8405.
(a) California AmeriCorps – STEM is hereby established to be administered by CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S-24-06. California AmeriCorps – STEM shall operate under the existing federal AmeriCorps program guidelines.(b) (1) California AmeriCorps – STEM members shall be selected through an application process. Eligibility shall be based on the qualifications required for the federal AmeriCorps members, as of January 1, 2015, and all of the following:
(A) The applicant shall have an associate or a baccalaureate degree or be enrolled in a two-year or four-year postsecondary institution.
(B) The applicant shall be 18 years of age or older.
(C) The applicant shall provide proof that he or she lives in California.
(2) For the first three years in which California AmeriCorps – STEM members are selected, no more than 40 members shall be selected per year. For the fourth year, and each year thereafter, the amount of members selected may increase or decrease in size depending on the amount of available funds collected by the foundation established by this chapter.
(c) A nonprofit corporation that is exempt from federal income taxation as an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or a public entity may apply, individually or in partnership with a corporation or individual interested in the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, to CaliforniaVolunteers through a competitive request for proposal process, to host one or more California AmeriCorps – STEM members. The purpose of California AmeriCorps – STEM is to bring more STEM education programs into California schools, expanded learning programs, after school programs, and neighborhood and regional centers for children in order to prepare the next generation for jobs in the STEM fields.
(d) CaliforniaVolunteers is authorized to solicit and accept private funding to help supplement the costs of California AmeriCorps – STEM. These private funding sources may include, but are not limited to, foundations, corporate funding, crowdfunding, donation drives, or any other sources of private investment that may be available. No more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in moneys received from the state per year shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be spent for administrative costs of the foundation established by this chapter.
(e) General Fund moneys shall not be used for California AmeriCorps – STEM programs.