United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc
United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc is a public charity based in Valparaiso, Indiana. It brings together community partners and supports nonprofit programs serving people and families across five Northwest Indiana counties, with work focused on financial security, youth opportunity, healthy communities, and community resiliency.
United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc at a glance
- Total assets
- $5,341,360
- -31.0% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $3,062,837
- -30.1% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $123,920
- -76.0% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $4,527,881
- -5.6% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc
- How to Apply
-
The website describes a competitive grant application and review process.
- Contact
Mailing address: 951 Eastport Center Dr, Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: (219) 464-3583
Website: https://unitedwaynwi.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
77 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 77 (68%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization serves Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, and Starke Counties in Indiana. Its grant program is for qualified nonprofit organizations providing direct services within those counties.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Is United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 2 of 21 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 86% of 2023 grantees were also funded in 2022. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2020 to 2023 (+3%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2023). 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 2019 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $440K (2020) to $2.5M (2022). In 2023 it made 21 grants totaling $453K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Caring Place Inc Valparaiso, IN | Safe emergency shelter support and teen dating violence program | $50,000 |
| VNA of Porter County Valparaiso, IN | Home and hospice care, and the vna phoenix center | $41,600 |
| Hilltop Neighborhood House Valparaiso, IN | Scholarships for working families childcare needs, healthy meals program, and kindergarten readiness | $41,000 |
| Opportunity Enterprises Valparaiso, IN | Employment Services, Day Services and Curriculum Based Programming | $36,000 |
| Housing Opportunities Valparaiso, IN | Women's Shelter and Therapy Works Program | $35,500 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana Valparaiso, IN | Membership Subsidies, Fitness Program and Education &Career Development | $35,000 |
| Duneland Family YMCA Chesterton, IN | Youth Development Programs | $33,000 |
| Porter County Aging & Community Valparaiso, IN | Emergency Assistance Program | $30,000 |
| Portage Township YMCA Portage, IN | Active Learning Pre-K Academy | $24,000 |
| Mental Health America of Northwest Indiana Hammond, IN | Bridging the Gap and Open Door Social Club | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,341,360 | $3,062,837 | $4,527,881 | — | — | $123,920 |
| 2024 | $7,735,896 | $4,381,843 | $4,795,588 | — | — | $516,201 |
| 2023 | $7,574,117 | $4,995,630 | $3,799,382 | $453,200 | 21 | $252,726 |
| 2022 | $6,427,716 | $4,882,933 | $4,694,188 | $2,483,957 | 32 | $-214,028 |
| 2021 | $4,266,743 | $2,667,641 | $2,380,740 | $1,027,383 | 24 | $225,367 |
| 2020 | $3,652,928 | $2,638,420 | $2,020,885 | $439,800 | 20 | $-54,216 |
| 2019 | $2,853,349 | $1,730,811 | $1,992,223 | $640,500 | 26 | $-15,714 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is “to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of Northwest Indiana to advance the common good.” Its focus areas are financial security, youth opportunity, healthy community, and community resiliency.
Its Community Impact Grant program supports nonprofit organizations addressing community needs with measurable outcomes. The organization’s 2023 grantees illustrate the range of supported work: The Caring Place describes its mission as providing shelter, services, and ongoing support for people experiencing domestic violence; Opportunity Enterprises describes its mission as creating inclusive opportunities for people of all abilities; and Housing Opportunities describes its mission as resolving and preventing homelessness through housing and related services.
Grantmaking
In 2023, the organization reported giving $453,200 through 21 grants, an average of about $21,581 per grant. Its 2024 and 2025 filings each report a grant count of zero.
Notable 2023 grants included $50,000 to The Caring Place Inc, $36,000 to Opportunity Enterprises Inc, $35,500 to Housing Opportunities Inc, $12,000 to Porter-Starke Services Inc, and $7,000 to Gabriel’s Horn Inc. The grantees’ own descriptions identify work in areas including domestic-violence support, services for people with disabilities, homelessness prevention, community quality of life, and housing for homeless women.
