SOUTHEAST MO. — United Way of Southeast Missouri (UWSEMO) announces the official opening of their grant application on February 2 for agencies and programs that desire to join the United Way network of partners.
Applications for the organization’s two-year 2026-2028 funding cycle will be accepted until February 27 at 5 pm (CST).
As part of the United Way Worldwide network, UWSEMO will continue to invest in programs (not agencies) believed to have the greatest impact on success in life.
These include the focus areas of:
Youth Opportunity, which covers educational and mentoring programs; Healthy Community to support nutrition, physical and mental health; Community Resiliency, to provide safety net services in times of crisis; and Income Stability.
Programs that support self-sufficiency and move people toward income security will be of special interest as UWSEMO continues to invest in barriers to employment that impact our workforce and regional economy.
Elizabeth Shelton, Executive Director of UWSEMO, explains, “Many hardworking people are doing all the ‘right’ things and still struggling. We will continue to give greater emphasis to programs that support financial empowerment, while still investing in health, education, and safety-net programs. United Way of Southeast Missouri is committed to supporting our workforce and economy by empowering families and individuals with the resources to move from striving to thriving.”
All applicants must meet certain criteria requested in a preliminary questionnaire before receiving the full grant application. These include being a 501(c)(3), focusing on one of the success areas mentioned above, and offering service in at least one of the four counties served by UWSEMO: Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry and northern Scott.
If these criteria are met and the preliminary questionnaire is accurately completed, applicants will receive the full grant application within twenty-four hours of submitting the preliminary questionnaire.
On Monday, additional grant details and the preliminary questionnaire can be found at https://unitedwayofsemo.org/our-impact/uwsemo-funding/
All programs submitting a full application for funding must participate in a rigorous vetting process spearheaded by a panel of area volunteers comprising the Community Investment Committee (CIC) and UWSEMO Board of Directors.
CIC members and directors will review and score every application for funding. Those that meet the required score will be invited to present to these volunteers and UWSEMO staff. This year, UWSEMO is opening this presentation process to the community. Anyone who is interested in learning about the advancing nonprofit programs may attend the presentations on March 26 at 4 p.m. at UWSEMO’s office at 16 N. Spanish Street in Cape Girardeau.
Following the presentations, the CIC members will 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. These recommendations will go to the Board of Directors for a final vote.
Programs selected to become part of the UWSEMO network will be informed the first week of May, followed by a public announcement.
Before joining the network and accepting the funds, potential partners must agree to return an annual outcomes report, participate in partner meetings, share organizational information, and promote their membership in the UWSEMO network. This and more information can be found at: https://unitedwayofsemo.org/our-impact/uwsemo-funding/