The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits' AmeriCorps VISTA program builds the capacity of nonprofits serving or led by immigrant and refugee communities and communities of color to address the impact of poverty and break the cycle. 

The Role of AmeriCorps VISTA

AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is an independent federal agency created to connect Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation.

VISTA is a branch of AmeriCorps that focuses on building capacity for organizations that empower their communities. The capacity-building focus of the VISTA program means that VISTA members work for the lasting growth and development of organizations or projects within their host communities instead of performing direct service activities, such as building houses or tutoring students.

MCN’s VISTA Program

MCN started its AmeriCorps VISTA program in 2014 as a way to extend its mission to inform, promote, connect, and strengthen individual nonprofits and the nonprofit sector. The program inspires and equips three networks—nonprofit leaders of color, emerging nonprofit leaders, and philanthropic and capacity-building organizations—to overcome inequities of access, develop new networks of beneficial relationships, and increase cultural agility in ways that nurture and sustain these partnerships for future success.