Federal funding lost for adult volunteer program; Hannibal branch shutting down, Quincy branch making staff cuts

QUINCY — The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the largest older adult volunteer program in the nation, has lost federal funding in both Quincy (through John Wood Community College) and Hannibal (through Douglass Community Services).

The Quincy branch plans to continue to operate, hoping for future funding to come through. Beginning July 1, the RSVP offices in Brown and Pike counties will no longer be staffed, and all operations will be directed through the Quincy office.

However, hundreds of senior volunteers in Hannibal will be without opportunity, and hundreds of community service needs will go unmet. Douglass Community Services ended its program in May.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Stephanie Cooper, CEO of Douglass Community Services, said in a press release. “The RSVP program has been a cornerstone of our organization, which has supported seniors and strengthened our communities for decades. The sudden and substantial federal funding cuts have unfortunately made it impossible for us to continue operating the program.” 

The national program is run through AmeriCorps, a federal agency for national service and volunteerism. Thousands of Americans aged 55 and older are paired with organizations focusing on disaster relief, economic opportunities, environmental stewardship, education, healthy futures and veterans and military families.

Local chapters request funds every three years to match seniors with community volunteering opportunities — until this year, when the Quincy and Hannibal programs did not receive the grant funding. The notification came after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced an immediate $400 million grant reduction, 41% of the total grant funding.

Since RSVP is a trademark of AmeriCorps Seniors, the JWCC program can no longer use the RSVP name since the grant expired on May 7. The program is now referred to as JWCC Volunteer Services.

Three part-time RSVP positions will be eliminated in Quincy after June 27. Limited state and private funding will allow the program to operate in a reduced capacity while JWCC evaluates its next steps.

A press release in April said, “This change in structure will enable JWCC to complete reporting for existing grants, maintain communication with volunteers and agencies and assess the feasibility of reapplying for federal funding on its own or through a community partner.”

Full-time RSVP positions are planned to be funded through August 8, when JWCC will determine whether to pursue a renewal grant application due in late September. The announcement of funding, if available and secured, would be made in March 2026. 

“We’ll apply for (future funding), and we’ll get it next time, and we’ll keep going like we’ve been doing for 50 plus years,” Heath Richmond of John Wood Community College said. “Otherwise, we’ll figure out somebody else. We are committed to make sure that the services we provide in some form will continue in our community.”

AmeriCorps RSVP is just one instance in a slew of recent cuts impacting senior programs.

Douglass Community Services attributed its grant cuts to “significant federal funding cuts enacted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”

With all competitive grants, receiving funding is never a guarantee. The notification explained that with more funding requests than usual, it was not possible to fund each program.

However, these programs have received never had funding issues before.

“I think you can extrapolate it,” said Emily Trevathan, chief operating officer of Douglass Community Services.

She mentioned they didn’t hear back about the grant application on a typical timeline and were left waiting, wondering if the money would come through.

“We were notified after the NCCC (National Civil Community Corps) had lost their funding, after the DOGE had been looking into AmeriCorps,” Trevathan said.

Last year alone, 190 seniors provided more than 24,000 volunteer hours throughout Northeast Missouri.

Richmond said the reason he received was not as straightforward: That with competitive grants, it is never clear who will receive funding, and there were more grant requests made this year than in past cycles.

Barb Richmiller, who received the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award in 2019, mentioned the benefit for seniors.

“(It’s) stimulation: mentally, physically, socially, spiritually, everything,” she said.

Pam Shaffer, who has been volunteering with RSVP for the past 26 years, noted concerns for new volunteers.

“If we don’t have an RSVP program to coordinate this, how are they going to be aware of all the volunteer opportunities?” she asked.

Richmiller echoed similar impacts on the non-profits.

“I’m concerned about the small nonprofits that won’t know how to find these people,” she said.

Annie C. Reller is a Seattle native and a recent Stanford graduate working as an intern for Muddy River News this spring.