United Way of Western Nebraska
United Way of Western Nebraska is a public charity based in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It raises and distributes funds to support local nonprofit agencies and community work in western Nebraska.
United Way of Western Nebraska at a glance
In short: United Way of Western Nebraska gave $142K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Nebraska. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $141,696
- +4.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- +8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,900
- -3.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $630,734
- -3.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (2 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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 Western Nebraska
- How to Apply
The stated application process required applicants to review the funding guide, email the organization by February 28, 2025, to receive a unique upload link, and submit the completed application and supporting…
The stated application process required applicants to review the funding guide, email the organization by February 28, 2025, to receive a unique upload link, and submit the completed application and supporting materials through that link. This was a past application cycle.
- Review Cycle
- March 7, 2025. This deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- March 7, 2025.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1517 Broadway Suite 106, Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Phone: (308) 635-2522
Website: https://uwwn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who United Way of Western Nebraska funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Doves Program ($20K). Together the top 10 received $125K.
Grant Size Distribution
59 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 59 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization’s website lists a service area of 13 Nebraska counties—Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux—and Goshen and Platte counties in Wyoming. The 2025–27 funding guidelines list a different Nebraska county set, omitting Arthur and Grant. All 2025 grant dollars were reported for recipients in Nebraska.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is United Way of Western Nebraska open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 13 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $10K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $136K (2024) to $206K (2019). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $142K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Doves Program Gering, NE | General Assistance | $19,500 |
| Buckboard Theraputic Riding Gering, NE | General Assistance | $19,000 |
| Scotts Bluff County Volunteer Burea Scottsbluff, NE | General Assistance | $15,946 |
| Capwn Gering, NE | General Assistance | $15,000 |
| CASA of Scotts Bluff County Scottsbluff, NE | General Assistance | $10,000 |
| Plains West CASA Sidney, NE | General Assistance | $10,000 |
| Terry & Hazeldean Carpenter Intl CN Gering, NE | General Assistance | $10,000 |
| Panhandle Partnership Scottsbluff, NE | General Assistance | $9,150 |
| Northfield Haven Inc Gering, NE | General Assistance | $9,000 |
| Cirrus House Inc Scottsbluff, NE | General Assistance | $7,000 |
Ready to take the next step with United Way of Western Nebraska?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $630,734 | $422,684 | $506,042 | $141,696 | 13 | $19,377 |
| 2024 | $655,893 | $509,160 | $521,518 | $135,628 | 12 | $19,922 |
| 2023 | $671,495 | $570,020 | $582,204 | $167,903 | 12 | $4,219 |
| 2022 | $703,733 | $501,223 | $488,634 | $185,032 | 11 | $1,639 |
| 2021 | $730,366 | $609,964 | $446,421 | $185,010 | 11 | $2,207 |
| 2020 | $566,491 | $476,416 | $463,628 | $190,783 | 12 | $2,939 |
| 2019 | $542,654 | $485,970 | $474,510 | $205,750 | 13 | $3,314 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s website states its mission is “to unite people and resources of Western Nebraska to build a stronger, healthier and more compassionate community.” Its 2024 filing describes its mission as support of human service programs.
The funder supports health and human service programs addressing healthy community, youth opportunity, financial security, and community resiliency. It funds nonprofit organizations serving an identifiable population in its service area, and grant requests are for operating expenses rather than capital expenses such as buildings or land.
Its 2025 grants included organizations whose own stated missions include providing domestic, dating, and sexual violence services and prevention (The DOVES Program); providing housing for young adults with intellectual disabilities (Northfield Haven); and providing day rehabilitation, housing, meals, and transportation to low-income or disabled people (Cirrus House). The grantees’ descriptions reflect their own missions, not the funder’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, United Way of Western Nebraska reported 13 grants totaling $141,696. Grants ranged from $5,100 to $19,500, with a median of $10,000. The largest awards included $19,500 to The DOVES Program, $19,000 to Buckboard Therapeutic Riding, $15,946 to Scotts Bluff County Volunteer Bureau, and $15,000 to CAPWN. Other awards included $10,000 each to CASA of Scotts Bluff County, Plains West CASA, and Terry & Hazeldean Carpenter International Center; and $9,150 to Panhandle Partnership.
