United Way of Addison County (UWAC), the organization that identifies and works to find solutions for Addison County's most pressing needs, is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors approved $155,000 in Community Impact Funding (CIF) for the 2024 priority area of Financial Stability. The funding available this year is a $25,000 increase compared to 2023, thanks to the community’s strong support of UWAC’s fundraising efforts.
UWAC focuses its efforts in three areas: Health, Education, and Financial Stability. Any organization receiving a CIF grant from UWAC must clearly align with one of these areas of need. Every year, UWAC enters funding relationships under one of these focus areas and makes three-year grants. A diverse team of dedicated Addison County citizens carefully review and evaluate applicants and make program funding recommendations to UWAC’s Board of Directors.
UWAC takes a trust-based philanthropy approach for its CIF application and review process. Rather than requiring nonprofits to submit a lengthy application scored by reviewers, nonprofits submit a Letter of Interest. UWAC’s volunteer review team then looks at local data, researches applicant organizations, and prepares for site visits, allowing reviewers to gain a deeper understanding of each organization’s work and how/if UWAC could best support them with its limited local philanthropic dollars.
“Our approach to CIF reviewing has worked out beautifully for the second year in a row. Reviewers are spending their time on the important factors - getting a hands-on experience of what the nonprofit is doing, who they are helping, and the impact it’s making on our community,” said UWAC Executive Director Helena Van Voorst. “The experience of the site visit completely changes the process for the better. Our allocation meeting this year was one of the most efficient we’ve ever had. Reviewers felt confident in their knowledge of applicants and could make informed decisions based on their site visits,” Van Voorst said.
UWAC’s 2024 CIF Financial Stability recipients and amounts awarded (amounts shown are per grant year) include:
- Addison Housing Works ($20,000)
- Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity ($5,000)*
- Charter House Coalition ($22,500)
- Counseling Service of Addison County ($20,000)
- HomeShare Vermont ($10,000)*
- HOPE ($22,500)
- John Graham Housing & Services ($22,500)
- New Community Project ($5,000)
- Tri-Valley Transit ($22,500)
- Vergennes Community Food Shelf ($5,000)*
* - Indicate a new partner to UWAC
UWAC’s commitment to its funded partners is made possible thanks to the generous donors who give to the organization. See a full list of UWAC’s funded partners here.
