United Way of Tarrant County investing in solutions for area’s most pressing needs
Wise counsel we’ve all been given at some point in our lives goes something like “Alone we can achieve so little, together we can achieve so much.” At United Way of Tarrant County, we’re believers. In May, we announced our ground-breaking strategic plan, which defines our role in the county and our responsibility as the steward of investments by donors — individuals, organizations and businesses.
This new direction is all about investing the collective donations generously given by people in our community to ease suffering immediately while going after the root causes of our most pressing social ills. It’s powered by a renewed focus on the interests and passions of donors. We’ve boiled these concepts down to three strategic pillars — “Systems Change,” “Donor Centricity” and “Public Philanthropy.”
The best part is it’s already begun.
In July, we announced more than more than $13 million in funding for 2018-2019, including almost $1 million for collaborative efforts to effect social and economic change at the system level. Your donations, through your company’s United Way campaign, made community investments like these possible:
$6 million in gifts to partner agencies based on designations from individual donors to the charities of their choosing;
$2 million to fund “safety net” programs, which provide economic and life security through our system of partners to those temporarily in need;
$3.7 million invested in scalable community change, funding programs targeted at brighter futures for entire communities; and
$42,000 for Women United® funding of scholarships for girls and women.
In launching systems change as a nearly $1 million initiative in its inaugural year, we shifted a portion of community funding to focus on the root causes of social issues and put enduring solutions in motion for ongoing problems that impact entire populations.
This first year’s funding is responsive, reflecting great ideas brought in by collaborative partnership working on collective community issues like school nutrition, workforce development and early literacy. Next cycle, which begins this fall, we will have the data we need to proactively address the next set of community issues.
In partnership with UNT Health Science Center, we are nearing completion of a comprehensive Community Assessment that will give all of us a playbook with which to prioritize future efforts to change the environment in which people suffer. For example, if the study reveals homelessness as a priority issue in Tarrant County, we will lead the community effort to address its root causes — factors such as mental health, drug abuse and job training and permanent supportive housing. We believe it’s time for our social sector to measure our results not by the number of people we’ve helped, but by the number of people who no longer need help. That’s systems change.
This year’s systems change Request For Proposals was answered by a strong variety of collaborations (partnerships were a requirement to help stem duplication and leverage shared resources). At the end of the process, grants were awarded to:
Community Response to Homelessness in Early Childhood – $173,334
Early Learning Alliance – $60,000
Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration – $205,500
Regional Superintendent Literacy Initiative – $180,000
Stay the Course – Tarrant County – $200,000
Workforce Enhancements in Healthy Aging and Independent Living – $151,162
To celebrate this new way to “Live United” and launch the 2018-2019 campaign, we invite everyone to “A Night to Live United” on Thursday, August 16, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Sundance Square Plaza. Be part of the celebration as we introduce our exciting celebrity Honorary Campaign Chair; enjoy great food; and enjoy a free concert by the Spazmatics (the ultimate new wave 80s show).
At the end of the day, to make enduring changes is “team ball.” It takes cooperation and partnerships among the private sector, the business sector and the government sector to make a difference, along with individuals throughout the community. Your United Way of Tarrant County is committed to those partnerships, and we thank you for your continued and unwavering support.
United Way of Tarrant County has worked to improve the lives of those in our communities since 1922. As a social sector leader, we bring together individuals, groups, donors and service providers to help solve some of the toughest social issues affecting Tarrant County. Each year, we help more than 300,000 people through our resources. United Way has no fees on donor designations, with 100 percent of the donation going to the selected agency or cause. For more information, visit www.unitedwaytarrant.org.
TD Smyers is President and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County