Community Impact Fund

The United Way of Northern New York (UWNNY) is offering 2025 Community Impact grant funding to local nonprofit human service organizations. The program aims to support outcome-driven, collaborative, and equity-focused community-based organizations. UWNNY's mission is to connect with and provide funding to organizations that strengthen the community's impact. The program is aligned with UWNNY's broader strategic priorities of addressing critical community needs through targeted interventions. The grant specifically targets organizations serving residents of Jefferson, Lewis, and/or St. Lawrence Counties. Priority is given to proposals that focus on underserved and underrepresented populations, address unmet needs, utilize a collaborative approach, and serve individuals or families who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed (ALICE) or living in poverty. The program's impact goals are to support programs that align with primary areas of focus: Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), Child/Youth Success, and Economic Stability. The Community Impact Fund has clear priorities and focuses. For Social Determinants of Health, the focus is on interventions addressing access to nutrition, housing, healthcare, literacy/language, education, and transportation. For Child/Youth Success, programming should provide vital supplies and support for academic success, growth, development, and a healthy transition into adulthood. For Economic Stability, the focus is on short- and long-term strategies to help people gain or maintain stability, such as job skills training, soft skills development, and support for those at risk of falling into poverty. Expected outcomes include improved access to essential services, enhanced academic and developmental success for children and youth, and increased economic stability for individuals and families in the targeted counties. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed for each objective, the emphasis on "outcome-driven" organizations suggests a focus on demonstrable impact and progress towards these goals. The theory of change implicit in this grant is that by funding strategic, collaborative, and equity-focused programs in these key areas, UWNNY can contribute to a more resilient and thriving community, particularly for its most vulnerable populations.