CHAPTER 90—VOLUNTEERS FOR PROSPERITY PROGRAM

§8301. Findings

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Americans engaged in international volunteer service, and the organizations deploying them—

(A) play critical roles in responding to the needs of people living throughout the developing world; and

(B) advance the international public diplomacy of the United States.

(2) The Volunteers for Prosperity Program has successfully promoted international volunteer service by skilled American professionals.

(3) In its first 4 years, the VfP Program helped to mobilize 74,000 skilled Americans, including doctors, nurses, engineers, businesspeople, and teachers, through a network of 250 nonprofit organizations and companies in the United States, to carry out development and humanitarian efforts for those affected by great global challenges in health, the environment, poverty, illiteracy, financial literacy, disaster relief, and other challenges.

(4) The VfP Program has undertaken activities, including—

(A) direct outreach to leading nonprofit organizations and companies in the United States;

(B) promotion of the work of skilled Americans and nonprofit organizations and companies in the United States as it relates to international volunteer service;

(C) public recognition of skilled American volunteers;

(D) support for organizations that utilize skilled Americans as volunteers;

(E) participation in the development of special initiatives to further opportunities for skilled Americans; and

(F) leadership of an innovative public-private partnership to provide eligible skilled ¹ with financial assistance for volunteer assignments.

(Pub. L. 111–13, title V, §5101, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1597.)

Effective Date

Chapter effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as an Effective Date of 2009 Amendment note under section 4950 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.

Ex. Ord. No. 13317. Volunteers for Prosperity

Ex. Ord. No. 13317, Sept. 25, 2003, 68 F.R. 56515, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 13418, Dec. 14, 2006, 71 F.R. 75647, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to encourage volunteer service by highly skilled Americans to support major initiatives by the United States for promoting health and prosperity around the world, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. (a) Policy. A part of USA Freedom Corps, “Volunteers for Prosperity” is a call to service to support major U.S. initiatives that promote health and prosperity around the world. Deploying highly skilled volunteers abroad is an efficient way to use our resources consistent with the objectives of the United States Government's global prosperity agenda. United States volunteers will help to achieve the objectives of the global prosperity agenda, including providing clean water to the poor, promoting democratic governance, developing economic freedom, promoting free and open markets, stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS and controlling malaria.

The investment of Federal resources to enable U.S. volunteers to work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations overseas is a preferred use of our resources and also will help leverage private sector resources. United States citizens who are skilled professionals and who volunteer, when matched with organizations working on specific U.S. prosperity initiatives overseas, can provide invaluable support for these initiatives and will supplement and complement the traditions and accomplishments of the Peace Corps.

United States prosperity initiatives that can benefit from volunteer service include, but are not limited to, the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Digital Freedom Initiative, the Water for the Poor Initiative, the Trade for African Development and Enterprise Initiative, the Middle East Partnership Initiative, and the President's Malaria Initiative.

Volunteer service in support of other initiatives, consistent with U.S. foreign policy, shall be considered as well.

(b) Applicability. The following agencies are subject to the requirements of this order: the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health and Human Services, and such other Federal agencies as the President may designate in the future.

Sec. 2. Establishment. (a) Agencies subject to this order shall each establish within their respective organizations an Office for Volunteers for Prosperity (Office) or, as appropriate, an operating unit within an office.

(b) Each agency subject to this order shall provide its Office or unit with appropriate staff, administrative support, and resources to meet its responsibilities under this order.

(c) Each of these Offices or units shall begin operations no later than 30 days from the date of this order.

(d) Agencies subject to this order shall consider, in evaluating grant applications for assistance activities to be implemented abroad, the applicant's use of highly skilled U.S. volunteers to support U.S. prosperity objectives and initiatives.

Sec. 3. Purpose. To the extent permitted by law, the purpose of the Offices will be to promote, expand, and enhance well-defined volunteer service opportunities for highly skilled U.S. professionals who wish to work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations around the world in support of major U.S. prosperity initiatives as identified in section 1 of this order. Such promotion, expansion, and enhancement would include actively participating in the design and selection processes for grants within their agencies, tracking the use of U.S. private volunteer organizations by their agencies, and coordinating with White House Offices including the USA Freedom Corps, the Office of National AIDS Policy, and the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, as appropriate.

Sec. 4. Funding. Agencies subject to this order are hereby directed to use their best efforts to use funds available for the U.S. prosperity initiatives listed in section 1 of this order to provide appropriate support to organizations that use highly skilled U.S. volunteers to accomplish the objectives identified in those initiatives.

