United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc. is a public charity based in Johnson City, Tennessee. Formed in 1930, it supports local nonprofit organizations working to strengthen health, education, and financial stability and to break the cycle of poverty.
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc at a glance
In short: United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc gave $202K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Tennessee. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $201,500
- -66.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -55.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,792
- -23.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,500
- Total assets
- $3,441,951
- +230.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc
- How to Apply
-
Nonprofits interested in partnering can submit a partnership inquiry. The organization describes its community investment process as involving review and alignment of funding with regional needs and its mission.
- Contact
Mailing address: 605 West Walnut Street, Johnson City, TN 37604
Phone: (423) 220-1229
Website: https://unitedwayetnh.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc
Impact Grant (Community Impact Fund)
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Social Innovation Grant
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc
Amount
$10,000 per grant (typically $30,000 total for 3 grants)
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was City Shoe Fund ($35K). Together the top 10 received $186K.
Grant Size Distribution
55 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 47 grants of 55 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization’s website identifies Carter, Washington, and Johnson Counties in Northeast Tennessee as its service area. Its Impact Grant program lists Washington, Carter, Johnson, and Southern Sullivan Counties in Northeast Tennessee. The 2025 grants listed in the filing went entirely to Tennessee recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 12 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. How we count
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2022–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $202K (2025) to $596K (2024). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $202K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City Shoe Fund Johnson City, TN | Organization Support | $35,000 |
| Appalachia Opportunity Fund Kingsport, TN | Organization Support | $24,500 |
| Boys & Girls Club Elizabethton Elizabethton, TN | Organization Support | $20,000 |
| Boy's & Girl's Club Johnson City Johnson City, TN | Organization Support | $20,000 |
| Coalition for Kids Johnson City, TN | Organization Support | $20,000 |
| Frontier Health Gray, TN | Organization Support | $16,000 |
| Elizabethton Senior Center Elizabethton, TN | Organization Support | $15,000 |
| Family Promise of Greater JC Johnson City, TN | Organization Support | $15,000 |
| Carter County Drug Prevention Elizabethton, TN | Organization Support | $10,000 |
| Change Is Possible Erwin, TN | Organization Support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,441,951 | $4,102,988 | $1,688,630 | $201,500 | 12 | $13,038 |
| 2024 | $1,042,142 | $759,522 | $1,239,887 | $596,000 | 27 | $-15,838 |
| 2023 | $1,601,373 | $957,949 | $620,759 | — | — | $3,868 |
| 2022 | $1,451,064 | $1,228,286 | $1,154,071 | $450,500 | 16 | $2,283 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to break the cycle of poverty by uniting people and resources to strengthen the health, education, and financial stability of every person in its community. Its website describes investment priorities in education, health, and financial stability, with attention to measurable impact and ALICE households and families living below the federal poverty level.
Its Impact Grant program supports local nonprofits focused on improving community members’ health, education, and/or financial stability. Examples of grantees’ work include youth development: the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton Carter County says its mission is to help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens, while the Coalition for Kids says it works to support the moral, spiritual, physical, and mental development of at-risk students in Johnson City. Family Promise of Greater Johnson City says it helps homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence. Frontier Health describes its mission as providing trauma-focused services, and Change Is Possible says it provides shelter and court advocacy for victims of domestic violence.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the organization reported 12 grants totaling $201,500. Grants ranged from $6,000 to $35,000, with a median of $15,500. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee. The largest awards included $35,000 to City Shoe Fund, $24,500 to Appalachia Opportunity Fund, and $20,000 each to Boys & Girls Club Elizabethton, Boy’s & Girl’s Club Johnson City, and Coalition for Kids. The listed purposes for these grants were organization support.
The organization’s website describes a community-driven, data-informed investment process operating on a three-year cycle for 2025–2027. The cycle includes a 2025 community needs assessment and 2026 investment alignment. The Impact Grant program is listed as active, with funding tied to funds raised in each county; it supports more than 30 programs region-wide. The website invites nonprofits serving its community to submit a partnership inquiry.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Leslie Dalton as President, Joy Fulkerson as Vice Chair, and James Kiel as Treasurer. It also lists Kathy Campbell, Brandon Graham, Lisa Hayes, Chris Hitechew, Kelly Hixson, Paula Jackson, and Catie Karczmarczyk as directors.
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc is led by Leslie Dalton, President on every filing since 2024; 1 of 12 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Leslie Dalton
President
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$84K (2024) → $86K (2025)
Chris Rountree
Board Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Board Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Campbell
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Hitechew
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paula Jackson
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brandon Graham
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catie Karczmarczyk
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Hixson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Hayes
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew McKeehan
Past Chair
Director → Board Chair, 2023
Board Chair → Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Kiel
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joy Fulkerson
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (14)
- Former: Collin Brooks (2022–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Drew Hutchinson (2022–2024) — Attorney
- Former: Jeremy Wright (2022–2024) — Finance Chai
- Former: Luke Guinn (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Morgan May (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Keith Johnson (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Leslie Salling (2022–2023) — President
- Former: Mark Eades (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Mike McCoy (2023) — Secretary
- Former: Donna Depew (2022) — Past-Chairma
- Former: Lisa Stewart-Janssen (2022) — Secretary
- Former: Matt Evans (2022) — Board Chair
- Former: Rick Van Hoever (2022) — Director
- Former: Sharon Sheppard (2022) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $86K, to Leslie Dalton (President &).
Frequently asked questions about United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc
How much does United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc give each year?
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc gave $202K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $596K across 27 grants.
What is United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's typical grant size?
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's median grant in 2025 was $15,500, and its average grant was $16,792, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc give grants?
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc gives mostly in Tennessee: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Johnson City, TN (4 grants), Elizabethton, TN (3 grants) and Kingsport, TN (2 grants).
Does United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Organization Support" (12 grants).
Who are United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's largest grantees?
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's largest 2025 grantees include City Shoe Fund ($35,000), Appalachia Opportunity Fund ($24,500) and Boys & Girls Club Elizabethton ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc?
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.1M.
What does United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to break the cycle of poverty by uniting people and resources to strengthen the health, education, and financial stability of every person in its community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc?
Nonprofits interested in partnering can submit a partnership inquiry. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's EIN?
United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-6001105. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 4, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 27, 2026)
Live grants for the work United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/united-way-of-east-tennessee-highlands-inc-morg_f13d7663b4f34feeb01aa44715f2fbb5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_626001105_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/united-way-of-east-tennessee-highlands-inc-morg_f13d7663b4f34feeb01aa44715f2fbb5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-25. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from United Way of East Tennessee Highlands Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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