United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Announces One-Year Targeted Investments

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) will invest more than $9 million in one-year targeted investments from its Impact Fund into United Way-led programs and local collaborative initiatives designed to meet needs currently unaddressed by the health and human services sector in local communities.

"At United Way, our relationships with the business, nonprofit and public sectors not only give us a unique vantage point into our communities' toughest challenges related to Education, Income, Health and Basic Needs, but they also allow us to see where gaps in critical services for our most vulnerable neighbors exist," says Kevin Dow, senior vice president of Impact and Innovation at UWGPSNJ. "Targeted investments from our Impact Fund allow us to tap into the right combination of partners to connect our neighbors in need with the right interventions at the right times to help them build brighter futures."

These investments will ensure more children start kindergarten ready to learn; more students read at grade level by the end of third grade; more youth graduate from high school ready for college and career; more households have the income and assets necessary to be financially stable and economically independent; and more individuals and families have access to resources they need to lead healthy lives and have their basic needs met.

Targeted investments from the Impact Fund are one part of UWGPSNJ's more than $60 million annual investment in the region, which also includes Impact Grants for general operating support for nonprofit organizations demonstrating strong results in the areas of Education, Income, Health, and Basic Needs, as well as contributions to nonprofits working to strengthen communities through United Way's donor designation program.

Within each county served by UWGPSNJ, Impact strategies are tailored to meet the needs of local residents based on local needs assessments, community conversations and input from subject matter experts. When gaps in much-needed health and human services arise, targeted investments allow UWGPSNJ to advance collaborative approaches designed to meet those needs. These approaches are informed by volunteers and the Local Operating Boards in each county served by UWGPSNJ before receiving final approval from the organization's Regional Board of Directors. In addition, these one-year targeted investments are evaluated on an annual basis as part of UWGPSNJ's ongoing work to anticipate, identify and meet the region's changing health and human services needs.  

"Partnership is at the heart of our work at United Way, and these targeted investments will allow us to join together across the health and human services sector in innovative ways to strengthen Education, Income, Health and Basic Needs — the building blocks of long-term quality of life — for our most vulnerable neighbors. Together, we can drive measurable, lasting Impact that none of us can achieve alone," says Anthony J. Conti, interim president and CEO of UWGPSNJ.

The Impact Fund combines the generous contributions of more than 140,000 individual donors from western Montgomery County to the Jersey Shore, many of whom give through United Way's workplace campaign, as well as corporate and foundation gifts. Organizations tapped to lead initiatives supported by UWGPSNJ's targeted investments will be required to report their outcomes and progress against agreed-upon goals at regularly scheduled intervals and comply with semi-annual audits conducted by UWGPSNJ. They also benefit from the unique combination of technical support, volunteer connections and opportunities for collective action that only UWGPSNJ can provide.

To learn more about the Impact that UWGPSNJ and its partners are achieving in the areas of Education, Income and Health, visit www.UnitedForImpact.org/our-impact.

About United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, serving communities in Pennsylvania's Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey's Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland counties, is part of a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and in people's lives. United Way engages the community to identify the underlying causes of the most significant local issues, develops strategies and pulls together financial and human resources to address them, and measures the results. United Way is advancing the common good in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey by positively impacting the lives of people throughout the region in the areas of Education, Income, and Health. For more information about United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey visit www.UnitedForImpact.org.

SOURCE United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey