United Way Awards Second Round of Family Opportunity Fund Grants
In this cycle, more than $565,000 awarded to four community-based organizations for programs intended to strengthen the health and well-being of families
For the fiscal year, United Way’s impact fund investments in basic needs, family opportunity and social innovation total more than $9.4 million
INDIANAPOLIS – United Way of Central Indiana today announced the final round of grant recipients this fiscal year of the Family Opportunity Fund, one of three United Way initiatives to fight generational poverty in Central Indiana. In this cycle, four community-based organizations will receive grants totaling $565,000 to help support programs to improve the education, financial stability, health and well-being of families in the community.
United Way’s Family Opportunity initiative is grounded in the Two-Generation Approach (2Gen), the promising practice that combines services in education, workforce development, and mental and physical health to impact children and the adults in their lives together. In a simple example, if a parent qualifies for a tuition grant to go back to school to gain more skills for a higher paying job, then it makes sense to integrate quality educational experiences for children at the same time – to ensure everyone in the household can reach their full potential and thrive.
Since 2017, United Way has been implementing the work of 2Gen through its Great Families 2020 initiative for which it received a multimillion-dollar federal grant. With the announcement today of additional unrestricted grants supporting more Family Opportunity programs, United Way estimates that more than 2,700 families will benefit from services where more parents can obtain family-supporting jobs, healthy children can reach developmental and educational milestones, and all family members can be better connected within their neighborhoods and communities. Family Opportunity Fund Grant Recipients – Round #2
Building Generations TogetherChristamore House Christamore House will serve families in Marion County through its Bringing Generations Together program – an initiative focused on multi-generational entrepreneurship, workplace skills and competencies, financial asset accumulation, physical health, and mental well-being. Bringing Generations Together partners with an engaged employer and a community-based, physical education program for youth. Through this partnership, youth, adults, and seniors will participate in experiential, hands-on learning designed to connect family members through shared, age-appropriate experiences that build educational and workplace competencies, innovative thinking and design, technical STEM skills, physical well-being, and civic awareness. 2Gen Impact Program Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE) CAFE will expand its existing 2Gen work to serve families with school-aged children in Marion County through partnerships with local schools at Tindley Summit Academy, Phalen Leadership Academy, Circle City Prep, and IPS 94, 102, and 105. These partnerships will focus on the academic success and well-being of children in kindergarten through fifth grade by investing in youth-centered services such as in-school tutoring, behavior supports, and referrals to specialized services and by engaging families of these children through this school-based service delivery. CAFE will recruit parent/adult participation in its education and workforce development services, build an active network of families, and engage whole families in leadership development, volunteerism, and family planning. R.E.A.C.H InitiativeReach for YouthWith a partnership with Warren Townships Schools, Reach for Youth will pilot a 2Gen initiative that leverages its expertise in providing developmental services for youth who have behavioral and emotional challenges that contribute to these young persons’ poor academic performance, delinquency, expulsion, and juvenile justice experiences. Reach for Youth has developed a research-based, Relationships, Employment Readiness, Accessibility, Collegiate Connections, and Hope (R.E.A.C.H.) initiative that combines mental health services with a life-skills curriculum designed to engage both youth and their parents in understanding the economic benefits of education and vocational training in ways that motivate them, as whole families, to set academic, career, financial, and health goals. Fresh Start Recovery Center Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana (VOAOHIN) VOAOHIN will serve Central Indiana families through its Fresh Start Recovery Center – the residential addictions treatment program for pregnant women and mothers with young children. Fresh Start is based on individualized, client-centered, evidence-based practices for mothers, many of whom are justice-involved. This residential program is designed to help these mothers recover from substance abuse disorder, maintain custody of their children and newborns (which prevents these vulnerable children from entering the foster care system), prevent babies from being born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, and support mothers to become employed and financially stable. The program includes job readiness coaching, job connectivity and retention, as well as parenting, nutrition, and self-care skills offered through Fresh Start. These four grant recipients join the 13 community-based organizations who were awarded Family Opportunity Fund grants last fall for their 2Gen programs and initiatives.
“Through these investments, United Way is honored to partner with these four community-based organizations,” said Gina Davis, senior director of family opportunity at United Way. “These organizations are developing creative partnerships to strengthen their 2Gen work to better support family economic mobility.”
Total United Way Impact Fund Investments – A Rundown
For its 2019-2020 fiscal year, United Way’s Impact Fund investments in basic needs, family opportunity and social innovation total more than $9.4 million. In addition to more than $3.5 million from the Family Opportunity Fund, United Way awarded $5 million to 56 organizations for basic needs programs and $750,000 to 14 organizations in support of social innovation programs, concepts and methods that could accelerate change in the community.
Click here for an information graph of the impact funds, focus areas and total grant dollars for each community-based organization within each fund.
United Way Community Investments for 2019-2020
For the 2019-2020 fiscal year, United Way will invest more than $52 million in the community, through programs, grants and services, which include unrestricted grants to community-based organizations and donor designations to nonprofits. Also included are programmatic investments in the Centers for Working Families, the Indy Preschool Scholarship Program, and targeted homelessness initiatives as well as grants from the Energy Assistance Program, the Winter Assistance Fund, the Capital Projects Fund and the Facilities Maintenance Fund.
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About United Way of Central Indiana: United Way is a community of donors, advocates, volunteers, and partners who fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. United Way invites all members of our community to LIVE UNITED by giving, advocating and volunteering to improve lives in Central Indiana. Visit uwci.org to learn more.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jennifer Hashem | Public Relations Manageroffice: 317-921-1313 | cell: 563-271-4385jennifer.hashem@uwci.org
Jessica DiSanto | Senior Director of Communicationsoffice: 317-921-1224 | cell: 317-292-5608jessice.disanto@uwci.org