(Portland, ME) United Way of Greater Portland (UWGP) announced its Fiscal Year 2021 community investments of $7,097,671.

UWGP has awarded $3,940,854 in strategic investment grants to 61 community programs at 45 local nonprofits, including 7 new programs and $253,000 of member directed investments through United Way’s giving circles, Brick & Beam Society and Women United.

These grants reflect strategic investments in our community’s shared vision, Thrive2027, three 10-year goals for a measurably better Greater Portland:

• Give kids a strong foundation and help them rebound from challenges in life, setting them on a course to reach their potential;
• Ensure our neighbors can rebuild with opportunities to access to safe and affordable housing, jobs and careers with economic mobility so that they thrive; 
• Help people live longer, better through integrated pathways to mental health supports and recovery from substance use

Liz Cotter Schlax, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Portland, said this work is more important than ever due to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 and the disparities in education, financial well-being, and health in our community. “The past few months have tested all of us, bringing awareness and greater urgency to deep, historic inequities and worsening challenges for people who previously were able to get by week-to-week. It is clear our community needs us now, perhaps more than ever.”

United Way of Greater Portland also will invest an additional $2,445,850 into the community through donor-directed contributions, Thrive2027 adverse childhood experience training, support for policy work, community and volunteer engagement, evaluation and measurement, and programmatic leadership for Thrive2027.

These grants, made possible by thousands of generous donors, will fund holistic solutions and innovative ideas to strengthen the areas of education, financial stability, and health.

“As a member of this community, I am particularly inspired by the many ways in which United Way of Greater Portland is helping to build a more inclusive and sustainable future,” said Sheryl McQuade, Regional President, Northern New England, TD Bank. “TD is proud to play an active role in supporting these investments to provide opportunities for all Greater Portland residents.”

United Way of Greater Portland has a long history of convening non-profit, business, and government partners and generating resources to tackle immediate crises and critical long-term issues.

Since March, UWGP has raised a total of $710,967 for the Greater Portland COVID-19 Community Relief Fund, and invested those funds through three rounds of grants ranging from $1,200 to $25,000 to 51 organizations across the Greater Portland region.

“Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic has created community challenges unique in our lifetimes,” said Diane Garofalo, Chair of United Way of Greater Portland’s Community Impact Steering Committee. “Still, I can say confidently that our United Way was built for this — for moments like these which require unlikely partnerships, new solutions to old problems, and the mobilization of community resources to meet the extraordinary need of our communities.”  

Cotter Schlax shared that while a substantial portion of strategic investments and COVID-19 funds support programming and services for people of color, UWGP will provide additional solutions to ensure a stronger, more equitable community. “As part of our on-going equity work and to help our community thrive, we are working with partners to meaningfully address racial disparities and increase capacity for organizations led by and serving people of color. We will have more to share soon.”

United Way encourages everyone to be part of the change. To give, volunteer, advocate, or learn more, visit UnitedWayGP.org.

Download Investment Portfolio

UWGP FISCAL YEAR 2021 INVESTMENTS (ALPHA ORDER BY ORGANIZATION):

