What Peace Corps does

Peace Corps is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government, established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy via executive order, with a statutory mission to promote world peace and friendship through three goals: meeting developing countries' needs for trained personnel, promoting American understanding abroad, and bringing foreign understanding back to the United States. The agency places U.S. citizen volunteers aged 18+ into 60+ host countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and the Pacific Islands, working in six programmatic sectors: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development. Its core service offering is structured as three programs: the Peace Corps Volunteer (2 years + 3 months of training, immersive in-country service), Peace Corps Response (6-12 month assignments for experienced professionals with 5+ years of experience), and the Virtual Service Pilot (3-6 months of remote engagement, 5-15 hours per week, across 50+ countries).

The business model is non-commercial. Peace Corps is funded entirely through annual Congressional appropriations as a federal agency under the executive branch and does not generate product or service revenue. Volunteers receive a living allowance (varying by country), housing, full medical and dental coverage, 3 months of pre-service training, vacation time, and a readjustment allowance of $10,000+ upon completion of standard service; Peace Corps Response participants receive a $500/month service award; Virtual Service Pilot participants receive a one-time $250 stipend. Distribution is via direct placement through formal government-to-government agreements with host countries, with Volunteers placed into 3,000+ service sites worldwide. Recruitment is conducted through a multi-channel approach spanning the peacecorps.gov website, organic and paid social, recruiter outreach, university partnerships (including the Coverdell Fellows Program with 150+ institutions), events, and the National Peace Corps Association alumni network representing 240,000+ Returned Volunteers. Since inception, more than 240,000 Volunteers have served across 144 countries; the current operational scope is smaller, concentrated in 60+ active countries.

Name

Peace Corps

Legal name

Peace Corps

Website

https://peacecorps.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Peace Corps is a U.S. federal agency established in 1961 that places American volunteers aged 18+ into 60+ developing countries for 2-year service terms in agriculture, education, health, environment, economic development, and youth programs, funded entirely by Congressional appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Volunteer Service

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (EDAIAGAF), Civilian Protection & Stabilization Operations (BPADAFAF)

Keywords

• International volunteer service
• Government volunteer program
• Community development
• Cross-cultural exchange
• International development assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. U.S. Government Appropriations: Peace Corps is a U.S. federal agency funded through Congressional appropriations. The agency does not generate commercial revenue. Volunteers receive a living allowance, housing, medical/dental coverage, and a readjustment allowance ($10,000+ upon completion of standard 2-year service).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Peace Corps is a U.S. federal government agency, established in 1961, that deploys American volunteers to serve in developing countries. Volunteers are placed in host communities to work across six core sectors: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development, delivering technical assistance while promoting mutual cross-cultural understanding.

Product overview

Peace Corps is a U.S. government agency that operates three core volunteer service programs: the Peace Corps Volunteer (a 2-year immersive international service program), Peace Corps Response (a 6-12 month short-term skilled volunteer program for experienced professionals), and the Virtual Service Pilot (a 3-6 month remote volunteer option). Volunteers work across six programmatic sectors: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development, serving in 60+ countries worldwide. The organization also supports Returned Volunteers through alumni benefits including the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program for graduate education and Non-Competitive Eligibility for federal employment. Peace Corps is not a technology company and does not offer software products, APIs, or AI-powered features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peace Corps Volunteer: Full-time, 2-year immersive international service program for U.S. citizens
• Peace Corps Response
• Virtual Service Pilot

