Funding through United Way’s Community Investments grants will support people experiencing poverty. In addition to grant funds, organizations will receive capacity building resources, such as programmatic technical assistance or consultative fundraising services, as well as facilitated connections between nonprofits and other funders, nonprofits, and community leaders – all toward the goal of supporting our region’s nonprofit sector and the people they serve.

These new investments come amid a continuing regional cost-of-living crisis that is putting further pressure on families. Data from United Way’s 211 Resource Helpline shows increased demand for housing assistance, food programs and other resources that help families meet their essential needs. Furthermore, data shows us that 36% of Minnesotans are living paycheck to paycheck, or ALICE: Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed.

“The nonprofit organizations in our Community Investments portfolio bring a unique depth of knowledge about the challenges facing our region,” says Shannon Smith Jones, Senior Vice President of Community Impact at Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Working in close partnership with these passionate and innovative organizations, we can ensure that families throughout the Twin Cities have the resources they need to thrive.”

Nonprofits supported by Greater Twin Cities United Way are working within one or more of the organization’s five impact areas, meant to reflect the areas of greatest need in the nine-county metro area:

• Stable housing, ensuring all families have a safe, stable and affordable place to call home.
• Food security, providing people with access to food that is nutritious, culturally relevant and affordable.
• Early childhood education, guaranteeing that families and caregivers are equipped to support children to be successful learners, and that children enter kindergarten ready to learn and thrive.
• Career and future readiness, helping youth develop the skills, relationships and mindsets to choose and direct their own future success.
• Economic opportunity, ensuring that adults enter the workforce prepared for skilled employment and increased wealth, and supporting the next generation of community entrepreneurs.

“We hear this time and time again from our partners: United Way investments are the gold standard for philanthropic partnership,” says John Wilgers, President and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way. “By providing flexible funding and technical assistance over multiple years, we’re affording nonprofits the stability they need to be responsive and strategic in their work supporting community.”

In addition to multiyear Community Investments grants, Greater Twin Cities United Way continues to invest in the local community through innovation initiatives such as 80×3: Resilient from the Start, Career Academies, Pathways Home and Full Lives. United Way also manages direct services such as the local 211 Resource Helpline and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which are both available 24/7 and in multiple languages. Data from these initiatives informs United Way’s holistic grantmaking approach as well as the organization’s annual list of policy and advocacy priorities.

Providing stability for nonprofits, Community Investments grants will total $9.8 million for the first year of a three-year partnership. These organizations are receiving 2025-2028 Community Investments funding from Greater Twin Cities United Way:

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About Greater Twin Cities United Way: Greater Twin Cities United Way unites changemakers, advocates for social good and develops solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive, regardless of income, race or place. For more information, visit gtcuw.org and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn.

The post Amid Growing Demand for Community Resources, Greater Twin Cities United Way Announces $9.8 Million in Grants for Local Nonprofits appeared first on Greater Twin Cities United Way.

I’m proud to share a few highlights of the many ways Greater Twin Cities United Way united community to meet urgent needs and make lasting change in the areas of housing, food, education and economic opportunity throughout 2024.

Every day, people contact our 211 resource helpline for help paying their bills, finding affordable housing, putting food on the table and so much more. Not only does our ability to provide crisis and referral services like 211 enable us to help our neighbors meet their everyday needs, but it also provides valuable data that we use to evaluate and respond to community needs.

We also continue to operate the Twin Cities call center for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline through a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health. Entering our fifth year as the local provider, 988 has proven to be a vital lifeline for tens of thousands of Minnesotans, with 988 operators responding to 90 calls, texts or chats per day. You can learn more about how 988 became Minnesota’s go-to call for mental health crisis help in this article by Minnesota Public Radio.

Advocating for Affordable Housing

Data from our 211 resource helpline indicates that housing continues to be the most pressing need for people in our community. That is why we made stable and affordable housing one of our key policy objectives in the 2024 state legislative session. We know that by advocating for meaningful funding increases and policy changes in housing, we can help prevent homelessness and improve the quality of life for our neighbors.  

Together with our partners, we successfully advocated at the state legislature for increased funding for Minnesota’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program — a program that provides temporary supportive services and financial assistance to eligible households experiencing a housing crisis. As a result, more families who are at risk of homelessness will be able to stay in their homes.  

A shortage of affordable housing options is making the housing crisis in our region more severe. To address this ongoing challenge, we championed the legislature for $50 million in Housing Infrastructure Bonds to promote multifamily housing development — deepening our state’s investment in affordable housing.  

