Applications are now open for the 2022-2024 Cedar Valley United Way grant application cycle.
Donor Name: Cedar Valley United Way
State: Iowa
City: Waterloo
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 02/18/2022
Size of the Grant:
- For Emergency and Basic Needs: $10,000 and $75,000
Details:
Through the movement of United Ways across the country towards a business model of making lasting change in communities, their organization continues to focus on improving conditions on a broader scale. Cedar Valley United Way continue to fund local programs and also seek to improve pressing community issues. They are working towards systemic change through our investment in local programs.
1. Strategic Investments: The investment model maintains their current Strategic Investments in the target areas in education, income, and health. Priority is given to programs that strongly align with Cedar Valley United Way strategies in these target areas, and that can show strong, measurable outcomes and impact. Strategic Investments are intended for programming that have proven results in the community.
CVUW Target Areas
- Education
- Early Education: Preschool children access high quality, early learning programs that prepare them for kindergarten, and K-3rd grade children read at proficiency levels
- Afterschool and Summer Learning: Students access high quality, enriching out of school programs which are aligned with school day curriculum
- Parents and Mentor Support: Students have support and encouragement for educational success from engaged parents/advocates and mentors
- College and Career Preparation: Junior high and high school students access age-appropriate college and career preparation and graduate equipped with skills for success
- Income
- Workforce Development: Low or no income individuals acquire the skills necessary to secure and retain self and/or family-sustaining employment
- Achieving Financial Stability: Low to moderate income individuals are empowered to move towards greater financial independence
- Health
- Maternal Health and Infant Well-Being: Babies are born at low risk for preventable health problems
- Access to Physical Healthcare: Expand the number of low- to moderate-income individuals and children that are insured and have access to physical, vision, and dental care, including prevention and early intervention
- Access to Mental Healthcare: Expand the number of individuals and children that are insured and have access to mental care, including prevention and early intervention
- Increase Healthy Behaviors: Promote healthy lifestyles through health information, education and programming
- Obesity: Focus on prevention and early intervention of adult and childhood obesity
- Substance Abuse: Decrease the use of illicit drugs and alcohol by adults and children
- Sexual Health: Youth and adults access age-appropriate sexual health education and services and reduce risky sexual behavior
- Family Violence, Child and Elder Abuse: Decrease the incidents of family violence, child abuse and elder abuse
Eligibility Requirements
- Must serve residents living within a 30-mile radius of Waterloo
- Must maintain 501(c)(3) status, or if not a 501(c)3, must have a fiscal sponsor with this status
- Must be governed or advised by a volunteer board and operate in accordance with bylaws
- Must seek desired outcomes with measurable results in one of CVUW priority target areas below. Measurement protocols must be structured to collect information on clients, services provided, and outcomes in accordance with key indicators listed in the “Community Impact Strategies and Key Indicators” document on a bi-annual basis.
- Programs whose participants are listed as a child or youth in the Waterloo or Cedar Falls School Districts must partner with SuccessLink for data collection.
2. Emergency and Basic Needs Investments: Cedar Valley United Way further recognize that, while the community works to address the root causes of poverty, there are individuals and families in the Cedar Valley who need our support right now. An Emergency and Basic Needs funding category is now available for programs that focus on these emergency and short-term outputs rather than outcomes, to provide services that assist those that have experienced a temporary setback or who face emergency situations.
Basic needs services are vital to individuals experiencing chronic conditions, and for individuals and families who have experienced a temporary setback or who face emergency situations. When individuals are unable to meet their immediate needs, it becomes more difficult to focus on long-term goals such as employment, housing, or education. To be considered for funding in the Emergency and Basic Needs grant category, organizations must provide those facing economic hardship with services and assistance to get back on track and on the road to economic success.
Using Cedar Valley United Way’s 2-1-1 Help Center data, they identified the most pressing needs of Cedar Valley residents. To be considered for funding in the Emergency and Basic Needs grant category, organizations must provide one or more of the following short-term emergency and safety net services:
- Food Assistance: Providing access to nutritious food for people experiencing economic hardship, homelessness or isolation (homebound).
- Shelter: Providing safe shelter/temporary housing for people who are experiencing homelessness or for survivors of domestic violence.
- Rental Assistance: Providing emergency assistance to help people manage a crisis situation.
- Utility Assistance: Providing emergency assistance to help people pay for essential utilities.
- Removing Other Immediate Barriers to Safety or Work: Providing assistance for people experiencing economic hardship or homelessness overcome critical barriers to their personal safety or ability to access employment. Examples include birth certificates and driver’s licenses/state ID cards, bus passes, home heating equipment during winter months, etc.
Grant Amount
Emergency and Basic Needs applications will be considered for funding between $10,000 and $75,000.
Priority Population Served: Cedar Valley Emergency and Basic Needs grants will serve clients facing economic hardship and living below 200% of the most recent Federal Poverty guidelines.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must serve residents living within a 30-mile radius of Waterloo
- Must maintain 501(c)(3) status, or if not a 501(c)(3), must have a fiscal sponsor with this status
- Be governed or advised by a volunteer Board and operate in accordance with bylaws
- Measurement protocols must be structured to collect information on clients and services provided and report outputs in accordance with the approved emergency and basic needs services (listed above) on a bi-annual basis.
For more information, visit 2022-2024 Grant Funding.
