Strong Neighborhoods Impact Fund Grants

Overview

_NOTEL: United Way of Metro Chicago is preparing for the next cycle of our Impact Grants program, with funding set to begin in January 2026._

_For this cycle, we will proceed with a closed and shortened application process, open only to current Impact Grant partners. While this cycle is closed to new applicants, funding decisions will remain competitive and based on available resources._
Impact Fund Application Process

United Way of Metro Chicago runs a competitive application process supporting high-quality programs that serve individuals and families in our geographic footprint. Agencies selected for funding align precisely with our strategies, present evidence-based models for service delivery, demonstrate effectiveness with data-rich results and utilize United Way’s measurement framework.

Executive Summary

For more than 80 years, United Way of Metro Chicago has mobilized caring people to invest in the communities where resources are needed most. We partner with community stakeholders and organizations to harness all of our resources to support individuals and families in four key issue areas:

* Basic Needs,
* Health,
* Education, and
* Financial Stability, which we believe are essential to building strong households and strong neighborhoods.

United Way’s long-term focus is on rebuilding neighborhoods to be stronger and more equitable, but we know that the economic and health impacts of COVID-19 have left many more families struggling to meet their basic needs, with food and housing insecurity skyrocketing. With this in mind, we will continue to support crisis services that stabilize families across our region and improve the systems that serve them.

We believe that this dual approach will move our communities forward again, by emphasizing immediate support for those in crisis and a long-term vision for recovery. We strive to be a responsive funder and are committed to helping rebuild a Chicago region that is stronger than it was at the beginning of 2020. To achieve our goals, we will focus our grantmaking on high quality basic needs services, innovative models that can transform systems and service delivery, and coordinated, placebased efforts.

Eligibility

_We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's [website]().
_

Application Details

United Way
of Metro Chicago
STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS IMPACT FUND
2023-2024 GRANT GUIDELINES
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Grant Strategies and Criteria ........................................................................................................................ 6
Overview ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Funding Focus Areas ................................................................................................................................. 7
Geography ................................................................................................................................................. 9
Specific Grant Strategies ......................................................................................................................... 10
Collaborative Funding ............................................................................................................................. 14
Additional Considerations ....................................................................................................................... 15
Regional Funding Approach .................................................................................................................... 15
Annual Funding Approach ....................................................................................................................... 16
Unrestricted Awards ............................................................................................................................... 16
Grant Requests ........................................................................................................................................ 16
What We Look For: Selection Criteria ......................................................................................................... 17
Organizational Capacity for Impact ........................................................................................................ 17
Program Model ....................................................................................................................................... 17
Service Delivery ....................................................................................................................................... 17
Outcomes and Measurements ............................................................................................................... 18
How Our Application Process Works .......................................................................................................... 18
Timeline and Overview ........................................................................................................................... 18
Results: Impact Grants Annual reporting, site visits and engagement opportunities ................................ 20
Strategy and Funding Focus Area indicators ........................................................................................... 20
Annual Projections .................................................................................................................................. 20
Annual Reporting .................................................................................................................................... 20
Additional Reporting Notes .................................................................................................................... 21
Tips for Application Success ........................................................................................................................ 21
Appendix A: Measurement framework – overview .................................................................................... 22
Universal Reporting requirements .......................................................................................................... 22
Strategy Specific Reporting Requirements summary ............................................................................. 24
Appendix B: Wraparound and Funding Focus Area Metrics ....................................................................... 25
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Wraparound Services .............................................................................................................................. 25
Funding Focus Area: Access to Healthcare ............................................................................................. 27
Funding Focus Area: Housing .................................................................................................................. 29
Funding Focus Area: Safety from Abuse ................................................................................................. 31
Funding Focus Area: Food Assistance ..................................................................................................... 33
Funding Focus Area: Legal Assistance ..................................................................................................... 35
Funding Focus Area: Early Learning ........................................................................................................ 37
Funding Focus Area: Workforce Development ....................................................................................... 38
Appendix C: Suggested measurements for Additional Services ................................................................. 39
Suggested Metrics: Middle School .......................................................................................................... 39
Suggested Metrics: Financial Empowerment ......................................................................................... 40
Suggested Metrics: Tax Preparation ....................................................................................................... 42
Appendix D: Neighborhood Network Three-Year Strategic Plans .............................................................. 43
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Executive Summary
For more than 80 years, United Way of Metro Chicago has mobilized caring people to invest in the
communities where resources are needed most. We partner with community stakeholders and
organizations to harness all of our resources to support individuals and families in four key issue areas:
Basic Needs, Health, Education, and Financial Stability, which we believe are essential to building strong
households and strong neighborhoods.
