higher education practitioners.
The two (2) AmeriCorps VISTA Leaders will be based at TMA. The VISTA Leaders' roles will include two primary responsibilities: 1) supporting the TMA VISTA standard members and their host institutions in program development and sustainability, and 2) developing the capacity of TMA to provide an effective VISTA program working to eliminate poverty. Leaders will compile and email weekly updates to all TMA AmeriCorps VISTA standard members, conduct site visits, conduct phone calls to VISTA standard members, plan and make presentations at VISTA training and professional development events, and assist with recruitment and orientation of new VISTA members. A team of two VISTA Leaders will provide a level of support that reflects and is aligned with our expansive geographic region and large number of sites.
This VISTA project will address the challenges of poverty among veterans and their families by increasing supports for military-connected students, including veterans and their families, at Towson University. The initiative aims to increase retention and graduation rates, improve financial literacy, and promote holistic wellness among these students, benefiting a low-income population. Over three years, the project will address gaps through needs assessments, program development, and partnership strengthening. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTA member will build sustainable capacity for this project by assessing community needs, developing specific programs, building community partnerships, and ensuring sustainable systems for long-term support beyond the length of the 3-year VISTA grant.
The TMA AmeriCorps VISTA member will work to complete three main goals. The TMA AmeriCorps VISTA member will build capacity for 1) the Campus Food Gardens and Terp Farm to support campus and community food security, 2) the Campus Pantry Teaching Kitchen to offer comprehensive learning opportunities, and 3) expand food literacy both on and off-campus through student and youth empowerment. At the end of the project, the VISTA member will have established a Campus Food Education program, training modules, and organizational structure to coordinate between the UMD Campus Food Gardens, Terp Farm, and UMD Campus Pantry.
Given the lack of educational attainment, the high levels of poverty, and the limited access to well-paid employment opportunities in the community surrounding UMES, there is a unique and powerful role that the university could play in bringing learning resources and expanded horizons to the people in this area. As the county's only higher education institution, with a faculty representing over 30 countries, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore is poised to provide world-class exposure to Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Sharing in this community where the need is so great. With this in mind, the overall goal of the UMES-Community Knowledge Sharing and Transfer Initiative is to create and maintain reciprocal opportunities for UMES students to engage in the life of Princess Anne and for people in the community to engage in the life of the campus. Not only would this raise the level of access to trainings, workshops, town halls, and other kinds of activities for community members, but it would foster a more open and welcoming, reciprocal relationship benefitting both the community and the campus. APPLY TODAY!