United Way of the National Capital Area
Live United
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
For almost 50 years, United Way of the National Capital Area has worked to change the lives of people and families in the Washington Metropolitan Area. We mobilize all sectors of the community to work together with one goal: helping youth and families thrive by reducing disparities and increasing equity. We address our communities’ needs by focusing on three key pillars of impact: health, education, and economic opportunity. By investing in the most effective services, we’re tackling the area’s most complex social challenges every day. As a leading regional community convener, we are skilled in breaking down silos and building cross-sector partnerships in our region. To best serve the community’s needs, we lead public and private service providers in building an integrated system of inclusive prosperity. With our Community Impact programs, we work with government, educational, and community institutions across the region to deliver services and advocate for economic equity for all.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Financial Empowerment Centers
United Way of the National Capital Area's Financial Empowerment Centers provide services to help individuals and families advance on a path toward financial stability. These centers help lift up individuals and families with services that range from money management counseling, credit and housing counseling, asset-building resources and access to free or low-cost banking products.
Community Schools
United Way NCA collaborates with best-in-class nonprofit organizations to convene partners and services within local middle schools to address the academic and non-academic needs of students and families facing economic hardship. In aligning with the Community School model, the integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier across the Greater Washington DC area.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of basic needs provided to low-income students and families
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Distributed 4,500 food, hygiene, and warm clothing kits through PHC (now Project Community Connect) to neighbors, who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Number of individuals with improved financial stability (and financial confidence)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people, Veterans
Related Program
Financial Empowerment Centers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
12,559 residents received financial coaching, budget counseling, and free tax services through FEC programs & VITA Services to help improve credit and savings. Nearly $1.4M in savings.
Number of schools financed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Community Schools
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through United Way NCA's fundraising campaigns, we have provided more than $1,113,250 to benefit our Education programs in the past 3 years.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Community Schools
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Supported 4,956 low-income middle school students in performing at or above grade level and successfully transitioning to high school through our Title I community schools across the region.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Six years ago, United Way NCA launched its first Community Commitment to tackle complex, interconnected issues like poor health, school graduation, and poverty. This strategic initiative included three goals: (1) Help children and adults in our community thrive through an integrated approach to health and wellness that fights childhood obesity and creates good habits for life. (2) Prepare 12,000 low-income middle school students to transition to high school, perform at grade level, and stay on track to succeed. (3) Help 100,000 area residents achieve financial stability and remove barriers to stable and affordable housing.
Looking forward, United Way NCA continues its community commitment centered around its three program pillars: health, education, and economic opportunity. Our health-specific programs will decrease disparities in the community by removing systemic barriers to food security, promoting healthy physical exercise and choices for students and families, as well as providing mental health support to decrease stigma in the community. We will focus on Title I middle schools across the region in Education, including the Community Schools model and evidence-based programming to support students along the middle to high school pipeline with the goal of decreasing disparities and closing gaps in the high school graduation rates, postsecondary enrollment, and employment. To further economic opportunities across United Way NCA's communities, our goal is to expand and deepen access to financial coaching, wealth building, workforce development and tax-time services to close the gaps in financial instability and promote economic equity across the National Capital Region.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
United Way NCA addresses the needs of our community through three pillars of impact: health, education, and economic opportunity. Our programs are focused on serving the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population -- households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county/state.
Our health and wellness program, Healthy Mind/Healthy Body, focuses on addressing food access and insecurity, and increasing physical activity for students and their families. We are also addressing critical mental health issues in the community through our Mental Health First Aid program and telehealth program that provides community members with access to professional therapists using remote technology, at no cost.
In education, United Way NCA has operated a regional community schools initiative since 2015, supporting students at Title 1 middle schools to successfully transition to high school. United Way NCA is expanding this initiative to support students who have gotten behind academically due to school shutdowns, while providing wraparound services that address broader challenges students are facing due to COVID-19, including family economic instability. The approach includes two strategies: expanding our work to feeder high schools associated with our middle schools to ensure student success in the long-term, and including evidence-based programs that mitigate risk factors and enhance protective factors in the journey from middle school to high school graduation.
To improve economic opportunity, United Way NCA operates the region’s first set of one-stop Financial Empowerment Centers, which offer working families high-quality financial capability services, such as personalized financial coaching and housing counseling, in a professional setting at no cost. In response to COVID-19, we have expanded this work to include a deeper focus on workforce development, supporting those who have lost wages due to COVID-19 in accessing benefits intended to get them through this period, and supporting them in their return to work.
