The first round of AmeriCorps grants under the Kennedy Serve America Act – which emphasizes health, education, veterans, clean energy and the environment and economic opportunity – were announced today by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

About half of the 325 programs being funded (for a total of $234 million) are new this year, although the largest funding went to several longstanding programs, including $20.9 million to various City Year incarnations, $13.7 million to Teach for America programs and $7.9 million to Public Allies.

These grants will support about 57,000 AmeriCorps members, CNCS said.

The grants represent programs selected through national competition. In addition, the corporation released $129 million to the states under a funding formula, which is a 49 percent increase over last year.  The largest amounts go to California ($12.1 million), New York ($6.7 million) and Texas ($8.4 million). The states will use the funds to make additional AmeriCorps grants this summer.

Patrick Corvington, CNCS chief executive officer, said the new grants are being used to focus “AmeriCorps – by targeting it on the most critical issues facing our country – from illiteracy and the high school dropout epidemic to hunger and homelessness.”

CNCS officials said they received requests for about twice the amount of funding available and that the funding level is about 60 percent above funding for last year (fiscal 2009).

Overall, CNCS funding is expected to support a total of about 85,000 members, beginning in the fall, on the way to the Obama administration’s goal of having 250,000 AmeriCorps members by 2017.

For a complete list of the grants announced today, click here.