Grant Programs

For over 100 years your local United Way has been supporting organizations to improve the lives of Washtenaw County people.

We envision an equitable community where opportunity is not limited and every member reaches their full potential. In all our roles we will consciously work to eliminate injustice and inequity in order to realize a community where:

Members use their power and privilege to end poverty in our county;
Your zip code no longer predicts your opportunity in life;
Achievement gaps between races and ethnicities are eliminated;
Everyone in our community has safe, comfortable, and affordable housing;
Life expectancy, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income level, is the same across all populations and communities;
Poverty is not intergenerational. If it exists, it is intermittent and brief;
Everyone is able to thrive and experience a life of joy, purpose, and rest.

For a deeper look at our grant investments by fund, please visit our Your Dollars at Work page.

To be notified of future UWWC grant opportunities, complete this online form.

2022 GRANT PROGRAMS

OPPORTUNITY FUND

The Opportunity Fund is a resource for local organizations and groups whose efforts address poverty, racism and trauma: root causes of systemic oppression and three forces which hold opportunity at bay for all people in Washtenaw County. Please see our application packet for more information.

Focus This Year: This cycle, we will be supporting organizations and groups who desire:

Piloting/testing a community solution to meet emerging needs connected to poverty, racism or trauma.
More fully expressing a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This could include, but is not limited to efforts like staff and board training, culture change, completing a DEI assessment, more intentionally engaging the community with whom you work, etc.
Resources for the things that keep leadership up at night. Here we are talking about items/work that advance your mission but may be tricky to find funding for, such as professional development for your staff, certifications, software, etc.

We are no longer screening applicants to the Opportunity Fund. To be notified of future UWWC grant opportunities, complete this online form.

COMMUNITY IMPACT + JUSTICE FUND GRANTS

CI Fund: The purpose of this fund is to support solutions that mitigate and disrupt the intersectional impacts of poverty, racism and trauma, root causes of systemic oppression and three forces which hold opportunity at bay for all people in Washtenaw County.

Justice Fund: The fund purpose is to disrupt systems, policies and practices that perpetuate poverty, racism and trauma by coming alongside historically excluded communities in Washtenaw County as they build power, agency and resilience. We are delivering one-time unrestricted general operating support grants through this Fund.

Visit our grants awarded page for an overview of investments from these two grant programs.

POWER OF THE PURSE

United Way of Washtenaw County awards Power of the Purse grants annually as part of its Financial Stability Initiative. These grants provide support for programs, projects or initiatives that prioritize the financial wellbeing of people who identify as women, individuals, and families with low incomes, communities of color, and historically and/or systematically excluded groups.

This year’s investments were made to women of color-led organizations that are helping women and families maintain their financial stability and meet their basic needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Food security, K-12 education supports, and wraparound supports are the types of services prioritized for funding.

Questions? Contact Pam Smith, psmith@uwwashtenaw.org

CONTACT

To be notified of future UWWC grant opportunities, complete this online form.

For more information about our work, contact:
Bridget Herrmann, Vice President of Impact and Advocacy, bherrmann@uwwashtenaw.org