As our region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, United Way NCA has redoubled its efforts to meet the educational, economic, and health and wellbeing needs of thousands of youths and adults across our region, with a focus on addressing systemic inequities. Through strong governance, experienced leadership, and prudent fiscal management, United Way NCA delivers on the promised programmatic outcomes associated with its annual commitment to the community and funds the organization’s emergency response and recovery efforts associated with the financial, educational and health-related devastation caused by the pandemic and experienced by those individuals and families most vulnerable and least capable of absorbing the pandemic’s negative impact. This allows us to pursue our mission and improve the quality of life for individuals and families across the National Capital Area.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Historically, United Way NCA has followed the traditional United Way model of serving as a community fundraiser and allocator of resources to the nonprofit community. Since 2014, United Way NCA has moved in a bold new direction and joined other United Ways across the international network in assuming the current business model of operating as a community impact organization. This transformative approach allows United Way NCA to target its resources and leverage its convening power to solve a focused set of critical challenges facing the community. United Way NCA utilizes its expertise in convening, catalyzing and collaborating to drive forward this critical work in service to its communities. We are proud to leverage our network of over 500 nonprofit members, our corporate partnerships, and the power of our brand to achieve our community commitment.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since we launched our first Community Commitment in 2015, United Way NCA has achieved solid outputs:
● Surpassed our goal of supporting 12,000 (total of 14,547 or + 20% over goal) low-income middle school students in performing at or above grade level and successfully transitioning to high school through our 13 Title I community schools across the region.
● 102,419 area residents received free financial and tax services, elevating their financial circumstances so they have a real chance to be firmly rooted in the middle class.
● Put nearly $103.5M back in the pockets of working families’ tax refunds by offering no-cost tax preparation and access to the Earned Income Tax Credit.
● Convened over 1,800 volunteers and 230 providers to bring over 2,030 of our neighbors, who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness, much-needed resources like employment information, access to vital records, housing information, and dental and medical services, through Project Homeless Connect (now Project Community Connect).
● Provided 4.26 million meals to food-insecure students and families.
● Helped save residents nearly $15M in prescription costs through our SingleCare program.
In response to the impact of COVID-19, United Way NCA reactivated its Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF) to promote the health, education, and financial stability of our community, especially those residents who have been impacted by restrictions and closures of schools, business, and community institutions. As we forged together to stop the spread of COVID-19, United Way NCA raised more than $2 million to support the immediate and longer-term community needs related to the pandemic. Support from the fund provided:
• 437,423 meals and groceries delivered
• 77,766 individuals served
• 30,000 masks were delivered to 27 organizations
• 30,021 families received food and basic services
• 8,459 healthy and nutritious meals were delivered to frontline healthcare workers at 20 hospitals across the region
• 1,696 individuals received medical or health assistance
• 1,000 hygiene kits were provided to those most in need
• 729 individuals received educational assistance or financial aid
• 635 meals were delivered to seniors
• 622 individuals from low-income communities received housing and utility assistance
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
United Way of the National Capital Area
Board of directorsas of 02/07/2024
Mr. Gary Tabach
Managing Partner for Deloitte LLP, Greater Washington Practice
Term: 2015 -
Ken Samet, FACHE
President & CEO; MedStar Health
Gary Tabach
Managing Partner, Deloitte LLP, Greater Washington Practice
Kevin Virostek
Managing Partner, Ernst & Young, Greater Washington Area
Steve Proctor
President & CEO, G.S. Proctor & Associates
Angela Franco
President & CEO, DC Chamber of Commerce
David Velazquez
President & CEO, Pepco Holdings, Inc
Tamika Tremaglio
Managing Principal, Greater Washington, Deloitte Touche
Rachel Kronowitz
Founder and Senior Partner, Gilbert LLP
James W. Cornelsen
Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Region, WesBanco Bank
Evelyn Lee
President Greater Washington Region, Truist Financial Corporation
Evan Kraus
President & Managing Director of Operations, APCO
Martin Rodgers
Sr. Managing Director-US Southeast and Metro WA DC, Accenture
Wendy Morton-Huddleston
Principal, Grant Thornton LLP
Michelle Rice
President, TV ONE and CLEO TV
Staci Pies
Vice President of Gov. & Regulatory Affairs, Crown Castle
Richard K. Bynum
Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, PNC Bank
Elliot Ferguson
President & CEO, Destination DC
Richard Dyer
Sr. Vice President TEGNA, Inc.
Terri McClements
Marketing Managing Partner, PWC
Joshua Etemadi
Owner, District Bonding LLC
Tracy Kenny
Partner-in-Charge (Audit Chesapeake Business Unit), KPMG LLP
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/03/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.