Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement

Summary

Post Focuses on Community Service and Engagement Proposals. This post contains three sections. First, we provide an overview of the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement (GO-SERVE) and its budget, along with some comments about the overarching state budget context through which the Legislature is considering new General Fund spending proposals. We then discuss two specific proposals to augment the office’s budget—one relating to College Corps and another relating to a “belonging campaign.”

College Corps. College Corps provides each participating college student with up to $10,000 of financial aid for completing 450 hours of community service. The program currently partners with 45 campuses and serves about 3,400 students. The Governor’s budget proposes $5 million one-time General Fund in 2025-26 to undertake expansion activities aimed at adding ten campus partners and 500 additional students for the subsequent year. The Governor’s budget also proposes $84 million ongoing General Fund in 2026-27 to begin implementing the expanded program. We recommend rejecting these proposals. The state already funds several financial aid programs, including one with a similar service objective. Campuses also already provide community service opportunities to students. Moreover, these existing programs and opportunities likely are benefiting more students at lower cost, as College Corps has high administrative costs.

Belonging Campaign. The Governor’s budget includes $5 million one-time General Fund to conduct an outreach campaign about state programs, with the goal of helping Californians develop an “improved sense of belonging.” Based on a lack of clarity around what problem the proposal is intending to address, why more outreach about state programs is needed, how funds would be used, or how success could be measured, we recommend the Legislature reject this proposal.

Overview

GO-SERVE Was Established Through Recent Reorganization. The 2024-25 budget package established GO-SERVE as part of a reorganization of the former Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. (More details about the reorganization can be found in our publication, The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Other Provisions.) GO-SERVE oversees three notable programs: the California Volunteers, the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC), and the Youth Empowerment Commission.

Budget Proposes $225 Million for GO-SERVE in 2025-26. The Governor’s proposed budget includes $225 million for GO-SERVE in 2025-26 including $184 million from the General Fund, $28 million in federal funds, $9.4 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and the remainder coming from reimbursements. This is a reduction of $67 million compared to 2024-25, mostly due to the expiration of limited-term General Fund and federal funds.

Recommend High Bar for Approving New Proposals Given Current Budget Conditions. The two proposals discussed in this report would commit $10 million in 2025-26 and $84 million ongoing thereafter in higher discretionary General Fund spending. However, our office currently estimates that the budget is only roughly balanced in 2025-26, and the state will have significant annual operating deficits in the following years. As a result, every dollar of new spending essentially requires making offsetting reductions elsewhere in the budget. Additionally, the budget faces a number of notable risks and uncertainties—including related to forecasted revenues, federal funding levels, and fire recovery costs—that could lead to the General Fund condition worsening over the coming months. Given this context, we recommend the Legislature apply a higher bar to its review of new spending proposals than it might in a year in which the General Fund has more capacity to support new commitments. Overall, the Legislature is in the position of having to weigh the value of new proposals against activities to which it has already committed existing funding.

California College Corps

In this section, we first provide background on College Corps as well as other financial aid programs and college community service efforts in the state. We then discuss the Governor’s proposals to expand College Corps, assess the proposals, and provide recommendations.

Background

College Corps Is Administered by California Volunteers. California Volunteers is the largest program within GO-SERVE. It received $275 million in total funding from all sources in 2024-25, reflecting 95 percent of GO-SERVE’s funding. California Volunteers engages Californians in service, volunteering, and civic action through four programs. One of these programs is College Corps. College Corps provides university and community college students with the opportunity to serve their local communities while receiving financial aid support.

College Corps Was Created as a Pilot. The program was created in the 2021-22 Budget Act with the intention to run as a pilot. There is no authorizing legislation that sets forth basic programmatic details, including state policy objectives. California Volunteers launched its first College Corps cohort of students in 2022-23. As Figure 1 shows, the program has received only one-time General Fund support to date. Originally, the program was intended to run through 2023-24. However, California Volunteers received additional one-time funding to run the program through 2025-26. This brings total one-time funding for the program to $288 million.

Figure 1. College Corps Has Received About $75 Million Annually

Program Is Serving Its Third Cohort of Students. Two cohorts of approximately 3,200 students each have completed their College Corps experience (in 2022-23 and 2023-24), and a third cohort (of about 3,400 students) is currently in progress for 2024-25. Students (known as Fellows) are able to participate in multiple cohorts, but they are limited to no more than four years in the program. As Figure 2 shows, the number of applicants exceeded 10,000 in 2024-25. Despite this level of demand, California Volunteers shared that at its current funding level, the program cannot expand the number of slots for Fellows.

