United Way of West Central MN
United Way of West Central Minnesota is a public charity based in Willmar, Minnesota. It mobilizes community support for programs and partnerships addressing education, health, and basic needs, including children’s literacy, school readiness, and access to supplies for families.
United Way of West Central MN at a glance
- Total assets
- $552,848
- +35.5% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $671,843
- +22.8% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $432
- +11.3% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $469,901
- -8.8% vs 2024
- 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 West Central MN
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 895, Willmar, MN 56201
Phone: (320) 235-1050
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who United Way of West Central MN funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
24 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 22 grants of 24 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization describes its work as serving West Central Minnesota. Its program descriptions refer to participating school districts in surrounding communities, and its filing identifies Empower activity in Kandiyohi County and Litchfield.
Is United Way of West Central MN open to new grantees?
55%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 6 of 11 grantees (55%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $25K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 18% of 2023 grantees were also funded in 2022. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2023). 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 2021 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $102K (2022) to $183K (2023). In 2023 it made 11 grants totaling $183K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Willmar Community Ed & Rec | Child Guide Program | $56,000 |
| Total Grants 5000 | — | $30,876 |
| Olivia Hospital | Healthcare | $20,000 |
| Bold Public Schools | Preschool Scholarshi | $13,000 |
| Lutheran Social Services of MN | Senior Nutrition | $13,000 |
| Kandiyohi County Foodshelf | Food for Needy | $12,081 |
| Aim | Wellness & Inclusion | $10,000 |
| Litchfield Middle School | Band Exploration | $10,000 |
| Girl Scouts of MN & WI | Girl Scout Pathways | $6,000 |
| Let's Go Fishing | Senior/Youth Program | $6,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $552,848 | $671,843 | $469,901 | — | — | $432 |
| 2024 | $408,053 | $547,247 | $515,470 | — | — | $388 |
| 2023 | $434,740 | $537,740 | $709,580 | $182,957 | 11 | $637 |
| 2022 | $492,245 | $585,874 | $546,293 | $101,732 | 4 | $509 |
| 2021 | $529,078 | $571,661 | $525,365 | $151,623 | 9 | $459 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities to create lasting change. Its filing describes three focus areas: education, health, and basic needs. The filing says its education work includes helping children prepare for school and supporting people seeking job skills; its health work includes promoting access to care, independent living, and wellness programs; and its basic-needs work includes supporting agencies that provide essential building blocks for individuals and families.
The filing describes the Imagination Library as providing enrolled children from birth to age five with a monthly age-appropriate book at no cost to families. It also describes Empower: Women United as engaging women in community philanthropy and supporting school-readiness efforts. In Kandiyohi County, the filing says Empower funds educational materials, preschool backpacks, early-childhood grants, and the Growmobile, a mobile preschool program. The Litchfield branch uses funds raised to pay transportation costs for children whose families cannot provide safe, reliable transportation to preschool.
Grantmaking
The IRS filing data reports 11 grants totaling $182,957 in 2023. It reports no grants in 2024 or 2025. The available information does not identify grant recipients or grant amounts, so individual awards and typical grant size cannot be specified.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Josh Dierks, Hannah Douglass, Datriana Jensen, Mary Kjolsing, Michelle Moreno, Dayling Munoz, Manny Obregon, and Jeron Smith as directors; Bill Adams as vice president; and Lori Dinnis as treasurer.
The 2024–2025 annual report identifies Heather Hanson as executive director, Hailey Helmin as programs and marketing manager, Jenna Erickson as The Village director, and Shannon Bohlsen in part-time finance administration. It also lists Joshua Dierks as board vice president, Dr. Bill Adams as board president, and Lori Dinnis as board treasurer.
United Way of West Central MN is led by Griffin Leitch, President since 2024 (on filings since 2021); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Griffin Leitch
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hannah Douglass
Director
Director → President El, 2022
President El → Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Datriana Jensen
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeron Smith
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dayling Munoz
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Josh Dierks
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Manny Obregon
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Kjolsing
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Moreno
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bill Adams
Vice President
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Hanson
Executive Di
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lori Dinnis
Treasurer
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Barbara Marks (2021–2023) — Treasurer & Secretary
- Former: Christina Boike (2021–2023) — President
- Former: Kristie Haefner (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Steve Gerberding (2021–2023) — Past President
- Former: Andrew Bregar (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Sarach Van Beek (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Seyward Ask (2022–2023) — Executive Di
- Former: Javier Valenzuela (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Julie Anfinson (2021–2022) — Finance Director
- Former: Kevin Dietrich (2021–2022) — Executive Di
- Former: Yuri Haglund (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Ashley Bormann (2022) — Director
- Former: Paula Smith (2022) — Director
- Former: Brad Hanson (2021) — Past President
- Former: Lynn Stier (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 West Central MN
How large is United Way of West Central MN?
United Way of West Central MN reported $553K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $672K.
What does United Way of West Central MN fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities to create lasting change. Its filing describes three focus areas: education, health, and basic needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from United Way of West Central MN?
United Way of West Central MN has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does United Way of West Central MN make grants?
The organization describes its work as serving West Central Minnesota. Its program descriptions refer to participating school districts in surrounding communities, and its filing identifies Empower activity in Kandiyohi County and Litchfield.
What is United Way of West Central MN's EIN?
United Way of West Central MN's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-0844871. 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 27, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from United Way of West Central MN'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.
United Way of West Central MN down — hundreds of funders to go?