New Act Authorizes $150 Million Annually for Paid Local Government Internships and Student Volunteer Scholarships

The newly introduced Service Starts At Home Act aims to boost civic engagement and help students pay for college by creating two major funding streams: one for paid local government internships and another for volunteer-based scholarships.

The Local Internship Pipeline: Getting Paid to Serve

Section 2 of the Act sets up a competitive grant program where organizations can apply for federal money to run paid internships for high school and college students within local government offices. Think of it as a federally funded talent pipeline right in your county or city hall. The money is authorized at $50 million annually from 2026 through 2030.

If you’re a student, the internship has to be in the state where you go to school, and the organization running the program has to work with colleges to make sure the work counts for academic credit. Crucially, the bill requires these grant recipients to make "reasonable adjustments" for interns facing real-life challenges, like needing childcare or transportation help. This could mean flexible hours or remote work options, which is a smart nod to the reality of juggling school, work, and family. However, the bill leaves the actual hourly pay rate up to the grant recipient, which means the pay could vary widely and might only be minimum wage if specific federal standards aren't set later.

Turning Volunteer Hours into Tuition Dollars

Section 3 is the big one for students who are already giving back. It creates a state-administered scholarship program that rewards students based on their volunteer service hours, backed by an authorization of $100 million annually through 2030. Within a year, the federal government will start sending funds to states that set up a competitive scholarship program.

To be eligible, you must be in your final year of high school or already in college and be able to prove you completed at least 100 hours of volunteer service in the preceding school year. The more you volunteer, the more you get, up to $3,000 for 250 or more hours. For instance, if you clocked 175 hours helping out at a local food bank, you’d qualify for a $2,000 scholarship. The bill makes it clear that students who are renewing their scholarship and still meet the requirements get funded first—a nice way to reward continued commitment.

This is a huge incentive for community service, but that 100-hour minimum threshold is pretty high, especially for students already working or caring for family. It also explicitly excludes certain activities from counting as “volunteer service work,” such as political lobbying or religious instruction, which narrows the scope of what types of civic engagement qualify for the money.

Federal Backstop and Recognition

To make sure the money goes where it's needed, the Secretary can hold back up to 20% of the scholarship funds to run a separate, federal supplemental program. This pool is specifically intended to help students who were eligible but didn't receive a scholarship through their state's program, acting as a safety net.

Finally, Section 4 sets up a recognition program to honor schools, districts, and universities that show strong overall achievement in community service. This is less about direct funding and more about giving a public nod to institutions that prioritize civic engagement, encouraging them to keep up the good work.