UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project

What UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project does

The UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project is a federally sponsored community service program operated under the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, founded in August 2012 and headquartered at 900 Wood Rd, Tallent Hall, Kenosha, Wisconsin. The program places AmeriCorps VISTA members at nonprofit and government host organizations in Racine and Kenosha County to build organizational capacity in areas such as volunteer recruitment and management, grant writing, fund development, job-training program design, and sustainable programming. Current placements span at least eight named host sites, including Racine County Veterans Services-Workforce Solutions, Racine County UW-Extension, Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin, Lakeside Curative Services, Racine Revitalization Partnership, Focus On Community, Higher Expectations of Racine County, and John XXIII Educational Center, with a stated six-VISTA cohort in Racine and expansion underway into Kenosha. The service model is cradle-to-career, targeting economic development, job creation, financial education, and asset building for low-income individuals and families.

The program's "products" are operational and training resources rather than technology. These include VISTA supervisor materials (On-Site Orientation and Training Guidebook, OSOT Checklist, Core Competencies tutorials), member resources (Exit Binder, Outside Employment Request Form, Stories From Service, Teleservice Form), and interactive online courses in Resource Development and Volunteer Management carrying American Council on Education (ACE) undergraduate credit recommendations. Underlying technology is minimal: the project runs on a Weebly-hosted informational website and routes applicant flow through the national AmeriCorps portal (my.americorps.gov). There are no proprietary software platforms, APIs, or AI capabilities disclosed.

The business model is a hybrid federal-grant-plus-cost-share arrangement typical of AmeriCorps VISTA sponsors. Host sites contribute a $7,000 annual cost share per VISTA, most commonly split as $3,500 at the start of the service term and $3,500 at the midpoint, with single-payment and four-installment options also available. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and there are no venture or private-equity investors; the program is embedded in a public university and the federal Corporation for National and Community Service framework, with no independent ownership structure. In 2017, VISTA member Alicia Jarrett received the AmeriCorps VISTA Participant of the Year at the Governor's Service Recognition, credited with approximately $76,000 in grants written for the John XXIII Educational Center.

Name

UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project

Legal name

University of Wisconsin-Parkside VISTA Project

Website

https://uwpvista.weebly.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project places VISTA members at nonprofit and government host organizations in Racine and Kenosha County, Wisconsin, building organizational capacity through volunteer recruitment, grant writing, fund development, and job-training program design to alleviate poverty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenosha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Host Site Cost Share: VISTA host sites (nonprofits and government agencies) pay $7,000 annual cost share. Most sites choose to pay $3,500 at the beginning and $3,500 halfway through the VISTA term.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project places VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) members at nonprofit and government host organizations in Racine and Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Each VISTA serves a one-year term at a host site to build organizational capacity through volunteer recruitment, grant writing, fund development, and program development, addressing economic development, job creation, financial education, and asset building for low-income populations. Host sites pay an annual $7,000 cost share and receive a dedicated VISTA member plus supplemental training resources, supervisor guides, and online courses.

Product overview

UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project is a community service program that places VISTA members at nonprofit and government organizations in Racine and Kenosha County to build organizational capacity and alleviate poverty. The core offering is the VISTA Program Membership, supplemented by resources for VISTA supervisors (VISTA Supervisor Resources), member support materials (VISTA Member Resources), and post-service benefits including the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award and Non-Competitive Eligibility (NCE) for federal employment. Additional offerings include online professional development courses in Resource Development and Volunteer Management with ACE college credit recommendations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VISTA Program Membership One-year AmeriCorps VISTA national service placement at a host nonprofit or government organization in Racine or Kenosha County, performing volunteer recruitment, grant writing, fund development, and program development to build organizational capacity for poverty alleviation. Available to host sites that pay the $7,000 annual cost share.
• VISTA Supervisor Resources Training materials, manuals, and guides for VISTA supervisors at host sites, including the On-Site Orientation and Training Guidebook, OSOT Checklist, and Core Competencies tutorials. Available to host site supervisors hosting VISTA members.
• VISTA Member Resources Resources for serving VISTAs including the Exit Binder, Outside Employment Request Form, Stories From Service, and Teleservice Form documents. Available to current VISTA members during their service term.
• Online Professional Development Courses for VISTAs Interactive online courses in Resource Development and Volunteer Management, with transferable undergraduate college credit recommendations through the American Council on Education (ACE). Available to VISTA members during their service.

Quantifiable outcome

• One VISTA member wrote grants totaling approximately $76,000
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Racine County Veterans Services - Workforce SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce solutions partner that hosts VISTA members to help veterans and limited income job seekers access employment resources and benefits.
• Racine County UW-ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation extension partner focused on emergent literacy, emotion coaching, and financial literacy programs for families and young children living in poverty.
• Veterans Outreach of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterans services organization working to support veterans as they transition out of homelessness. VISTA member develops communications, marketing, and fund raising systems.
• Lakeside Curative ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing services for youth and adults with disabilities. VISTA member conducts research and outreach for preparedness programming.
• Racine Revitalization PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development organization focused on job training and pre-apprenticeship programs. VISTA member assists with resource development and communications.
• Focus On CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity services organization delivering job-seeking skill development programming for youth, young adults, and young families.
• Higher Expectations of Racine CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership organization working to improve outcomes in Racine County.
• John XXIII Educational CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational center preparing and empowering middle and high school students who are economically and educationally disadvantaged. Hosted VISTA Alicia Jarrett who wrote $76,000 in grants.

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way: National nonprofit network that builds capacity at local community organizations to address poverty, education, and financial stability — overlapping mission with UW-Parkside's host-site capacity-building model, though funded differently and at vastly larger scale.
• Peace Corps: Federal international national-service program with similar mission of placing trained volunteers in underserved communities to build capacity. Comparable service-year model and anti-poverty focus, but operates internationally and is much larger.
• AmeriCorps: Federal agency that administers the VISTA program under which UW-Parkside's project operates. Direct umbrella organization — UW-Parkside is a sub-grantee/sponsor of AmeriCorps VISTA, making the parent program itself the closest structural peer.
• Corporation for National and Community Service: Federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps and VISTA. Comparable as the parent federal framework under which UW-Parkside operates, but at a much broader scale covering all national service programs nationally.

Emerging players

• Campus Compact: National coalition of colleges and universities committed to civic and community engagement. Comparable in university-affiliated community-service focus, but operates as a membership/network organization rather than directly placing service members.

Direct peers

• City Year: National service program that places AmeriCorps members in schools and communities for a year of paid service — directly comparable service model (paid national-service members placed at host sites), beneficiary population (low-income communities), and capacity-building mission, but operating at substantially larger national scale.

Others

• Habitat for Humanity: Major nonprofit that builds volunteer-driven capacity to address community-level challenges. Comparable as a national nonprofit ecosystem that depends on volunteer mobilization and host-site partnerships, though focused on housing rather than the broader social services space UW-Parkside serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uw-parksideamericorpsvistaproject

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 UW-Parkside AmeriCorps VISTA Project