United Way of Metropolitan Chicago

Impact grants for more than 90 years, United Way of metro Chicago ("United Way") has mobilized caring people to invest in the communities where resources are needed most. We invest in organizations across the region to provide the building blocks to stabilize households and achieve community-identified goals via access to health care, stable housing, safety from abuse, access to food, early learning, workforce development, and legal assistance. United Way's long-term focus is on rebuilding neighborhoods to be stronger and more equitable. However, the economic and health impacts of covid-19 and economic inflation (see schedule o)have left many more families struggling to meet their basic needs, with food and housing insecurity skyrocketing. With this in mind, we will continue to support crisis services that stabilize families across our region and improve the systems that serve them.a dual approach strategy of meeting basic needs and transforming neighborhoods from the inside out will move our communities forward by emphasizing immediate support for those in crisis and a long-term vision to build a stronger, more equitable Chicago region. We will focus our impact grantmaking on high-quality basic needs services, innovative models that can transform systems and service delivery, and coordinated, place-based efforts to achieve our goals. More than $8 million was invested from july 1, 2023, to june 30, 2024, to support the outlined impact grant strategies across the Chicago region. July 1, 2023 - june 30, 2024, investments / outcomes United Way of metro Chicago ("United Way") awarded impact grants according to the strategic focus areas outlined below. United Way's 2023-24 funding supported four grant strategies: place-based wraparound services, place-based issue-focused services, regionwide wraparound services, and regionwide issue-focused services. These grant strategies each employ different approaches to achieving United Way's ultimate goals of stabilizing low-income families in crisis and building stronger, more equitable communities. In all United Way impact grants, we are seeking to achieve goals in at least one of our focus areas: - basic needs: the focus area includes providing support for individuals and families to have access to healthcare, housing, safety from abuse, food assistance, and legal assistance support. - early learning: providing support so that children and families can build a strong foundation for the start of school. - workforce development: preparing individuals for success and long-term living wage employment opportunities. Some outcomes for july 1, 2023 - june 30, 2024 - basic needs (safety net) # eligible to exit program: 20,755 # exiting with permanent stable destination: 16,224 or 78.2%- basic needs (health) # of participants in behavioral and mental health sessions: 18,435 # improving: 11,006 or 59.7%- early childhood # screened: 617 # children 0-5 improving across domains: 550 or 89.1% - workforce development # becoming job ready: 4,388 # place in jobs: 4,020 or 91.6%

The critical work of United Way requires significant resources. Support is raised through a diversified revenue model. United Way conducts workplace giving campaigns, receives individual and major gifts, and is awarded grants from private foundations and the local, state, and federal government. Strategic efforts are in place to further grow significant revenue from grants and individual giving. Other program service achievements include designations by donors to other 501(c)(3) organizations.

Neighborhood networks neighborhood networks are coalitions of community leaders who live, work, and intimately know their communities' greatest challenges and opportunities. United Way of metro Chicago works alongside our partners to address community priorities and build local infrastructure to respond to their neighborhood's most pressing needs. Then, we help scale that across the region. We also connect donors and organizations that want to invest in the Chicago region with opportunities to make an impact. Through the neighborhood network initiative, United Way works with hundreds of community partners in 18 neighborhoods (see schedule o) across the Chicago region. The goal is to build more equitable communities through community-based and resident-led programs. In each neighborhood network, United Way delivers funding, resources, technical assistance, and knowledge to bring community-driven goals to life. During fy24, United Way of metro Chicago worked in 18 neighborhoods: auburn gresham, austin, blue island/robbins, brighton park, bronzeville, Chicago heights/ford heights, cicero, elgin, englewood, evanston, far south, garfield park, harvey, little village, park forest/richton park, south Chicago, summit, and west Chicago. More than $7 million was invested to support the neighborhood network initiative from july 1, 2023, to june 30, 2024. Some major developments & outcomes: - latinos progresando and the little village neighborhood network partners celebrated the opening of their new building to welcome neighbors and provide essential immigration services.- enlace Chicago and the little village neighborhood network celebrated the launch of the 2024 little village-south lawndale quality of life plan.- a new neighborhood network was launched in summit, a suburban community, in partnership with the cook county transforming places program. - the brighton park neighborhood network celebrated the groundbreaking of the brighton park neighborhood network service center.

