By Erica Mackie, Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Media contact: Wanda Heard, Sr. Public Relations & Marketing Manager: wheard@gridalternatives.org
At GRID Alternatives, we believe in the power of service to community, to country, and to an abundant, clean energy future. Our AmeriCorps members embody the very best of national service: pride in our country and neighborhoods, a willingness to roll up their sleeves, and a deep commitment to building a better future through hands-on learning, training, and hard work.
Over the last 21 years, GRID has provided hands-on training experience to over 34,000 people who have contributed to over $750m in energy cost savings. AmeriCorps has been an instrumental part of our ability to support trainees entering the energy workforce and starting family-supporting careers.
AmeriCorps jobs are not jobs that can be outsourced. Our AmeriCorps team members are enabling and installing energy projects that directly benefit American families through lower energy bills, good local jobs, and contracting opportunities for small businesses. They’re expanding energy access and building community resilience — in neighborhoods, on rooftops, and in partnership with the families they serve. At GRID, our AmeriCorps teammates build pathways to American energy security, built by American hands. It’s about lifting up communities while laying the foundation for energy independence, clean air and water, and upward mobility.
Laura Hirshfield, GRID’s National SolarCorps Director, notes, “I have been involved with AmeriCorps programs for the last 11 years, and cannot overstate the incredible impact programs like AmeriCorps have in communities across the country. Over the last decade, I've had the privilege of serving alongside individuals who chose to dedicate a year or more of their lives to bettering the lives of their neighbors and communities. They helped build affordable housing, served as teaching assistants, installed solar in communities that otherwise wouldn't have access, and trained community members with invaluable skills that would lead to lifelong employment. This program going away would be devastating both for the individuals committed to serving America and those who would benefit from that work.”
National service isn’t just noble, it’s strategic. Through AmeriCorps, members gain skills, experience, and a purpose-driven mindset that positions them for lifelong careers at the heart of America’s clean energy transition. These are tomorrow’s electricians, project managers, workforce leaders, installers, and executives. In an era when American competitiveness and domestic resilience are more important than ever, AmeriCorps is quietly and powerfully building the American energy workforce and strengthening our country one project, one community, and one future leader at a time.
Now is the time to restore and strengthen AmeriCorps — not just for what it stands for, but for what it makes possible. Investing in service is investing in our country’s future. Together, we can ensure that national service continues to power the talent, leadership, and innovation that our energy future demands.