About the WCC

Our milestones

• 1983: Our WCC program is formed and modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and '40s.
• 1994: We join forces with the national AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps funding enables us to offer the Eli Segal Education Award (scholarship) to our members and diversify our service experiences.
• 2000s: By mid-decade, we expanded from 75 to 150 members. By 2010, we grew to 200 positions through economic stimulus programs as youth unemployment approached historic highs.
• 2011: The Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 1294, folding all WCC activities formerly housed in three other state agencies (Department of Natural Resources, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington State Parks) into our program. Part of this multi-agency effort was the creation of Puget SoundCorps, which provided funding for veteran-specific opportunities and greatly expanded our partnership with the Washington Department of Natural Resources. We grew to 350 members to complete Puget SoundCorps projects.
• 2014: As some short-term projects were completed, we contracted to 285 members.
• 2022: WCC launches our environmental justice program, providing field crew support at no cost for environmental restoration and outdoor recreation projects that advance environmental justice goals.
• 2023: The Washington Climate Corps Network (WCCN) is formed with support from the Climate Commitment Act. WCC joins the network as one of the inaugural members, receiving additional funding in support of clean-energy and climate resilient service projects for young adults and veterans. This funding enables WCC to expand our opportunities for shared-identity spaces through our affinity trips and increase member benefits across the program.
• Today: We have over 350 members and experienced staff serving in nearly every part of the state.

What is AmeriCorps?

Approximately 15 percent of our funding is provided through an AmeriCorps grant (Grant #19ESHWA0010002). These funds help support the living allowance, benefits, and AmeriCorps scholarships for our WCC members.

AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges through national service. AmeriCorps engages more than 250,000 Americans in service each year at 40,000 sites across the country. In addition to grant funding, AmeriCorps support has resulted in $138.6 million in AmeriCorps scholarships in Washington since 1994. See a list of AmeriCorps programs in Washington.