United Way of Greater Milwaukee focuses on our community’s most serious problems through strategic investments in Education, Income and Health. There are three ways United Way invests in programs in Greater Milwaukee:
- Annual Partner Allocations
- Opportunity Fund Grants
- Urgent Needs Fund Grants
Annual Program Delivery Partner Allocations
United Way provides ongoing, programmatic funding on an annual basis to more than 160 programs at over 80 local health and human services agencies. These programs provide high quality services to more than 400,000 individuals and families each year throughout Greater Milwaukee.
United Way holds each partner program to a high standard of accountability by measuring program results and monitoring agency administration and financials. United Way continually invests in programs within member agencies annually, as long as they effectively address one of United Way’s strategic areas: Education, Income or Health, and are in good financial standing as an agency overall.
Annual Program Delivery Partner Allocation Criteria:
Agencies/programs may be considered for partnership status only after successfully completing and reporting on at least two years of Opportunity Fund Grants and receiving recommendations from United Way staff and volunteers. This process takes approximately three years to complete. Approved agencies join the 80+ partnership agencies that receive ongoing, programmatic funding, and will be subject to organizational and programmatic requirements.
Opportunity Fund Grants
United Way offers one-time grants to nonprofit, health and human service agencies in Greater Milwaukee. As community priorities shift, United Way directs these dollars toward specific investment strategies. In 2012-13, we anticipate having funds available to support programs that address the following:
- Healthy Birth Outcomes
- Veteran's Issues
- High School Graduation
- Adult Education
- Healthcare Access
- Transitional Jobs/Employment
- Food Security
Applications for support of other issues may also be considered, but will be considered lower priority.
Opportunity Fund Grant Criteria:
- Agencies must have current 501(c) (3) tax-exempt status.
- Agencies and programs must be able to demonstrate broad community support and a record of fiscal and administrative stability.
- Support will be provided for a single year at a time, with grantees required to reapply, without guarantees, for subsequent years in which they may seek funding.
- Individual agency requests from this fund may not exceed $35,000 per year.
Applying for an Opportunity Fund Grant:
United Way works with two submission deadlines: May 4 (for July 1 funding) and November 15 (for January 1 funding). Your organization should receive notification of the status of your request within 60 days of the due date. For those proposals received after due dates, you will be contacted to determine if the proposal should be held for the next cycle.
United Way is no longer accepting Letter of Intent Eligibility Applications for the July 1 funding cycle. For agencies who submitted applications for this funding cycle by the deadline of May 4, 2012, please refer to the below timeline:
April 11-May 4, 2012 – Letter of Intent Eligibility Application open for submission online
May 4, 2012 –Letter of Intent Eligibility Application must be completed online by 4:30pm CST
May 11, 2012 – Qualifying agencies sent invitations to complete full Opportunity Fund Application
June 1, 2012 – Full Opportunity Fund Application must be received by 4:30pm CST
July 1, 2012 – Opportunity Fund approval notification sent by mail and funds distributed.
Please contact Hannah Wendel at (414) 263-8126 with any questions about the application process.
Urgent Need Fund Grants
In December 2008, United Way’s created the Urgent Need Fund, which provides an avenue of support to help United Way partner agencies meet immediate and pressing needs, such as purchasing food for a pantry, covering additional fuel costs associated with home visitation programs, or allowing an agency to keep an employee it might otherwise have to lay off. As an additional form of support, the agency may use this application to request matching funds for an already secured grant (amount limited to $25,000 for each request).
Urgent Need Fund Grant Criteria:
- United Way Program Delivery Partner agencies are the top priority to receive funding from this stream. Eligible activities include agency-level funding, funding for health and human services programs, as well as support for programs not currently receiving United Way funding. All programs applying must be in alignment with United Way policies and guidelines.
- On a case-by-case basis, non-partner agencies may be eligible if they are responding to an emergency need in the community, i.e., a natural disaster.
- Agencies may submit only one request for an Urgent Need Fund grant per year.
- The Urgent Needs Fund for this year totals $200,000; individual agency requests from this fund may not exceed $35,000 per year.
Applying for an Urgent Need Fund Grant:
Applications are accepted July 1 through June 30 depending on the availability of funds. We are not currently accepting applications for Urgent Need Fund Grants.
Agency Funding FAQs
How does an agency become a United Way partner?
Each year after its annual Community Campaign, United Way determines the amount of resources it has raised for Education, Income and Health. Depending on the determination of available resources, United Way may admit new agency partners that operate programs focusing on Education, Income or Health.
Agencies/programs may be considered for partnership status only after successfully completing and reporting on at least two years of Opportunity Fund Grants (one-year, each) and receiving recommendations from United Way staff and volunteers. This process takes approximately three years to complete. Approved agencies join the 80+ partnership agencies that receive ongoing, programmatic funding, and will be subject to organizational and programmatic requirements.
What criteria are used to determine if an agency is eligible for United Way funding?
United Way of Greater Milwaukee makes program investments in Education, Income and Health without consideration of race, age, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity or national origin.
Organizations requesting funding must have active and responsible boards of trustees, adhere to ethical standards in publicity and in the solicitation of funds, and be willing and able to provide for an appropriate audit that would reveal income and disbursements in reasonable detail. They should also be able to demonstrate long-term financial viability.
All projects, programs, and organizations requesting funding must be tax-exempt as described in section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
United Way of Greater Milwaukee does not fund:
- Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity or national origin
- Political causes, candidates, organizations or campaigns
- Fundraising activities, which provide more than token benefits in exchange for contributions sought
- Athletic teams or events
- Booster or social clubs
- Extracurricular activities of educational institutions
- Individual needs, such as scholarships or other forms of financial aid
Can an agency reapply if it is denied for funding?
If a funding application is denied because it falls outside United Way’s guidelines or fails to meet the criteria, please do not resubmit it or similar requests. If a funding application meets United Way’s criteria, but is not approved for lack of resources, we kindly request that you refrain from reapplying for twelve months.
What are United Way’s reporting requirements?
Typically recipients must provide status and evaluation reports that: describe what program activities have taken place; discuss program results in relation to stated and measurable goals; outline any anticipated or unanticipated events that have been addressed; and provide a full accounting of how funds have been expended. Specific reporting requirements, if any, above and beyond normal annual reports to the community will be outlined in donation notification and customized to each recipient’s unique circumstances.
What are United Way's current funding opportunities?
United Way is not currently accepting applications for any funding opportunities.
Questions
Please contact Hannah Wendel at (414) 263-8126 with further funding questions or fill out the form below.