About the United Way Community Impact

United Way of the Mid-South’s Community Impact provides investments for aligned grant-making to organizations serving the Mid-South. The nonprofit organizations we fund are committed to elevating individuals living in poverty, providing financial stability, and helping people overcome substance abuse to promote health.

United Way Community Impact relies on the support of generous individuals and corporations across the Mid-South who participate in workplace giving campaigns or contribute directly to support families in need move from where they are to where they dream to be.

Combining all the funds makes it possible for the donations to have a powerful community impact, fighting poverty on several fronts to create a brighter future for Mid-South families. The funds are invested in organizations providing services and community resources aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals and families through better education for both adults and children, health care and financial stability.

United Way of the Mid-South depends on and believes in collaboration among individuals and organizations to make a significant impact on poverty. Participating nonprofits are vetted by United Way of the Mid-South to ensure that they are run efficiently and offer excellent services.

We and our partners, donors and volunteers are guided by priorities including helping families become more financially stable and improving quality of life for all Mid-Southerners. All of these steps help lead to poverty reduction and self-sufficiency for the people we serve, as well as a more vibrant community overall.

Where does the money go?

When you direct your contribution to Community Impact, you are enabling us to provide the biggest impact on poverty. Community Impact dollars are invested in creating collaborative solutions to advance people living in poverty to the life of their dreams.

United Way’s strongest force for creating community change and freeing more people from generational poverty is our Community Impact Fund.

United Way invests its Community Impact Fund dollars in addressing big social issues – like moving the needle on Mid-South poverty. These are issues that no one organization or solution can solve single-handedly. In its role as a convener, United Way unites teams of nonprofits to establish collaborative solutions that have long-term impact on this community.

United Way’s powerful resources include over 40,000 volunteer hours, partnerships with local and state governments, and funds from private philanthropy. The Community Impact Fund allows your contribution to stretch across a myriad of nonprofits and organizations, allowing you to have the greatest impact on our community.

The Community Impact Fund unites donations from people across our region. Donors contributing to United Way come from numerous sectors, including:

Nonprofits / health & human services agencies
Businesses
Community organizations
Government employees
Volunteers & Philanthropists
Faith-based groups
Private foundations

Bringing these donations together creates a gigantic force for good that improves the lives of people across the Mid-South. Investing in United Way’s Community Impact Fund strengthens the impact of your donation and those of your colleagues, neighbors, friends, and family members.

Led by Volunteers

United Way volunteers – people like you – work together and make tough decisions of where and how to distribute Community Impact Funds to do the most good for the most people. This impacts thousands of lives in our area in a way no single-cause organization can accomplish. Volunteers review agencies receiving Community Impact Funds and examine their financial records to ensure they offer excellent services, and operate efficiently and effectively.

Q&A’s

The United Way Community Impact Fund is dedicated to ensuring lasting, collaborative solutions for people living in poverty to guarantee they have opportunities to achieve self-sufficiency. Poverty affects not just people, but the whole community including economic prosperity. Our Community Impact Fund puts your donations to work where it can do the most good in programs such as Education, Financial Stability, and Health.

For every child who succeeds in school, every family that becomes financially stable, every person who is healthy and has a safe and decent place to live, we-the community-are all better. Giving to the United Way Community Impact Fund improves the quality of life for everyone in the community, increasing opportunities for people to achieve a life of self-sufficiency.

United Way Community Impact Fund investment decisions are made through a rigorous process that is directed by United Way and involves subject matter experts as well as dozens of trained volunteers from all of United Way of the Mid-South’s 8 counties. Final decisions are made by United Way Board of Directors. Your investments are directed towards partner nonprofits with proven effectiveness in creating measurable contributions to moving the needle on poverty and therefore to the future vitality of the community.

Guided by Priorities

United Way’s top priority is to help people escape poverty and to improve the quality of life for all Mid-Southerners. Programs receiving funds are attacking our area’s poverty problems by addressing three building blocks for success:

Education: Preparing children and adults to succeed in school and in life.
Financial Stability: Helping individuals and families achieve stronger financial self-sufficiency.
Health: Helping people live quality lives with stronger health and greater independence.

Your support of United Way’s Community Impact Fund makes the Mid-South and even better place to work and live. The key to the Mid-South’s economic prosperity IS poverty reduction.