The United Way of Greater Kansas City is seeking proposals from area nonprofit organizations for inclusion in the 2023-2024 United Way Impact 100. This is a portfolio of high-impact health and human service organizations aligned with three pillars of investment in a strong community: Health, Education and Financial Stability.
Donor Name: United Way of Greater Kansas City
State: Kansas and Missouri
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/18/2023
Details:
United Way Impact 100 Investment Areas: Health, Education and Financial Stability Through its position as a funder and convener, United Way has a unique perspective on the challenges people experience and trends in our metro. Based on this perspective, we look for organizations that closely align with addressing human service needs in health, education, and financial stability through programs and system-level solutions that directly impact the lives of Kansas City residents.
Eligibility Criteria
United Way will assess individual applicant organizations based on the following selection criteria. Organizations selected for inclusion in the United Way Impact 100 will have:
- A track record of effective service to the community within the health and human service system in the six-county metro area (Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte Counties in Missouri; Johnson and Wyandotte County in Kansas).
- A mission aligned with United Way’s established pillars of investment in the community—Health, Education and Financial Stability. (Organizations should demonstrate alignment with one or more of the focus areas under Health, Education and Financial Stability.)
- A demonstrated understanding of the community needs and underlying conditions that the organization’s programming is intended to address, as well as the unique factors affecting the specific target population served by the organization
- Program design that effectively supports participant outcomes, including service delivery strategies rooted in evidence-based or promising approaches, well-qualified staff responsible for delivery services, a system for collecting outcomes data, and evidence of successes in the achievement of those outcomes.
- A track record of operating with a high degree of organizational accountability and transparency with respect to governance, fiscal sustainability, financial reporting, and adherence to external standards of accountability. This includes, but is not limited to, government reporting for nonprofits or adherence to standards set by third parties, if applicable, such as governmental funding entities, certifying or accrediting bodies, national affiliates, etc.
- A demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion, as demonstrated by services that are accessible by a population that is racially and ethnically diverse, that may face barriers due to disability, age, differences in culture or language, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation; or that otherwise may face barriers to access because of economic status. United Way recognizes that not all programs serve a similarly diverse target population However, all organizations can and should consider how their services are relevant, accessible to, and inclusive of an increasingly diverse community.
- A clearly defined, credible and effective role with the human service ecosystem of which it is a part. United Way is seeking to invest in organizations that have successfully found a place in the human service subsectors of which they are a part that enables them to cooperate with other stakeholders in supporting other stakeholders, through referral relationships, collaborative service delivery, and effective operation of the larger system of which the organization is part.
Overall Portfolio Criteria
- In addition to the above criteria for assessing individual applicants, United Way’s selection of Impact 100 grantees will also be guided by the following goals in ensuring a broad-based and inclusive portfolio of grantees that, in the aggregate, improve the quality of life for all people across the region.
- United Way strives to invest in a wide variety of strategies and approaches to improving community conditions, including programming that responds to immediate critical needs and preventative strategies to prevent critical needs from emerging, as well as both direct-service programming and systems-level approaches.United Way is committed to investing in a wide range of health and human service domains, addressing community needs across it’s the three pillars of Health, Education and Financial Stability.
- United Way will invest in all areas of the Kansas City region, including communities within the six county metropolitan area—Cass, Clay, Jackson and Plate Counties in Missouri, and Johnson and Wyandote Counties in Kansas.
- United Way supports a wide range of organizations, in terms of scope and scale—including multi- county organizations and those with a narrow geographic focus; those with large budgets, as well as small- and medium-sized budgets; and those that provide a single service as well as those with a multi-faceted set of services.
- United Way is committed to maximizing the impact of its investments. This means reaching as many lives as possible through those investments. We also consider the depth of impact and recognize that some organization serve a small number of people, but make a deep and lasting impact. We strive to strike a balance between these considerations when selecting Impact 100 grantees.
- Not every organization that aligns with United Way’s interest areas and effectively meets selection criteria will be able to receive funding. Organizations that are not selected for the Impact 100 will be eligible for donor-directed giving and, as such, will have the opportunity for inclusion in United Way’s broader network of community partners.
For more information, visit United Way of Greater Kansas City.