Learn more about Greater Twin Cities United Way’s impact in housing through our Pathways Home initiative to prevent homelessness for youth transitioning from incarceration or the foster system.  

Learn more about Greater Twin Cities United Way’s vision for stable and affordable housing in the 2025 legislative session. 

Nurturing Our Regional Food System

Equitable access to food that is affordable and meets the dietary needs and cultural preferences of our neighbors is essential to nourishing a thriving community. That’s why in the fall of 2024 we announced the relaunch of our Full Lives initiative focused on building and strengthening our regional food system.

Expanding on the success of our first Full Lives initiative, which focused on food organizations working within North Minneapolis, we’re broadening our impact by partnering with organizations who are working across the regional food system, including food shelves, urban farms and food entrepreneurship incubators.

We’ve invested $1.2 million in grant funding to support four nonprofit collaborative efforts working across the regional food system to support farmers and community agriculture, incubate new food businesses, and even teach families new ways to cook fresh foods. Together, we are creating a stronger, more equitable regional food system that nourishes families and creates wealth.

Building Foundations For Educational Success

A child’s educational journey begins the moment they enter the world — and their experiences in the first three years of life have a significant impact on their long-term health and wellbeing. Two years ago, we launched the 80×3: Resilient from the Start initiative to expand trauma-sensitive care so our littlest learners have the tools to overcome adverse childhood experiences. Today, more than 500 children have already benefitted from our work and that number is growing.

Through 80×3, we’re working with child care partners to implement new forms of trauma-informed and culturally responsive care. We’re also bolstering our support of child care professionals by providing access to mental health care. Our funding also provides critical resources for child care providers to recruit and retain staff. These efforts are meeting urgent needs and making an impact in the classroom for children, families and childcare professionals.

We continue to make lasting change for educational success through our advocacy work. In 2024, we helped secure more than $50 million in funding for childhood literacy and pre-kindergarten programs, ensuring more young learners have the opportunity to succeed.

Additionally, in our role as administrator for the Minnesota Department of Education’s Early Learning Scholarship Awards (ELSA), we’re helping streamline access to early-childhood scholarships by centralizing payments to providers, which helps reduce child care waitlists so more families can find care.

Looking Forward to 2025

Thank you for helping make the Greater Twin Cities a thriving community where all belong. To learn more about Greater Twin Cities United Way’s impact, check out our new video featuring Shannon Smith Jones, our senior vice president of community impact.

How You Can Get Involved

• Donate to our Annual Fund, supporting all our efforts to create lasting change.
• Volunteer your time and talents to help meet the urgent needs of people in our community.
• Join our relaunched Advocacy Network for the latest action alerts and updates on bills we’re supporting.

The post Reflecting On Our Impact In 2024 appeared first on Greater Twin Cities United Way.

Our relaunch of Full Lives may be new, but the work has deep roots. Since our founding more than a century ago, Greater Twin Cities United Way has supported organizations who are working to help individuals and families access the food they need. Through that long-standing work, as well as data we’ve gathered through our 211 resource helpline, we’ve developed a deep understanding of the food landscape here in the Twin Cities.

The first incarnation of Full Lives began in 2017, with a focus on food organizations working within North Minneapolis. Inspired by this model, our fellow United Ways in Buffalo and Toronto launched their own local Full Lives initiatives.

The lessons we learned through this work pointed us to an opportunity for deeper impact on the regional level. Our relaunched and expanded Full Lives now supports organizations across the Greater Twin Cities area – working to strengthen our regional food system so that all communities can thrive.

Learn more about the relaunch of Full Lives.

What is a food system?

Most people recognize that the food on their plate has taken a journey – from the farmer who grew it, to the distributor who packaged it, to the grocery store that put it on their shelves, to the person who cooked it. And after the meal is done, the journey continues to a landfill or some other means of disposal.

Zooming out, we can think of this process as a regional food system – as individuals and organizations in the Twin Cities contributing to a broader flow of resources that ultimately nourishes families and creates wealth.

While many philanthropic funders in the Greater Twin Cities are engaging with one or more components of this system, Full Lives is unique in its focus on the system as a whole. Full Lives partners with organizations who are working across the regional food system, from organizations that support farmers and community agriculture, to those who are incubating new food businesses or teaching families new ways to cook fresh foods.

Critically, we’re investing our dollars into collaborative projects between these organizations – for the first time, giving partners dedicated funds to help them connect and coordinate their efforts. No other funder in the Twin Cities is providing this kind of support for collaboration among food organizations.

