Waterloo, IA – Cedar Valley United Way announces $1,724,671.15 in investments in the Cedar Valley community for the fiscal year 2023-2024 funding cycle. The funding was made possible by gifts to Cedar Valley United Way’s 2021 campaign.
Of the investments, $1,528,468.15 was awarded in investment grants to 63 community programs at 39 local nonprofits that address needs in the areas of education, financial stability, and health. These areas are the building blocks for a good life—a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and improving physical and mental health. Our goal is to create long-lasting change to support and sustain our community. Funding also went to emergency and basic needs programs to offer assistance in the event of a setback.
Investment grants were chosen by Community Impact Team volunteers in each focus area after reviewing submitted applications, as well as looking at data addressing community needs to determine how United Way could make the largest impact with its community investment.
Education Community Impact Team member Anne Britson states: “The Community Impact Team members work hard to evaluate each grant to ensure the program aligns with the mission of the United Way. We strive to be good stewards of the donated funds and ensure the funds are being used to support programs that best fit the needs of the community. We want to make sure the programs make an impact on the participants and ultimately the community. The grant requests far exceed the money we can allocate, which makes the annual campaign so important and every donation matters. We are excited to see the impact of the work done by our funded partners in the next two years.”
In addition to aligning with United Way’s target areas, the primary goal in determining which organizations will be invested in is to look at the data and identify those that are most effective at delivering results that make a measurable difference. Programs needed to show strong, assessable outcomes and an impact that has proven results in the community. After deciding which programs will be funded by United Way, Community Impact Team volunteers evaluated how much financial support to give programs. The volunteers then focus on the targeted community needs of each funded program, the number of individuals the program will serve and how funds will advance the common good.
A complete listing of the 63 programs receiving strategic investment grants is available at www.cedarvalleyunitedway.org/partners.
Additional investments include:
- $50,000 in social innovation grants directed at breaking the cycle of systemic poverty. Social innovation grant applications will be reviewed per need, and recipients will be announced as the grants are awarded. Organizations interested in social innovation grant funding may contact Debbie Roth at debbie.roth@cvuw.org for more information.
- $13,100 in designations to Cedar Valley United Way initiatives including the Books for Babies project, mental health impact work and Women United.
- $20,600 in our 211 Information and Referral Services system, a resource available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week that connects people to human services and health resources in the community.
- $25,000 with SuccessLink for a Data Management Project to advance the development of a community-wide data system.
- $2,150 to United Way’s Community Partner Fund to assist in responding to community needs as they arise. Previous investments in this area have included nonprofit board education and training, disaster response, and inclusion initiatives.
- $85,353 will be distributed in donor-directed designations to other 501(c)3 organizations as part of United Way’s work to encourage charitable giving.
To learn more about Cedar Valley United Way and our work in the community, visit www.cedarvalleyunitedway.org/community-impact.