Congressional Award

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The Congressional Award is an award presented by the United States Congress to American citizens or permanent residents between the ages of 14 and 24. [1] [2] The program's criteria include initiative, public service, and achievement. [3] It is nonpartisan and voluntary. [4] Criteria are divided into four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition or exploration. [5] Recipients are awarded either bronze, silver, or gold Congressional Award certificates and medals. [6] It was established on November 16, 1979. [7] It operates as a public–private partnership, registered as a 501(c) organization, funded entirely by private-sector donations, and operates as an independent nonprofit authorized by Congress.

Contents

As of September 2011, more than 50,000 young people had registered as participants in the program. [8] The award is one of the two congressional honors for young adults, the other being the Congressional Medal of Merit.

History

The Congressional Award was created in 1979 with the passage of the Congressional Award Act. [9] The legislation was sponsored by Senator Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming and Representative James J. Howard of New Jersey. [10] Since then, the Act has been reauthorized several times to extend its termination date. [11]

Congress created the Congressional Award Fellowship Trust in 1990 to "benefit the charitable and educational purposes of the Foundation"; the Foundation withdrew $20,000 from the trust to support its 2007 operations. [12]

Funding concerns

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit of the Foundation's 2005 and 2006 financial statements identified two significant matters

  1. continued financial sustainability
  2. an inconsistency between functional expenses reported in the annual information return (Form 990) filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the audited financial statements for the fiscal year 2005.

In a GAO audit published in May 2008, both significant matters were considered resolved. [12]

The first “significant” matter referred to various problems, including a serious decline in the Foundation's assets. As of September 30, 2006, their value had fallen to under $8,500. However, within a year that rebounded to $125,000. The GAO also noted that the Foundation's national director paid over $23,000 to cover the costs of the gold award ceremony during fiscal year 2006; she was reimbursed for all but $664 by December 2006.

The inconsistency described in the second matter was resolved in the Form 990 and audited financial statements for fiscal year 2006. [12]

The Congressional Award's financial reports indicate a period of stability following the 2006 audit, supported by ongoing fundraising efforts. [13] [14]

According to the Congressional Budget Office's report on S. 1348, the Foundation received no federally appropriated funds but did receive free office space in a Congressional office building and did not have to pay for the medals produced by the U.S. Mint. [15]

Program overview

Participants use a record book to track activities in four areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition or exploration. [16]

Participants must register officially to receive their record books, which are required to document and verify activities. After achieving their goals and meeting the program requirements, participants submit their completed record books to the national office for review. The office notifies them of approval or requests additional information.

Program areas

Voluntary public service

This area encourages participants to share their time and talents for the benefit of others. Activities must be unpaid and may include service used to meet graduation requirements. Youth are expected to provide direct service to the community. Participants may set up to four goals per record book in this category.

Personal development

The personal development component challenges participants to broaden their horizons by pursuing new interests or advancing existing skills. Goals should focus on developing individual talents, life skills, or personal growth. Participants may set up to two goals per record book.

Physical fitness

This category promotes physical well-being through measurable fitness goals. Participants may take up a new physical activity or improve their performance in an existing one. Both team and individual activities qualify as long as they demonstrate progress toward improved fitness. School gym classes do not count toward this requirement. Up to two goals may be submitted per record book.

Expedition or exploration

This component aims to build self-reliance, determination, and cooperation through adventure and discovery. Participants plan and complete either an expedition (an outdoor or wilderness experience) or an exploration (a cultural or environmental experience).

Expeditions typically involve camping, hiking, or other outdoor activities that require planning and survival skills, while explorations focus on new cultural or environmental experiences, such as visiting historical sites, living on a farm, or traveling to another region or country.

Activities like conferences, camps, retreats, or organized tours do not qualify, as the experience must be independently planned and executed by the participant.

Value-added partnerships

The Congressional Award allows participants to count many of their existing activities toward the program through partnerships with non-profit youth organizations such as:

Activities completed prior to registration do not count, as the award focuses on goal-setting and achievement, not past accomplishments.

Requirements

Participants must complete a set number of hours and months of activity in each of the four program areas, depending on the award level pursued (bronze, silver, or gold). Participants work at their own pace, and higher-level awards include recognition for lower-level achievements.

Partial awards are not granted; all four program areas must be completed at the required level before an award is issued. The minimum time requirements encourage sustained engagement rather than short-term participation.