United Way’s long-term focus is on rebuilding neighborhoods to be stronger and more equitable, but we
know that the economic and health impacts of COVID-19 have left many more families struggling to
meet their basic needs, with food and housing insecurity skyrocketing. With this in mind, we will
continue to support crisis services that stabilize families across our region and improve the systems that
serve them.
We believe that this dual approach will move our communities forward again, by emphasizing
immediate support for those in crisis and a long-term vision for recovery. We strive to be a responsive
funder and are committed to helping rebuild a Chicago region that is stronger than it was at the
beginning of 2020. To achieve our goals, we will focus our grantmaking on high quality basic needs
services, innovative models that can transform systems and service delivery, and coordinated, place-
based efforts.
Where we fund
United Way of Metro Chicago’s service area is the City of Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County, and/or
the City of Elgin.
What we fund
Our funding focus areas are:
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Who we fund:
United Way partners with individual 501c3 nonprofits that have been in operation for at least two years,
or collaboratives of nonprofits using an eligible 501c3 as a fiscal sponsor.
Our partners are chosen for their alignment to our strategies and focus areas, their track record of
providing high quality programming, and their ability to deliver and report on outcomes. While many
nonprofits may apply for funding, our resources are limited and our decisions are ultimately driven by
finding the partners who are best positioned to make a sustainable impact on our region.
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Grant Strategies and Criteria
Overview
United Way invests in partners across the region to provide the building blocks to stabilize households
and achieve community identified goals– via access to health care, stable housing, safety from abuse,
access to food, early learning, workforce development, and legal assistance.
We do this through supporting models of service that are both powerful and historically under-
resourced, furthering community driven efforts in our target geographies, and supporting deep and
meaningful relationships between United way and non-profit partners.
United Way’s 2023-24 funding will support four grant strategies: Place-Based Wraparound Services,
Place-Based Issue-Focused Services, Regionwide Wraparound Services, and Regionwide Issue-Focused
Services. These grant strategies each employ different approaches to achieving United Way’s ultimate
goals of stabilizing low-income families in crisis and building back stronger, more equitable communities.
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Place-Based Regionwide
Wraparound Place-Based Wraparound Services Regionwide Wraparound Services
Services
• Aligned to one of 18 focus • In service of City of Chicago,
communities Cook County, DuPage County,
• Aligned to the broader collective goal and/or the City of Elgin.
for the community • Offering an intentional
• Offering an intentional wraparound wraparound approach to service
approach to service provision provision
• Rooted in one of seven funding focus • Rooted in one of seven funding
areas, with at least one additional focus areas, with at least one
service intentionally combined to additional service intentionally
improve client outcomes combined to improve client
• Can be offered by a single agency, or outcomes
a collaborative of agencies applying • Can be offered by a single
collectively agency, or a collaborative of
agencies applying collectively
Issue-Focused Place-Based Issue-Focused Services Regionwide Issue-Focused Services
Services
• Aligned to one of 18 focus • In service of City of Chicago,
communities Cook County, DuPage County,
• Aligned to the broader collective goal and/or the City of Elgin.
for the community • Offering service in one of five
• Offering services in one of seven basic needs funding focus areas
funding focus areas
Please note the programs for which you are requesting funding must be in operation for at least two
years. United Way grants may supplement existing programming or support expansion (e.g., new sites,
hours, slots, staff). United Way does not provide program seed funding.
