Trying to figure out the difference between NCCC and FEMA corps? I am here to help! In this post I am going to show you the similarities and differences between the two programs so you know which one is for you!
The Programs
FEMA Corps: The Federal Emergency Management Agency Corps, sometimes referred to as NCCC-FEMA.
Americorps NCCC: The National Civilian Community Corps is also known as Traditional Corps.
Both programs are government funded, team-based programs for people ages 18-26 (no upper age limit to be a team leader) to dedicated 10-11 months of their lives to national and community service.
Note: The program descriptions and definitions have been restructured overtime and explained in different ways. As of 2023, their website states Traditional and FEMA as being subsets under NCCC. However, when I was apart of the program in 2016 and 2019, it was drilled into us that "traditional corps" was the old way of saying NCCC and FEMA corps was a connecting but separate program.
The Program Differences
The Type of Service Work
The biggest difference between the two programs is the type of service work you do.
In FEMA corps members only work in the natural and other disasters service sector, focusing on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Most of the work you do is not physically demanding and tends to be behind the scenes. Some examples of this would be; handing out water bottles and food, surveying the effects of a disaster on the community, setting up shelters, checking community members into shelters, answering phones to respond to help calls, coordinating survivors and volunteers, assisting survivors in completing applications for assistance, and more.
In NCCC you complete hands on, more physically demanding service work in five different service sectors; environmental stewardship and conservation, urban and rural development, infrastructure improvement, energy conservation, and natural and other disasters. The work you complete will vary throughout your year and can consist of tasks such as; invasive species removal, planting native species, trail building and maintenance, working with and educating youth, building homes, assisting in food banks, and much more.
Both programs take part in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. However, the type of work each program does within this sector is different. In FEMA it will be mainly behind the scenes and paperwork focused. In NCCC it will be the more physical side of things like mucking and gutting houses, setting up shelters, filling sand bags, ect... As a member of NCCC, you might not participate in a disaster support project during your year.
Project Locations
NCCC and FEMA corps are divided into 4 regions; Pacific, North Central, Southwest, and Southern. Each US state is assigned to one of these four regions. Each region has a main base where members are trained and return to at the end of each project.
FEMA corps teams can be sent out to any region/location across the USA and are not confined to a specific region. NCCC teams are usually only sent on projects that take place within their region. While rare, it is possible an NCCC team can be sent outside of their region but it tends to only happen when disaster strikes and other regions reach out and request more help.
Note: There were once 5 regions, but the one known as the Atlantic Region (located in Baltimore, MD), was absorbed into the other regions sometime before 2016.
Independent Service Projects
ISPs are service/volunteer work that is completed with organizations other than the ones you are directly working with. While each program requires ISP work, in FEMA corps members must complete 10 hours of ISPs during their year. NCCC members need to complete a total of 80 hours of ISP work. All team leaders are exempt from needing to complete ISP hours.
Uniforms
All uniforms are provided for you. In FEMA corps team leaders wear red and corps members wear blue. In NCCC, team leaders wear green shirts while corps members wear grey shirts.
Note: FEMA corps uniforms can vary depending on project location. This is a bigger conversation that is not necessary to understand when choosing a program.
Noncompetitive Eligibility
FEMA corps offers non-competitive eligibility. NCCC does not.
Once you complete your service year with FEMA corps, you now have competitive eligibility for up to 12 months after the date of completion. This means that if you apply for a government job during this time, you do not need to compete with the general public who may also be applying for the same job. It is a small leg up when being considered for government jobs, but not a foolproof way to get a job.
The Program Similarities
Requirements to Join & Complete the Program
For both of these Americorps Programs, corps members must be between the ages of 18-26. To be a team leader you must be at least 18 years or older, but there is no upper age limit.
To officially complete each program, all members must have completed 1700 direct service hours, and the correct number of ISP hours (10 for FEMA members and 80 for NCCC members). Members must also complete the program fully, meaning you can not leave the program at the point where you have obtained the required hours. (Note: There can be exceptions to this rule for unforeseen circumstances.)
Program Length
Each program lasts 10 months for corps members and is 11 months for team leaders.
What is Provided
Both FEMA corps and NCCC provide the following; transportation to and from the program, uniforms, gear and equipment, a small biweekly living stipend, loan forbearance, childcare assistance, health benefits, your main meals via a team budget, transportation to your projects and around your project location via a team van, and an education award upon completion of the program.
Rules & Regulations
Both programs tend to work off the same handbook and have many of the same rules, expectations, policies, and discipline procedures. For example, in both programs, members must follow federal law, are prohibited from smoking marijuana, and are subject to random drug testing throughout the program. If you want more specifics on program rules, you can view the 2021 handbook, here.
You Work on a Team
Both programs are team-based. This means that you work, live, travel, cook, and basically do everything with your team. It is possible you will be with the same team the whole year, but you could switch teams throughout the year as well, this will depend on what your main campus/region does. (In my experience, FEMA teams tend to be a smaller number than NCCC teams, but this can vary from team to team and region to region.)
Housing & Food
Housing is provided while on your region's campus, and during team projects. Housing options and situations will vary depending on the project and what the project sponsor and community can provide. Each team gets a budget for food that the team leader is responsible for. Every team grocery shops and cooks together.
Travel
Each team travels together in a team van and has a special credit card for gas, all provided for by the government. If it takes multiple days to arrive to a project, the program will pay for hotel rooms for the team, as well as a food budget to obtain meals while in route.
Physical Fitness
PT is a requirement of both programs. Each team needs to complete three, 45 minute team-based exercises per week. These range from circuits, runs, team sports, hikes, zumba, yoga, ect... Each member is encouraged to go at their own pace and do the best they can.
Conclusion
NCCC and FEMA corps have slight differences. Really, the programs are quite similar, with the biggest difference being the type of service work you complete through the year. However, this information is not always easy to find on their website. Hopefully I was able to clearly compare the programs to make it easier for you to choose which one is right for you.