The nation’s 250th anniversary arrives with a call for year-round community service

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday celebration, the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission has unveiled an ambitious initiative aimed at making 2026 America’s greatest year of volunteering. The program, called America Gives, was announced Wednesday as the nation begins commemorating the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The initiative faces significant challenges in reviving a volunteering culture that has declined in recent years. According to a December AP-NORC poll, only 28% of Americans reported volunteering time to religious or secular charitable organizations last year, with rates still below pre-pandemic levels.

Rather than targeting a specific number of volunteer hours, America Gives aims to leverage nationwide reflections on America’s direction to foster lasting community involvement that extends beyond the semiquincentennial year. The program is funded through congressional appropriations and corporate sponsorships from major companies including Walmart and Coca-Cola.

“We strongly believe that this is as much about the future as it is the past,” said America250 Chair Rosie Rios, who leads the nonpartisan commission created by Congress to organize the anniversary events. “Especially this next generation, we want to give them something to believe in.”

Participants can pledge their time and track volunteering hours through an online platform. The initiative has partnered with numerous nonprofit organizations to expand its reach. Girl Scouts of the USA will offer a volunteering badge to any of its approximately one million youth members who complete a service project. Keep America Beautiful is coordinating efforts to remove 250 million pieces of trash nationwide by July 4th. JustServe, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, plans to send 250 semitrucks delivering food donations to 250 food banks across all 50 states.

A key challenge for America Gives will be engaging younger Americans, who volunteer at lower rates than their older counterparts. Only about one-quarter of adults under 30 reported volunteering their time to charity in the past year, according to a March AP-NORC poll, compared with 36% of those over 60.

Rios explained that the initiative is collaborating with high schools, many of which already require community service for graduation, to ensure volunteering hours are logged and to help build giving habits that continue beyond secondary education. “They’re very passionate. They’re very purpose-driven. They do want to give back,” she said of younger generations.

Sofia Alvarez, a cohort lead for the Youth250 Bureau, a separate effort to center Gen Z perspectives throughout next year’s programming, noted that young people seek “third spaces” outside of home, school, or work that feel safe without requiring money. “Any sort of craft or activity that really helps people connect, where they can chit chat and bond with each other, really builds that sense of community,” Alvarez said.

To accommodate younger volunteers’ busy lives, nonprofits have adapted their opportunities. Sarah Keating, vice president of Girl and Volunteer Experience at Girl Scouts of the USA, explained that her organization now offers more manageable volunteer experiences. “A campaign like this shines a light on the multitude of ways that you can volunteer — that it doesn’t have to be whatever stereotype you have in your head,” she said of America Gives. “There are small ways to volunteer. There are big ways to volunteer.”

The initiative also faces the challenge of overcoming political polarization and declining national pride. Despite these obstacles, Rios believes Americans want to revitalize volunteerism. “It is about one country,” she said. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of people who feel like now, more than ever, we all need to stand up.”

Keep America Beautiful CEO Jennifer Lawson sees litter cleanup as a unifying issue that can bridge divides. Her organization aims to reach 4 million volunteers through local chapters focused on community cleanup, tree planting, and gardening.

“It doesn’t have to be all flags and tricornered hats,” Lawson said. “Patriotism in this country is an act of giving into community.”

America Gives will extend beyond July 4th to foster ongoing volunteering habits. Registered volunteers can enter a sweepstakes where 250 randomly selected winners will direct $4,000 donations to approved nonprofit partners. The program will also organize around national service days like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and 9/11, with an emphasis on local engagement.

“It should be on people’s minds all the time, not just the day that they’re doing service,” Rios said. “But how do they plan ahead to keep it going?”