# America Learns — AmeriCorps MSY Calculator (Full Reference)

> Free, embeddable AmeriCorps MSY (Member Service Year) calculator built by America Learns, long-standing partner to 300+ AmeriCorps programs and 18 state service commissions.

Site: https://americorpsmsy.americalearns.com
Parent organization: America Learns — https://www.americalearns.com

## What is an MSY?

MSY stands for Member Service Year. It is the AmeriCorps unit of measurement equal to one full-time member serving 1,700 hours over a service term. Part-time AmeriCorps position types contribute fractional MSY values. A program's Total MSYs equals the sum of (slots in each position type) × (that position type's MSY value).

## Position-type table (authoritative)

| Position type        | Service hours | MSY value     |
|----------------------|---------------|---------------|
| Full-time            | 1,700         | 1.0           |
| Three quarter-time   | 1,200         | 0.7           |
| Half-time            |   900         | 0.5           |
| Reduced half-time    |   675         | 0.3809524     |
| Quarter-time         |   450         | 0.26455027    |
| Minimum-time         |   300         | 0.21164022    |
| Abbreviated-time     |   100         | 0.05627705    |

## How to calculate Total MSYs

1. Count the slots you plan to operate in each position type.
2. Multiply each slot count by that position type's MSY value (above).
3. Sum the products. The result is your Total MSYs.

Worked example: 10 full-time + 4 half-time + 2 quarter-time slots
= (10 × 1.0) + (4 × 0.5) + (2 × 0.26455027)
= 10.0 + 2.0 + 0.52910054
= 12.52910054 Total MSYs.

## Free JSON API

GET https://americorpsmsy.americalearns.com/api/msy?full_time=10&half_time=4&quarter_time=2
Returns JSON with totalMsy, per-position breakdown, and the canonical position-type table. CORS-enabled.

## Frequently asked questions

Q: What is an AmeriCorps MSY?
A: A Member Service Year. One full-time member serving 1,700 hours equals 1.0 MSY. Part-time position types contribute fractional MSYs.

Q: How is Total MSY calculated?
A: Sum (slots × MSY value) for each AmeriCorps position type.

Q: How many MSYs is a half-time AmeriCorps member?
A: 0.5 MSY. Half-time members serve 900 hours.

Q: How many MSYs is a Reduced half-time member?
A: Approximately 0.3809524 MSY (675 service hours).

Q: What is the difference between a slot and an MSY?
A: A slot is one funded service opportunity. An MSY is a unit of service measurement. Ten full-time slots equal 10 MSYs; ten half-time slots equal only 5 MSYs.

Q: What is cost-per-MSY?
A: The total federal AmeriCorps grant request divided by total MSYs. AmeriCorps publishes a maximum cost-per-MSY each competition year.

Q: Can a member who served only part of the year be claimed?
A: Yes, if they completed enough hours to meet a recognized position type's minimum. They are claimed at the MSY value of the position type whose hour requirement they met.

Q: Does the calculator store my data?
A: No. All calculations run entirely in the browser; nothing is uploaded.

Q: Can I embed this calculator on my own site?
A: Yes — free of charge. See https://americorpsmsy.americalearns.com/widget for one-line script-tag, auto-mount, and iframe embed snippets.

Q: Is this an official AmeriCorps tool?
A: No. It is a free community tool built by America Learns, an independent software partner to AmeriCorps programs and state service commissions. AmeriCorps is a registered service mark of the federal agency.

Q: Who built it?
A: America Learns — partner to 300+ AmeriCorps programs and 18 state service commissions, supporting member time tracking, performance measures, grant management, and impact reporting for more than 20 years.

## Pages

- / — Interactive MSY calculator (homepage)
- /widget — Embed instructions (script tag, auto-mount, iframe, programmatic API)
- /glossary — Plain-language definitions of AmeriCorps terms (MSY, slot, position type, living allowance, Segal Education Award, cost-per-MSY, state commission, subgrantee, VISTA, performance measures, grantee)
- /api/msy — JSON endpoint that calculates Total MSYs from query-string slot counts
- /sitemap.xml — XML sitemap
- /llms.txt — Short LLM index
- /llms-full.txt — This document