CAPE GIRARDEAU – Following an extensive application process conducted earlier in the year, United Way of Southeast Missouri (UWSEMO) has announced its funded partners for the 2025-2026 cycle.
This one-year funding period marks the start of a strategic shift toward a new model focused on helping working families and individuals move from barely surviving to thriving. Many parents and students work multiple jobs to make ends meet but still struggle with obstacles like transportation, affordable childcare and access to healthcare.
UWSEMO’s future funding will prioritize programs that help eliminate these barriers and create long-term pathways to financial independence. The 2025 cycle will serve as a transitional bridge for the organization, its network of partners, donors, and the community as UWSEMO increases investments in programs that address the root causes of financial instability and meet the evolving needs of Southeast Missouri’s workforce.
According to Elizabeth Shelton, Executive Director of UWSEMO, employee contributions are declining, although community needs continue to grow. She explains, “We had to prioritize what our community needs most, and that is help for people who are doing all they can to get ahead and still struggle. They just need a little extra help, and that may be in the form of transportation, childcare, or more education.
United Way is identifying those needs, funding programs that already exist to meet them, and creating solutions where there are gaps.”
Returning as funded partners serving UWSEMO’s four-county footprint are: American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs of SEMO, Cape Girardeau Adult Education & Literacy, EPIC, FosterAdopt Connect, Jackson Senior Center, Lutheran Family & Children’s Services, Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship, The Cottage – Domestic Violence Shelter (formerly Regional Family Crisis Center), Safe House of Southeast Missouri, SMART Senior Services, The Salvation Army, and Voices for Children/CASA.
Only two new organizations were added to the United Way network.
These include Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) at Central Junior High School, and the Co-Responders Unit of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, which responds with police officers to mental and behavioral health calls.
UWSEMO will continue to fully fund internal programs that include: First Call For Help information and referral service, Read to Succeed early literacy program, United We Work transportation program, and United for Childcare, launching later this year to support parents, employers, and childcare providers.
Shelton adds, “None of the food pantries we fund applied this time around for varying reasons, and we lost many long-time partners. This will be a difficult transition for our partners, our community and our donors. But we are an organization that adapts to the needs of our community, even when it means making very difficult decisions.”
Volunteers comprising UWSEMO’s Community Investment Committee make recommendations to the board of directors who determine which programs will receive funding and the percentage of donations each will receive based on the previous year.
Organizations applying for funding must provide services within UWSEMO’s four-county service area and complete a thorough application that outlines how their programs align with United Way’s focus areas and goals. Each application is reviewed and scored by three separate community volunteers.
Recommendations are then evaluated by volunteers serving on UWSEMO’s Community Impact Committee and Board of Directors, who may also conduct site visits before making final funding decisions. Agencies and Programs receiving funds are required to report outcomes annually and participate in year-round meetings to share information with other agencies and ensure accountability and progress.
As the organization enters this next phase of community investment, UWSEMO remains focused on building stronger, more resilient communities where every individual and family has the opportunity to thrive.
For more information about United Way’s funding process and community impact, visit www.unitedwayofsemo.org