United Way Awards $1.9M to Agencies, Programs
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Funds totaling just over $1.9 million were awarded to area human services organizations and initiatives by the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. The United Way’s board of directors approved the funding at its May 14 meeting.
United Way-led initiatives, such as its Success by 6 program, which received $231,500, were awarded $363,569, while other public service organizations received $1.4 million. Also, $142,047 in donor choice funds were awarded.
"We are extremely pleased with the work that our education, income and health committees have done to complete our move to the impact model of funding,” said Laura Lyden, community impact chairwoman and a board member. "Our committee members donated hundreds of volunteer hours reviewing and ranking the proposals. We feel confident that our donor’s dollars are being directed to initiatives that will truly make a difference in our community.
Volunteers from Mahoning County made up the three impact panels. Seven experts in the field of education, four in the field of income and five in the field of health spent more than 300 hours combined, evaluating proposals from numerous agencies. Panel members stressed they strictly adhered to the guidelines set forth by the United Way and were consistent when ranking the proposals.
"These were some of the strongest impact panels that United Way has ever had during our allocation period," said Bob Hannon, president of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, "The volunteers, who are extremely knowledgeable and well respected in their fields, embraced our impact model. They were very diligent when determining how to distribute the donors' money, and we are grateful for their time."
Funding awards to community organizations ranged from $3,240 to the Jewish Community Center to $194,600 to Compass Community and Family Services. Among other agencies receiving funding were the YMCA of Youngstown, $162, 680; YWCA of Youngstown, $130,186; and Neil Kennedy Recovery clinic, $99,604. The three agencies were among several organizations that received more money this cycle than in 2012-2013, because the panels said their programs proved to have measurable results.
"As our impact panels reviewed the proposals, they discovered several agencies went above and beyond and truly fit in with our impact funding model," said Laura Lyden, "These organizations proved that their programs focus on target populations, and provide positive results that change the lives of Valley residents for the better."
More United Way-led initiatives received financial support during this funding cycle as the agency shifts to the impact model of funding, which focuses on measurable results.
Under the Success By 6 and Success After 6 initiatives totaling $324,564, the United Way will fund the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which provides books to children from birth to age 5, and Young Women's Mentorship program, which pairs middle-school girls with mentors provides supplemental educational experiences that will inspire young women to succeed in a global economy, develop self-confidence, and become future leaders. Both programs launched earlier this spring.
Among the other agencies to receive funding is the Financial Stability Partnership, which will continue to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites. In partnership with many other agencies and the American Association of Retired Persons, more than 3,500 people had their taxes prepared for free by an Internal Revenue Service-certified volunteer in the 2013 filing season resulting in refunds of more than $3.2 million with no cost to the filers.
Another initiative receiving funding is the Mahoning Adult Protective Network. MAPN is a collaborative effort of more than one dozen area agencies that serve the Mahoning Valley's high-risk older adults.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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