For just one example of what this looks like in practice, we can look to one of our funded collaborations between the Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON), 4 Access Partners and the Minnesota African Immigrant Farmers Association. Individually, each of these organizations offers unique resources and expertise in the food space. Full Lives funding will allow these organizations to pool those skills, giving more local farmers and food entrepreneurs the support they need to launch and grow their businesses.

The impact of Full Lives

In initial discussions with our partners, we’ve identified five key areas of impact which our collaborations will help drive:

• Greater food security for individuals and families, ensuring consistent access to nutritious food and reducing reliance on emergency food support.
• Stronger economic equity, supporting local farmers and small businesses, creating jobs and allowing wealth to circulate within communities.
• Healthier communities with access to fresh food, leading to a reduction in diet-related diseases.
• Deeper environmental stewardship, promoting sustainable farming and reducing the carbon footprint of long-distance food transportation.
• Closer social connectedness, strengthening a community’s social ties through local food production and distribution.

This multifaceted impact is what’s so powerful about food – and why I’m so excited to see our partners’ collaborations begin coming to fruition.

What’s next for Full Lives?

We disbursed our first dollars to cohort members in July and will continue to fund their collaborations until December 2025. Between now and then, we’ll be connecting with partners through quarterly Communities of Practice – providing leaders at each organization with space to discuss what’s working and where more support is needed.

We’ve also engaged the organizations Propel Nonprofits and Terra Soma to provide expert one-on-one consulting to help partners implement and systematize their collaborative efforts. And we’ll be tracking our partners’ progress along the way, giving us data to inform future phases of Full Lives. We currently envision this phase of Full Lives lasting approximately five years.

As we’ve already seen with our Career Academies, 80×3 and Pathways Home initiatives, United Way’s approach to innovation works. When leaders in a sector are able to connect and collaborate in new ways, massive change is possible. I’m so excited for Full Lives to bring this same approach to bear on our regional food system. You can support Full Lives, and all of United Way’s efforts toward food security and food justice, with a gift to our Annual Fund.

Stay Connected

• Keep up to date with the latest Full Lives news by following Greater Twin Cities United Way on Facebook, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
• Make a gift to our Annual Fund today.

The post Cultivating Food Justice: Why Full Lives Matters for the Twin Cities appeared first on Greater Twin Cities United Way.

MINNEAPOLIS (September 24, 2024) – Greater Twin Cities United Way (United Way) announced today the relaunch of its successful Full Lives food security initiative. First started in 2017, Full Lives is unique in its focus on food systems as a driver of lasting food security. Full Lives partners with innovative nonprofits across the Twin Cities, including food shelves, urban farms, and food entrepreneurship incubators, to strengthen community resources and collectively establish a regional food system that ensures everyone has access to the food they need to thrive.

This new, expanded phase of Full Lives widens the initiative’s scale to focus on food systems regionally throughout the Greater Twin Cities area. As part of the launch, United Way is granting $1.2 million in funding to four nonprofit collaborative efforts, each organized among multiple organizations working in food security throughout the region.

Together, United Way and its partners will work to promote local agriculture, support entrepreneurs, foster new food businesses and improve food access throughout the Greater Twin Cities. Bringing these organizations closer together and building new relationships among them is central – and unique – to United Way’s approach to food security in the Twin Cities.

The four funded nonprofit collaborations are:

• 4Access Partners / Minnesota African Immigrant Farmer Association / Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON)
• Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO) / Healthy Roots Institute & City Food Studio / Sabathani Community Center
• Dream of Wild Health / Indigenous Food Network
• Metro Food Justice Network

“Through the impact we’ve made with initiatives like ‘Career Academies’ and ‘80×3: Resilient from the Start,’ Greater Twin Cities United Way has shown an ability to tackle our communities’ biggest challenges with creativity and collaboration,” says John Wilgers, President & CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Our expanded Full Lives initiative builds on these successes, making significant new investments to grow our regional food system.”

Read more from Full Lives Program Officer Ho Nguyen about why strong food systems matter for food security.

In addition to grant funding, the initiative also provides nonprofit partners with training and peer-to-peer learning in a Community of Practice. The first round of partners will receive funding through December 2025. This investment supplements United Way’s ongoing multiyear Community Investments funding, which supports organizations focused on immediate and urgent food needs. Applications are now open for the 2025-28 Community Investment funding cycle.

