Maine Service Fellows

The Mission group of young adults with Maine Service Fellows badge

The mission of the Maine Service Fellows program is to

  • Provide rural, underserved communities with a resource to address critical needs;
  • Increase the opportunities for recent college graduates to devote a year of service to communities and use their skills to make a difference;
  • Attract and retain people with a passion for public service, especially in rural areas; and
  • Strengthen civic engagement and community resilience by involving community residents as well as Service Fellows in volunteer-based solutions. 

Service Fellows devote between one and two years to helping a community address a challenge. They are recent college graduates who opt to apply their skills and knowledge to a service assignment. 

Maine Service Fellows is a program of Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, and not part of the AmeriCorps national service network. The Commission works with qualifying communities to recruit and place individual Service Fellows.

The Opportunity

Be a Service Fellow

If you want to serve the needs of a rural Maine community and make a lasting difference, Maine Service Fellows wants to meet you! 

In addition to honing skills, knowledge, and abilities, serving as a Fellow is an opportunity to

  -  Explore public and nonprofit careers
  -  Develop a professional network
  -  Demonstrate your ability to have an impact on a specific issue Immerse oneself in the year-round life of a Maine community
  -  Make an authentic difference

Maine Service Fellows are not employees of the host organization but they do receive financial support. The living allowance is set by law at 212% of the federal poverty level and does not vary regardless of a candidate’s experience, training, education, location, or project responsibilities. The living allowance lets an individual commit to full-time service. Health coverage is available for those who need it. On successful completion of the service year, Fellows may be eligible for an end-of-service financial award that can be applied to education-related debt.

Eligible individuals need to

  - Be at least 20 years of age;
  - Have completed a college degree (associates, undergraduate, or graduate school) within the last five years;
  - Be eligible to work in the United States;
  - Pass a background check that includes a criminal history record check;
  - Commit to the full term of service (1,800 hours each year);
  - Live in the community impacted by the Service Fellow project;
  - Meet the qualifications for a specific project assignment; and
  - During service, comply with the terms and conditions of the program and local sponsor organization with which they serve.
Project Locations and Open Now

Projects are proposed by communities located in parts of the state defined as very rural under the USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Codes. Specifically, that means communities in Aroostook, Washington, Hancock, Piscataquis, Franklin, Somerset, Oxford, Lincoln, Knox, or Waldo counties as well as towns in Penobscot County with populations of 5,000 or fewer residents.

Now recruiting 5 Maine Service Fellows to start in January 2025.

General position description is  here. As host sites finalize their projects, specific descriptions will be added.

Communities interviewing now:    Cherryfield Riverwalk Committee,    Town of Van Buren

Interested? See "Apply to Serve" instructions below.

Maine Service Fellows welcomes applicants, participants, and partners of all backgrounds including diverse race, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental ability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics. Reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Types of Community Projects

Community projects for Service Fellows fall into one of the areas listed below:

General areas of need

  - COVID 19 recovery 
  - Housing including eviction prevention
  - Workforce development
  - Substance use prevention and recovery

Climate Action areas

  - Coastal zone 
  - Community resilience (including climate action planning)
  - Transportation
  - Energy
  - Housing
  - Land and fresh-water preservation
  - Education (k-12 and community) 
  - Public health including mental health

Service Fellows must devote 20% of their annual work plan to developing regional networks of volunteer programs and leaders.
Apply to Serve

Submit your application online using this  complete the online application using this link:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q769SQJ

You will need to upload a cover letter, resume, and copy of your diploma as part of the application.

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. 

For more information, contact Volunteer Maine at service.commission@maine.gov

Maine Service Fellows welcomes applicants, participants, and partners of all backgrounds including diverse race, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental ability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics. Reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Looking for Host Community Info?

For information on bringing a Service Fellow to your community, open this page -- Maine Service Fellows Community Assistance

Supporting Partner

The Maine Service Fellows program is funded as a public-private partnership. The Maine Volunteer Foundation, the nonprofit partner of Volunteer Maine, leads the private fundraising efforts. Individuals, businesses, foundations, and others who may want to invest in the program should contact the Maine Volunteer Foundation Here. 

Anyone who would like to support recruitment or training of Fellows can contribute to the Foundation directly online. Donate today

Learn more about the Maine Volunteer Foundation (MVF).  MVF website