United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Launches First Funding Cycle as a New Organization

Three-year funding opportunity to drive region-wide Impact in Education, Income and Health

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) has launched a new three-year funding opportunity for the regional health and human services sector – its first as a new organization.

Through its Impact Fund, UWGPSNJ invests in local organizations, projects and programs that deliver measurable results in the areas of education, income, and health, as well as those that strengthen the social safety net. The application process opens October 14, and eligible organizations may apply for Impact Grants (outcomes-based general operating support grants). 

"At United Way, we intervene at critical transition points in people's lives, when they need more than a hand out; they need a hand up. As a regional organization, we are targeting issues connected to systemic poverty that do not stop at county lines," says Jill Michal, president and CEO of UWGPSNJ.

Impact Fund investments ensure more children enter kindergarten ready to learn, read proficiently by third grade, stay on track through middle school to graduate high school college- and career-ready; open doors for working individuals to develop skills and build assets; and improve health for children, adults and seniors. UWGPSNJ also strengthens the regional social safety net to ensure access to basic needs such as emergency food and shelter in times of crisis.

Within each county served by UWGPSNJ, Impact strategies are tailored to meet the needs of local residents. "By investing in education, income, and health in our local communities, we can lift our region overall. Together, we can drive measurable, lasting impact that none of us can achieve alone," Michal says.

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 the United Way workplace campaign, as well as corporate and foundation gifts. UWGPSNJ invests Impact Grants only in high-performing organizations, providing content area expertise, rigorous evaluation and quality assurance for each three-year investment.

To qualify for Impact Grants, eligible nonprofit agencies must meet the requirements of UWGPSNJ's strategy guidelines. From November 16 through March 1, 2014, applications will be reviewed by UWGPSNJ staff and hundreds of volunteer community investment, content, and finance reviewers who will make funding recommendations to the Local Operating Board of each county served by UWGPSNJ in April, as well as the Regional Board of Directors in May 2014.

UWGPSNJ plans to announce final funding decisions in May. Organizations that receive Impact Grants 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.

For more information or to apply, visit www.UnitedForImpact.org/InvestmentProcess.

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