Products and services

• Peace Corps Volunteer Program Flagship two-year international volunteer assignment program in which U.S. citizens are placed in host communities abroad to provide technical assistance across six sectors (Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development). Targets U.S. citizens seeking immersive international service.
• Peace Corps Response Shorter-term, specialized volunteer assignments for returned Peace Corps Volunteers and other qualified professionals who respond to targeted project needs in host countries. Designed for experienced professionals seeking high-impact, time-limited service.
• Virtual Service Pilot Remote/online volunteer engagement that allows volunteers to support Peace Corps partner organizations and host country projects without physical relocation, using digital tools to deliver technical assistance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 286,300+ students taught English, literacy, math, and/or science in fiscal year 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Host Country GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeace Corps operates through formal invitations from and agreements with sovereign governments. Host country governments and local communities identify their priorities, and Volunteers work alongside community members on locally-led development projects. This is the foundational partnership model upon which the Peace Corps operates.
• National Peace Corps Association (NPCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPCA is the primary alumni organization for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, representing 225,000+ RPCVs. They support ongoing advocacy, community building, volunteer and sector projects, and serve as a bridge between RPCVs and prospective volunteers.
• Partner Universities (Coverdell Fellows Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 150 educational institutions partner with Peace Corps to offer reduced tuition, assistantships, and stipends to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers pursuing graduate studies. Fellows complete internships in U.S. communities to fulfill Peace Corps' third goal.
• Host Country Schools and Educational InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation Volunteers work directly with schools, teachers, and students to improve English language instruction, literacy, math, and science education. In fiscal year 2025, 7,400+ teachers were supported and 286,300+ students were taught.
• Smallholder Farmers and Agricultural CooperativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgriculture Volunteers partner with smallholder farmers to improve food security, agricultural practices, and sustainable livelihoods. In fiscal year 2025, nearly 8,100 farmers were instructed in improved practices and 21,700+ individuals participated in food security programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Nations Volunteers (UNV): The UN system's dedicated international volunteer-deployment program. Operates a global UN Volunteer scheme with multi-month and multi-year assignments, including both on-site and remote modalities, making it the closest multilateral analog to the Peace Corps model.
• AmeriCorps: U.S. federal volunteer service program (CNCS-administered) that places Americans in domestic service terms of 10–12 months. Highly comparable to Peace Corps in mission, federal-agency structure, and the use of a national service allowance plus Segal Education Award as a post-service benefit.
• VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas): UK-founded international volunteering organization that places skilled professionals in long-term (typically 1–2 year) assignments across Africa and Asia. Closely mirrors Peace Corps in duration of service, target beneficiaries, and community-embedded development model.

Regional players

• WUSC (World University Service of Canada) / Uniterra: Canadian non-profit that implements the Uniterra volunteer cooperation program, placing Canadian professionals and students in assignments across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Directly comparable to Peace Corps in volunteer-based, partner-country-led development model, with a Canadian rather than U.S. footprint.
• Australian Volunteers International (AVI / Australian Volunteers Program): Australian government-funded international volunteering program placing skilled Australians in partner-country assignments of typically 6–24 months. Structurally similar to Peace Corps in skill-based, government-funded volunteer deployment, with a more recent pivot toward remote and hybrid assignments.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German federal development agency that places development advisors and integrated experts in partner countries, often on multi-year assignments. Comparable in bilateral, government-to-government structure and skilled-professional deployment model, but anchored to German rather than U.S. foreign policy.

Emerging players

• Teach For All (Teach For America / Teach For All network): Global network of partner organizations (including Teach For America) placing graduates as teachers and education leaders in underserved schools for 2-year terms. Closely comparable to Peace Corps' Education sector in cohort size, service-term length, and post-service leadership pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Large U.S.-headquartered humanitarian and development NGO operating in 40+ countries with programs in food security, economic development, and youth. Comparable in multi-sector grassroots focus and target geographies, but funded through donor grants rather than Congressional appropriations.
• USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development): The U.S. government's primary bilateral development and humanitarian assistance agency. Operates alongside Peace Corps in many of the same countries and sectors, but at vastly larger scale, through grants, contracts, and direct implementation rather than long-term Volunteer placement.
• JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency): Japan's official bilateral development agency and one of the world's largest. Operates a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) program that mirrors Peace Corps' 2-year volunteer model in many countries, but as part of a much broader grant, loan, and technical-cooperation portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PeaceCorps
• YouTubeyoutube.com/peacecorps
• Facebookfacebook.com/peacecorps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peace-corps
• Instagraminstagram.com/peacecorps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Peace Corps