United Way of Cascade County will invest more than $1.3 million in grants to local nonprofits and community initiatives, thanks to their annual campaign from last fall.
Kim Skornogoski, Marketing Director for United Way of Cascade County, says, “United Way works as kind of a backbone organization. We bring people and organizations together. We look at existing resources, we look at how we can better work together. So, when people give to United Way, they know that those dollars are going to have maximum impact right here”.
The funds were raised last fall through donations, given mostly through workplace campaigns that deduct small amounts from each paycheck. Their record-breaking $1,306,514 was divided into three branches: community initiatives, donor-designated funds, and non-profit organizations.
The largest portion of the money, $599,654, was dedicated to community initiatives addressing issues such as homelessness, child abuse, and managing the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Another portion was donor-designated to specific non-profits. Donors are given the option to donate funds to United Way to decide where to allocate it, or choose a specific organization for the funds to go to. In last year’s campaign, donors designated $221,869 to 109 non-profits.
A team of 40 volunteers allocated the rest of the non-designated fund, totaling $485,000, to another 31 non-profit programs with focus areas in education, financial stability, and health. These volunteers made decisions based on written proposals and presentations from local organizations.
Here is a list of programs that received these funds:
Education -- $87,000
- Boys & Girls Club -- $21,000
- Big Brothers Big Sisters -- $4,900
- Centerville Early Childhood Education -- $6,200
- Foster Grandparents -- $8,000
- Montana United Indian Association -- $8,000
- Peace Place preschool -- $21,000
- Young Parents Education Center -- $20,000
Financial Stability -- $166,000
- Alliance for Youth (youth resource center) – $23,000
- Cascade County Law Clinic -- $12,000
- Family Promise -- $10,500
- Great Falls Children’s Receiving Home -- $13,000
- NeighborWorks Great Falls -- $18,000
- Opportunities, Inc. (housing)-- $33,000
- St. Vincent de Paul (homeless outreach) -- $30,000
- Voices of Hope (2-1-1 information line) -- $12,000
- YWCA Mercy Home -- $14,500
Health -- $232,000
- Alliance for Youth (Sober Life) -- $33,000
- Adult Treatment Court -- $15,000
- Boys & Girls Club (substance abuse education) -- $3,000
- CASA-CAN -- $20,000
- Dandelion Foundation -- $12,000
- Get Fit Great Falls (afterschool program and Park Pals) -- $13,000
- Kairos Youth Services -- $24,000
- Meals on Wheels -- $15,500
- Peace Place Respite Care -- $16,000
- Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect task force -- $7,000
- St. Vincent de Paul (food program and community kitchen) -- $57,500
- Toby’s House -- $12,000
- Voices of Hope (crisis line) -- $5,250
Skornogoski says, “When nonprofits ask us for money, we're really only able to fund about half of those requests. So the need is very real in our community. And each year we strive to grow our campaign so that we can grow that impact”.
This year’s United Way campaign will begin Wednesday, September 4th, with a campaign kickoff at 5:30pm outside Marsh McLennan Agency located at 405 Third Street NW, where this year’s campaign goal will be announced.
Skornogoski explains, “We have dozens and dozens of volunteers that come together to make this campaign work. So, the campaign celebration is both about celebrating our wins, but also kind of rallying the troops and making sure that we really have a successful campaign this year."
For the next four months, United Way will be giving presentations to workplaces and collecting funds to continue to support local programs.
In addition to the workplace campaign, people may give by sending contributions directly to United Way at PO Box 1343, Great Falls, MT 59403, or donating online at www.uwccmt.org.