Is it worth using my Segal Award instead of paying cash?

Usually yes. The award covers program and credit fees and often travel costs, and it expires seven years after service. Paying cash for something the award would have funded means losing the award value entirely.

What is the tradeoff of using the award?

Time and paperwork. You enroll for academic credit at a Title IV school and the funds route through that school, which adds a few weeks. Paying cash skips enrollment but costs you the money.

Is the Segal Education Award taxable?

Yes. Award payments count as taxable income in the year they are disbursed. Set aside a portion, and talk to a tax preparer about your situation.

Resource hubAward Basics

Segal Award vs. Paying Out of Pocket for Volunteering Abroad

Paying out of pocket is faster to arrange. Using your Segal Education Award is almost always cheaper, because it covers program fees, accommodation, meals, in-country support, and often flights and insurance, and because the funds expire if you do not use them.

By Kristal Sawatzke|Updated August 17, 2026|4 min read

What each route covers

The award pays through an accredited school, which is why it reaches costs that a direct program payment does not.

Award route: enrollment and academic credit fees, program fees, accommodation, meals, airport transfers, 24/7 in-country support, and often flights, passport, and travel insurance.
Cash route: whatever the provider bills you directly. Credit, flights, and insurance come out of your own pocket on top.

The honest tradeoffs

Using the award takes more steps: you enroll non-degree-seeking for credit, request the funds through My AmeriCorps, and wait for the school to process them. Expect a few extra weeks and a small amount of paperwork.

Paying cash is immediate and simple. It also means the award sits unused, and unused awards expire seven years after service with no cash value.

One real consideration: award payments are taxable income in the year they are disbursed. That is a cost, but it is a fraction of the award value.

How the numbers usually land

Roughly $2,000 of award funding covers a short program. A full-time award of $7,395 can fund a long-term internship including credit and travel. If your program plus flights would cost you $4,000 in cash, using the award instead keeps that $4,000 and spends money you would otherwise forfeit.

If you are unsure which route fits your timeline, bring it to a free drop-in advising session and we’ll map both against your expiration date.

Quick answers

Is it worth using my Segal Award instead of paying cash?: Usually yes. The award covers program and credit fees and often travel costs, and it expires seven years after service. Paying cash for something the award would have funded means losing the award value entirely.
What is the tradeoff of using the award?: Time and paperwork. You enroll for academic credit at a Title IV school and the funds route through that school, which adds a few weeks. Paying cash skips enrollment but costs you the money.
Is the Segal Education Award taxable?: Yes. Award payments count as taxable income in the year they are disbursed. Set aside a portion, and talk to a tax preparer about your situation.

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