United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra logo

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra

Public charity · Grantmaker Reno, NV EIN: 88-0059327 Website

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra (UWNNS) is a public charity based in Reno, Nevada. It brings people together across a 13-county region and supports work that includes early learning, children’s literacy, and assistance for people facing financial hardship.

Key facts about United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra

In short: United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra gave $2.1M across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $126K), mostly in Nevada. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

EIN
88-0059327
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$2,149,443
Grants made (2025)
17
Average grant
$126,438
Median grant
$117,612
Total assets
$2,316,805
Primary geography
Nevada (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Deadline
April 1, 2022, at noon Pacific time (past deadline).

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$2.3M

-33.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$2.1M

+63.1% YoY

Grant Count

17

+13.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$126K

+43.9% YoY

How United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra gives

  • 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 2983% from 2022 to 2025. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

UWNNS’s stated mission is to unite communities to improve lives. Its vision is to create opportunities for children, families, and individuals to realize their full potential.

Its reported programs include free pre-K for eligible families, United Readers literacy mentoring for kindergarten through third-grade students, and workplace campaigns that let donors designate gifts to certified charities. The organization’s website also describes Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which delivers books to children from birth to age five, and the SAFE program, which helps eligible Northern Nevada residents with utility bills.

The organization’s 2022–2025 funding opportunity focused on children ages four to seven and programs intended to build early literacy skills, support preschool and kindergarten success, and improve reading proficiency by the end of first grade. Among its 2025 grantees, Wells Family Resource Center describes its own charitable services as including child care, child and family advocacy, and a literacy program.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, UWNNS reported 17 grants totaling $2,149,443. Grant amounts ranged from $12,500 to $351,325, with a median of $117,612. The largest listed awards included:

The funder’s posted 2022–2025 request for proposals invited community organizations serving northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe Basin to apply for a three-year grant cycle. The proposal called for measurable literacy outcomes and required proposal documents, a cover sheet, a budget form, and an MOU; applicants were asked to include the applying organization’s or partnership’s name in document titles. This was a past cycle, not a current application opportunity.

Review Cycle

April 1, 2022, at noon Pacific time (past deadline).

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

UWNNS describes its work as serving a 13-county region in northern Nevada. Its 2022–2025 literacy RFP invited organizations serving northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe Basin. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Nevada.

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.

States

Cities

RenoCarson CityWellsWinnemuccaDaytonGardnervilleMcCarranSparksFernleyYeringtonElkoMindenSun Valley

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$1M$2M$3M5 grants2019 9 grants2020 11 grants2021 5 grants2022 1 grant2023 15 grants2024 17 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $13K (2023) to $2.1M (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $2.1M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

A Plus Learning Center: $351KA Plus Learning Center$351KUniversity of Nevada: $248KUniversity of Nevada$248KUnder the Magic Pine Tree Hawthorne: $210KUnder the Magic Pine TreeHawthorne$210KWells Family Resource Center: $164KWells Family Resource Center$164KABC Halo Daycare Center Stead: $150KABC Halo Daycare Center Stead$150KHigh Desert Montessori School: $150KHigh Desert Montessori School$150KBoys & Girls Club of Mason Valley: $135KBoys & Girls Club of MasonValley$135KCatholic Charities of Northern Nevada: $126KCatholic Charities of NorthernNevada$126KBiggest Little Learning Center: $118KBiggest Little Learning Center$118KAlphabet Academy: $105KAlphabet Academy$105K

The largest 2025 recipient was A Plus Learning Center ($351K). Together the top 10 received $1.8M.

Grant Size Distribution

49 grants across all recorded years

21<$50K13$50–100K13$100–250K2$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 21 grants of 49 (43%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
A Plus Learning Center Reno, NVPRE-K$351,325
University of Nevada Reno, NVPRE-K$248,439
Under the Magic Pine Tree Hawthorne Reno, NVPRE-K$210,000
Wells Family Resource Center Wells, NVPRE-K$164,378
ABC Halo Daycare Center Stead Reno, NV—$150,000
High Desert Montessori School Reno, NVPRE-K$150,000
Boys & Girls Club of Mason Valley Yerington, NVPRE-K$135,000
Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada Reno, NVEmergency Assistance$125,573
Biggest Little Learning Center Reno, NVPRE-K$117,612
Alphabet Academy Sparks, NV—$104,822

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants reported
2025 $2,316,805 $4,984,038 $6,211,709 $2,149,443 (17)
2024 $3,505,090 $3,170,663 $3,849,921 $1,317,673 (15)
2023 $3,720,288 $4,794,168 $2,575,357 $12,763 (1)
Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$2M$4M$6M$8M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$2,316,805$3,505,090$3,720,288
Revenue$4,984,038$3,170,663$4,794,168
Expenses$6,211,709$3,849,921$2,575,357
Net Investment Income$38,664$42,742$10,185

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 7, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 15, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 11, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 20, 2022)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 14, 2023)
  6. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 11, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 10, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Blake Pang as CEO and president and Kim Spiersch as VP of finance. Listed board officers include Col Mary Devine, board chair; Bill Saylor, board treasurer; and Will Stednick and Yuli Chavez-Camarena, each listed as “Board Vice C.” Other listed board members are CJ Anderson, Mitch Cohen, Dr Lindsay Diamond, and Ann Marie Dickson.

