Federal Community Service Work Study (FCSWS) uses Federal Work Study (FWS) funds to pay a portion of the wages of a student who is employed off campus by certain eligible public, government or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. If a student is employed by an eligible federal, state, or non-profit agency, the work that the student performs must be in the public interest. Work in the public interest is considered to be work performed for the national or community welfare rather than work performed to benefit a particular interest or group. Community services are defined as services that are identified by an institution of higher education through formal or informal consultation with local nonprofit, government, and community-based organizations, as designed to improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low-income individuals, or to solve particular problems related to their needs.

These services include:

• such fields as health care, child care, literacy training, education (including tutorial services), welfare, social services, transportation, housing and neighborhood improvement, public safety, crime prevention and control, recreation, rural development, and community improvement;
• work in service opportunities or youth corps as defined in Section 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, and service in the agencies, institutions, and activities designated in Section 124(a) of that act;
• support services for students with disabilities (including students with disabilities who are enrolled at the school)*;and
• activities in which an FWS student serves as a mentor for such purposes as tutoring, supporting educational and recreational activities, and counseling, including career counseling.

Work is not in the public interest if:

• the work primarily benefits members of a limited membership organization such as a credit union, fraternal or religious order or a cooperative
• it is for an elected official who is not responsible for the regular administration of Federal, State, or local government;
• it is work as a political aide for any elected official;
• a student's political support or party affiliation is taken into account in hiring him or her;
• it involves any partisan or nonpartisan political activity or is associated with a faction in an election for public or party office; or
• it involves lobbying on the Federal, State, or local level.

*This is the only statutory exception to the requirement that community service be open and accessible to the community.

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