United Way of Central Florida Inc
Programs
Community Investment and Support Initiatives
COMMUNITY IMPACT: UWCF's premiere Community Investment Process mobilizes more than 130 volunteers on 15 teams around their focus areas of EDUCATION, INCOME, HEALTH and SAFETY NET. These volunteers visit program sites, review previous investments, program goals and outcomes, and make recommendations about the most effective way to meet critical community needs. EDUCATION: The Early Literacy Initiative helps at-risk children develop the language skills they need to succeed in school. Given the right start, children learn to read, succeed academically and are more likely to graduate from high school. Academic Achievement Initiative helps children in grades K-12 pass achievement tests at grade level and graduate on time. FINANCIAL STABILITY/INCOME: The Financial Stability initiative helps families improve financial stability with GED and job training, credit and budgeting classes, money coaches, financial education and savings match programs. Improved credit scores, increases in emergency savings accounts, increases in job related credentials and/or increases in family income measure success. HEALTH: The Health Initiative helps people of all ages to improve or maintain good health. United Way improves access and utilization of health services and increases knowledge and personal responsibility about health issues that lead to improved blood pressure, weight control and other specific health indicators. United Way also works to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and incarcerations with prevention services and treatment for those with addiction. SAFETY NET: The Safety Net Initiative provides relatively short-term, crisis intervention services that vary widely, but meet one or more of the following: 1) Must verify that the service helped to stabilize a crisis, 2) Must refer clients to sources of on-going support (counseling, health clinic etc.) as needed, 3) Must verify quality of services using approved indicators selected by experts on a Safety Net Steering Team, 4) Crisis includes but is not limited to: health emergency, domestic violence, rape, child abuse, fire, teenaged runaways, hospice care, hunger & homelessness. END HUNGER INITIATIVE: The End Hunger Initiative helps to eliminate hunger and food insecurity by increasing the access to food and helps families to find financial stability. In 2020-23 our food distributions were able to provide food to over 950,000 visitors in Polk, Highlands, and Hardee Counties. In the first three years of this initiative, over 6,000,000 meals were provided to communities in need. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP SCHOOL INITIATIVE: The Community Partnership School Initiative helps to provide a full-service health clinic, financial education and academic support for Polk's first Community Partnership School. In 2020, Crystal Lake Elementary, A Community Partnership School began operations under guidance from the University of Central Florida. Five core partners of this project are Southeastern University, Heartland for Children, Central Florida Health Care, Polk County Public Schools, and United Way of Central Florida. Crystal Lake Elementary, A Community Partnership School received statewide certification from the UCF Center for Community Partnership Schools in 2023.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJul 1, 2022 – Jun 30, 2023Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$7.5MCommunity Wellness Initiative
Health Initiative: The UWCF Community Wellness initiative is a $6,000,000 grant in collaboration with the Polk County Indigent Health Care Department. Polk County is on an October1-September 30 fiscal year. During the 2022-23 Polk County fiscal year the grant provided a $300,000 administrative fee to UWCF, up to $500,000 to fund a team of UWCF Community Wellness Navigators, and $5,200,000 to fund behavioral/mental health and prevention/early intervention programs through an open Request for Proposals (RFP) to 501(c)(3) organizations. The navigator program's main purpose is to assist in connecting eligible Polk County residents with the Polk HealthCare Plan and additional community resources.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJul 1, 2022 – Jun 30, 2023Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$2MDisaster Relief and Recovery Support
Disaster Relief: Provides immediate assistance and long-term recovery support in the event our community needs urgent disaster relief. UWCF develops partnerships to address the many challenges and/or emergencies that our community faces. UWCF meets with partners to coordinate the efforts of government, businesses, non-profit and faith-based organizations involved in disaster response. UWCF continues to respond to disasters through food security efforts and other assistance. With the support of local partnerships, UWCF was able to provide the following support: -The United Community Relief Fund was formed in partnership with GiveWell Community Foundation in 2020 to provide COVID-19 pandemic response. In the wake of Hurricane Ian in 2022, over $259,600 was distributed to nonprofits and their clients suffering direct losses as a result of the storm. -Publix Super Markets Emergency Relief provided $120,288 to support individuals who have experienced hardships due to various emergencies where other assistance is unavailable. This fund also provided $469,604 in Hurricane Ian relief both locally and to areas hardest hit in Southwest Florida. -2-1-1 referrals have remained high due to increasing needs faced by citizens of Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties: including the housing crisis, inflation of all goods, supply chain woes, fuel prices, childcare crisis, and staffing shortages.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJul 1, 2022 – Jun 30, 2023Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$1.4M
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