Greater Twin Cities United Way

OUR MISSION IS TO UNITE AS CHANGEMAKERS, ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL GOOD AND DEVELOP SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES NO ONE CAN SOLVE ALONE.

HOUSEHOLD STABILITY - UNITED WAY'S VISION IS THAT HOMELESSNESS AND HUNGER ARE RARE, BRIEF AND NONRECURRING. UNITED WAY STABILIZES THE COMMUNITY WITH EMERGENCY FOOD AND HUNGER RELIEF SERVICES AS WELL AS SAFE SHELTER AND HOUSING SERVICES, WHILE LEVERAGING RESOURCES AND PARTNERSHIPS TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY AND CAPACITY OF ITS SERVICES.

EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS - UNITED WAY'S VISION IS THAT ALL CHILDREN ARE READY TO THRIVE ACADEMICALLY, PERSONALLY AND SOCIALLY. UNITED WAY SUPPORTS ACCESS TO CULTURALLY RELEVANT, HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION FROM PRENATAL TO AGE FIVE SO ALL CHILDREN HAVE A THRIVING START. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO INCREASES ACCESS TO CAREER PATHWAYS THROUGH UNITED WAYS CAREER ACADEMIES PROGRAM SO YOUTH HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND RELATIONSHIPS TO CHOOSE AND DIRECT THEIR OWN FUTURES AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.

DONOR DESIGNATIONS - UNITED WAY FUNDRAISING RESULTS ALSO INCLUDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO UNITED WAY THAT DONORS DIRECT TO SPECIFIC NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 5,391 DONOR DESIGNATIONS TO 1,281 AGENCIES IN 2020.

UNITED WAYS 2-1-1 RESOURCE HELPLINE: CARING 2-1-1 CALL SPECIALISTS ADDRESS 52 URGENT NEEDS EVERY HOUR, PROVIDING PEOPLE GUIDANCE, INFORMATION AND REFERRALS TO STATEWIDE RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO HELP THEM WITH BASIC NEEDS, INCLUDING RENTAL ASSISTANCE, FOOD PROGRAMS, CHILDCARE, EMPLOYMENT AND MORE. THE DATA FROM 2-1-1 INFORMS UNITED WAYS GRANT INVESTMENTS IN HOUSING, FOOD, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS UNITED WAYS ADVOCACY STRATEGIES IN ADVANCING EQUITABLE POLICIES AND STATE FUNDING. 2-1-1 DATA ALSO SHAPES UNITED WAYS COMMUNITY IMPACT AND FUNDING STRATEGIES, AND ADVISES STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS ABOUT CHANGING COMMUNITY NEEDS. IN 2020, UNITED WAY PROVIDED REAL-TIME 2-1-1 DATA TO LEGISLATORS, WHICH UNDERSCORED THE URGENT NEED FOR EMERGENCY HOUSING SUPPORT RESULTING FROM THE HARSH IMPACT OF COVID-19. AS A RESULT, UNITED WAY HELPED SECURE 100 MILLION IN STATE FUNDING FOR EMERGENCY HOUSING ASSISTANCE, AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, 2-1-1 SERVED AS AN ACCESS POINT FOR PEOPLE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND SIGN UP FOR SUPPORT. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY: UNITED WAYS'S VISION IS THAT ALL ADULTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WORKFORCE AND ADVANCE TOWARD FAMILY SUSTAINING WAGES. UNITED WAY PREPARES JOB SEEKERS WITH LOW INCOMES THROUGH JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS AND IS ACCOUNTABLE TO KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS SUCH AS JOB PLACEMENT, INCREASED EARNINGS AND JOB RETENTION. ADVOCACY: UNITED WAY INFLUENCES GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKERS TO PASS AND EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT POLICY AND FUNDING TO SUPPORT IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND CHANGES IN THE HOUSING, FOOD, EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE SYSTEMS. ALONGSIDE COALITIONS, UNITED WAY LEVERAGES RESEARCH AND DATA TO AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF THOSE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE, EDUCATES GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND LAWMAKERS ON SYSTEMS-LEVEL ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES, AND DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND NONPROFIT SECTORS. FOR INSTANCE, UNITED WAY IS PARTNERING WITH THE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION AND THE SAINT PAUL & MINNESOTA FOUNDATION ON A MULTI-YEAR COLLABORATION TO BRING TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WHICH IS BASED ON RACIST POLICIES. ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THE START EARLY FUNDERS COALITION; A STATEWIDE COLLABORATION LED BY UNITED WAY TO IMPROVE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THROUGH RESEARCH AND PUBLIC POLICY. IN 2020, THE COLLABORATION HELPED SECURE 30 MILLION IN EMERGENCY STATEWIDE GRANTS. NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIPS: UNITED WAY CONNECTS LEADERS, TRAINS TEAMS AND PROVIDES GRANTS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO NONPROFITS DOING HIGH-IMPACT WORK. WITH EQUITY AND INCLUSION AT THE CENTER OF UNITED WAYS WORK, THE ORGANIZATION INVESTS DONOR RESOURCES IN 100+ NONPROFITS ON THE FRONTLINES OF REALIZING COMMUNITY-LED CHANGE IN THE AREAS OF HOUSING, FOOD, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT. INNOVATION: UNITED WAY PARTNERS WITH NONPROFITS, BUSINESSES AND DONORS TO CREATE NEW SOLUTIONS TO SOLVE COMMUNITY CHALLENGES. ONE OF THOSE INNOVATIONS IS CAREER ACADEMIES, WHICH PREPARES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR IN-DEMAND, HIGH-WAGE CAREERS THROUGH REAL-WORK EXPERIENCES AND TRAINING. SINCE 2015, MORE THAN 10,000 STUDENTS COLLECTIVELY HAVE EARNED MORE THAN 9,500 FREE COLLEGE AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL CREDITS AND SAVED MORE THAN 3 MILLION IN TUITION. BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS: UNITED WAY ALIGNS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY GOALS OF ITS BUSINESS PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITY NEEDS. IT ALSO HELPS COMPANIES BUILD A STRONG PHILANTHROPIC CULTURE WITH VOLUNTEERISM AND EMPLOYEE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH UNITED WAYS SALESFORCE PHILANTHROPY CLOUD A DIGITAL PLATFORM DESIGNED TO POWER COMPANY-WIDE SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVES. OTHER WAYS UNITED WAY ENGAGES BUSINESS PARTNERS IS THROUGH THE ARISE PROJECT, ONE OF UNITED WAYS GIVING COMMUNITIES COMPRISED OF BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS WHO SUPPORT THE LIVES OF LGBTQ YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND THROUGH ACTION DAY, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CORPORATE EMPLOYEES TO FILL BACKPACKS FULL OF SCHOOLS SUPPLIES, SETTING UP 40,000 STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS.