VISTA Community Corps

The Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA program places service members of all ages and backgrounds at institutions of higher education as well as at community partner organizations to support community and campus collaboration.

The IAMNCC VISTA Program allies with community-campus partnerships that focus on improving health, education, or economic outcomes for low-income populations. This may include addressing college student basic needs, access to and retention of low-income college students into college/university programs or institutions, and addressing racial disparities in health, education, or economic outcomes.

Host Sites

  • Augsburg University, Minneapolis, MN
  • Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, IA
  • CARE Clinic, Red Wing, MN
  • Catherine McAuley Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
  • Central College, Pella, IA
  • Community Action Center in both Faribault, MN and Northfield, MN
  • Concordia College-Moorhead, Moorhead, MN
  • Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA
  • Hamline University, St. Paul, MN
  • Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park, MN
  • Inver Hills Community College, Inver Grove Heights, MN
  • North Hennepin Community College, Brooklyn Park, MN 
  • St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN
  • The Bridge of Storm Lake, Storm Lake, IA
  • University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
  • University of Minnesota, Morris, Morris, MN
  • University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA
  • WellShare International, Minneapolis, MN
  • Willis Dady Emergency Shelter, Cedar Rapids, IA

To serve in VISTA, you must be an American citizen, national, or permanent resident in most circumstances. International students on an F-visa are not eligible to serve. VISTA members must be 18 years of age and have a high school degree or equivalent.

2023-2024 Full-time Program

IAMNCC has full-time positions available at a variety of colleges, universities, and community partners in Iowa and Minnesota. These positions begin in June, July, or August and members will serve for a full 365 days. Full-time members are granted benefits such as a health care allowance to cover health care costs, relocation allowance if moving more than 50 miles for service, childcare benefits, and more. More information about VISTA benefits may be found on the VISTA website. 

Full-time VISTAs earn a living stipend paid biweekly and amounting to $22,882 annually. Upon completion of their service, VISTAs receive an education award of $6,895 to be used toward tuition or loans. National service through VISTA includes paid holidays as observed by your host site, ten days of medical leave, and ten days of personal leave. 

Our full-time host sites and their locations, sorted by program focus: 

Please reach out to Adia Zeman Theis at azemantheis@compact.org for more information or to be connected with a host site near you!

2023 Summer Program

IAMNCC is hosting 40 VISTA Summer Associates across ten cities in Iowa and Minnesota. Summer Associates serve eight to ten weeks starting in late May and early June. Our programs include positions focused on combating summer learning loss through reading programs for students, as well as community gardening and other food initiatives. 

Summer Associates earn a living stipend paid biweekly (amounts vary on the length of service term) and an education award of $1,459 upon completion of their service. Summer service includes paid holidays as observed by your host site, and three additional leave days. Please reach out to Riah Coley at mcoley@compact.org for more information on summer programming!

 

To serve

To serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA, you must first create a profile on the myAmeriCorps website. Once you have created your AmeriCorps profile, you may apply to any position which interests you through the links above.

Host sites are selected after a consultation and application process that commences in the fall (around October) each year. Sites are selected and notified in January, and recruit for members to begin through the summer months (June, July, and August). Member campuses are given priority. Community sites must show a strong alliance with institutions of higher education.  

Selected host sites are awarded a position for a VISTA project for up to three years. Host Sites must provide office space, training, support and supervision to their VISTA members. There is a cost share that will be $8,500 in the coming year. 

Campuses or community partners interested in becoming a host site can email Adia Zeman Theis at azemantheis@compact.org to learn more about our programs and any upcoming information sessions.