Service to Success coordinates Minnesota’s public service programs and connects them to education and career pathways; so serving your community can lead to a stable, meaningful career.

What it is:
The Service to Success Initiative is a statewide effort to better coordinate, expand, and promote public service opportunities—and connect them to clear career and education pathways.

Funding:

• $3 million per year in FY 2026–27
• $500,000 per year in FY 2028–29
• Supports temporary staffing (up to 5 FTEs initially), grants, and coordination
• Includes $150,000 transferred to MDE to support education-to-service career pathways

Why this is needed:
Minnesota already has thousands of public service opportunities (AmeriCorps, ServeMN, National Health Service Corps, National Guard, etc.), but:

• They are fragmented and poorly coordinated
• There is no clear strategy linking service to workforce needs
• Participants often exit service without a pathway into careers or further education

What the proposal does:

1. Creates an Office of Public Service

This office will:

• Coordinate public service strategy across state agencies
• Align service opportunities with workforce and education goals
• Promote awareness and access to service programs
• Identify gaps and opportunities for expansion
• Build clear career pathways from service into education and jobs
  A portion of this work will be housed at MDE to support work-based learning and academic credit.

2. Funds Service to Success Opportunity Grants

• Expands existing public service programs
• Prioritizes high-quality service aligned with state needs, including:
  • Healthcare and senior care
  • K–12 education (tutoring, mentoring, school support)
  • Public and civil service internships
  • Food insecurity and agriculture
  • Climate and environmental work
• Does not replace or displace full-time jobs

3. Supports interagency workforce coordination

• Temporary staffing to align public service with broader workforce efforts across agencies like DEED, MDE, MnSCU, DHS, MDH, and others

Impact on children and families:

• More tutoring, mentoring, and school support
• Expanded healthcare, food security, and community services
• Stronger pipelines from service into stable careers

Equity focus:

• Makes public service more accessible for people from low-income backgrounds
• Helps participants turn service into family-supporting careers
• Directs service toward communities with the greatest needs

Bottom line:
This initiative doesn’t create new service programs from scratch—it connects, strengthens, and professionalizes what already exists, ensuring public service leads to real career and education outcomes.