Independent file photo A 2019 file photo shows shelves of food stocked at the Mustang Market food shelf at Southwest Minnesota State University. The Mustang Market, which helps students at SMSU, was one of 10 area agencies helped by Community Impact Grants from United Way of Southwest Minnesota last year.

MARSHALL — Helping local communities has been United Way’s mission for more than 100 years, Meg Louwagie said.

This spring, United Way of Southwest Minnesota is continuing its mission, and also looking for volunteers to help.

UWSWMN is getting ready to award community impact grants to local nonprofits for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The organization is also seeking volunteers to serve on grant review panels.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to see what the need is in our community,” said Louwagie, CEO of UWSWMN. “A lot of people aren’t aware of the services in our area, unless they need them.”

Community Impact Grants help support local programs that address issues like youth opportunity, healthy communities, financial security, and community resilience. In the past year, Community Impact Grants helped programs like crime victim services, local food programs, and literacy and youth development programs. Louwagie said Community Impact Grants have supported agencies like New Horizons Crisis Center, WoMen’s Rural Advocacy Program, Marshall Food4Kids, and the SMSU Mustang Market food shelf.

The number of agencies and programs receiving grants in the 2024-25 fiscal year was up a little from the previous year. In 2023-24, UWSWMN supported 13 programs and nine partner agencies, Louwagie said. In 2024-25, the total was 14 programs at 10 agencies, she said.

Louwagie said the window for nonprofits to apply for Community Impact Grants closes on April 4. But area residents can also help with the grant process. Grant applications will be reviewed by panels of volunteers between April 29 and May 21.

“We normally have two review panels, and we like to have at least five or six people on each panel,” she said.

Volunteers have a chance to look at grant application materials before the review panels with applicants. The panels themselves are “more of a conversation,” where reviewers can talk with representatives of area nonprofits, Louwagie said.

It’s possible that uncertainties over federal funding cuts might have an impact on area nonprofits’ needs this year, Louwagie said.

“I know a lot of our community partners are affected by federal grants,” she said.

However, UWSWMN does not receive federal funding. Louwagie said United Way funds come from sources like workplace fundraising campaigns, donations from individuals, groups and businesses, and some other types of grant funding.

“It’s all the generous donors” that help make United Way’s mission possible, Louwagie said.

Louwagie said UWSWMN does its best to distribute Community Impact Grant funding as equally as it can.

At the same time, she said, “There’s always more need than we are able to supply.”

Where to go for information

Information on the community impact grants panel review, and a form to apply to be a panel member, is available online at https://www.unitedwayswmn.org/community-impact-grant-panel-review-volunteer.