The Community Impact Grant program uses a competitive review process. Applications are evaluated for organizational capacity, program effectiveness, anticipated outcomes, community need, and alignment with funding priorities. Applicants must be qualified nonprofits providing direct services in the designated service area and should be able to implement the proposed program and measure and report outcomes. Funding priorities include measurable outcomes and accountability, evidence-based or innovative approaches, community reach, organizational capacity, sustainability, and alignment with the program’s goals. Successful applicants may be required to submit progress reports and outcome data.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Ken Turner, director; Erica Maar, chair; Michael Schneider, secretary; Scott Casbon, treasurer; Crystal Cartwright, vice chair; Marisa Smoljan, former chair; and directors Sherri Ziller, Allen Spajer, James Dye, and Melissa Deavers.
United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc is led by Christopher White, President on the 2025 filing; 1 of 18 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christopher White
President
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Erica Maar
Chair
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Heather Ennis
Director
Vice President → Board Chair, 2023
Board Chair → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ken Turner
Director
Board Chair → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matthew Holowell
Director
On filings since 2020
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Allen Spajer
Director
On filings since 2022
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Strack
Director
Board Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2022
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sherri Ziller
Director
On filings since 2022
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brienne Hooker
Director
On filings since 2023
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Deavers
Director
On filings since 2023
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ellis Dumas
Director
On filings since 2024
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marlon Mitchell
Director
On filings since 2024
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Dye
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adam Odoherty
Former President
President → Former President, 2025
On filings since 2022
50 hrs/week
$157K (2023) → $157K (2025)
Crystal Cartwright
Vice Chair
Director → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Casbon
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marisa Smoljan
Former Chair
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
Chair → Former Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Schneider
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (50)
- Former: Matt Burden (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Aaron McDermott (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Desila Rosetti (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Jim Dye (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Al Spajer (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Jeff Strack (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Mike Schneider (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Dawn Thostesen (2024) — Former CFO
- Former: Jose Diaz (2024) — Director
- Former: Kim Wazny (2024) — CFO
- Former: Mike Andrade (2024) — Director
- Former: Carolyn Whittier (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Megan Richter (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Ron Donahue (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Lynda Farris (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Meredith Mohlke (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Chris White (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Michael Jasaitis (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Phil Taillon (2023) — Director
- Former: Raeann Trakas (2023) — Director
- Former: Carolyn Higgins (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Charles Harris (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Michael Rayson (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Michael Wheaton (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Tim Warner (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Evelyn Morrison (2022) — Director
- Former: James Van Buren (2022) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Montague (2022) — Director
- Former: Kim Frye-Olesker (2022) — Former President
- Former: Matt Saltanovitz (2022) — Director
- Former: Philip Taillon (2022) — Director
- Former: Tamera Lienhart (2022) — Director
- Former: Thomas McDermott (2022) — Director
- Former: Amanda Alaniz (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Kevin Ribordy (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Kim Olesker (2019–2021) — President
- Former: Mary Jane Eisenhauer (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Matt Welter (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Randy Zromkoski (2019–2021) — Chair
- Former: Robin McCart (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Thomas Dranger (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Denise Conlon (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Jeff Daneff (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Karen Loeffler (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Aco Sikoski (2019) — Director
- Former: Dwayne Walker (2019) — Director
- Former: Kelly Credit (2019) — Vice Chair
- Former: Mignon Kennedy (2019) — Director
- Former: Steve Georgion (2019) — Director
- Former: Todd Wagenblast (2019) — Treasurer & Finance Chair
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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $157K, to Adam Odoherty (Former President).
Frequently asked questions about United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc
How large is United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc?
United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc reported $5.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.1M.
What does United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is “to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of Northwest Indiana to advance the common good.” Its focus areas are financial security, youth opportunity, healthy community, and community resiliency. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc?
The website describes a competitive grant application and review process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc make grants?
The organization serves Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, and Starke Counties in Indiana. Its grant program is for qualified nonprofit organizations providing direct services within those counties.
What is United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc's EIN?
United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-6006484. 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.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
Live grants for the work United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?