Funding Focus Areas
In all United Way Impact grants, we are seeking to achieve goals in at least one of our focus areas:
Funding Focus Goal Required Program Elements Eligible strategies
Area
Access to Improve access to • Provide access to primary and/or • Place-based
Healthcare* health services, behavioral and mental health care Strategies
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including both primary • Support individuals to achieve their • Regionwide
care as well as health goals strategies
behavioral and mental
health care
Housing* Ensure basic housing • Provide shelter for individuals • Place-based
needs are met experiencing homelessness or strategies
rental assistance to prevent • Regionwide
homelessness strategies
• Provide case management services
to individuals to mitigate the
likelihood of future homelessness
• Increase access to benefits via
screening and assistance in benefit
enrollment
Safety from Provide for immediate • Provide crisis services to victims of • Place-based
Abuse* safety needs as a abuse strategies
response to abuse • Provide case management services • Regionwide
to individuals to mitigate the strategies
likelihood of future abuse
• Increase access to benefits via
screening and assistance in benefit
enrollment
Food Address food insecurity • Provide food assistance • Place-based
Assistance* and meet basic food • Increase access to benefits via strategies
needs screening and assistance in benefit • Regionwide
enrollment strategies
Legal Remove legal barriers to • Provide legal • Place-based
Assistance* improving stability and services/representation and strategies
self-sufficiency information to individuals
• Regionwide
strategies
Early Learning Children and families • Provide supports so that Infants, • Place-based
build a strong toddlers, and children may access strategies
foundation for the start high quality services and grow • Regionwide
of school their skills across developmental Wraparound
domains Services ONLY
• Engage Parents/caregivers of
young children in their child’s
learning.
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Workforce Prepare individuals for • Increase employability of • Place-based
Development success and long-term prospective workers strategies
living wage employment • Secure employment for • Regionwide
opportunities prospective workers Wraparound
• Advance the employment of Services ONLY
workers
*Access to Healthcare, Housing, Safety from Abuse, Food Assistance and Legal Assistance are grouped
together as the Basic Needs Funding Focus Areas
Specific measurement frameworks and metrics tied to each Funding Focus Area are laid out in
Appendices A and B.
Geography
In our Place-Based strategies, programs must be offered in or near one of our 18 focus communities,
and align with the work of the Neighborhood Network or collective impact coalition in that community:
• Addison/Bensenville
• Auburn Gresham (City of Chicago neighborhood)*
• Austin (City of Chicago neighborhood)*
• Blue Island/Robbins*
• Brighton Park (City of Chicago neighborhood)*
• Cicero/Berwyn*
• Elgin/Carpentersville
• Englewood (City of Chicago neighborhoods encompassing Englewood and West Englewood)*
• Evanston/Skokie*
• Far South (City of Chicago neighborhoods encompassing Altgeld Gardens, Calumet Heights,
Cottage Grove Heights, Fernwood, Golden Gates, London Towne, Morgan Park, Pullman,
Roseland, Roseland Heights, Rosemoor, Washington Heights, and West Pullman)*
• Ford Heights/Chicago Heights
• Garfield Park (City of Chicago neighborhoods encompassing East Garfield Park and West Garfield
Park)*
• Greater Bronzeville (City of Chicago community encompassing the geographic area of 22nd Street
to the north, 67th Street to the south, Lakeshore Drive to the east, Dan Ryan Expressway to the
west)*
• Little Village (City of Chicago neighborhood)*
• Naperville
• Palatine
• South Chicago (City of Chicago neighborhood)*
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• West Chicago (DuPage County)*
*This Focus Community is also a United Way Neighborhood Network community. More information on the
Neighborhood Network model can be found at https://liveunitedchicago.org/neighborhood-networks/
In our Regionwide services, programming can take place anywhere across United Way’s service area of
the City of Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County, and/or the City of Elgin.
