As part of our 2020 priorities, United Way scheduled listening sessions with nonprofit thought leaders for early March. When the pandemic struck, we quickly reframed those meetings to be virtual and help guide our COVID-19 response.
Many of our nonprofit partners lost revenue due to canceled spring events and other fundraising activities. At the same time, they were experiencing increasing demands for services related to: housing, meals, access to childcare, lost wages, the health and safety of individuals experiencing homelessness, lack of technology and internet so children can continue to learn, as well as the need for basic supplies such as diapers and cleaning products.
In collaboration with our nonprofit partners, Board of Directors, and donors, United Way quickly created the United for the Valley COVID-19 Response Fund and seeded it with $200,000 to support partners’ growing list of critical needs. This fund was launched in collaboration with the Arizona Community Foundation and its statewide fund to ensure effective and efficient fundraising and grant distribution in Maricopa County.
In less than one week, businesses, individuals and foundations donated more than $1 million, and a week later, United Way began accepting grant applications. To date, nearly $3.1 million has been granted to 88 United Way nonprofit partners, serving more than 1.1 million individuals across the Valley.
“We are grateful that United Way has brought us all together to truly understand what we are facing as a community of nonprofits. This is the best way for us all to move forward, together, to fill immediate needs and eliminate the duplication of precious resources.” – Mike Hughes, CEO, A New Leaf
United for the Valley COVID-19 Response Fund Recipients
1. A New Leaf, Inc.
2. ACCEL
3. Alhambra Elementary School District
4. Arizona Advocates for Ex-Offenders
5. Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence
6. Arizona Center for Disability Law
7. Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
8. Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence
9. Arizona Housing, Inc.
10. Arizona Kids Think Too
11. Arizona Latino Leaders In Education
12. Arizona Learning Institute
13. Arizona Students Recycling Used Technology
14. Arizona YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix
15. Arouet Foundation
16. Association for Supportive Child Care
17. Aster Aging, Inc
18. Avondale Elementary School District
19. AZCEND
20. Banner Olive Branch Senior Center
21. Be a Leader Foundation
22. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona
23. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale
24. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley
25. Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona
26. Buckeye Elementary School District
27. Cartwright Elementary School District
28. Catholic Charities Community Services, Inc.
29. Central Arizona Shelter Services
30. Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.
31. Child Crisis Arizona
32. College Bound AZ
33. Desert Mission
34. Dysart Community Center
35. Esperanca, Inc.
36. Father Matters
37. Florence Crittenton Services of Arizona
38. Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona
39. Friendly House
40. Friends of the Avondale Libraries
41. Future for Kids
42. Future Stars, Inc.
43. Girl Scouts – Arizona Cactus-Pine Council
44. Homeless Youth Connection Inc
45. Homeward Bound
46. Human Service Campus
47. ICAN
48. International Rescue Committee
49. Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates
50. Jumpstart
51. Laptops 4 Learning
52. Laveen School District
53. Lights Camera Discover
54. Littleton Elementary School District
55. Local First Arizona Foundation
56. Murphy Elementary School District #21
57. Native American Connections
58. Neighborhood Ministries Inc
59. New Pathways for Youth, Inc.
60. Opportunities for Youth
61. Pendergast Elementary Community Foundation
62. Phoenix Indian Center
63. Phoenix Public Library Foundation
64. Phoenix ToolBank
65. Read Better Be Better
66. Save the Family Foundation of AZ
67. School Connect
68. Sounds Academy
69. Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center
70. Southwest Human Development
71. St. Joseph the Worker
72. Stand for Children Arizona
73. Tempe Community Action Agency
74. Tempe Elementary School District
75. The Migrant Institute of Language and Computer Literacy
76. The Salvation Army
77. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
78. Tolleson Elementary School District
79. UMOM New Day Centers, Inc.
80. Union Elementary School District
81. United Food Bank
82. Unlimited Potential
83. UPWARD for Children and Families
84. Valley of the Sun YMCA
85. Waste Not, Inc.
86. Wesley Community Center
87. Wilson School District
88. World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task Force dba WHEAT
COVID-19 Recovery and Rebuilding: We Need Your Continued Support
Similar to a natural disaster, we are experiencing the pandemic in phases: Response, the immediate action needed during the crisis; Recovery, the steps needed to safely help businesses reopen, help people get back to work and allow children to go back to school; and Rebuilding, the vision and tools necessary to create a new normal that utilizes what was learned during the crisis and will benefit our community moving forward.
This is an unprecedented time for us and for every community across the globe. It’s going to take every one of us, pulling together, to help those around us now, and likely long into the future. United Way’s promise is that we’ll continue seeking input to focus where we’re needed most to provide relief, support the Valley’s recovery and rebuild lives when it’s time to move beyond the pandemic.
Please continue to provide relief, and when the time comes, support local nonprofits and schools through recovery and rebuilding. Donate to the COVID-19 Relief & Rebuilding Fund at www.vsuw.org/activate.
