The U.S. House Agriculture Committee has proposed a $300 billion cut to SNAP, nearly 30% of the federal funding for the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and the largest cut in the 85-year history of the program. One out of ten Missourians use SNAP benefits to put meals on their table. These cuts to SNAP will...Read More

As an organization focused on ending poverty in our state, Empower Missouri is deeply aware of the individual costs of a criminal record. Limited housing, employment, and education options can leave a person with a lifetime struggling to overcome a past mistake, long after they have served their time. But in Missouri alone, there are...Read More

Position Title: Springfield Field Organizer Position Type: Part-Time; Temporary Reports to: Empower Missouri Transformative Conversations Program Lead Position Summary: Empower Missouri is seeking passionate and dedicated Field Organizers to join our deep canvass & tenant organizing project in Springfield. Field Organizers will be responsible for engaging with community members, conducting transformative conversations, organizing bases of...Read More

At its core, Empower Missouri is an anti-poverty organization. You often hear about our priority issues areas; affordable housing, criminal legal system reform, and food security, but we know that to truly end poverty, we have to address the myriad factors that create and sustain it.  Family Planning and the Impact for Families in Poverty...Read More

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – 11 March 2025 — On Monday, March 10, HB 595 was passed by Missouri’s Senate Committee on Local Government, Elections, and Pensions, moving us one step closer to enshrining discrimination against Missouri’s poorest tenants into state law. HB 595, and its companion bill, SB 507, would prevent municipalities in Missouri from...Read More

Growing up, it was just expected that kids in Jessica’s neighborhood would eventually end up involved with the legal system. Poverty and limited opportunities led many to drugs and alcohol, and eventually to crime. At age 16, she had her first child and dropped out of school to be able to provide for them. Selling...Read More

January 13, 2025 Organizational Background Empower Missouri is a 501(c)(3) organization. The mission of Empower Missouri is to secure basic human needs and equal justice for every person in our state through coalition-building and advocacy. We lead three statewide coalitions (food security, affordable housing, and community justice) and offer a variety of training programs for...Read More

Empower Missouri started in 1901 as an annual conference focused on helping support Missourians who were living in poverty, and over 120 years later, the tradition continues. Last week, we gathered in Columbia, Missouri to learn from experts and from each other, to strategize for the upcoming session, and to be in community. If you...Read More