“Since our earliest days, United Way has supported organizations in the Greater Twin Cities who are helping our neighbors get the food they need,” says Shannon Smith Jones, Senior Vice President of Community Impact at Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Full Lives brings together key players in our regional food system, creating new structures for collaboration and coordination to ensure families consistently have access to nutritious food.”

Full Lives is developed with input and feedback from the community and initiative partners. The Full Lives Advisory Group includes leaders of nonprofit and government entities with personal and professional experience navigating our region’s food system. Current Advisory Group members include:

• KaZoua Berry, Community Advocate and Farmer
• Marcus Carpenter, Founder, Route 1
• Carissa Dillon, Food Security Coordinator, Ramsey County
• Louise Matson, White Earth Band of Ojibwe; Executive Director, Division of Indian Work
• Theresa McCormick, Executive Director, The Good Acre
• J. DeVon Nolan, Primary/CEO, Bete’ Noire Consulting, LLC

Full Lives is made possible through significant collaboration with local philanthropic leaders. Leading corporate supporters in the expansion of Full Lives include Securian Financial and Land O’Lakes, Inc.

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About Greater Twin Cities United Way: Greater Twin Cities United Way unites changemakers, advocates for social good and develops solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive, regardless of income, race or place. For more information, visit gtcuw.org and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn.

The post Greater Twin Cities United Way Grants $1.2M to Local Nonprofits through Relaunched ‘Full Lives’ Regional Food Security Initiative appeared first on Greater Twin Cities United Way.

MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 14, 2024) – Greater Twin Cities United Way (United Way) announced today the release of its 2023 Community Impact Report, which includes the results of its work with partners across the region. In 2023, United Way served more than half a million people, meeting urgent needs while making lasting change in the areas of housing, food, education and jobs.

To address immediate needs, United Way continued providing direct service through its 211 resource helpline and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, grantmaking to local area nonprofits, and volunteerism engagement initiatives, such as Action Day. To create lasting change, United Way continued advocating alongside coalition partners for state investments in essential services, such as housing and child care; invested in innovative programs that focus on transforming systems; and launched Pathways Home, a new initiative aimed at preventing homelessness for youth transitioning from incarceration or foster care.

“In 2023, our collaborative efforts with local nonprofits, businesses, donors, volunteers, and advocates yielded meaningful results,” said John Wilgers, President & CEO, Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Together, we transformed lives by addressing immediate needs while also working tirelessly to dismantle barriers related to income, race, and place. Through our shared commitment, we’re building a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”

Meeting Urgent Needs Through 211 and 988

Every day, people seeking help paying bills, finding food and locating other resources contact United Way’s 211 resource helpline. In 2023, United Way responded to over 342,000 requests to 211 from people across Minnesota – a 10 percent increase over 2022. Housing continued to be the most requested 211 resource, followed by utilities and energy assistance. Food was the third most requested resource – and the fastest increasing – likely due to inflation during 2023.

United Way also continued providing support as a local call center for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In 2023, United Way crisis counselors answered over 24,000 calls to 988 – a 36 percent increase over 2022 – providing emotional support for people experiencing thoughts of suicide, substance use or other mental health crises. Callers reached out for a variety of reasons, including needing a listening ear (81 percent), preventing a progression to suicidal thoughts (12 percent), and imminent crisis (7 percent).

Creating Meaningful Impact Through Volunteerism

United Way mobilized thousands of volunteers last year through essential supply drives, community volunteer events and more. In 2023, generous volunteers helped provide 45,000 students with backpacks full of school supplies so they can thrive in the classroom and 1,400 families transitioning from homelessness to stable housing with welcome home bins full of essential household items. Volunteers also assembled 13,000 culturally relevant food packs – the equivalent of 50,000 meals – so that families using neighborhood food shelves have access to familiar flavors and foods.

Making Lasting Change Through Innovation and Advocacy

Based on deep learning in community, in June 2023, United Way launched Pathways Home, a new initiative focused on preventing homelessness for those most vulnerable to experiencing it: youth who are exiting the foster care system and/or transitioning from incarceration. As part of the launch, United Way deployed $1.2 million to its first cohort of 11 nonprofit partners. With a focus on lasting change, Pathways Home is also convening those who hold power in the foster care and corrections systems to collaborate on meaningful solutions.

In 2023, United Way celebrated its most consequential advocacy agenda ever. Together with its advocacy coalition partners, United Way successfully advocated for new investments to promote stable and affordable housing – totaling more than $1 billion, the single largest investment in housing in Minnesota history. Other advocacy wins included the passage and implementation of free school meals; a historic $2 billion investment in the state’s childcare system and workforce; and a $1 million investment in Career Academies, a United Way initiative focused on career pathways for youth.