Figure 2. Demand for College Corps Has Exceeded Funded Slots

Applicants Must Meet Program Eligibility. To qualify for the program, a candidate must be a full-time student enrolled in an undergraduate program at one of College Corps’ 45 partner institutions. California Volunteers currently partners with 18 community colleges; 16 California State University (CSU) campuses; 7 University of California (UC) campuses; and 4 private, nonprofit universities. Applicants must also meet one of the following conditions: (1) qualify for a Pell Grant, Cal Grant, or Middle Class Scholarship (MCS); (2) need to work part time to cover education costs; or (3) have borrowed student loans. Both U.S. citizens and California Dream Act students (sometimes referred to as AB 540 students) are able to participate in the program. (This latter group consists primarily of undocumented students.)

Fellows Receive Financial Aid While Working With Community Organizations. Once admitted to the program, Fellows must complete 450 service hours within one year by working for a local community-based organization (CBO). Students are primarily placed with CBOs focused on K-12 education, climate action, or food insecurity. They participate in activities such as tutoring, land restoration, and food distribution. Example partner CBOs include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Reading Partners, and local food banks. While completing the program, Fellows receive a monthly living stipend (totaling $7,000 throughout the duration of the program). At the end of the program, Fellows also receive a $3,000 education award. In addition to financial support, Fellows receive service experience, career development opportunities, and academic credit (usually through a one-unit class) during their time in the program.

Campuses Are Responsible for Program Management. Campuses receive grants from California Volunteers that include funding for Fellows’ living stipends. Campuses are responsible for distributing these living stipends to Fellows on a monthly basis. California Volunteers also gives campuses funding for some education award coverage. All Fellows receive at least a portion of their education award from their campus upon completion of their service hours. Some students receive part of their education award directly from the federal AmeriCorps program administered by the National Service Trust while other students (undocumented students) receive full education award coverage from the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) but disbursed by their campus.

State Administers Other Financial Aid Programs. Most state financial aid programs are administered by CSAC. The largest of these programs are Cal Grants and MCS. Cal Grants provide both tuition and nontuition assistance to low-income students at public and private universities in California. Students with financial need enrolled at California Community Colleges (CCC) receive tuition waivers through another aid program, but they can receive Cal Grants for nontuition costs. MCS awards are available to help cover a student’s total cost of attendance, both for Cal Grant recipients and higher-income resident students enrolled in a UC, CSU, or CCC bachelor’s degree program. MCS award amounts reflect a certain percentage of students’ remaining cost of attendance after accounting for other available resources. Unlike College Corps, these other programs (MCS, Cal Grants, and CCC tuition waivers) are all gift aid. Students do not have to complete a service or work requirement to receive these forms of aid.

California Has Financial Aid Opportunities for Undocumented Students. Undocumented students are eligible for College Corps as well as other financial aid programs, including Cal Grants and MCS awards. However, undocumented students are ineligible for federal Pell Grants and federal work-study. To provide additional financial aid options to undocumented students, the state created the California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant (DSIG) program, which CSAC administers. Similar to College Corps, DSIG provides students who have financial need with up to $4,500 in financial aid per academic year for completing 300 service hours. The program is available at all schools with Cal Grant recipients.

Campuses Provide Community Service and Engagement Opportunities for Students. Most college campuses provide some community service and engagement opportunities for their students. For example, Associated Students of CSU Chico created Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE). CAVE’s purpose is “to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities to students, develop student leaders, and serve a broad base of community needs.” Established in 1966, CAVE existed long before CSU Chico became a College Corps partner in 2022. (CSU Chico also provides many opportunities for its faculty and staff to volunteer, such as creek clean ups and blood drives.) The CSU system indicates it has thousands of service-learning courses where students are able to volunteer with local organizations while receiving academic credit. Such efforts exist at the other public higher education segments too. For example, UC Los Angeles (UCLA) has a UCLA Volunteer Center that partners with local community and campus organizations to get students involved in civic engagement. Community engagement and service centers and opportunities exist at other UC campuses, as well as at community colleges and private universities.

Governor’s Proposal

Governor Proposes Additional One-Time Funding for College Corps in 2025-26. The Governor’s budget includes a $5 million one-time General Fund augmentation for College Corps in 2025-26. California Volunteers indicates the $5 million is intended to help expand the program, such that more campuses could operate the program beginning in 2026-27. Over the course of 2025-26, California Volunteers would undertake the administrative activities required to expand the program to ten additional campuses, bringing the total number of participating campuses to 55 in 2026-27. Of the $5 million, California Volunteers would retain $1.8 million. It would use these funds for staffing to run a competitive grant process to select the ten additional campuses to participate in the program. After the new campuses are selected, California Volunteers would allocate the remaining $3.2 million as grants to campuses for program staffing and start-up activities. With these funds, the new campuses would hire program staff, conduct marketing and outreach, recruit CBOs and Fellows, and undertake any other related activities to help launch the program on an ongoing basis starting in 2026-27.

