About Serve Washington

Our Mission

National service, volunteerism, and civic engagement are the foundation for caring communities and a thriving Washington.

Our Vision

Serve Washington advances national service, volunteerism and civic engagement to improve lives; expands opportunity to meet the local critical needs of residents of Washington; and strengthens community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities.

Established in February 1994, Serve Washington is charged with the following duties per Executive Order #16-08:

• Comply with federal requirements pertaining to State Commissions on National and Community Service, authorized by 42 U.S.C. § 12638 and the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1990 as amended by the Serve America Act;
• Seek additional sources of non-federal funds, especially private funds, to meet matching requirements and build upon existing service initiatives;
• Provide recommendations to the Governor pertaining to legislative or policy initiatives that promote the ethic of service;
• Identify existing and new policies or practices that lead to the expansion of national service opportunities in Washington and support federal programs and efforts that expand national service; and
• Provide the leadership and vision, alongside local volunteer organizations, civic and community groups, and units of government, to make service a part of the lives of all Washingtonians

The Volunteer Generation Fund

The Volunteer Generation Fund is a program authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to support voluntary organizations and state service commissions in boosting the impact of volunteers in addressing critical community needs.

Serve Washington utilizes the Volunteer Generation Fund to support volunteer engaging organizations enhance their volunteer programming. Serve Washington's Get Connected portal is supported by these funds.