Certificate Levels

Minimum hours by program areaBronzeSilverGold
Voluntary public service306090
Personal development153045
Physical fitness153045
Expedition or exploration (days)123
Total minimum hours60120180
Total minimum months of activity needed
(for each of the main three program areas)		N/AN/A6

Medal levels

Minimum hours by program areaBronzeSilverGold
Voluntary public service100200400
Personal development50100200
Physical fitness50100200
Expedition or exploration1 Night / 2 Days2 Nights / 3 Days4 Nights / 5 Days
Total minimum hours200400800
Total minimum months of activity needed
(for each of the main three program areas)		71224

Adult volunteers

The Congressional Award is designed to bridge the gap between adolescence and adulthood. Working with adults is one way participants can achieve this. Most participants work with five or more adults throughout the program: one advisor and four validators.

Advisors

Each youth selects one adult to serve as their advisor, so long as that advisor is not a relative or a peer. Teachers, neighbors, clergy, and coaches are examples of possible advisors. The advisor meets regularly with the youth to assist them in setting goals and completing the record book. The advisor must sign the youth's record book before submission to the Congressional Award Foundation for review.

Validators

Validators assist the participant with individual activities within a particular program area. Validators should be knowledgeable and/or experienced in the activity being pursued. For example, if a youth's goal and activities involved basketball, a basketball coach would make a suitable validator. Similarly, if a youth volunteers at an animal shelter, a senior employee or the volunteer coordinator would be an appropriate validator. An advisor can also serve as a validator. While not particularly common, this is appropriate if a suitable validator cannot be found.

In addition to advisors and validators, adult volunteers promote the Congressional Award Program throughout the country.

Congressional Award Foundation

The Congressional Award Foundation is the non-profit entity that oversees the distribution of the Award on behalf of Congress.

Board of directors

The 48-member board of directors is partially appointed by the joint leadership of both parties in the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition to actively promoting the Congressional Award Program across the country, the board meets quarterly to assess the program's growth and provide direction to the national staff. [17]

Executive officers

  • Chairman of the Board – Shawn Whitman, FMC Corporation
  • Vice Chairman – John Mason, Federal Government Affairs, Altria
  • Secretary – Laura O'Connor*, Utah
  • Treasurer – Edward Blansitt, III, MBA, CPA

National/appointed members denoted by asterisk (*)

Congressional Award national events

The Congressional Award is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization that does not receive any funding from the federal government. Instead, they hold several fundraising events to support the program, most notably the Congressional Award Chiefs of Staff Annual Golf Classic [18] and The Congressional Award Chiefs of Staff Charity Poker Event. [19] The Congressional Awards' largest event is the annual gold medal ceremony, [20] held in the US Capitol. The June ceremony is held for gold medalists to receive their awards from members of Congress. Due to the large number of medalists, there are usually two ceremonies on Capitol Hill on the gold medal day.

The Gold Nation Experience is held alongside the ceremony, allowing medalists to meet other participants from across the country. The optional program provides medalists with an opportunity to come to Washington, D.C. and see the city together. The Gold Nation experience often runs from the week of the gold ceremony until the day after. The cost of the Gold Nation experience is greatly discounted to medalists due to the fundraising efforts of the Congressional Award Foundation. However, medalists must provide their transportation to Washington. The gold medal ceremony also commemorates adults and their participation in youth fundraising and volunteering.

References

  1. ↑ "The Congressional Award | Representative Mills". mills.house.gov. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
  2. ↑ "About the Congressional Award". Congressional Award. 29 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  3. ↑ "The Program - The Congressional Award". 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  4. ↑ "The Program - The Congressional Award". 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  5. ↑ "The Congressional Award | Representative Mills". mills.house.gov. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  6. ↑ "Congressional Award Medal Scholarships | Center for 4-H Youth Development". 4h.extension.msstate.edu. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  7. ↑ Congress (2018-10-11). "Congressional Award Act". govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  8. ↑ "Congressional Award Foundation" . Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  9. ↑ "History". Congressional Award. July 29, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Congressional Offices - The Congressional Award". 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  11. ↑ Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY (2025-12-26). "S.284 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  12. 1 2 3 Financial Audit of the Congressional Award Foundation's fiscal years 2007 and 2006 financial statements Archived 2008-05-29 at the Wayback Machine (May 2008), from the website of the Government Accountability Office
  13. ↑ "The Congressional Award Program". www.gao.gov. Archived from the original on 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  14. ↑ "Congressional Award Foundation: Review of the FY 2023 Financial Statement Audit" (PDF). www.gao.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2026-01-08. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  15. ↑ "CBO - S. 1348". Congressional Budget Office. 9 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "Congressional Award | Awards and Recognitions". 4h.uada.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  17. ↑ "Congressional Award: National Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  18. ↑ "Congress Award". Archived from the original on 2011-12-06. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  19. ↑ "Congress Award". Archived from the original on 2011-12-06. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  20. ↑ "Congress Award". Archived from the original on 2011-12-05. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
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