SOUTHEAST MO. – United Way of Southeast Missouri (UWSEMO) announces the official opening of its grant application on February 3rd for agencies and programs that desire to join the United Way network of partners. Applications for the organization’s 2025 funding cycle will be accepted until February 21st at 5 pm (CST).
The grant process will be handled differently than in years past as the organization transitions to a more
targeted funding model. This year, grants will be given for only one year, and preference will be given to programs that support self-sufficiency and income stability.
To receive a link to the online application, interested parties must first complete a preliminary Grant
Application Request Form, which can be found with additional grant details at
https://unitedwayofsemo.org/our-impact/uwsemo-funding/
Each United Way is assigned a specific region. United Way of Southeast Missouri (UWSEMO) serves the counties of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry, and northern Scott. UWSEMO currently invests in nearly thirty partner agencies and forty programs that support the three areas determined by United Way Worldwide to have the greatest impact on success in life: education, income stability, and health.
While UWSEMO will continue to help meet urgent needs, such as food and rent, this year the organization will begin targeting initiatives that help move families and individuals away from need to self-sufficiency.
Elizabeth Shelton, Executive Director of UWSEMO, explains, “2025 is a year of transition for UWSEMO as we embark on a shift in our funding strategy. We will give greater emphasis to supporting and developing programs that empower individuals to overcome challenges and own their role in developing a community that is healthy, resilient, and financially secure. We opted for a one-year grant this year to give our current partners that may not fall within the new criteria time to prepare.”
All organizations seeking and receiving funding must participate in a rigorous vetting process
spearheaded by a panel of area volunteers comprising the Community Investment Committee (CIC) and board of directors. CIC members and other community volunteers review and score every application for funding three times based on an approved rubric. Applications that meet the required score advance to the next level, which may require a site visit or panel presentation.
Once the application and site visit scores are averaged, the CIC members devote many hours to
determining the next group of partners and programs that UWSEMO will invest in and the percentage of donations each will receive. Every United Way funded partner is required to return annual Outcomes, participate in partner meetings, share organizational information, and promote their membership in the UWSEMO network.
Due to a large number of applicants with every funding cycle, the triple scoring of each application, the
site visits and panel presentations, and the lengthy discussions among CIC members, the entire process
takes several months.
All applicants will be notified by the end of May, following UWSEMO’s Open
House at its new location on April 25th. New partners will be announced to the public by June.
Individuals interested in volunteering to review and score online applications should visit UWSEMO’s
volunteer page at www.unitedwayofsemo.org/volunteer