The organization’s 2025–27 application materials described a two-year funding commitment covering July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027. Applicants were asked to submit an application and supporting documentation, including a financial audit or bank statements and proof of 501(c)(3) status. Awards were contingent on signing a partner agency agreement. The organization’s 2024 filing also states that funded agencies must attend quarterly meetings and submit financial records.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Karen Benzel as “Executive DI”; Bill Boyer, Chelsea Butts, Jeri Goodman, Carrie Howton, Jordan Hulbert, and Todd Lewis as directors; Cherokee Gribble as secretary; John McGehehey as treasurer; and Becca Pierce as “Past Preside.”
United Way of Western Nebraska is led by Melissa Price, President since 2025 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 18 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melissa Price
President
2nd Vice President → 1st Vice President, 2024
1st Vice President → President, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bill Boyer
Director
President → Past President, 2024
Past President → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeri Goodman
Director
Director → Treasurer, 2021
Treasurer → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Todd Lewis
Director
President → Past President, 2022
Past President → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Audrey Rocheleau
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kiersten Richards
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sharisa Spehar
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jordan Hulbert
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
George Schlothauer
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shane Wilson
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carrie Howton
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chelsea Butts
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Benzel
Executive Di
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$41K (2022) → $72K (2025)
Cherokee Gribble
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clint Schleicher
1st Vice President
Director → 2nd Vice President, 2024
2nd Vice President → 1st Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Libby Stobel
2nd Vice President
Director → 2nd Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Becca Pierce
Past President
1st Vice President → President, 2024
President → Past President, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John McGhehey
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (28)
- Former: Doug Mader (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Jason Rogers (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Julie Thompson (2019–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Todd Deaver (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Allyson Berggren (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Rob Bila (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Melissa Schneider (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Michal Martinez (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Nick Lease (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Sibal (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Larry Massie (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Derick Vach (2022) — Director
- Former: Mason Stover (2019–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Steph Black (2019–2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Susan Wiedeman (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Triniti Burgner (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Jordan Diedrich (2021) — Director
- Former: Becca Tompkins (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Cari Lind (2019–2020) — Co Secretaries
- Former: Doug Couse (2019–2020) — President
- Former: Sherrie Huston (2019–2020) — Co Secretaries
- Former: Allyson Beraaren (2020) — Director
- Former: Jeff Fielder (2019) — Director
- Former: Jim Loveridge (2019) — Director
- Former: Justin Baum (2019) — Director
- Former: Katie Camacho (2019) — Past President
- Former: Kory Knight (2019) — Director
- Former: Mike Downey (2019) — Treasurer
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 $72K, to Karen Benzel (Executive Di).
Frequently asked questions about United Way of Western Nebraska
How much does United Way of Western Nebraska give each year?
United Way of Western Nebraska gave $142K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $136K across 12 grants.
What is United Way of Western Nebraska's typical grant size?
United Way of Western Nebraska's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $10,900, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from United Way of Western Nebraska that year got $6K on average.
Where does United Way of Western Nebraska give grants?
United Way of Western Nebraska gives mostly in Nebraska: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Gering, NE (5 grants), Scottsbluff, NE (4 grants) and Alliance, NE (3 grants).
Does United Way of Western Nebraska give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of United Way of Western Nebraska's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are United Way of Western Nebraska's largest grantees?
United Way of Western Nebraska's largest 2025 grantees include The Doves Program ($19,500), Buckboard Theraputic Riding ($19,000) and Scotts Bluff County Volunteer Burea ($15,946), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is United Way of Western Nebraska?
United Way of Western Nebraska reported $631K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $423K.
What does United Way of Western Nebraska fund?
The organization’s website states its mission is “to unite people and resources of Western Nebraska to build a stronger, healthier and more compassionate community.” Its 2024 filing describes its mission as support of human service programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from United Way of Western Nebraska?
The stated application process required applicants to review the funding guide, email the organization by February 28, 2025, to receive a unique upload link, and submit the completed application and supporting… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is United Way of Western Nebraska's EIN?
United Way of Western Nebraska's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-0424788. 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 28, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 24, 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)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). United Way of Western Nebraska funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/united-way-of-western-nebraska-morg_f1cd2be0eab848e9bf792bf3b9842ecc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_470424788_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{United Way of Western Nebraska funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/united-way-of-western-nebraska-morg_f1cd2be0eab848e9bf792bf3b9842ecc},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Western Nebraska'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 Western Nebraska down — hundreds of funders to go?