See more of the impact Greater Twin Cities United Way and its partners made possible in our report.

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About Greater Twin Cities United Way: Greater Twin Cities United Way unites changemakers, advocates for social good and develops solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive. For more information, visit www.gtcuw.org and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn. 

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MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 24, 2023) – Greater Twin Cities United Way (United Way) announced today the release of its 2022 Community Impact Report, which includes the results of its work with partners across the region. In 2022, United Way served more than half a million people in the areas of housing, food, education and economic opportunity. To address immediate needs, the organization continued providing direct service through its 211 resource helpline and as a local call center for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. To create lasting change, United Way launched 80×3, a new initiative aimed at transforming the early childhood education system through trauma-sensitive care for children ages zero to three.

“This report highlights the impact United Way had last year through our partnerships with local nonprofits, corporate partners, individual donors, volunteers, advocates and more,” said John Wilgers, President & CEO, Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Together we’re addressing both immediate needs and also changing systems so that income, race and place no longer predict a person’s ability to thrive – and where urgent needs are far less frequent.”

Support 24/7 through 211 and 988

In 2022, United Way responded to nearly 470,000 requests to its 211 resource helpline for housing and shelter, utilities, food, child care, and more. Additionally, United Way 211 continued serving as the public-facing access point for the state’s RentHelpMN program, which concluded in September 2022, answering over 380,000 calls over the course of the program and helping hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans access nearly $450 million in rental assistance and stay housed. Last year, United Way also launched a new partnership with the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities to leverage 211 to support more than 340,000 students in meeting basic needs.

In 2021, United Way began offering crisis support as a local provider of the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Following the rollout of the new national 988 number in July 2022, United Way saw a 25 percent sustained increase in calls and expanded its team of specialists to meet the community need. Over the course of the year, United Way answered nearly 18,000 calls to 988 – a 91 percent increase over 2021, its first year as a Lifeline provider.

“211 and 988 are vital community resources that are available to anyone, anywhere, any time,” said Julie Ogunleye, Director of 211 and 988 at Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Reaching out for help can be hard, but caring United Way specialists are here to listen and to provide support and help accessing local resources that may be available to help in a variety of circumstances.”

Supporting Our Littlest Learners

In June 2022, United Way launched 80×3, an early childhood education initiative aimed at increasing trauma-informed practices among child care providers so young people get the support they need for healthy brain development by age three. 80×3 partners with organizations throughout the early childhood education sector, and in 2022, United Way awarded $1.2 million in grants to nine organizations. To date, more than 150 early childhood educators and leaders have participated in 80×3, strengthening their trauma-sensitive skills, increasing collaboration across the sector, and addressing systemic challenges in the field.

Amplifying the Nonprofit Sector

United Way supported 138 local nonprofits in direct service, innovation and advocacy last year. In April 2022, United Way awarded $10.5 million in Community Investments multi-year grants to 88 nonprofits working toward equity in housing, food, education and economic opportunity. Organizations that center the experiences of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander and other Communities of Color, and support those earning incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level, were prioritized for funding.

Last year, United Way also launched its inaugural Career Academies Purpose Driven Paychecks program, to help ensure all students have access to wealth-building, purpose-driven careers. Purpose Driven Paychecks builds new partnerships among employers, nonprofits and educational systems, and in 2022, the program supported 400 students with meaningful work experiences.

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About Greater Twin Cities United Way: Greater Twin Cities United Way unites changemakers, advocates for social good and develops solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive. For more information, visit www.gtcuw.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The post Greater Twin Cities United Way Announces 2022 Impact Results appeared first on Greater Twin Cities United Way.

We often associate people experiencing food insecurity as users of SNAP or WIC, food shelves, meal or backpacking programs. In reality, food insecurity often looks like swapping out brands; rationing food; reducing purchases; relying on shared meals with extended family and friends; or opting out of or reducing fresh, nutritionally dense, dietary and culturally appropriate foods. Food insecurity can be seasonal, regular or episodic.

What was once seen as an issue that impacted only people and communities experiencing poverty is now understood to be an issue with a far wider impact. At Greater Twin Cities United Way, we strive to support a food-secure region where people have access to food that is nutritious, culturally relevant and affordable, working toward long-term food security in our region.                 

