United Way Community Grants

Apply to become a United Way Community Partner

United Way of Greater Toledo is accepting applications for community grants beginning January 8, 2024, through March 1, 2024.

Funding will be awarded to grantees for our upcoming three-year grant cycle from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027. We invite organizations with education, financial stability, health and/or housing programs in Lucas, Ottawa, or Wood counties to apply. ​

In addition to funding, United Way partners receive:

  • Membership in Collaborative working groups,
  • Specialized support in data collection and tracking,
  • Professional development and shared learning opportunities,
  • and more!

Questions? Please see the supporting documentation and FAQ below to help you submit your application or email jill.bunge@unitedwaytoledo.org.

Lucas & Wood County 

Ottawa County*

*Agencies in Ottawa County working in the areas of financial stability and health are eligible to apply.

The grant portal will open on Monday, January 8 and close on Friday, March 1. 

For instructions on registering and using the grant portal, see this reference guide.

Additional resources

Grant Application Guide

This document will help guide you through the application process.

Application Questions (Lucas & Wood County)

This document contains questions that will be on the Lucas & Wood County application.

Application Questions (Ottawa County)

This document contains questions that will be on the Ottawa County application.

Live United Plan

Learn about United Way funding priorities and impact strategies.

2024 Grant Timeline

This document contains the application timeline and important dates that agencies should be aware of.

Community Grant Info Session Recording

Watch this recording to learn more about the process and what United Way is looking to fund.

Grant Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

I am currently receiving United Way funding, do I need to reapply?

Yes, all agencies must submit an application to be considered for funding in the next cycle (July 2024—June 2027). 

Is my program within the scope of United Way’s funding priorities?

United Way funds programs in our pillar focus areas of education, financial stability, health, and housing. (Ottawa County will receive funds for financial stability, health, and housing.) Through analysis of community data and community feedback, we have outlined key strategies that impact the population results we hope to see for Lucas, Wood, and Ottawa Counties. We seek to fund programs that align with those strategies. To better understand our funding priorities, please review our Live United Plan, pages 6-12.  

  • Under each pillar, you will see the population level results we hope to see for our community. 
  • Next, you will see the strategies that make an impact on those results. Your program should align with one of these stragegies. 
  • Finally, you will see the common performance measures that we ask programs to capture to showcase how well your program is providing services. 

It is not the responsibility of one agency or program alone to change our community for the better. We fund high-performing programs that seek to continue engaging and learning about the strategies that collectively work to make impactful change.  

If you are still unsure whether or not your program is a fit, please contact us to discuss. 

How much funding should I request for my program?

Please see our current Investment Sheet to review the programs we have historically funded and the amount of those investments. We fund a range of programs at different levels of support. We prioritize programs that have diversified budgets or that aim to find other resources to support the funding requested by United Way. We will not fund 100% of a program’s budget. 

NEW: We have a minimum investment amount of $15,000 for any United Way granted program, as we require all partners to participate in our collective impact model (see below for more information) and to complete all required reporting three times per year (see below for more information).

I am having technical issues with the grant software, e-CImpact.

Please contact the help desk at United Way of Central Ohio: Reporting.Help@uwcentralohio.org. They are hosting the grant software we are using this year and can help with any technical issues you are experiencing.  

I have questions about my application that I would like to discuss with a United Way staffer.

The Community Impact Department has established open office hours specifically dedicated to the grant application. Jill Bunge will be available for open office hours on Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m.– 3:00 p.m. and Fridays from 10:30 a.m.– 12:00 p.m. (Jill, 419.254-4648, jill.bunge@unitedwaytoledo.org). If these times don’t work for you, please contact us via email to schedule a different time.  

What budget year should I report on in the application?

Please include information/documentation on the last full budget year you have prepared. If you are on a calendar year, you do not need to complete your 2023 financials in advance of the grant deadline. You can provide information for 2022. 

If my program is selected to receive funding, what are expectations will I need to meet as a United Way granted partner?

Partners are expected to*: 

  • Actively participate in one of our Collective Impact Collaboratives in education, financial stability, health, or housing. One agency staffer with program decision-making capacity must be designated to attend Collaborative meetings. Participation in the work of the collaborative is estimated to be ~20 hours annually. 
  • Include your program in the United Way 211 Database. 
  • Use a system for measuring the outcomes for individuals served by your program, including qualitative and quantitative data to support program results. 
  • Complete a Logic Model** at the beginning of each program year of the three-year grant cycle with assistance from UW staff.                      
  • Complete mid-year reporting on program progress halfway through each program year of the three-year grant cycle. 
  • Complete year-end reporting on program outcomes at the end of each program year of the three-year grant cycle***.  

*Review our current funding agreement (subject to amendments for upcoming grant year) 

**Review a sample logic model 

***Review our current reporting requirements 

What is Collective Impact?

United Way uses a collective impact model, a nationally-recognized model of collaboration that uses a specific structure to share best practices and promote innovation. Collective Impact is a commitment of community members, organizations, and institutions that advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population- and systems-level change. As part of our collective impact model, all United Way granted partners meet with one another based on the focus pillar of their program (education, financial stability, health, and housing). Each of these groups is called a collaborative, and they meet multiple times per year to identify desired results, progress, and strategic steps related to their work. 

For more information about our work and our model, please see our Live United Plan. 

Will the grants support small businesses in the community such as travel agencies and salons?

No. UWGT provides funding to tax-exempt organizations who operate community programs that impact health, financial stability, housing, and education.

Why is United Way only focusing on financial stability and health in Ottawa County?

United Way of Greater Toledo monitors data trends at the population level across Ottawa County and gathers feedback from local partners who help residents with their greatest needs on a daily basis. The Ottawa County Advisory Committee was presented with population level data from across the county and feedback provided by Ottawa County partners. Based on that information, our volunteers ultimately determined to narrow our focus areas to health and financial stability, providing greater investments into partner programs to see more tangible outcomes. Education results (high school graduation rates and kindergarten readiness rates), have remained high, while other pillar areas were identified to have significant gaps in service and an increasing need. For more information about our data and additional resources, please contact our Community Analytics & Research Department (dataanalytics@unitedwaytoledo.org).

Learn more about United Way of Greater Toledo