Organization	Program	Amount	Thrive2027 Goal Area
211 Maine	Maine’s health and human services information and referral system	$143,300	2
A Company of Girls	Arts-Based Resiliency, Mentorship, and Empowerment Supports for Girls	$29,700	2
Adopt-a-School*	Corporate partners supporting local schools	$45,000	1
Amistad, Inc.	Unsheltered Outreach Project	$50,000	3
Avesta Housing	Homeless to Housing	$45,000	2
Avesta Housing	HomeOwnership Center	$35,000	2
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine	On-Track Initiative	$240,000	1&2
Brick and Beam Society*	Investments in STEM and literacy programs	$92,000	1
CA$H Greater Portland Coalition*	CA$H (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) Greater Portland Coalition, helping to build long-term financial stability	$40,200	2
Catherine Morrill Day Nursery	Quality Early Learning Program	$70,009	1
Catholic Charities Maine	Refugee and Immigration Services: Immigration Legal Services	$59,861	2
Catholic Charities Maine	St. Elizabeth’s Child Development Center	$37,674	1
Count ME In	School Attendance	$14,000	1
Day One	Adolescent and Family Community Treatment Services	$62,489	3
Day One	Adolescent Residential Treatment Services	$26,936	3
Day One	Street Program	$96,231	3
Frannie Peabody Center	Client Services	$28,454	3
Freeport Community Services	Youth/ Family Food Programs	$8,190	1
Goodwill Industries of Northern New England	Job Connection Greater Portland	$69,500	2
Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP)	Strengthening Immigration Legal Services in Greater Portland	$50,000	2
LearningWorks	LearningWorks Afterschool (LWAS)	$10,000	1
LearningWorks	Youth Building Alternatives (YBA)	$10,000	2
Legal Services for the Elderly	Cumberland County Senior Legal Helpline	$15,540	2
Legal Services for the Elderly	Elder Abuse Law Project	$20,000	2
Locker Project	Food for Children in Preschool to Grade 3 and Their Families	$20,000	1
Maine Behavioral Healthcare	Outpatient Services	$189,675	3
MaineHealth	Project BRACEs; Building Resilience for Adverse Childhood Experiences	$50,000	3
MaineHealth	The Children’s Initiative Early Childhood Education Collaborative	$95,000	1
Mayo Street Arts	Programs for Community and Youth	$40,000	1
Milestone Recovery	Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) Team	$70,000	3
Morrison Center	Preschool	$45,000	1
My Place Teen Center	Youth Leadership Academy	$55,000	2
Northeast Hearing and Speech	Speech and Hearing Services Birth to 8	$86,000	1
Pine Tree Legal Assistance	Safe and Stable Families Thrive	$80,912	3
Portland Community Health Center DBA Greater Portland Health	Behavioral and Mental Health Services in School Based Health Centers	$25,000	3
Portland Community Squash	Rally Portland	$15,000	2
Portland ConnectED – Starting Strong	Parent Engagement: Talking is Teaching and Parent Council	$15,000	1
Portland Housing Authority	EmPOWERme	$90,642	2
Portland Public Schools/ Portland Adult Education	High School Credentials and Post-Secondary Matriculation	$115,000	2
Portland Public Schools/ Portland Adult Education	Street Academy	$50,000	2
Portland Recovery Community Center	Recovery Coaching for Individuals in High Risk Transitions	$33,358	3
Preble Street	Critical Needs Programs	$289,719	2
Preble Street	Health Services	$35,000	3
Regional Transportation Program	Transportation for seniors	$34,431	2
Spurwink Services Incorporated	Project NOW: Ending Youth Exploitation	$30,000	3
Spurwink Services Incorporated	Adult Behavioral Health	$42,582	3
The Center for Grieving Children	Bereavement Support	$28,887	3
The Opportunity Alliance	CDA Development Center	$10,500	1
The Opportunity Alliance	Early Childhood Initiative	$150,000	1
The Opportunity Alliance	Family Crisis Response Navigator	$75,000	3
The Opportunity Alliance	Foster Grandparent Program	$15,615	1
The Opportunity Alliance	Maine Families	$33,000	1
The Opportunity Alliance	Senior Companion Program	$18,810	2
The Opportunity Alliance	Westbrook Children’s Project	$50,000	1
Through These Doors	Advocacy and Victim Services for Victims of Abuse	$26,040	3
Through These Doors	Emergency Shelter for Victims of Abuse	$33,195	2
Tri-County Mental Health Services	In-home follow-up for opioid overdose	$50,000	3
Greater Portland Workforce Initiative (GPWI)	Greater Portland Workforce Initiative (GPWI)	$93,005	2
Women United*	Two-generation, whole family programs for single mothers and their children	$161,000	2
Youth and Family Outreach	Early Care and Education program	$42,000	1

*Programs or initiatives led by United Way of Greater Portland.

About United Way of Greater Portland: For over 90 years, United Way of Greater Portland’s mission has been to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community.  Today, UWGP unites individuals and organizations around our community’s shared vision, Thrive2027, three 10-year goals to improve education, financial stability, and health for every person in Greater Portland. With community partners, UWGP builds on strategies that are known to achieve the best results, and rigorously evaluates progress toward those goals. Everyone has a role to play in the recovery, rebuilding, and reimagining of a thriving community; UWGP actively seeks to engage donors, advocates, and volunteers to create measurable, long-lasting community change. Learn more at unitedwaygp.org