Frequently Asked Questions

AmeriCorps Requirements

• • Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States*

  • Ability to pass FBI, CA Department of Justice, out-of-state (if applicable), and National Sex Offender Public Registry background checks prior to service

Climate Action Corps Requirements

• • At least 18 years of age

  • Associates degree or above, and/or relevant experience

  • Commitment to the full term of service (1700+ hours)

  • Capability to work in a professional office or field setting

  • Strong communication (both verbal and written) and teamwork skills

Strongly Preferred

• • Past service experience (e.g., volunteering, community service, etc.)

  • Experience with, or training in, outreach, facilitation, and/or education 

  • Being local to the community you will serve in

This is an equal -opportunity position, and we prefer to place candidates who already live in the communities they will serve.

*At this time, we are unfortunately unable to accept applicants with student visas (such as F1 or F2 student visas, J1 or J2 exchange visas).

California Climate Action Corps (CCAC) is a fellowship program within the federal AmeriCorps program. CCAC leverages the power of AmeriCorps to advance climate actions that engage communities, cultivate change, and leave a lasting impact.  

CCAC connects local organizations and agencies with talented, motivated emerging leaders to move the needle on climate change in the community. 

Yes, California Climate Action Corps (CCAC) is an AmeriCorps program.  It is funded by California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, and implemented by Bay Area Community Resources. CCAC Fellows are AmeriCorps members. 

The mission of AmeriCorps is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. The program focuses on six key focus areas to make an impact: 

1. Education

2. Economic Opportunity

3. Disaster Services

4. Environmental Stewardship

5. Healthy Futures

6. Veterans & Military Families

AmeriCorps works with various communities to support their goals, meet their needs, and create lasting change. 

AmeriCorps is a national service program whose mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. As an AmeriCorps member, you are one of 64,000 AmeriCorps State and National members serving to support your local community. AmeriCorps members receive many benefits, such as an education award, stipend, childcare, and student loan forbearance. Members must also follow all AmeriCorps guidance, including the AmeriCorps prohibited activities. 

California Climate Action Corps staff will review all applications and resumes on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Staff will select candidates to attend a group informational session and then go through a preliminary phone screen interview with CCAC staff. Staff will then review the results, and based on the applicant's qualifications, site preference, and position requirements, staff will match applicants with Host Partners for a second review. Host Partners will schedule and conduct second-round interviews with qualified applicants. CCAC staff will make placement decisions based on Host Partner and applicant preferences. 

The program length varies based on which term you select. Please see the details below:

• 1700 hours over an 11-month term of service

• 1200 hours over an 8-month term of service

• 300 hours during a 2-month term of service

For the 2023-24 service year, 356 Fellows will be selected for California Climate Action Corps. 

California Climate Action Corps Host Partners are only located throughout the state of California. Projects are spread throughout the state; as far north as Butte County, as far south as San Diego County, as far east as El Dorado County, and throughout the western counties.  Our program is open to organizations doing climate action anywhere in California. 

Applicants have the ability to select regions of choice and preferred Host Partners in the fellow application portal. While you will have the opportunity to share what your interests are and the Host Sites you would like to work with, ultimately, the Host Sites will decide which applicants to hire based on interviews and hiring material. Climate Action Corps staff may match you for interviews with additional Host Partners based on application material and location preference.

After the Host Partners select their top applicant(s), California Climate Action Corps will send an offer to the selected applicant(s). Candidates will have 48 hours to accept or reject offers. You may receive multiple offers and interview requests. If you don't respond within the allocated time period, the position will be offered to the next applicant, and we cannot promise it will be available.

California Climate Action Corps Fellows will serve about 40 hours/week, accounting for a normal allotment of holidays and vacation. These hours will sometimes occur during the evening, weekend, and other “non-business” hours, but mostly are Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. 

• $33,000 Living Allowance (before taxes) spread evenly over 11 months

• $35,200 Living Allowance (before taxes) spread evenly over 11 months for Team Leaders

• $10,000 combined Segal Education Award and California For All Education Award (upon completion of service, only 1700-hour Fellows eligible for CFA Education Award) 

• SNAP (Food Stamps) - for those eligible

• Forbearance on existing qualifying student loans and payment of interest accrued during service 

• Health Benefits

• Child Care Assistance to qualifying Fellows paid to an eligible provider of your choice.

The Living Stipend depends on your term of service. Yes, the living allowance is taxable.

All Fellows are eligible to receive free minimum essential healthcare coverage throughout their service term. Coverage is provided through Ternian at no cost to Fellows and includes basic medical, dental, vision, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). You will need to opt-in to enroll (instructions below). Enrolling in this healthcare coverage does not cost you anything and will not be removed from your stipend. 

If you are already enrolled in a healthcare plan (i.e., through a parent or spouse), you may be able to use this coverage as a supplement to draw the maximum benefit from both plans! You should check with your current plan to make sure enrolling would not impact your existing coverage.

Benefits renew on January 1st each year for the rest of the calendar year, so if your term begins in the fall, you can access these twice!