Our Work Along the Food Security Continuum

United Way has a long and important history supporting hunger relief, centered on addressing people’s immediate food needs. We also clearly understand that hunger is a symptom of something much larger — and to work toward long-term food security that solves for the underlying issues, we must employ solutions that include holistic approaches, food systems work and food justice.

Our food security strategy is a continuum and includes work from partners addressing immediate food needs to food justice toward an equitable and thriving food system. We accomplish this through our Community Investments grant funding to nonprofit partners as well as our Full Lives innovation initiative.

We recently welcomed a new cohort of food security nonprofit partners that reflect this evolved approach through their proven practices and promising strategies. Isuroon, a partner that supports Somali women and girls, addresses immediate needs as well as overall long-term household stability. They do so by providing a month’s worth of Halal and culturally relevant foods as well as supporting long-term food security through financial literacy, mental health and wellness programing, advocacy, and civic engagement work.

Another nonprofit partner illustrating our food security continuum strategy is Hmong American Farmers Association, an organization that runs a 155-acre research and incubator farm, providing land access, training, business development and markets to Hmong Farmers. They work in food justice to advance economic prosperity for Hmong farming families through entrepreneurship, spanning multiple generations.

Our communities are experiencing record high rates of food insecurity, revealing the breadth of its impact — both in who is being impacted and how the impacts show up in unexpected ways. Our food landscape has drastically shifted, and United Way has evolved. We have expanded our strategy to work all along the food security continuum, from addressing immediate food needs to working towards food justice — to support meaningful, lasting change in our region.

Get Involved

• Learn more about Full Lives, United Way’s food security innovation initiative
• Donate
• Become an advocate
• Join a Giving Community
• Volunteer

The post From Basic Needs to Justice: Cultivating a Thriving Food System appeared first on Greater Twin Cities United Way.

MINNEAPOLIS (March 12, 2022) — Many food shelves in the Twin Cities are in areas with the highest concentrations of immigrants, yet the bulk of food donated are foods associated with the white population. According to The Food Group, one of the main barriers for using food shelves among people who seek support is inaccessibility to familiar foods they know how to cook.

“Food is one of the many ways we celebrate cultures and traditions,” said John Wilgers, President & CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Through our ‘Flavors of Our Community’ program, we are asking volunteers to donate food that reflects the diversity of our Twin Cities region.” The program runs until April 9.

Greater Twin Cities United Way worked with three of its nonprofit partners that offer food shelf services – CAPI, CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio), and NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center – to develop seven “Flavors of Our Community Packs”. The packs contain items essential to the cultures each food shelf serves, including Southeast Asian, Afghan and Latinx communities.

To participate select a food pack, purchase the items, assemble and drop them off at the listed locations.

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Interview and photo opportunities are available with leaders from Greater Twin Cities United Way and its nonprofit food partners.

About Greater Twin Cities United Way: Greater Twin Cities United Way unites changemakers, advocates for social good and develops solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive, regardless of income, race or place. The organization serves the community through five key offerings: its 211 resource helpline, innovation initiatives, nonprofit partnerships, advocacy work with legislators, and business and individual donor partnerships. For more information, visit www.gtcuw.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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After the turmoil of 2020, many of us were looking forward to a return to ordinary in 2021. However, with the ongoing pandemic continuing to worsen racial disparities and disrupt our daily lives, this year has been anything but ordinary. And yet, when reflecting on everything we have done this year, it’s your support that has helped us move from “unimaginable” to “extraordinary.”

Connecting Neighbors to Resources 24/7

In January, we began offering suicide prevention support and mental health crisis intervention for Minnesotans as part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Our highly trained, empathetic specialists answer about 90 calls per day. Many callers suffer from substance abuse, mental health diagnoses, domestic violence and economic challenges — all of which have been amplified by the pandemic.

We’ve seen an increase in calls related to housing needs through our 211 resource helpline. This past spring, 211 partnered with the State’s RentHelpMN program to provide applicant information and support services. RentHelpMN provides financial assistance for people who have been economically impacted by the pandemic to help pay past due rent and prevent evictions. Since the program launched, our 211 RentHelpMN team has fielded more than 195,000 calls and facilitated access to over $285 million in rent assistance payments.

