Care to Learn braces for 20% dip in state funding

Missouri’s proposed state budget includes a funding cut of 20%, or $500,000, for Care to Learn.

The fiscal year 2027 budget making its way through the Missouri General Assembly – with a May 8 deadline, according to rules in the state constitution – shows a reduced funding amount of $2 million for the Springfield-based nonprofit.

The state allocated $2.5 million for Care to Learn during fiscal 2023 to help it expand statewide, and funds have been allocated in each following year. The nonprofit said most of its funding comes from local partnerships and private donations.

Started in 2008, the nonprofit initially partnered with Springfield Public Schools – to meet health, hunger and hygiene needs of students – and has grown to more than 50 partners across Missouri. Care to Learn’s annual operating budget is $6.8 million, according to past reporting by Springfield Business Journal.

“We know the budget process is still ongoing, and we remain hopeful as conversations continue,” said Andrea Harp, director of marketing. “We’re also really grateful to the state leaders who recognize the importance of supporting students’ basic needs so they can succeed in school.”

Harp noted correctly that the nonprofit remains in the budget. Proposed cuts in other parts of the budget are deeper.

More than $55 million in cuts have been outlined in the $8.8 billion budget proposed by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

For example, Imagination Library, a program that provides free books each month to children under age 5, was expected to receive $6 million next year but the proposed budget includes a cut of $4 million, raising questions about the viability of the program, according to past SBJ reporting.

The state previously provided a separate one-time $2.5 million grant toward Care to Learn’s campaign for a new headquarters. In early March, the nonprofit announced it had raised $5.74 million, including the state funds, of the $6.9 million needed to buy and renovate a larger building at 1730 E. Portland St.