Specific Grant Strategies
Place-Based Wraparound Services
Core Elements: Multiple integrated services grounded in one United Way Funding Focus Area, taking
place in a Focus Community, and aligned with the strategic efforts happening in the Focus Community.
This strategy is intended to support the intentional integration of services to wraparound individuals
and/or households. These services must be anchored in one of United Way’s Funding Focus Areas
(access to healthcare, housing, safety from abuse, food assistance, legal assistance, early learning or
workforce development), but may include any additional services that will assist the household in
achieving their goals. This strategy can follow one of two models – a single agency may provide the
continuum of services entirely in-house or a collaborative of two or more agencies may work together to
wrap services around shared client households.
Programs in this strategy will need to provide at least one primary service as well as at least one
additional service. While applications may be submitted for multiple additional services, United Way’s
principal interest is in the quality of the integration, not the number of additional services provided.
High performing partners in this strategy will be able to articulate why braiding these services together
leads to better outcomes for clients, as well as outline how the programs are intentionally connected.
Shared data systems, staff dedicated to integration, models built to encourage cross-departmental,
cross-agency, or cross-system collaboration are all highly recommended features for this strategy. At a
minimum, commitment from organizational leadership to providing wraparound supports is a
requirement for success.
Ideally, each program element used in this approach would be a strong independent service in and of
itself, and when intentionally connected with others will allow clients to achieve better outcomes
overall.
While the primary service offered in this strategy must align with one of United Way’s Funding Focus
Areas, the additional service(s) may be anything the applicant organization has found to be an important
complementary service that helps clients succeed in their goals as aligned to the primary service.
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Examples of Wraparound Services: The following samples are intended to help guide your understanding
of how services might be connected in a wraparound approach. These examples are not favored
approaches nor an exhaustive list of possible wraparound models.
• A housing program with mental health services for people with severe and persistent mental
illness.
• A workforce development program for non-native English speakers with an English as a Second
Language curriculum to help job seekers improve their eligibility for employment.
• A domestic violence service provider with a legal assistance program to help expunge criminal
records and address barriers to safety such as divorce or custody proceedings.
• A workforce development program with an early childhood service to provide high quality care
for children in the household as parents are building their skills, job seeking, and engaging in the
workforce.
Partners in this strategy will be required to report on the metrics of the primary service, the additional
service(s), and the wraparound approach itself (see Appendix B). Our goal is to examine how
wraparound approaches lead to improved outcomes, therefore reporting will be restricted to the clients
who receive a wraparound approach to services (e.g., if your agency offers housing services to 1,000
households, but only 500 are part of the wraparound service approach, you will only report on the 500
clients).
If the additional service(s) are not part of United Way’s Funding Focus Areas, programs selected for
funding will work with United Way to finalize the metrics for the additional service(s).
Applicants considering this strategy are highly encouraged to speak directly with a member of United
Way’s Community Impact team during application office hours. These conversations will be used to
determine the degree(s) of alignment between the applicant’s programming and wraparound approach,
and United Way’s strategies and priorities.
As a place-based service, applicants will need to identify the United Way Focus Community or
Communities their programming aligns to. United Way intends to fund only programming that is
strongly aligned with the strategic goals of our Focus Communities.
Investments in Place-Based Services aligned to a United Way Neighborhood Network community must
align to the three-year strategic plan of the Network (see Appendix D) and the applicant agency must
be an active and engaged member within the Network.
Applications for investments in Place-Based Services aligned to a community that is not a Neighborhood
Network must acknowledge the work happening in that community and describe their agency’s active
collaborations and participation in community goal setting, as well as how their programming fits into
the broader work happening in that community.
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Partners in this strategy will be required to report on all outcomes listed in the wraparound strategy, the
primary funding focus area, and at least one additional service, as outlined in Appendix B.
Place-Based Issue-Focused Services
Core Elements: High quality services aligned to a United Way Funding Focus Area, taking place in a Focus
Community, and aligned with the strategic efforts happening in the Focus Community.
