United Way of Greater Portland’s (UWGP) Fiscal Year 2022 Community Investment application opened January 8, 2021, and will close February 26, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Currently funded applicants and new applicants proposing work that targets specific Thrive2027 strategies and serves the Greater Portland region, are encouraged to visit www.unitedwaygp.org/applicant/ for eligibility and details.
United Way’s investment application is a competitive process in which nonprofits and collaborative partners bring forward their best work connected to strategies that will have the greatest impact on the three Thrive2027 Goals:
- Every child has quality early learning experiences beginning at birth so that they are reading at grade level by the end of third grade;
- people have education and employment opportunities so that they can afford to live and work in Cumberland County; and
- individuals and communities have the resources and access to services to achieve optimal health status.
Investments in community partners are made based on expert advice and under the direction of local volunteers in the areas of education, financial stability, and health in Greater Portland. Volunteers include community leaders and representatives of key corporate partners. Last year, more than 40 volunteers, with the support of UWGP staff, devoted more than hundreds of hours determining which programs and collaborative efforts best supported the strategies to achieve Thrive2027 Goals.
United Way investments in 2022 will prioritize programs that demonstrate a commitment to impact the Thrive2027 Goals by identifying the specific contribution, effort, or action they will make, including: (1) data-driven activities and evidence-based best practices or promising practices that are based on research; (2) articulation of the way(s) in which collaboration is included in program creation, implementation, and/or evaluation; and (3) measurable impact on Thrive2027 Goals Framework strategies as demonstrated through outcome measures. To meet our Thrive2027 goals we must also address the impact of COVID-19 on our community and advance racial equity.
In 2016, our community came together because, despite our best efforts, improvements were not happening quickly enough or reaching as deeply or as widely as we needed. Too many in Greater Portland were struggling. It was clear that we needed more people from all sectors at the table collaborating on a large scale to build a thriving community for us all.
Leading this effort is the Thrive2027 Council and Goals Cabinets, comprised of volunteer subject matter experts representing multiple sectors of Cumberland County. The result from community input, research, and best practices was Thrive2027, an initiative to achieve the three goals. United Way of Greater Portland serves as the backbone to Thrive2027, providing logistical support, volunteer support, and data to inform Thrive2027 strategies.
To learn more about the FY2022 investment application eligibility and details, visit www.unitedwaygp.org/applicant/.
To give, volunteer, advocate, or learn more, visit www.unitedwaygp.org.
