A federal judge in Baltimore has ordered the Trump administration to restore funding for a government-run volunteer agency in 24 states, including Colorado.

In April, Colorado and 23 other states filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s 90% reduction in workforce for AmeriCorps, the federal agency that connects volunteers with organizations in areas like education, the environment and public health. The administration also ended nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants, nearly half of the agency’s entire budget.

In pushing the change, the White House earlier pointed to improper payments reported by AmeriCorps, totaling over $40 million in 2024 and attributed to insufficient documentation from grantees, calculation errors and miscoded expenses.

“President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch,” Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, has said in an email.

AmeriCorps employs more than 500 full-time federal workers and has an operating budget of roughly $1 billion.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said AmeriCorps volunteers in Colorado contributed over one million hours of service across all 64 counties in 2024. AmeriCorps touted its work in a recent study, which estimated a return of nearly $35 for every dollar spent. 

“In Colorado, AmeriCorps members are on the front lines: supporting wildfire mitigation, helping students succeed in school, and expanding mental health access,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a news release announcing the lawsuit. “Their work touches every part of our state, and these cuts are taking important services away from Coloradans and our communities.”

As a result of U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman’s preliminary injunction, AmeriCorps must reinstate all terminated grants in plaintiff states; reinstate impacted AmeriCorps and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members; restore the National Civilian Community Corps, a branch of AmeriCorps for young adults; and abide by federal notice-and-comment requirements before making any significant future changes. 

The Associated Press contributed to this article.