Driving Systems Change through Advocacy

We urged legislators to act quickly on housing stability and homelessness prevention, invest in early childhood education and access to quality child care, and create a nonprofit recovery fund to direct relief funds into communities. Our leadership on these issues resulted in several critical legislative wins, including:

• $101.8 million over three years to increase child care subsidies for low-income families.
• $300+ million in monthly grants to help stabilize child care providers and their programs.
• $518 million for emergency rent assistance via RentHelpMN, benefitting 50,000 families.
• A fair and thoughtful off-ramp from the eviction moratorium, during which landlords were prevented from evicting their tenants, including a 15-day pre-eviction notice and a provision forbidding the eviction of any eligible tenant who has applied for COVID-19 rental assistance through June 1, 2022.

Amplifying the Nonprofit Sector

We support and strengthen our nonprofit partners by connecting leaders, training teams and providing technical assistance as well as funding. With equity and inclusion at the center of our work, we offer multi-year grants to organizations working to fill gaps in community needs and impact critical issues in our community.

This fall we announced the 2022-2025 Community Investments funding opportunity for nonprofits providing direct services for individuals in the nine-county metro area. Funding will be prioritized for organizations serving Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander and/or Communities of Color and that have executive leadership who identify as People of Color. Funding will also be prioritized for organizations and that are pursuing responsive, community-driven work and hold a clear vision for a more equitable and just future for those they support. We will announce final grant decisions in May 2022.

Innovating for Impact

Building on our previous success in the areas of education, housing stability and food security, we continue to make progress on new and existing innovation initiatives as we work to solve persistent challenges in our community.

Through Career Academies, we are closing opportunity gaps by building on our career pathways model to help students transition from high school to wealth-building careers with zero college debt. We are also looking to expand Full Lives, a place-based initiative that supports local entrepreneurs, develops community resources and collectively builds a local food economy to solve food insecurity throughout our region.

I’m excited to announce we are in the process of launching two new innovations. 80×3: Resilient from the Start is a region-wide initiative to increase capacity to deepen parenting skills and provide child care in a safe, stable environment that supports child resiliency. Pathways Home aims to prevent homelessness in youth (young people up to age 24) moving out of foster care and adults exiting corrections by providing wraparound support services like job training, mental health support, case management and rent assistance.

Partnering with Businesses to Meet Community Needs

For the second year in a row, we’ve had to rethink how we engage volunteers with hybrid models that offered both in-person and at-home volunteering options. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, we were able to increase our efforts.

In August, volunteers packed 50,000 backpacks full of school supplies for local students through our Action Day initiative. Our Home For Good volunteer event provided Welcome Home Kits filled with essential household items to 850 local families and individuals transitioning from homelessness to stable housing.

Our fundraising team also had to get creative around our Workplace Campaigns to meet the needs of our business partners. They’ve done a fantastic job pivoting between in-person, virtual and hybrid campaign events as needed.

There’s still time to support this important work, so please consider donating, either through your Greater Twin Cities United Way relationship officer or online.

Thank you for being a changemaker and supporting our community. Without you, we could not have made this extraordinary impact in our community. Together, we’re creating a more just Greater Twin Cities where all people thrive, regardless of income, race or place.

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MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 5, 2021 at 8 a.m.) – Greater Twin Cities United Way (United Way) announced today the release of its 2020 Community Impact Report which captures the results of its work with changemakers across the Twin Cities region in 2020. In its third year of executing its long-range transformation plan, United Way served more than 500,000 people in partnership with 645 companies, 38 foundations, 60,000 individuals and 161 nonprofits.

211 Resource Helpline

At the onset of COVID-19, United Way responded to a 300 percent increase in requests for resources and information across Minnesota through its 211 resource helpline, including shelter, child care, emergency medical equipment and more. Additionally, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency contracted with United Way for 211 to serve as the centralized access point for the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program. Through that program, United Way referred over 55,000 people to rent, mortgage and utility assistance information and resources.

Innovation Initiatives

• COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund: United Way provided four rounds of grants to support nonprofits at the frontlines of serving the community, based on the most critical needs nonprofits identified. (See below for more information)
• Twin Cities Rebuild for the Future Fund: United Way, in partnership with the Minneapolis Foundation and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, awarded grants to nonprofits providing rebuilding support for small businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and People of Color in areas most impacted by the unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd – Lake Street in Minneapolis, West Broadway corridor in Minneapolis and University Ave. in St. Paul.
• Career Academies: During the 2019/2020 school year, over 5,500 high school students engaged in Career Academies – an initiative that prepares students for zero college debt and in-demand, high-wage careers. Since 2015, Career Academies has engaged more than 10,000 students – 49 percent of which are Students of Color. Students collectively have earned more than 9,800 college and technical school credits and saved more than $3 million in tuition.
• Career Academies Summer Stabilization Fund: United Way awarded grants to school districts to help fill gaps in student wages and work experiences for 163 students who otherwise would not have had opportunities due to COVID-19 restrictions. Students earned $13 an hour and gained experience in mental health first-aid training, health sciences, manufacturing and more.

