United Way mobilizes communities to action so all can thrive.
For more than 100 years, United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes has partnered with our local communities to co-create solutions to people’s most pressing challenges. Through natural disasters, economic challenges, and unrest, your United Way has been there, listening and responding to local needs.
United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes connects more than 30,000 donors, 14,000 volunteers, 500 workplace and corporate partners, and over a thousand nonprofit partners across our six-county, 5,144 square miles, region to work towards a future where every person in every community can reach their full potential.
Our Mission: Mobilize the goodwill and resources of our community so that all can thrive
Our Vision: All have access to support and opportunities to thrive.
Our Why: 1 in 3 of our neighbors are living with financial hardship and cannot make ends meet
OUR IMPACT
We believe in thriving communities.
Working together with our neighbors, we are strengthening local resilience and advancing health, youth opportunity, and financial security for all.
We...
- Inspire collective giving
- Invest in programs and efforts to achieve impact
- Connect individuals to ways to engage, access help, and make a meaningful difference in their community
- Convene partners to learn, align, and amplify impact
- Advocate for our nonprofit sector and our community challenges.
Learn more about how we are addressing our communities’ needs
OUR FUNDING IMPACT STRATEGY
We support nonprofits by providing operational and program support, data-driven expertise, and raising money on their behalf by maximizing the power of collective community giving. We have fulfilled this role for over a century by adapting to changing economic conditions and community needs. Our focus is to ensure our grants and resources reach organizations doing critical, impactful work in our region.
In August, we announced a new impact funding model that combines our traditional multi-year grants with a rigorous process to maximize our impact and our ability to meet the evolving needs of our region.
This impact model includes:
- Multi-year program grants: These grants were awarded to 97 programs representing 89 nonprofit organizations. They are the first available funding opportunity in United Way’s 2025 funding and resource allocation strategy. Two, three, and five-year program grants were awarded. Funding distribution begins in January 2025.
- Of note, United Way’s 2020-2024 Community Impact Fund partners that applied for 2025 multi-year grants and received less funding will now receive 75% of their current funding in 2025 and 50% in 2026 through our Bridge Support.
- One-year grants: Donations to the United Way during the 2024 fall community campaign will be returned to the community in the form of one-year grants to support a variety of high-impact initiatives. These will be open to all qualifying nonprofits, including our long-term multi-year partners.
Please visit our Resources for Nonprofits if you have any questions about funding opportunities.