Salina Area United Way Announces 2018-2019 Grants

Over a half a million dollars over a two-year period to advance community goals in the areas of health, education and financial stability will begin January 2018.

“Funding from the Salina Area United Way is awarded through an open, competitive grant process. Under the two-year grant cycle, through collaboration, programs will be strengthening our community,” said Brenda Gutierrez, Salina Area United Way Program Director.

In order to ensure that donor dollars are invested where they will have the greatest community impact, grants are awarded on how well programs fit within community and organization goals. The Salina Area United Way mission is to Strengthen Our Community. The community goals are:

Health: Increase the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoiding risky behavior
Education: Raise the graduation rate
Financial Stability: Reduce the number of families who are financially unstable

The community impact of programs will be made possible through the continuation of collaborators and newly formed collaborations. They include K-12 Schools, post-secondary institutions, government entities, not-for-profits, private businesses, foundations, faith-based, and civic organizations.

Grant awards are based on an analysis of how well programs match United Way’s Community Goals, the ability to meet community needs, organization budget, financial accountability, and plans for service and management. Over 55 community volunteers reviewed six applications. The total amount of requests was over $890,000. All funding recommendations were reviewed and approved by the Salina Area United Way Board of Directors.

Thanks to the generosity of our community and the hard work of our volunteer grant reviewers, funding is awarded to five collaborative programs:

Homeless Health Initiative (Fiscal Agent: Ashby House)
Partners In Early Childhood Education (Fiscal Agent: Child Advocacy & Parenting Services)
Circles of the Heartland (Fiscal Agent: Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Inc.)
Hispanic Youth Mentoring (Fiscal Agent: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salina)
Good Beginnings Early Education Collaborative (Fiscal Agent: Salina Child Care Association)