Advocacy Work with Legislators

United Way, along with coalition partners, was critical in securing $261.6 million in emergency state and federal funding to advance greater equity for Minnesotans, including emergency housing, quality child care and early childhood education assistance.

Nonprofit Partnerships

By being a curator of insights to inform the nonprofit sector, United Way hosted nine virtual convenings and provided virtual trainings for 525 people. United Way also awarded grants through several pandemic-related funds, in addition to existing multi-year grants, to 161 nonprofits serving the community on the frontlines.

Business/Individual Donor Partnerships and Revenue Diversification

Aligned with United Way’s revenue diversification strategy, the organization:

• Onboarded 20 companies to Salesforce Philanthropy Cloud, United Way’s digital giving and volunteering platform focused on supporting corporate social responsibility goals and engaging corporate employees year-round.
• Expanded fundraising around specific innovation initiatives such as Career Academies (focused on career pathways to high-wage jobs for students in high school) and 80×3 (focused on early childhood brain development) to meet the growing trend of donors’ desire to directly address specific community challenges.
• Offered volunteer and giving opportunities for corporate employees and individuals, such as Action Day and Home for Good. Through these events, 40,000 K-12 students from low-income households received backpacks full of school supplies and 850 families exiting out of homelessness received kits full of household supplies.

“The past 16 months have presented our community with a tremendous set of interrelated challenges,” said Acooa Ellis, Senior Vice President of Community Impact at Greater Twin Cities United Way. “A global pandemic, subsequent economic uncertainty and civil unrest in the face of appalling tragedies snatched us out of our respective bubbles toward a greater shared understanding of racial disparities in life outcomes as the result of prolonged and systemic exclusion from opportunity. We work deliberately to disrupt inequity in partnership with the community.”

“The crises of 2020 compounded the challenges that vulnerable communities already had been experiencing. With students struggling to adapt to distance and hybrid learning, parents scrambling to find child care, neighbors losing their jobs and experiencing economic uncertainty, affording basic needs became even more difficult for many in 2020,” said John Wilgers, President and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way. “While we have a long way to go to achieve racial justice, 2020 marked a transformative year. Changemakers across the region worked together to provide emergency support and stability for over 500,000 people and for the nonprofit sector, exemplifying outstanding agility and innovation.”

2020 Financials

United Way’s 2020 results announcement coincides with the release of its IRS 990 financial report, which showed $57.7 million in revenue in 2020. “In addition to the funding reflected in the 990 report, we also secured planned gifts, government contracts related to housing stability and suicide prevention – which will be recognized in future years – and in-kind gifts of products and services, bringing our 2020 fundraising results to $60.1 million,” said Wilgers.

More Details on United Way’s 2020 Results

• COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund:
  • The first grant round addressed emergency housing and child care assistance.
  • The second grant round addressed early childhood education needs as well as support for people impacted by layoffs in hospitality and support for nonprofits including those led by and serving Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and People of Color.
  • The third grant round addressed food, housing, medical safety equipment and child care needs as well as financial assistance for nonprofit operations and employee support.
  • The fourth grant round addressed student learning needs in St. Paul’s North End and Phillips/ Ventura Village neighborhoods in Minneapolis, and long-term stability needs of nonprofit partners.
• Nourishing Resilient Community Food Systems Fund: Building on the success of its Full Lives program, United Way awarded grants to organizations in Northeast Minneapolis to continue their impactful work in food innovation such as urban gardening, community supported agriculture programs and more.
• Suicide Prevention Lifeline: The Minnesota Department of Health partnered with United Way to offer suicide prevention support and mental health crisis intervention. When Minnesotans call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, caring specialists from Greater Twin Cities United Way’s Suicide Prevention Lifeline answer, listen and provide guidance, support and resources.
• Justice for All: United Way announced its long-term “Justice for All” collaboration with the Minneapolis Foundation and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, with the goal of transforming the criminal justice system.

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About Greater Twin Cities United Way: Greater Twin Cities United Way unites changemakers, advocates for social good and develops solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive, regardless of income, race or place. The organization serves the community through five key offerings: its 211 resource helpline, innovation initiatives, nonprofit partnerships, advocacy work with legislators, and business and individual donor partnerships. For more information, visit www.gtcuw.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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