Community Investment FundTri-County United Way’s Community Investment Fund is a funding initiative designed to support local organizations and programs that address critical community needs in areas such as education, financial stability, and health. The fund seeks to invest in solutions that have a meaningful, long-term impact on communities. Through this fund, United Way partners with various non-profit organizations to help tackle pressing challenges, improve lives, and create lasting positive change. Eligible organizations must meet specific criteria and go through a multi-step application process to be considered for funding. Through Tri-County United Way, community partner agencies address critical challenges and collaborate with private, public, and non-profit partners to enhance education, financial stability, and health, as outlined below.
Community Investment Fund: Supporting Local Programs & Impacting Lives
HOW TO APPLY
To be considered for the Tri-County United Way’s Community Investment Fund, organizations must follow a multi-step process. New partner agencies must submit a priority area screening application to be considered for the fund. This application should outline the program’s purpose and explain how it aligns with the Tri-County United Way’s impact areas and funding objectives. The application portal is open from early December to early January. Please see the qualifications outlined below.
New Partner Agency Membership Qualifications
The applying partner agency must serve Tri-County United Way’s ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population (those who are above the federal poverty level, but below a sustainable wage).
Applying entities must hold a 501-C3 legal status within the Northern Saratoga, Washington, and/or Warren Counties.
The applying partner agency must also comply with relevant legal, federal, state, and local operational and reporting requirements (such as government-approved accounting practices, annual audits, 990 tax forms, and nondiscrimination policies).
A maximum of three new agencies will be selected for funding in 2025. Please note, funding requests cannot be applied to capital improvements, technology upgrades, or administrative staff salaries.
Funding is not to exceed $10,000 per agency in the areas of education, financial stability or health targeting priority populations of youth up to the age of 24, seniors and those dealing with mental health concerns from Warren, Washington and Northern Saratoga Counties.
How to Apply
The Tri-County United Way’s Community Investment Committee reviews these priority area screening applications and either approves or declines the application. If a priority area screening application is approved, the partner agency proceeds to complete a full Request for Funding Proposal application, providing information about its internal operations, board of directors, audit results, agency budgets, program budgets, program goals (outcomes), and demographic information about the program’s beneficiaries. These funding requests must pertain to specific programs within the partner agencies scope of services and demonstrate the impact these programs will have on the community.
Next Steps
Once all of the Request For Proposal applications steps are finalized, the Community Investment Committee evaluates the priority area screening applications together. This committee’s role in the funding process is to oversee the allocation of donor funds entrusted to the Tri-County United Way.
This committee comprises of local volunteers who represent the diversity of the community and possess expertise in the areas of mental health care, senior care, child care, education, and the identified program priorities and outcomes. This committee makes funding recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the allocation of donor funds entrusted to the Tri-County United Way.
Partner Agencies with approved Request For Proposals present their programs before the full Community Investment Committee in March and April. Following all presentations, the committee engages in extensive discussions about the partner agency’s performance and impact in the community.
Award Notifications
The Tri-County United Way’s Community Investment Committee reviews these priority area screening applications and either approves or declines the application. If a priority area screening application is approved, the partner agency proceeds to complete a full Request for Funding Proposal application, providing information about its internal operations, board of directors, audit results, agency budgets, program budgets, program goals (outcomes), and demographic information about the program’s beneficiaries. These funding requests must pertain to specific programs within the partner agencies scope of services and demonstrate the impact these programs will have on the community.
For more details, contact Tri-County United Way at 518-793-3136 or [email protected].