Sec. 5. Coordination. The USAID shall serve as the inter-agency coordinator for the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative. In that capacity, the USAID shall coordinate the activities that fall within the scope of the initiative and report on the progress of the initiative to the USA Freedom Corps Office, within the White House Office. The reports shall be submitted within 180 days after the date of this order and annually thereafter. The USA Freedom Corps Council shall encourage consistency in policies and practices within the agencies subject to this order, as appropriate, for purposes related to the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative.

Sec. 6. Administration. The actions directed by this order shall be carried out subject to the availability of appropriations, to the extent permitted by law, and consistent with the agencies’ missions.

Sec. 7. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve the internal management of the executive branch of the Federal Government, and it is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the United States, its departments, agencies, or other entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.

George W. Bush.      

¹ So in original. Probably should be “eligible skilled professionals”.

§8302. Definitions

In this chapter:

(1) VfP Office

The term “VfP Office” means the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity of the United States Agency for International Development.

(2) VfP Program

The term “VfP Program” means the Volunteers for Prosperity Program established through Executive Order 13317.

(3) VfPServe

The term “VfPServe” means a program established by the VfP Office, in cooperation with the USA Freedom Corps, to provide eligible skilled professionals with fixed amount stipends to offset the travel and living costs of volunteering abroad.

(Pub. L. 111–13, title V, §5102, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1598.)

References in Text

Executive Order 13317, referred to in par. (2), is set out as a note under section 8301 of this title.

§8303. Office of Volunteers for Prosperity

(a) Functions

The VfP Office shall pursue the objectives of the VfP Program described in subsection (b) by—

(1) implementing the VfPServe Program to provide eligible skilled professionals with matching grants to offset the travel and living expenses of volunteering abroad with nonprofit organizations;

(2) otherwise promoting short- and long-term international volunteer service by skilled American professionals, including connecting such professionals with nonprofit organizations, to achieve such objectives;

(3) helping nonprofit organizations in the United States recruit and effectively manage additional skilled American professionals for volunteer assignments throughout the developing world;

(4) providing recognition for skilled American volunteers and the organizations deploying them;

(5) helping nonprofit organizations and corporations in the United States to identify resources and opportunities in international volunteer service utilizing skilled Americans;

(6) encouraging the establishment of international volunteer programs for employees of United States corporations; and

(7) encouraging international voluntary service by highly skilled Americans to promote health and prosperity throughout the world.

(b) VfP Program objectives

The objectives of the VfP Program should include—

(1) eliminating extreme poverty;

(2) reducing world hunger and malnutrition;

(3) increasing access to safe potable water;

(4) enacting universal education;

(5) reducing child mortality and childhood diseases;

(6) combating the spread of preventable diseases, including HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis;

(7) providing educational and work skill support for girls and empowering women to achieve independence;

(8) creating sustainable business and entrepreneurial opportunities; and

(9) increasing access to information technology.

(c) Volunteers for Prosperity Service Incentive Program

(1) In general

The VfP Office may provide matching grants to offset the travel and living costs of volunteering abroad to any eligible organization that—

(A) has members who possess skills relevant to addressing any objective described in subsection (b); and

(B) provides a dollar-for-dollar match for such grant—

(i) through the organization with which the individual is serving; or

(ii) by raising private funds.

(2) Nondiscrimination requirement

The VfP Office may not provide a stipend to an individual under paragraph (1) unless the nonprofit organization to which the individual is assigned has certified to the VfP Office that it does not discriminate with respect to any project or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, including a stipend under this chapter, because of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, political affiliation, or beliefs.

(3) Compliance with ineligible service categories

Service carried out by a volunteer receiving funds under this section may not provide a direct benefit to any—

(A) business organized for profit;

(B) labor union;

(C) partisan political organization; or

(D) religious or faith-based organization for the purpose of proselytization, worship or any other explicitly religious activity.

(d) Funding

(1) In general

The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall make available the amounts appropriated pursuant to section 8304 of this title to the VfP Office to pursue the objectives described in subsection (b) by carrying out the functions described in subsection (a).

(2) Use of funds

Amounts made available under paragraph (1) may be used by the VfP Office to provide personnel and other resources to develop, manage, and expand the VfP Program, under the supervision of the United States Agency for International Development.

(e) Coordination

The VfP Office shall coordinate its efforts with other public and private efforts that aim to send skilled professionals to serve in developing nations.

(f) Report

The VfP Office shall submit an annual report to Congress on the activities of the VfP Office.

(Pub. L. 111–13, title V, §5103, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1598.)

§8304. Authorization of appropriations

(a) In general

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2014.

(b) Allocation of funds

Not more than 10 percent of the amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) may be expended for the administrative costs of the United States Agency for International Development to manage the VfP Program.

(Pub. L. 111–13, title V, §5104, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1600.)