This strategy is intended to support high quality programs that are aligned to a single United Way
Funding Focus Area (access to healthcare, housing, safety from abuse, food assistance, legal assistance,
early learning and workforce development). High performing applicants will be able to show a track
record of being able to provide the services, to collaborate with other programs and organizations to
address unmet needs and to show how the program sets up their clients for long term success.
As a place-based service, applicants must specify which United Way Focus Community their
programming aligns to. United Way intends to exclusively fund programming that is in alignment with
the strategic goals of our Focus Communities.
For place-based services aligned to a United Way Neighborhood Network community, this will mean
that all programming funded in this strategy must align to the three-year strategic plan of the Network
(see appendix D) and the applicant agency is an active and engaged member with the Network.
Applications for investments in Place-Based Services aligned to a community that is not a Neighborhood
Network must acknowledge the work happening in that community and describe their agency’s active
collaborations and participation in community goal setting, as well as how their programming fits into
the broader work happening in that community.
Partners in this strategy will be required to report on all outcomes of the funding focus area, as outlined
in Appendix B.
Regionwide Wraparound Services
Core Elements: Multiple integrated services grounded in one United Way Funding Focus Area, taking
place across United Way’s footprint.
This strategy is intended to support the intentional integration of services to wraparound individuals
and/or households. These services must be anchored in one of United Way’s Funding Focus Areas
(access to healthcare, housing, safety from abuse, food assistance, legal assistance, early learning, or
workforce development), but may include any additional services that will assist the household in
achieving their goals. This strategy can follow one of two models – a single agency may provide the
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continuum of services entirely in-house or a collaborative of two or more agencies may work together to
wrap services around shared client households.
Programs in this strategy will need to provide at least one primary service as well as at least one
additional service. While applications may be submitted for multiple additional services, United Way’s
primary interest is in the quality of the integration, not the number of additional services provided.
Partners in this strategy will be required to report on the metrics of the primary service, the additional
service(s), and the wraparound approach itself (see Appendix B). Our goal is to examine how
wraparound approaches lead to improved outcomes, therefore reporting will be restricted to the clients
who receive a wraparound approach to services (e.g., if your agency offers housing services to 1,000
households, but only 500 are part of the wraparound service approach, you will only report on the 500
clients).
High performing partners in this strategy will be able to articulate why braiding these services together
leads to better outcomes for clients, as well as outline how the programs are intentionally connected.
Shared data systems, staff dedicated to integration, models built to encourage cross-departmental,
cross-agency, or cross-system collaboration are all highly recommended features for this strategy. At a
minimum, commitment from organizational leadership to providing wraparound supports is a
requirement for success.
Ideally, each program element utilized in this approach would be a strong independent service in and of
itself, and when intentionally connected with others will allow clients to achieve better outcomes
overall.
While the primary service offered in this strategy must align with one of United Way’s Funding Focus
Areas, the additional service(s) may be anything the applicant organization has found to be an important
complementary service that helps clients succeed in their goals as aligned to the primary service.
Examples of Wraparound Services: The following samples are intended to help guide your understanding
of how services might be connected in a wraparound approach. These examples are not favored
approaches nor an exhaustive list of possible wraparound models.
• A housing program with mental health services for people with severe and persistent mental
illness.
• A workforce development program for non-native English speakers with an English as a Foreign
Language curriculum to help job seekers improve their eligibility for employment.
• A domestic violence service provider with a legal assistance program to help expunge criminal
records and address barriers to safety such as divorce or custody proceedings.
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• A workforce development program with an early childhood service to provide high quality care
for children in the household as parents are building their skills, job seeking, and engaging in the
workforce.
If the additional service(s) are not part of United Way’s Funding Focus Areas, programs selected for
funding will work with United Way to finalize the metrics for the additional service(s).
Applicants considering this strategy are highly encouraged to speak directly with a member of United
Way’s Community Impact team during application office hours. These conversations will be used to
determine the degree(s) of alignment between the applicant’s programming and wraparound approach,
and United Way’s strategies and priorities.
Partners in this strategy will be required to report on all outcomes listed in the wraparound strategy, the
primary funding focus area, and at least one additional service, as outlined in Appendix B.
