ServMO announces the recipients of 2026-2027 AmeriCorps Planning and Operational Grants. As the organization responsible for overseeing AmeriCorps programs in Missouri, grants awarded by ServMO will strengthen communities and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.

“We’re watching service evolve in real time to fit the needs of today, but what remains consistent is the positive impact that AmeriCorps has on Missouri communities,” said Brittany Crabtree, Executive Director of ServMO. “Through service, Missourians are gaining durable skills, experiences, and connections that will strengthen our state for years to come.”

AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible Missouri AmeriCorps programs dedicated to improving Missouri communities through evidence-based interventions within the following priority areas: disaster relief; economic opportunity; education; environmental stewardship; healthy futures; housing and food insecurity; military and veterans.

2026-2027 AmeriCorps Planning Grants Recipients:

• AmeriCorps St. Louis (St. Louis City; Statewide)
  • Providing disaster services through mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery interventions across communities within Missouri and, when requested, the country.
• City of Excelsior Springs (Clay and Ray Counties)
  • Strengthening community support systems for seniors, youth, and vulnerable households.
• Missouri Afterschool Network – MU (Statewide)
  • Supporting the social and emotional mental health of children in afterschool programs by implementing near peer support.
• St. Louis Black Repertory Company (St. Louis City; St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson, and Franklin Counties)
  • Increasing opportunities for K-12 students in economically stressed communities to experience and learn through the arts while gaining education in all aspects of not-for-profit administration.

2026-2027 AmeriCorps Operational Grants Recipients:

• AmeriCorps: Poplar Bluff’s Promise (Butler County)
  • Providing before and after school tutoring services for elementary, middle, and junior high school students.
• CAPA Cares (Jackson, Cass, Clay, and Platte Counties)
  • Providing access to preventative mental health services in the form of therapeutic counseling, case-management and community education in the Kansas City metro area.
• City Year - Kansas City (Jackson County)
  • Providing full-day education services to students in eight public schools in Kansas City.
• Emmanuel Family & Child Development Center (Jackson County)
  • Enhancing school readiness by providing specialized educational support, trauma-informed counseling, and occupational and speech therapy services in central Kansas City.
• Kansas City Public Library (Jackson County)
  • Bridging social cohesion and social connection activities such as community outreach, branch programming, and one-on-one engagement and referral.
• Missouri State Public Defender – AmeriCorps Holistic Advocate Program (Statewide)
  • Providing mitigation advocacy and connects clients to community resources that address the underlying factors leading to their involvement with the criminal legal system.
• Mission: St. Louis - Beyond School Program (St. Louis City)
  • Strengthening partnerships with student families and community partners by directly serving youth through academic mentoring services.
• Teach for America (Jackson County)
  • Increasing academic achievement in low-income and under resourced schools in Kansas City through teacher recruitment and by leveraging volunteers in support of 1-1 and small group instruction.
• United Way of Southeast Missouri (Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott, and Perry Counties)
  • Helping families secure affordable and reliable childcare, connect them to wraparound services to support self-sufficiency and expand childcare resources, enabling parents to enter or remain in the workforce and ultimately secure or retain stable employment and sustainable income.
• University of Missouri-Kansas City: Lift As You Climb (Jackson County)
  • Increasing persistence and academic completion for students at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Waynesville R-6 School District – Waynesville AmeriCorps Program (Pulaski County)
  • Increasing the academic achievement of students by providing support through tutoring and mentoring programs and supplemental food assistance to reduce food insecurity.

About ServMO

The Missouri Community Service Commission, a bipartisan commission appointed by the Governor and administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, is now doing business as ServMO. Its mission is to strengthen Missouri communities through volunteerism and service. ServMO invests more than $10 million into Missouri communities annually.

For more information on ServMO, visit serv.mo.gov.

About AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans of all background to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities. AmeriCorps members can serve in six key areas of their community - disaster services, education, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veteran and military families.

For more information on AmeriCorps, visit americorps.gov.

About the Missouri Department of Economic Development

The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) works to create an environment that encourages economic growth by supporting Missouri’s businesses and diverse industries, strengthening our communities, developing a talented and skilled workforce, and maintaining a high quality of life. As one team built around the customer and driven by data, DED aspires to be the best economic development department in the Midwest. Through its various initiatives, DED is helping create opportunities for Missourians to prosper.

For the latest updates on DED’s current or future programs and initiatives, visit DED’s website.