The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center
Mayor's Award Information
PAGE UPDATED 11/11/25
During the height of the pandemic, we lowered the required amount of hours to 40 due to continuing public health concerns and the challenges students may have had in completing their volunteer hours for the Mayor’s Award. Starting with the Summer of 2026, we will be raising that minimum back up to 60 hours.
The Mayor’s Award gives Triangle area students the opportunity to learn and serve their community in a meaningful way. Students who complete the required number of volunteer hours at area nonprofits during summer break are recognized with a certificate at a ceremony in the fall. Annually, our students serve more than 30,000 hours of community service throughout the Triangle Area through the Mayor’s Award!
Many Mayor’s Award recipients are also eligible to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award at no extra cost.
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Important Update on the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)
AmeriCorps has announced a temporary pause of the President’s Volunteer Service Award program, effective May 27, 2025. During this pause, no new award will be accepted.
At this time, AmeriCorps has not provided a date for when the program will resume. We will share updates with you as soon as we receive more information.
Please note: We will continue to recognize student volunteers through the Mayor’s Award and the Commissioner’s Award to students during this period. You can access this through the Application button above.
Thank you for your continued service and commitment to your community.
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Use the application link below to apply for multiple awards.
The Award Period is Currently closed.
Award Eligibility
- Students ages 12-18 may apply (must be 12 by June 1st).
- Awards are issued for hours served between the first day and last day of summer break.
- 60+ volunteer hours served during your summer break. Dates will vary based on your school’s academic calendar.
- Hours MUST be completed at a nonprofit that is legally registered with the State of North Carolina and is listed with The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC). Click Here to see if an organization is registered with us. If the nonprofit is not registered with us, please use this link to check if an organization is a Charitable organization (they do not need to be CSL Exempt).
- Awards are issued for volunteer service only. No payment of any kind can be received from the organization served.
- Court-ordered community service does not count towards your total hours volunteered for the award.
- If you complete enough hours, you will automatically receive the President’s Award at no extra cost.
Application Process
You will need the following information to complete the application.
- Payment must be made prior to completing the application. (Pay Here)
- You will need your application fee payment receipt to complete the application
- Information on all volunteer service hours before starting this application i.e. name of agency/agencies, hours completed, name of supervisor
- The online application has multiple pages. The student has the option to complete a page at a time and click “save and complete later”. Students MUST complete all the questions on a single page to use this option. If this option is selected, the system will send an email to the student with a link to continue and complete the remainder of the application. Please check your spam folder for this email.
Other Important things to keep in mind:
- Based on the email address you provide in the application form to receive notifications, you will receive a thank you notification after completing the form. This notification will have the link to the supervisors evaluation form. Please send it to each of your supervisors so they can complete and submit in a timely manner. Please check your spam folder for this Thank You email.
- Please be patient with us as we receive and process all application and evaluation forms. We will email you ONLY if we are missing any information or evaluation form.
- Please DO NOT email us to ask if we have received your application, the thank you notification to your preferred email is an acknowledgement that we have received your application.
- Once processing is compete for all students, we will email you with information on award ceremony and/or pick up.
Register by clicking on “Apply Now” below
VERY IMPORTANT!
- Be sure to always keep a copy of all your volunteer timesheet hours! If these are lost in the mail or are not received in email, you will need a copy to verify your hours.
- TNVLC does not retain volunteer time sheets from year-to year. If you need these for other purposes you will need to keep a copy for your own records.
- $45 fee
- If your student is registering for both the Mayor’s Award and the Commissioners’ Award, there is a special package pricing of $75 for both saving you over 15%
Award Benefits
- A personalized Mayor’s Award certificate of achievement
- Opportunity to Enter essay Contest
- Discount pricing for multiple awards
Financial Assistance
$45 fee
- If your student is registering for both the Mayor’s Award and the Commissioners’ Award, there is a special package pricing of $75 for both saving you over 15%
- TNVLC believes strongly in supporting student volunteers. Financial Aid is available. No student will be turned away due to inability to pay.
- Please note: Mailing of the certificate is not included in the original certificate fee. If you would like it mailed, an additional $10 mailing fee applies.
- These fees are paid for by the student, not the nonprofit that they volunteered for.
Essay Contest
As you are finishing up with volunteering, consider entering the Mayor’s Award essay contest. The theme is the benefits of volunteering, and/or why it is important to be active in your community. The essay should be 3-5 pages double spaced, with a font no larger than 12 point. Give your essay an original title. Use your summer experience, other volunteering, and your own ideas to talk about the importance of volunteering. The winning essay will be posted on our website. The deadline for the essay is September 15th, so you may turn it in with your application, or you may turn it in early. If you choose to e-mail your essay, send it to hannah@thevolunteercenter.org.