Governor Proposes Ongoing Funding for College Corps in 2026-27. The Governor’s budget includes $84 million ongoing General Fund and 48 positions for College Corps in 2026-27. This proposed funding and positions would allow California Volunteers to operate the program on an ongoing basis at its proposed new level of 55 campuses. As part of the expansion, the program would support approximately 500 additional Fellows, for a total of 4,000 Fellows (a 15 percent increase). The additional slots would include 250 slots for students with less financial need. Students with less financial need could earn a $3,000 education award but not the $7,000 living stipend.

Assessment

Some Evidence Suggests College Corps Is Meeting Its Objectives. According to California Volunteers, College Corps has three primary objectives: (1) help low- to moderate-income students graduate college on time with less debt, (2) create a generation of civic-minded leaders, and (3) address societal challenges and build more equitable communities across California. As a pilot, College Corps underwent an external evaluation process during its first two years to examine how students benefited from the program both academically and professionally. California Volunteers shared that students reported that the program strengthened their commitment to community service and contributed to their career development. By offering living stipends and education awards, the program also likely helps to reduce the level of college debt Fellows incur.

College Corps, However, Largely Operates Outside State’s Higher Education System. California already has an extensive array of public and private campuses engaged in varying degrees of community service. California also already has an extensive network of state and campus financial aid offices that administer federal, state, and campus-based financial aid programs. CSAC regularly interacts with campus financial aid offices in the administration of state financial aid programs. California Volunteers has created its own staff and infrastructure to support College Corps, which largely operates outside this existing higher education system. Therefore, the program calls for additional staffing and funding when California’s higher education system already has programs in place to help achieve College Corps’ main objectives.

About Half of College Corps Funding Goes to Administrative Costs. College Corps has high administrative costs, in part because it operates a stand-alone infrastructure. Of the proposed $84 million ongoing for the program in 2026-27, California Volunteers estimates that $45 million would be used for administrative costs (rather than direct student financial aid). Of the $45 million, about half would be for administrative costs at the state level (through California Volunteers) and half would be for administrative costs at the campus level. Under the Governor’s proposal, California Volunteers would have about one-third the amount of staff as CSAC, despite College Corps equating to less than 3 percent of the state financial aid that CSAC administers.

Program Is Labor Intensive for Campuses to Administer. Unlike Cal Grant and MCS, which are disbursed to students twice a year (once in the fall and once in the spring for semester schools), Fellows receive a portion of their College Corps living stipend each month. We reached out to the three public higher education segments (UC, CSU, and CCC) to learn about campuses’ experiences with this program. Several campuses responded with feedback. Campuses generally had positive feedback regarding the program. However, many shared that it is labor intensive to administer the living stipend given they must check that Fellows have completed their required monthly hours of service before manually distributing aid each month. The $3,000 education award is disbursed at the end of the program, which requires additional administrative work. Furthermore, some campuses house the College Corps program in a public service or community engagement office rather than their financial aid office. This requires additional coordination between offices when distributing a students’ total financial aid package. Though campuses receive funding for California Volunteers to help cover administrative costs, some campuses report they are not receiving enough given the additional effort required to administer the program and the complexity it adds to student financial aid packaging.

Other Financial Aid Programs Serve Undocumented Students. Some view the College Corps program as having the benefit of providing financial aid to undocumented students, who are ineligible for federal financial aid. However, as discussed in the “Background” section, undocumented students have the opportunity to participate in the DSIG program. That is, CSAC already administers a program that provides state financial aid to undocumented students given the lack of federal aid. In 2023-24, 750 students participated in the DSIG program. CSAC shared that the program is currently undersubscribed. Of the $7.5 million provided for the program in 2023-24, $4.5 million (60 percent) went unspent for that purpose. (In 2021-22, legislation was passed that required any unexpended or unencumbered funds appropriated for the DSIG program to be transferred to UC and CSU to support the California DREAM Loan Program.)

