Setting new priorities for funding partners

To continue to improve the lives of members of our community, Middlesex United Way invests donors’ gifts in the highest quality programs throughout Middlesex County. The programs we invest in are ones that make measurable progress toward our goals in our four focus areas of education, income, health and housing.

We aim to have the biggest and most positive impact in our endeavors, and that takes quite a bit of strategizing.

As part of our strategic plan, a committee was formed to evaluate and evolve our community impact strategy to increase our impact and recommend specific funding strategies. The plan is to maintain the four focus areas while also ensuring we utilize the best possible service delivery methods.

To stay transparent and accountable, we must hold our partners to the same level. This funding year will be the first that we prioritize the following service-delivery methods: education/ training, prevention, early identification/intervention, and community capacity building. We work on addressing the root causes of issues, and it is essential to truly evaluate the work of the partners based off measurable outcomes and make sure they, too, are addressing problems before they happen — or in the early stages.

United Way funding is provided to locally based not-for-profit agencies that provide health and human services to the people of Middlesex County, and meet identified critical community needs and priorities. Organizations that apply must submit detailed financial statements, a certified audit, as well as information on programs and services to be provided. They must also identify how their services would be impacted if they did not receive funding or were only partially funded, how they will use the funds for the proposed fiscal year, and what United Way goal is most consistent with their work.

This past year, our partners had many great successes and made some tremendous progress in changing lives in Middlesex County. The Coalition on Housing and Homelessness announced that all chronically homeless on the waiting list have been matched with housing, the Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth assets model continued to see positive trends amongst our youth reporting that since 2005, and substance abuse has decreased 35 percent among our youth.

To kick off the application process with our partners, we invited them to our Funding Partners Breakfast Feb. 18. The event highlighted a strategy for successful applications and expectations from United Way.

All United Way funding decisions are made by volunteers experienced in analyzing budgets, program efficiency and effectiveness. Funding decisions are based on dollars available, community need, and on the ability of the applicant to meet that need. Each year, all services, programs and town-based projects currently funded by United Way are reviewed.

Our goal is to ensure every generously donated dollar goes to a deserving cause. To ensure this, Middlesex United Way, as well as the organizations we contribute to, remain as transparent as possible during the application process, as well as while we are funding and throughout the year.

To learn more about the work we do, visit middlesexunitedway.org/faq or contact Ed Bonilla at 860-346-8695.