MCAN Announces DOGE shutdown of four AmeriCorps programs, totaling $2.1M in funding cuts

On April 28, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) was informed of the immediate termination of federal AmeriCorps grants supporting four programs: the AmeriCorps Pathways Planning Grant, the FAFSA-focused VISTA program, AdviseMI and College Completion Corps. The decision came as part of a broader order from the Department of Government Efficiency, which announced the termination of nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants across the country. 

For AmeriCorps members serving with MCAN, this sudden and unilateral decision was delivered without warning and in the middle of the program year. It has resulted in the disruption of services for students and the displacement of 60 AmeriCorps members who had committed to a year of service to their country and the state of Michigan. These members were embedded in high schools and two-year colleges across Michigan, working directly with students to provide individualized, hands-on support. This decision also affects the 30 members serving with MSU College Advising Corps, who MCAN shares their AmeriCorps grant. 

“To mark the end of the federal government’s National Volunteer Week by cutting $400 million in grant funding is a sad irony and distressing to our AmeriCorps members and the communities they have committed to serving. Defunding AdviseMI and College Completion Corps at a critical point in the academic year — as high school students are preparing for graduation and college students are making decisions about fall enrollment, transfers to four-year programs or taking their new skills into the workforce — would have left thousands of Michigan students with far less support during a crucial transition period,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, MCAN executive director. “We have implemented short-term plans to ensure these programs run through the end of May and to provide a proper and respectful transition for our departing members, as well as long-term plans to preserve or adapt these vital programs, but these sudden, devastating cuts will hurt our state, our communities, our schools and our students. We know this hurt will be disproportionately felt by low-income urban and rural areas, which depend on these programs to provide needed support to some of our most vulnerable students.”

Since MCAN launched its first AmeriCorps program in 2015, AmeriCorps members serving in AdviseMI and College Completion Corps have:

• Provided support to over 77,000 high school seniors at high schools ranging from the urban core of Detroit to the rural Upper Peninsula.
   
• Helped students submit more than 141,000 college applications and 33,000 Free Applications for Federal Student Aid
• Offered personalized success coaching to more than 22,500 college students 
   

In response, MCAN has mobilized internal resources to sustain AdviseMI and College Completion Corps through May 30. This stopgap measure ensures advisers and coaches can remain in place during a critical point in the academic year as students make final college decisions, complete financial aid forms and prepare for graduation, but will no longer be considered active AmeriCorps members. 

While MCAN may be able to mitigate some of the immediate damage, these cuts will disrupt college access and success efforts across the state, cutting off Michigan students from educational pathways that lead to fulfilling careers and upward economic mobility. This weakens workforce readiness, hurts local economies and destabilizes communities. The loss of AmeriCorps support undermines efforts to close the skills gap in Michigan and poses a significant threat to the state's ability to reach the Sixty by 30 goal. 

“Losing this program so suddenly is heartbreaking. Our College Completion Corps coach has become part of our school community, and the students trust them,” said Holly A. Diamond, vice president of student affairs at Henry Ford College. “This loss is more than just a vacancy; it is a disruption in the relationships and continuity of care our students depend on.”

“Supporting students through the college process isn’t just about applications and deadlines—it’s about helping them see what’s possible. Our role is to guide, encourage, and empower them to tell their stories and reach for opportunities they may have never imagined. That’s what makes this moment so difficult,” said Mark VanDoren, College Advisor, Sault Area High School and Career Center. “In a high-poverty, rural district like ours, where many of our students are the first in their families to pursue college, that kind of individualized guidance is critical. Without it, I worry about how many dreams may never have the chance to take flight and the long-term impact on our community.” 

“I signed up to serve and make a difference, and that is exactly what I was doing. The impact I have had on students and families in my community trying to navigate the college-going process is immeasurable, and this is more than just a job to me,” said Catherine Lietz, AdviseMI college adviser at Buchanan High School. “To see such a successful program terminated was not something I ever expected.” 

MCAN urges education and community leaders to support displaced AmeriCorps members by sharing job opportunities, professional connections, financial resources and encouragement. The organization will continue to advocate for service-driven solutions to Michigan’s college access and success challenges and the students they impact every day.