Strategic Initiatives
United Way works to bring people and resources together to solve community needs in real time. We work to address the most pressing issues and gaps in our community. Just as you would hire a financial advisor to make your dollars work harder for you; United Way is your giving advisor, we can help you amplify your dollar’s impact and make the most of your investment, working alongside a network of community partners to drive solutions that change lives, helping ensure everyone in our community has an opportunity to thrive.
Current initiatives
Nonprofit Catalyst Grant
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and United Way of Greater Kansas City seek to invest in the work of organizations through the Nonprofit Catalyst Fund, providing strategic grants tailored to the unique needs of organizations and priorities established by their leaders. These investments are focused on organizations serving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities as well as organizations led by BIPOC leaders in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
$450K Awarded to Food Pantries
United Way of Greater Kansas City is pleased to announce a major investment to support local food pantries across our community. Thanks to support from donors, grants totaling $450,000 will support a total of 35 nonprofit organizations on the front lines of fighting food insecurity in Greater Kansas City, an issue impacting 1 in every 10 people across our region.
Eviction Prevention Initiative
United Way’s eviction prevention initiative has helped prevent more than 3,000 households from experiencing the trauma of eviction since it’s launch in the summer of 2020, by providing financial assistance and connecting them with an attorney to represent them in housing court, when needed. In addition, United Way has helped local governments design and coordinate a region-wide response that has helped more than 18,000 families avoid eviction through a network more than 25 social service agencies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Urban Neighborhood Initiative
The Urban Neighborhood Initiative (UNI) evolved as one of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s “Big 5” initiatives, and with the help of United Way of Greater Kansas City. UNI was established to ensure that all families can live in an environment of overall health and safety—where communities are strong, children learn and play, families live in quality housing, and parents work in stable jobs.
Click here to learn more about the Urban Neighborhood Initiative.
Choice Neighborhood Initiative
The Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) is a project-based grant authorized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Housing Authority of Kansas City (HAKC). At the beginning of this initiative, United Way led efforts to create, sustain and support the health, education and employment for target households that opted in to services offered through CNI.
Learn more about one of the Paseo Gateway, a project executed by a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant.
Promise 1000
Promise 1000 is a home visit collaborative that connects local families experiencing low income and other stressors to resources that optimize the beginning years of life for young children prenatal to three years old – the first 1,000 days of life. This personalized approach helps improve maternal and newborn health, reduce the incidence of injury and violence, increase school readiness, and improve economic self-reliance of participating families.
Click here to learn more about Promise 1000.