Regionwide Issue-Focused Services
Core Elements: High quality services aligned to a United Way Funding Focus Area, taking place across
United Way’s footprint.
This strategy is intended to support high quality programs that are aligned to a single United Way Basic
Needs Funding Focus Area (access to healthcare, housing, safety from abuse, food assistance and legal
assistance) and its required metrics. Individual programs providing Workforce Development or Early
Learning services will not be considered in this strategy. High performing applicants will be able to show
a track record of being able to provide the services, to collaborate with other programs and
organizations to address unmet needs and show how the program sets clients up for long term success.
Partners in this strategy will be required to report on all outcomes of the funding focus area, as outlined
in Appendix B.
Collaborative Funding
In the Place-Based Wraparound Services and Regionwide Wraparound Services strategies, applications
will be accepted for both individual organizations as well as collaboratives.
Collaboratives are defined as groups of two or more organizations working together to achieve shared
goals. Each collaborative must include at least one 501c3 agency but may include other partners who
may not otherwise be eligible for United Way funding, such as government offices, churches, for profit
businesses, and other entities. The agency submitting the application on behalf of the collaborative
must be a 501c3 non-profit organization that has been in operation for at least two years.
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United Way is interested in supporting collaboratives that are already established, even if the
collaborative is operating on an informal basis. While United Way encourages new groups to consider
collaboration, grants will not be made at this time to new collaboratives.
If selected for funding, United Way will notify the collaborative of the total award amount. The
collaborative partners will have discretion in allocating the dollars to best support their programming--
either by investing in a single element of the continuum, multiple elements, or in general agency
infrastructure needed to support the success of the proposed programming. Collaboratives may elect to
have United Way pay a single member directly, or multiple collaborative members directly, as long as
they are a 501c3 organization. Each agency who receives funding from United Way directly will be
responsible for submitting reporting outcomes. If only one agency receives funding directly from United
Way, that agency will be responsible for reporting on behalf of the collaborative.
The total request for the collaborative may not exceed 30% of the lead applicant agency’s annual
operating budget.
Additional Considerations
Because of our commitment to building a stronger, more equitable region, we give additional
consideration to programs that are designed to provide specialized services intentionally designed to
help members of specific marginalized groups navigate systems, access services, and succeed. These
groups face marginalization based on physical, mental and developmental abilities; nationality; language
differences; sexual orientation; gender identity; age; religion; parental status; ethnic heritage; race; skin
color; or gender.
In order to make a compelling, competitive, case for funding, agencies must be prepared to detail how
the program is designed specifically to meet the needs of the marginalized group, document the needs
and barriers of the population(s) served, outline the agency’s expertise and track record for serving this
population, describe the best practice service model(s) employed, and highlight the partnerships
employed to support impact for this population. Programs that are designed for general use but have
found themselves serving a significant number of individuals from one or more marginalized group will
not be given additional consideration for the sake of this application.
Regional Funding Approach
United Way is comprised of four regions: Chicago, West Suburban, North-Northwest Suburban
(including the City of Elgin), and South-Southwest Suburban. While all regions use the same application
and guidelines for funding, applicants must specify in which region(s) they are requesting funding. An
organization serving clients across multiple regions may apply to more than one region through a single
application. Funding decisions, however, are made separately and independently by the volunteer
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advisory committees that represent each region. Those local committees are interested in how
providers meet the needs, leverage assets, and engage and serve their local communities.
Annual Funding Approach
While United Way is employing a two-year grant cycle, we use an annual funding approach to our
grantmaking. Your application request will cover a 12-month period, and United Way will make awards
for 12 months (calendar year 2023) with a second year of funding (calendar year 2024) contingent upon
United Way campaign performance.
Grant awards are paid in 12 equal monthly installments each year of the grant period.
Unrestricted Awards
While United Way’s funding is tied to specific outcomes, awards may be spent at the discretion of our
partners in whatever manner best allows them to accomplish our shared goals and outcomes.
