Community Investments
United Way envisions a world where all individuals and families enjoy a better quality of life through education, financial stability and healthy lives.
One of the most unique benefits of investing in United Way is that a single contribution supports more than 40 local community programs, providing resources for families youth and seniors – people from all walks of life, facing all types of situations.
United Way funding priorities are centered on three interrelated focus areas:
Education — Helping Children and Youth Thrive
The purpose of United Way’s commitment in this area is to fund programs and initiatives that directly work to nurture, engage, and connect kids. Helping our youngest citizens develop their potential by providing academic and social supports, access to quality childcare, mentoring, tutoring, after-school programming, character development, programs that foster parent engagement, and initiatives that support cradle-to-career educational opportunities.
Income and Basic Needs — Supporting Financial Stability
United Way invests in programs that work together collectively to provide low-income families with the skills and resources they need to take an active role in their own success.
At the same time, ensuring emergency shelter, food shelves, emergency childcare, domestic violence services, financial literacy, transitional housing, and employment services are available for individuals and families in crisis.
Health — Building Healthy Communities
United Way works to build strong communities as a whole by equipping individuals with the resources to lead healthy, responsible lives. United Way invests in programs and initiatives that support individuals to overcome mental health and addiction challenges, address barriers to health care, provide isolated seniors and people with disabilities with community connections, and support children and adults to become active in their neighborhoods.
A Community Investment Panel, comprised of dedicated volunteers from the community, is charged with reviewing agencies applying for United Way funding by evaluating programs, visiting agency sites, interviewing staff and board members, and reviewing financial records to develop an understanding of the agencies community impact. The council then determines funding recommendations based on criteria such as program outcomes, fiscal accountability and demonstrated need in the community. The recommendations are then presented, reviewed and approved by the United Way's board of directors.
Want to lend your support to future efforts that prepare kids to graduate and succeed, help families leave poverty permanently and enable greater Itasca residents to live healthy, responsible lives? Give to United Way Community Investment Fund>