GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The city of Green Bay secured nearly $400,000 in funding to continue its Conservation Corps program through August 2026.
The $395,162 in grant funding comes from AmeriCorps, a federal agency for volunteers.
The city will also provide $140,967 in local matching funds for 39 AmeriCorps members to help improve the local environment, officials said.
In April, the Department of Government Efficiency — DOGE — cut nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants. The city says DOGE's cuts represented 41 percent of AmeriCorps' total budget, which left more than 32,000 jobs in jeopardy, and forced many programs to shut down.
Federal cuts prompted the city in May to use $115,000 in emergency American Rescue Plan Act money to keep its environmental conservation team going.
A federal judge has since issued a preliminary injunction to restore AmeriCorps funding to the states that sued the Trump administration over DOGE's cuts, including Wisconsin. The Badger State was one of 24 states that filed lawsuits over AmeriCorps funding cuts.
The Green Bay Conservation Corps is Wisconsin's first municipal conservation corps program. According to the city, since launching in 2022, the program has installed more than 50,000 native plants, removed more than 9,300 gallons of invasive plant material, and treated nearly 200 acres in city parks.
To learn more about the Green Bay Conservation Corps program, click here.