Recommendation

Recommend Rejecting Proposals. As discussed in the “Overview” section, the state is facing an ongoing projected budget deficit. We recommend proposals for new spending meet a high benchmark, particularly as such spending requires reductions or solutions in other areas. Though we recognize the benefits College Corps can provide to students and communities, the program entails significant administrative costs, and students can already participate in volunteer opportunities and receive financial aid through the state’s established higher education system. Moreover, these existing community service and financial aid programs very likely are serving many more students at lower cost. As a result, we do not think this proposal meets the high benchmark needed to justify new spending. Therefore, we recommend rejecting the Governor’s proposals to expand College Corps and make it ongoing. Specifically, we recommend the Legislature reject both the $5 million one-time General Fund augmentation in 2025-26 and the $84 million ongoing General Fund augmentation (along with 48 positions) in 2026-27. Even if the Legislature rejected this additional funding, the program still would have $63 million in one-time funding to support a final program cohort in 2025-26.

Belonging Campaign

In this section, we discuss the Governor’s proposal to fund a state outreach initiative related to cultivating a sense of belonging, assess the proposal, and a provide recommendation.

Governor’s Proposal

One-Time $5 Million General Fund for Belonging Campaign. The Governor proposes providing $5 million from the General Fund on a one-time basis for a belonging campaign to be administered by OCPSC. The office indicates that the primary goal of this proposal is to “strengthen and coordinate the administration’s efforts to help communities identify pathways to social connectedness and engagement.” The proposed funding would be used primarily for developing and implementing a branding public awareness campaign for existing state programs, including programs operated by California Volunteers. The campaign is proposed as a one-year pilot effort that will begin in the summer and fall through undertaking research to identify the list of programs that fit within this initiative and conducting planning activities, with plans to then launch the campaign in January 2026. The administration indicates that strategies would be developed by GO-SERVE staff with some activities such as graphic design and polling potentially requiring contracting with third parties.

Assessment

Proposal Lacks Key Information and Justification. We have a number of fundamental concerns with the Governor’s proposal, including the following.

Unclear What Specific Problem the Proposal Is Attempting to Solve. Given the broad language the administration has used to describe the objectives of this proposal—"to better connect Californians to their communities”—we are unclear exactly what problem the proposed campaign is attempting to address. Specifically, we are uncertain how the administration is defining and evaluating Californians’ “sense of belonging,” which makes determining how to assess and respond to such a potential challenge exceptionally difficult. For example, a lack of social connectedness could affect a person’s well-being and mental health, but the proposed activities do not seem targeted around proven strategies to improve these issues.
Unclear How Proposed Activities Would Address Stated Problem. The proposed activities seem aimed around disseminating information about existing state programs, however the administration has not described a lack of awareness of or participation in specific programs as the primary challenges it is tackling. Increasing awareness of state volunteering and paid jobs could help improve workforce development and career opportunities, but again, these are not explicit problems the administration has defined as social connectedness or cited as the purpose of this proposal.
Unclear Evidence for Why More Outreach Is Needed. Along with a lack of clarity around the specific problems the proposal is intending to address, the administration also has not provided information to justify why additional funding for outreach about state programs is needed, such as under enrollment or low application rates. Without this information, both the need for the proposed activities and how they might impact programs and services are unclear. For example, to the extent the campaign includes a focus on programs that are already oversubscribed, additional outreach would only serve to exacerbate existing overdemand.
Unclear What Programs the Proposal Would Support or How Specifically Funds Would be Used. The administration was unable to provide information about what programs would be part of the campaign or the level of existing resources administering departments currently dedicate for outreach efforts. Moreover, GO-SERVE was unable to provide a breakdown of how specifically it would spend the proposed $5 million across staff support, contracts, or discrete activities. This lack of specificity further complicates the Legislature’s ability to assess the merits of the proposal.
Unclear How to Assess Degree to Which Proposed Funding Might Help Achieve Goals. A lack of clear problem definition makes it difficult to assess whether the proposal is well targeted to address intended outcomes. Namely, if the Legislature remains unclear about specifically what “connect[ing] Californians to community and creat[ing] an improved sense of belonging” means or would look like, assessing and measuring the effectiveness of the proposed $5 million outreach campaign at achieving these goals likely will not be feasible.

Recommendation

Reject Proposal. Based on a lack of clarity around what problem the proposal is intending to address, why more outreach about state programs is needed, how funds would be used, or how success could be measured, we recommend the Legislature reject the proposed $5 million for GO-SERVE to conduct a belonging campaign. In a year with limited available General Fund, we recommend the Legislature set a particularly high bar for approving new discretionary spending. Yet, even were the budget condition to improve, we do not believe the administration has provided sufficient justification for the Legislature to prioritize funding this proposal.