United Way of Greater Charlottesville

School readiness: the United Way's goal is to close the opportunity gap by promoting strategies to provide all children with the most appropriate and effective early services, supports, and high-quality early childcare and education.strategies and programs include:1. Grantmaking and funding opportunities to partners focused on decreasing the opportunity gap for at-risk children under age five.2. Early education: supports the work plan of the Greater Charlottesville early education coalition, including opportunities to expand access and high-quality services for all children ages 0-5. The United Way, in partnership with the Virginia early childhood foundation as the designated lead agency for ready regions blue ridge, administers grants for the following programs: preschool development, mixed delivery, ready regions, coordinated enrollment, and children's data consortium.3. Early learners scholarship program: supports families who are working toward financial stability by eliminating the barrier of the cost of early education and care and places children in high-quality settings to minimize the impact of poverty and other determinants that impact a child's ability to arrive at school ready to learn.

Financial stability: the United Way's goal is to help adults who are on the path to becoming financially stable and economically independent by supporting customized, holistic solutions that address and provide intervention for obstacles encountered along the way.strategies and programs include:1. Grantmaking and funding opportunities to partners focused on helping adults increase their earning power and manage their expenses.2. Cville tax aid: a free tax preparation program, including opportunities to expand access and services to all eligible residents. 3. Family investment program: a family-centered investment model that supports families who are working toward financial stability by eliminating specific barriers to success.4. Santa fund for schoolkids: provides clothing, shoes, medicine, eyeglasses, and other essentials for low-income school children in Charlottesville and the counties of albemarle, buckingham, fluvanna, greene, louisa, madison, nelson, and orange.5. Driving lives forward: connects economically-disadvantaged individuals and families with reliable vehicles and affordable auto loan financing.6. Uw2work fleet: United Way formed uw2work, llc to hold a fleet of loaner vehicles in partnership with piedmont Virginia community college's network2work program. The program offers used vehicles to clients for a six-month period, with the option to purchase, based on meeting eligibility criteria. Vehicles are temporarily titled to United Way until ownership transfers to the client.7. Financial resiliency: the task force, comprising over 9 area agencies, seeks to identify and implement strategies to remove barriers impacting the financial stability of black families living in or near poverty; and is implementing its year one workplan.

Connected community: the United Way connects, convenes, and supports the collaboration of organizations in its community. Among this network, the United Way is able to identify needs in the community and work toward collaborative goals. Strategies and programs include:1. Day of caring: a day of community service in september that promotes volunteerism by connecting local businesses, civic groups, and area citizens to nonprofit organizations and schools.2. Women United in philanthropy: maximizes women's leadership in philanthropy by engaging and educating its membership, increasing charitable contributions, and strengthening the community through the impact of collective giving to support human services.3. Volunteer center: connects potential volunteers with nonprofit agencies and schools.4. Diversity, equity and inclusion: implements and manages the inclusive excellence framework to support an organizational culture of equity and to provide equity grants to community agencies.

Covid-related assistance: in 2020, program services were expanded to address the effect of the covid-19 pandemic. United Way disbursed funds to help households experiencing economic hardship due to covid-19 and its impacts as part of partnerships with the city of Charlottesville, the county of albemarle, and the thomas jefferson planning district commission for the emergency rent and mortgage relief program, and with the Charlottesville area community foundation, the city of Charlottesville, the county of albemarle, and cville community cares for the community emergency response fund (cerf). Intake was performed through the community resource helpline and United Way disbursed funds to clients. United Way received ready regions grant funding from the Virginia early childhood foundation, and allocated a portion of santa fund, to provide virtual learning support and classroom supplies.