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra is led by Blake Pang, CEO & President on every filing since 2023; 2 of 18 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Blake Pang

    CEO & President

    On filings since 2023

    40 hrs/week

    $33K (2023) → $109K (2025)

  • Col Mary Devine

    Board Chair

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kim Spiersch

    Vice President of Financ

    Vice President of Finance → Vice President of Financ, 2023

    On filings since 2019

    40 hrs/week

    $58K (2019) → $55K (2025)

  • Diane Ravenscroft

    Board Member

    Treasurer → Board Member, 2023

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mitch Cohen

    Board Member

    Chair → Board Member, 2023

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Dianne Fernandez-Paiz

    Board Member

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael McDonald

    Board Member

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Will Stednick

    Board Vice C

    Board Member → Board Secretary, 2023

    Board Secretary → Board Vice C, 2025

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ann Marie Dickson

    Board Member

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Bill Saylor

    Board Treasurer

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Catherine Reichenberg

    Board Member

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Cj Anderson

    Board Member

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Miguel Martinez

    Board Member

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stacey Zavala

    Board Member

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Yuli Chavez-Camarena

    Board Vice C

    Board Member → Board Vice C, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lindsay Diamond

    Board Member

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Billie Guajardo

    Board Member

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Phil Cote

    Board Member

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (34)
  • Former: Jesse Murray (2019–2024) — Board Chair
  • Former: Tom Pfoh (2019–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Jonathan Moore (2020–2024) — Board Vice C
  • Former: Scott Crawford (2020–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Tomi Jo Lynch (2020–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Kristopher Dahir (2021–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Mary Devine (2021–2024) — Board Vice C
  • Former: McKayla Stutz (2021–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Danielle Brown (2022–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Karla Hernandez (2023–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Donald Easton-Brooks (2023) — Board Member
  • Former: Bryce Warner (2019–2022) — Secretary
  • Former: Jeff Scott (2019–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Kate Marshall (2019–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Larry Harvey (2019–2022) — Past Chair
  • Former: Mary Wink (2019–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Michael Brazier (2019–2022) — President CEO
  • Former: Philip Cote (2019–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Priscilla Bender (2019–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Jodi Cody (2020–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Yuli Chavez Camareno (2020–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Luke Walker (2021–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Summer Stephens (2021–2022) — Board Vice Chair
  • Former: William Saylor (2021–2022) — Board Treasurer
  • Former: Ashleigh FosterInterim (2022) — CEO & President
  • Former: Bonnie Drinkwater (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Jason Weldon (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Paul Sierzenski (2019–2021) — Director
  • Former: Mitchell Cohen (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Betty Rose (2019) — Director
  • Former: Estela Gutierrez (2019) — Director
  • Former: Laura Granier (2019) — Director
  • Former: Mike Monoski (2019) — Director
  • Former: Stephanie Spensky (2019) — Director

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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

Blake Pang — CEO and Pres: $109KBlake PangCEO and Pres$109KKim Spiersch — VP of Financ: $55KKim SpierschVP of Financ$55K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $109K, to Blake Pang (CEO and Pres). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Contact

Mailing address: 639 Isbell Road Ste 460, Reno, NV 89509
Phone: (775) 322-8668
Website: https://uwnns.org

Frequently asked questions about United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra

How much does United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra give each year?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra gave $2.1M across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.3M across 15 grants.

What is United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra's typical grant size?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra's median grant in 2025 was $117,612, and its average grant was $126,438, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.

Where does United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra give grants?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra gives mostly in Nevada: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Reno, NV (9 grants) and Sparks, NV (2 grants).

Does United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Pre-K" (11 grants) and "Emergency Assistance" (3 grants).

Who are United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra's largest grantees?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra's largest 2025 grantees include A Plus Learning Center ($351,325), University of Nevada ($248,439) and Under the Magic Pine Tree Hawthorne ($210,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.0M.

What does United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra fund?

UWNNS’s stated mission is to unite communities to improve lives. Its vision is to create opportunities for children, families, and individuals to realize their full potential. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check uwnns.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.

What is United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra's EIN?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-0059327. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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