PVSA Award | Home

Project Smile AZ is now a certifying organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)

What is PVSA?

In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too. The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognizes incredible individuals who are committed to a high level of volunteer and service.

Volunteer Eligibility

United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e., green card holder)
Must be at least five years old
Completes eligible service within a 12-month period (for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and over a lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)

Eligible Service:

Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others
- Service through National service programs that provide a stipend (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) may count towards the Lifetime Achievement Award, but not for the annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards)
- Travel stipends, transit/parking passes, membership passes, expense reimbursements, and other nominal volunteer support do not impact service eligibility

Eligible Service does not include:

Donating funds
Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
Religious instruction
Conducting worship service
Proselytizing
Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
Serving only family members

Please check the https://presidentialserviceawards.gov/ website for the most up to date information.

Hours Required to Earn Awards in Each Age Group

How to apply for PVSA?

Eligible service must be done within a 12 month period.

Submit all the volunteer hours in 12 consecutive months to qualify to receive awards through Project Smile AZ for your volunteer hours.

When you volunteer any day and anytime we have now opened our application so that you can apply any day, anytime!

There is no cost to you for the awards.

The applicants need to submit all volunteer hours along with a letter of recommendation (from a school/college counselor, or verifying organization other than Project Smile AZ with which you have also volunteered) at one time by uploading at the link below.

Project Smile AZ will verify PVSA awards for anyone who volunteers 50 or more hours with Project Smile AZ. The only exception is if you are 5-10 years of age and applying for the bronze category, Then you have to do all submitted hours with Project Smile AZ (Updated 8/14/22. We apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.)

Retroactive volunteer hours will not be verified. All volunteer hours done with Project Smile AZ must be requested within 30 days of the activity. For Digital kindness activities only upto 25 hours will be honored for the PVSA.

Please check the website for the most updated information.

Please review the checklist below prior to submitting your application. Any items not included in your application package will disqualify your ability to achieve the award.

Application: completed online, with all supporting documentation scanned and uploaded
Volunteer Service Hours Coversheet – scanned and uploaded with your application. Click HERE
Letter of Nomination – if you have these in hard copy, please scan as a PDF and upload with your application
50 or more Volunteer hours with Project Smile AZ .The only exception is if you are 5-10 years of age and applying for the bronze category, Then you have to do all submitted hours with Project Smile AZ (Updated 8/14/22. We apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.)
Verifying letters from each organization where you served, on the organization’s letterhead. All forms need to be scanned together along with the Volunteer hours coversheet as a single pdf file.

APPLY NOW

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