By Dan Horn
The Cincinnati Enquirer

United Way agencies in Greater Cincinnati will face some modest cuts in funding next year.

Despite making its annual fund-raising goal, United Way of Greater Cincinnati announced Tuesday that it will provide about $200,000 less to social service agencies in 2004 than it did in 2003.

United Way officials said they have less money to carry over from the 2003 budget and therefore will have slightly less to share with social service programs next year.

The result, agency officials said, is that funding will be equal to or slightly below last year's levels for most agencies.

"We're still looking at a tight situation," said United Way spokeswoman Carol Aquino. "But we're pleased we have been able to keep funding fairly stable."

The agency will provide $50.2 million next year to more than 150 agencies across Greater Cincinnati, covering programs from Girl Scout troops to YMCA recreation leagues to Goodwill day programs for the disabled.

Aquino said 93 percent of the programs receiving money from United Way will be within $2,000 of the amount they received last year.

Six programs will face significant cuts or an end to funding, but those cuts are not a result of budget problems. Aquino said the programs scaled back services or had not proved effective enough to justify continued funding.

United Way president Robert C. Reifsnyder said the agency is changing its funding procedures to put more emphasis on programs that have a measurable impact on community problems.

Those efforts have taken on added importance during the past two years, when tough economic times made fund raising more difficult. Last year, United Way fell $1.8 million short of its $62 million goal.

This year, even with a lower target of $60.5 million, the agency struggled until the final weeks of the campaign to make its goal.

E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com