United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc is a public charity based in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It supports local nonprofit agencies and community programs serving residents of a six-county area in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc at a glance
In short: United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc gave $1.4M across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $47K), mostly in Arkansas. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,351,812
- -1.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -3.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $46,614
- +2.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $31,000
- Total assets
- $15,177,458
- +9.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Arkansas (97% 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 Fort Smith Area Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 120 North 13Th St, Fort Smith, AR 72901
Phone: (479) 782-1311
Website: https://unitedwayfortsmith.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club ($194K). Together the top 10 received $905K.
Grant Size Distribution
180 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 131 grants of 180 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization says it serves Crawford, Franklin, Logan, and Sebastian counties in Arkansas, and LeFlore and Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma. In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Arkansas and 3% to recipients in Oklahoma.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 29 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−5%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.4M (2025) to $2.7M (2023, 18 months). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $1.4M.
*2023: Covers 18 months (fiscal year-end changed).
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $194,000 |
| Community Services Clearingho Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $188,500 |
| Girls Inc Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $104,500 |
| Lincoln Childcare Center Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $100,000 |
| Crisis Intervention Center Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $62,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of the Diamond HI Paris, AR | Operations | $60,000 |
| Fort Smith Boys Home Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $52,500 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Van Buren Van Buren, AR | Operations | $52,000 |
| Next Step Homeless Services Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $50,000 |
| Community Dental Clinic Fort Smith, AR | Operations | $41,000 |
Ready to take the next step with United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $15,177,458 | $6,618,807 | $1,987,650 | $1,351,812 | 29 | $4,885,018 |
| 2024 | $13,837,159 | $2,583,244 | $2,127,299 | $1,371,312 | 30 | $884,090 |
| 2023* | $12,896,652 | $5,948,156 | $5,636,319 | $2,746,832 | 60 | $1,068,369 |
| 2022 | $13,565,853 | $3,820,393 | $3,258,275 | $1,424,252 | 30 | $867,946 |
| 2021 | $12,534,436 | $1,872,162 | $2,712,327 | $1,490,350 | 31 | $191,657 |
*2023: Covers 18 months (fiscal year-end changed).
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is “to improve lives by uniting people and resources in our six-county area.” Its website identifies Healthy Communities, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency as impact areas.
The funder supports a range of community organizations. For example, Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs says its mission is to help young people develop qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders. Girls Incorporated of Fort Smith describes providing a safe environment and educational and recreational programs for girls. Lincoln Childcare Center describes its work as preschool daycare and educational services. Other 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions involve domestic violence and sexual assault services, addiction recovery, and providing homes or emergency placements for girls.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, United Way reported 29 grants totaling $1,351,812. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $194,000, with a median of $31,000. Its website says the annual Community Investment Process distributes funds to 31 partner agencies. The process uses an average of 60 community volunteers to review and evaluate partner agencies’ funding requests, working with United Way staff and the Board of Directors.
The largest reported 2025 grants included Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club ($194,000), Community Services Clearinghouse ($188,500), Girls Inc ($104,500), Lincoln Childcare Center ($100,000), Crisis Intervention Center ($62,000), Boys & Girls Club of the Diamond Hi ($60,000), Fort Smith Boys Home ($52,500), Boys & Girls Club of Van Buren ($52,000), and Next Step Homeless Services ($50,000). The listed grant purposes were operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kim Linam as chair, Robert Herrera as vice chair, Dennis Anderson as past chair, and Chance Locklear as treasurer. Directors listed include John Bradbury, Micah Brown, Andy Chancellor, David Cravens, Amy Fore, and Heidi Kertesz.
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc is led by Kim Linam, Chair since 2025 (on filings since 2021); none of the 20 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kim Linam
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Cravens
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Terisa Riley
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amy Fore
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andy Chancellor
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Beth Solomon
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Smith
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Polk
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heidi Kertesz
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Bradbury
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Mings
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jay Richardson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martin Mahan
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Micah Brown
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ron Wilson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stacie Smith
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dennis Anderson
Past Chair
Secretary → Chair, 2024
Chair → Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Herrera
Vice Chair
Director → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chance Locklear
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matt Marshall
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (21)
- Former: Chad McReynolds (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Dalton Person (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Jamie Hammond (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Johnny McKusker (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Michael Barr (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Terry Morawski (2024) — Director
- Former: Gary Udouj (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Ken Warden (2021–2023) — Vice Chair
- Former: Phillip Blackburn (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Susan Devero (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Suzy Wilson (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Roger Holroyd (2023) — Director
- Former: Anne Dunn (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Beth Presley (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Katie Lejong (2021–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Paul Davis (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Rob Ratley (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Eric Burnett (2022) — Director
- Former: Daren Bobb (2021) — Director
- Former: Erin Gattis (2021) — Director
- Former: Mark Buergler (2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc
How much does United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc give each year?
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc gave $1.4M across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 30 grants.
What is United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc's typical grant size?
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc's median grant in 2025 was $31,000, and its average grant was $46,614, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc give grants?
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc gives mostly in Arkansas: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Fort Smith, AR (20 grants) and Van Buren, AR (2 grants).
Does United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Operations" (29 grants).
Who are United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc's largest grantees?
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club ($194,000), Community Services Clearingho ($188,500) and Girls Inc ($104,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc?
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc reported $15.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.6M.
What does United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is “to improve lives by uniting people and resources in our six-county area.” Its website identifies Healthy Communities, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency as impact areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc?
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check unitedwayfortsmith.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc's EIN?
United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 71-0329530. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 10, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/united-way-of-fort-smith-area-inc-morg_fa5d51688f2d483daf4d25cca17a9cd3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_710329530_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{United Way of Fort Smith Area Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/united-way-of-fort-smith-area-inc-morg_fa5d51688f2d483daf4d25cca17a9cd3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Fort Smith Area 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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