To qualify for the childcare benefit, you must meet the following eligibility requirements: 

• You must be the parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 13. The child must reside with you. You must certify that you need childcare to participate in the program.

• The State and National member’s household income must not exceed 75% of the state’s median income for a family of the same size; this limit may change annually. You can find the latest median income numbers for California here.

• The total household income is used to determine your income eligibility - excluding your AmeriCorps living stipend.  You must not currently receive a childcare subsidy from another source at the time of acceptance into the program (including a parent or guardian), which would continue to be provided throughout your term of service.

AmeriCorps Child Care Benefits are managed by GAP Solutions. Visit AmeriCorpsChildcare.com for full information.

Source: National Service Childcare Eligibility Overview

The California for All Education Award is an additional award intended to supplement the Segal Education Award. It has been granted by the State of California to recognize and value your term of service. It is administered by California Volunteers, which is part of the Office of the Governor. They manage most state AmeriCorps programs and other volunteer initiatives in the state of California.

Please note: 

This award is only available to AmeriCorps Fellows who successfully complete a full 1700-hour term. 

The award is $3,655 (pre-tax)!  Taxes will be automatically withheld, like a paycheck, before it is sent to you. The amount you actually receive should range somewhere around $2,600 - $3,100, depending on your individual financial situation. 

The Segal Education Award is given to Fellows upon the successful completion of their service year. For the 2023-24 service year, the amount for Fellows who serve at least 1700 hours will be $6,495, those who serve 1200 will receive $4,546.50, and those who serve for 300 hours will receive $1,459.26. It is meant to help the Fellow pay for educational expenses, such as loans, grad school, certificates, or school supplies post-AmeriCorps. The award is not given to the Fellow as cash or a check; the Fellow must request that AmeriCorps make a payment to an eligible loan provider or school. AmeriCorps will make payments directly to them on your behalf. The Segal Education Award must be used within 7 years of completing the program. 

AmeriCorps Members are eligible to put qualified student loans into forbearance throughout your term of service so you do not have to make regular payments on them, and to have interest accrued during your service term repaid by AmeriCorps! 

Qualified student loans include loans backed by the federal government under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (except PLUS Loans to parents of students), loans under Titles VII or VIII of the Public Service Health Act, and/or loans made by a state agency. These cannot apply to private loans or other types of loans, even if those loans were for educational purposes. Learn more here about what kinds of loans are qualified for this benefit (scroll down to the "Repay Qualified Student Loans" section)

If a full-term Fellow completes an average of 40-hours each week during their 11-month service term, they would be able to take 80 hours off in addition to the 13 paid holidays. Time off must be requested in advance with both their Site and Regional Supervisor, and approved before time can be taken. 

Fellows must find their own housing near their site location. Sites are expected to provide whatever support they can, which usually means providing information about where to look for affordable housing, key contacts, and outreach to friends and the organization’s network to help with housing. 

Fellows in the California Climate Action Corps Program are not eligible for relocation or housing assistance through the program. However, program staff, site staff, and other Fellows may be able to provide support or guidence in finding local housing. 

Per AmeriCorps guidelines, all Fellows are expected to serve in-person, unless written authorization for teleservice is requested and approved in advance.

• Teleservice - serving the community from home (not in-person). Fellows must live within the community where they are doing teleservice.

• Remote service - where the member is not located within the commuting area of the geographic community where the service is to occur and is not expected to be physically present at the service site and/or community events is not allowed under any circumstances.

• Virtual service site - organizations with no physical location are not allowed under any circumstances.

A fellow's daily schedule varies from host site to host site. Fellows typically serve Monday-Friday during regular working hours. However, there may be instances where fellows may work on weekends or evenings. The general work that fellows will complete includes leading or participating in volunteer events, engaging with the community, and climate action related to program focus areas (urban greening, food recovery, wildfire resiliency).

Fellows must complete at least 170 hours of professional development/training. CCAC provides mandatory monthly trainings and suggested professional development opportunities. During the monthly training, fellows receive program updates, engage with guest speakers across environmental organizations and sectors, listen to fellows present about various climate topics, and deepen their knowledge and understanding on climate resiliency and how to take action.

Fellows have a Site Supervisor, Regional Supervisor, and CCAC program staff to provide support. The Site Supervisor offers daily support for Fellows on day-to-day tasks and climate action projects. In contrast, Regional Supervisors offer general support to Fellows regarding CCAC program tasks and deadlines, as well as mentorship and guidance. Additionally, returning Fellows selected as Team Leaders serve as peer leaders for the Fellows.

Yes, sites will host multiple fellows working on the same or differing projects.

Fellows will be able to interact with the rest of the cohort during monthly trainings, social activities hosted by Team Leaders, and online platforms. There is also an in-person orientation and mid-year retreat where fellows convene in person and participate in team building activities. The cohort is also given opportunities to connect with fellows on a regional level and by program focus area (urban greening, food recovery, wildfire resiliency).