Grant Requests
While United Way sets a maximum award amount for our grantmaking, the majority of our partners are
not funded at the maximum award amount. It is our intention to maintain a balanced portfolio that
allows United Way to build a relationship with each partner agency, while still achieving our goals in our
focus communities and across the region.
Grant Strategy Model Maximum Annual Award
Place-Based Wraparound Services $150,000 single agency
$300,000 collaborative
Place-Based Issue-Focused Services $100,000
Regionwide Wraparound Services $150,000 single agency
$300,000 collaborative
Regionwide Issue Focused Services $100,000
While these are the maximum award amounts set for each strategy, few partners will receive funding at
this level. In the 2022 grant cycle, the average award per agency was $50,000.
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The total funding request may not exceed 30% of the applicant agency’s annual operating budget.
What We Look For: Selection Criteria
United Way invests in partners that align with our funding focus areas and grant strategy models, show
promise, and have a proven track record of advancing the impact or scale of their work. When
determining potential, United Way seeks partners that demonstrate organizational capacity for impact,
high quality service delivery, and a strong track record for achieving desired outcomes. Proposals that
demonstrate close alignment with our strategic framework will be favorably looked upon.
Organizational Capacity for Impact
When considering the organization or collaborative that is submitting a proposal, United Way reviews
the following to assess the health and capacity of each partner.
• Experience & Community Standing: The organization must have significant experience in the
area for which it has submitted an application. The organization has a standing in the
community and develops relationships to affect community change.
• Fiscal Health, Reporting & Sustainability: The organization must be in good financial standing;
regularly report on outcomes, and work with United Way to improve issue area and community
outcomes.
• Diversity & Inclusion: The organization should seek out, welcome, and build upon the diversity
and the positive attributes that exist within the communities served. This is demonstrated by:
services that are accessible to all individuals regardless of disability, sex, ethnicity, religion,
gender identity, sexual orientation or language proficiency; and an understanding of, respect
for, and responsiveness to the home culture and language of the individuals and families served.
Program Model
Programming must be aligned with our strategies, deliver on the goals of our funding focus areas, and
report on outcomes as defined by measurement frameworks. Organizations that demonstrate the ability
to track program outcomes and a strong track record in achieving the desired result will be favorably
reviewed. The strongest applications will speak to the funding focus areas as well as the goals of the
program model and tie all elements together in a cohesive manner that best serves clients.
Service Delivery
Competitive proposals will illustrate high-quality service delivery based on evidence-informed,
promising practices. The “Funding Focus Areas” and “Specific Grant Strategies” sections above outline
the factors and program elements that United Way considers fundamental for each funding focus area
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and strategy, which will be used to determine the strength and potential for programming delivered in
high-need communities. Ability to collect, evaluate, and report on the program measures outlined in
Appendices A and B is a requirement for partnership.
Programs should seek to serve clients in a holistic manner, even when the additional services needed
are not offered as part of the defined programming. Programs that effectively screen clients for their
whole person and whole household needs, connect them to additional services, and seek to improve the
overall human service system will be prioritized.
Outcomes and Measurements
Programming must have a history of regular evaluation using evaluation tools and methods to assess the
features of the program integral to delivering high quality services. Information should be used by staff
to design and operate the best possible services for clients served. All programs will need to be able to
track and measure the required metrics (Appendices A and B) or have a well-articulated plan to
implement tracking and measurement.
How Our Application Process Works
Timeline and Overview
Application and Grant Cycle overview
June 28 and July 6, 2022 Agency Information Sessions take place
July 11-August 5, 2022 Online application submission period
August – September 2022 Application review process
December 2022 Funding notifications
January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2024 Award period
June 28 and July 6, 2022: Agency Information Sessions
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United Way will host two virtual meetings to present our grant guidelines and strategies to all interested
organizations. The information shared at each meeting will be the same, and materials will be available
on the United Way website. These sessions are open to all organizations in our geographic footprint and
are not limited to United Way’s current partners. Each session will consist of a review of United Way’s
approach, grant making guidelines, and time for questions and answers.
