Inspired to Serve Act of 2025
The Inspired to Serve Act of 2025 aims to build a broader culture of service in the United States by expanding civic education, service-learning, and coordinated military, national, and public service efforts. It creates new funding streams and programs to strengthen civics education in schools, expand service-learning and national service opportunities, improve how the federal government promotes and integrates multiple forms of service, and modernize elements of the public service system. The bill envisions a more interconnected ecosystem—K-12 education, higher education, community organizations, and federal service programs—designed to produce a more civically engaged population and a more robust pipeline for military, national, and public service. Key features include dedicated funds for civic education and service-learning, a national civics assessment integration, recognition programs for excellence in civics, a council to coordinate service across the executive branch, and broad modernization efforts to expand and align military, national, and public service opportunities and pathways into federal employment.
Key Points
- 1Civic Education Fund: Establishes a competitive grant program to support high-quality civic education, applied civics, and service-learning in schools. Emphasizes teacher development, supports high-need schools (at least 50% of teacher development funds reserved for these schools), and requires grant matching. Provides for annual appropriations (not less than $100 million for both civic education and related activities under this title).
- 2Service-Learning Fund: Creates a Service-Learning Fund within the Corporation for National and Community Service to fund programs described in service-learning, with explicit objectives to ensure in-class service-learning by 2031 and to enroll large numbers of students in summer and semester service programs. Allocates funds across public schools and higher education, with set shares and a focus on low-income communities; includes specific program augmentations such as summer and semester service completion awards and hours requirements.
- 3National Civics Assessment: Expands civics measurement by adding civics to state plans and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and related assessments, ensuring civics data are collected and reported at national and state levels.
- 4Excellence in Civics Award: Creates an annual award program to recognize outstanding civics education, applied civics, and service-learning efforts by states, districts, schools, teachers, and students, with a committee to review and designate recipients.
- 5Development of Civic Education Materials: Establishes interagency cooperation (Librarian of Congress, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Archivist) to develop and distribute civic education materials, including to rural areas, with ongoing budget reporting.
- 6Council on Military, National, and Public Service (Title II): Establishes a White House Council to promote and coordinate military, national, and public service, identify critical skills for national security, oversee joint recruitment/marketing efforts, and develop pathways to service. The Council comprises senior federal leaders (including Secretaries of State, Defense, Education, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and others) and operates with quarterly meetings and interagency coordination responsibilities.
- 7Broad Advancement of Service Programs (Title III and beyond): The bill contains extensive provisions to advance military, national, and public service through new personnel structures, tuition and credentialing programs, expansion of the JROTC and cyber institutes, national service fellowships, public awareness campaigns, and modernization of federal personnel systems and pathways for recent graduates and critical skills roles.