Other projects (unef, catalytic investments, 211 metro Chicago, etc. )more than $9 million was invested to support the organization's special initiatives and investments, including the United neighborhoods equity fund, catalytic investments, and 211 metro Chicago during the fy24 period of july 1, 2023, to june 30, 2024. United neighborhoods equity fund the United neighborhoods equity fund (unef) launched in the fall of 2021 to support small, local nonprofit organizations serving the south and west sides of the city and the south suburbs. Unef is designed to connect grantees to new capacity-building and investment opportunities that meet their needs and advance their long-term goals. The cohort-based program incorporates the following components: - funding two-year general operating grant award (up to $50,000 total)- cohort leaders from up to 10 community-based organizations (with budgets of <$1m) serving the communities ideally aligned with the United Way neighborhood network coalitions- capacity building individual and group capacity-building curriculum aimed to strengthen organizational infrastructure - relationship building cross-sector relationship building through a peer cohort model, corporate spotlight, and networking with potential funders and investors initial program successes: - launched third cohort that included nine small nonprofits in fall or 2023- 80% of grantees improved their policies and procedures, including developing hr manuals, establishing finance policies, and hiring new staff. - 70% of grantees report increased and improved fundraising, including developing fundraising plans, hosting fundraisers, applying for and receiving additional grant funds, and engaging individual donors. 55% of grantees enhanced their marketing and outreach, including designing more targeted approaches, expanding social media outreach, and engaging with local media and advertising. - 55% of grantees improved their operations, including adjusting board operations, updating reporting structures, organizing financial documents, and developing long-term sustainability plans. Catalytic investments United Way of metro Chicago created a criteria framework to assess large, catalytic investment opportunities in neighborhood network communities. When making an investment decision, United Way considers a project's alignment with a neighborhood network's overarching goals, how partners and community residents will utilize the space, the ripple effect on the neighborhood, and its long-term sustainability. Catalytic investment decisions consider the project's immediate and long-term impacts on the community, ranging from local hiring during construction to permanent jobs, and how services can serve as a springboard for family stability. Catalytic investment impacts: - in auburn gresham, United Way's catalytic investment supported the auburn gresham healthy lifestyle hub and campus expansion. - in the austin community, United Way's catalytic investment supported the opening of the build community hub and the groundbreaking for the aspire center for workforce innovation. - United Way invested in the future brighton park neighborhood network service center. - an investment supported one lawndale, an initiative focused on unifying north and south lawndale (little village) through cultural events and other programming. 211 metro chicago211 metro Chicago launched in january 2023. It is a free 24/7/365 health and social services helpline. Cook county residents can call, text, or use the web chat with a compassionate, local resource navigator to get connected to critical resources such as food, housing, and utility payment assistance. Data collected from the 2-1-1 contact center helps inform cook county residents' greatest needs. 211 metro Chicago impacts: - by june 2024, 211 metro Chicago had made more than 200,000 referrals to essential health and social services across cook county.- in fy24, 211 metro Chicago assumed operations for the city of Chicago's homelessness prevention hotline, serving as the central intake for available homelessness prevention funding. The hotline provides individuals with rent or mortgage assistance funds to prevent eviction or foreclosure.- 211 metro Chicago helped residents navigate the severe flooding that struck the city in july 2023 and suburban cook county in september 2023. As a result, 211 metro Chicago now works as part of the emergency management team in suburban cook county to connect individuals with additional resources. - in august 2023, 211 metro Chicago partnered with vivery to leverage its charitable food data using an api integration that allows the organizations' data systems to communicate and exchange data.