July 11-August 5: Online Application submission period is open.
Organizations may submit only one application for their services but may submit a second application if
it is on the behalf of a collaborative.
Applications will be accepted electronically through our web-based grants management system, e-
CImpact. Hard copies or emailed versions will not be reviewed. Applications will consist of a cover page,
which will include demographic and financial information about the organization, as well as a strategy
specific section.
While the application is open, United Way will host “office hours” to provide technical assistance and
help applicants determine how to best work with United Way. If your organization is applying for
funding for the first time, or specifically applying for the wraparound strategy, we highly recommend
participating in the office hours and connecting directly with United Way staff.
August-November 2022: United Way staff and volunteer committees make allocations decisions.
United Way staff and volunteers review and make initial funding recommendations on individual
applications. These recommendations are compiled and additional lenses are applied to develop initial
recommendations, which are then presented to local volunteer advisory committees. The local
volunteer advisory committees in each region are made up of residents and stakeholders who are
knowledgeable about local community conditions and charged with designing high-quality investment
portfolios that uniquely build upon the assets within those communities. Each local committee then
recommends a set of grantees for funding to be reviewed and approved by the United Way Board of
Directors in December 2022. Decisions made by the United Way Board of Directors are final.
In a select group of focus communities, United Way will convene a group of residents and stakeholders
to review the place-based applications for services in their community. Using Participatory Grantmaking
practices, these review committees will read applications and make funding recommendations that will
go directly to the United Way Board of Directors for final approval.
December 2022: Funding notification.
Following United Way Board of Directors’ approval in December 2022, United Way will promptly notify
all applicants of final decisions. Award notifications to organizations selected for funding include
information about the grant contract and funding commencement. Organizations that are not selected
for funding will receive information about how to contact United Way staff for constructive feedback on
the proposal, if desired.
January 1, 2023-December 31, 2024: Award Period
Contracts are for 24 months of funding, from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2024. United Way
will make awards for 12 months (calendar year 2023) with a second year of funding (calendar year 2024)
contingent upon United Way campaign performance.
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Results: Impact Grants Annual reporting, site visits and engagement
opportunities
Organizations selected for funding are required to measure performance against strategy specific
metrics and report results using United Way’s online reporting system. Continued funding is contingent
upon timely and complete reporting (see Appendix A for reporting requirements). United Way also
conducts site visits with all our grantees once funded. In some cases, United Way may request an
additional site visit for non-compliance issues. Non-compliance may result in a disruption or termination
of funding.
Strategy and Funding Focus Area indicators
United Way has identified key indicators of progress and success for each strategy and Funding Focus
Area. The indicators drive toward specific outcomes in each of our grant areas. A complete list of the
indicators and corresponding definitions can be found by Funding Focus Area at the end of the grant
guidelines in Appendices A and B.
Partner agencies are required to project and report data for all the indicators in each strategy and focus
area for which funding is received. Organizations that fail to submit complete projections or reports will
be considered non-compliant.
Annual Projections
After receiving their award amount and grant agreement, all grantees will be required to submit
projections for the grant cycle prior to the release of the first grant payment. These projections will offer
an educated estimate for each required metric within the strategy.
Annual Reporting
One month after the end of each year of the grant period, partner agencies will submit a full report of
their program’s activities. The reports will cover the time period from January 1, 2023 through
December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, respectively. Year End Reporting
includes the following components: all funded strategy indicators and narratives; participant
demographics; communities served; site locations; and at least one success story.
 Strategy Indicators: All quantitative indicators listed under a strategy within the Measurement
Framework.
 Strategy Narratives: Qualitative questions associated with specific strategies.
 Demographics: Program participants’ race/ethnicity, age, gender, economic status, disability
status (if available), sexual orientation (if available), veteran status (if applicable), homelessness
(if applicable), wards of the state/youth in foster care (if applicable), female heads of household
(if applicable), immigrant or refugee status (if applicable), criminal background/re-entry
population (if applicable). Reported by agency, not program.
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