Our Work

Moving Families Forward

Our Approach

We know that tackling the symptoms of poverty one by one will never be enough. We know one program or expert can never do the job alone. Only by working together can we attack the problem at its source.

The key word here is together. And together is what United Way of the Bay Area is all about.

For 80 years, we’ve worked with hundreds of poverty-fighting organizations in the Bay Area. Last year alone, United Way invested more than $14.8 million in the Bay Area nonprofit programs that are building pathways out of poverty.

We’ve seen what works, what doesn’t work and what works exceptionally well. We believe each of the Bay Area’s poverty-fighting experts holds a piece of the puzzle.

To get the job done, we’re combining forces with non-profits, grassroots activists, individual donors, corporations, labor — everyone who believes, as we do, that we must take action to end poverty in the Bay Area.

Our Strategies

Survival: Ensuring that families have what they need to meet basic needs
For many Bay Area families tier lives boil down to choices: Getting new glasses or buying groceries. Purchasing school supplies or putting gas in the car. Paying the doctor or paying for daycare. No one should have to make those choices. When individuals and their families are healthy and have easy access to multiple resources, they can recover from crisis that disrupt their daily life. That is why United Way’s 2-1-1 connects people to the help they need.

Stability: Creating opportunities for working families to build financial stability
Financial stability for working families includes building income, enhancing credit and developing assets. We support programs that assist low-wage workers in moving up the career ladder; help people open bank accounts and learn to manage budgets; teach them about financial health for every stage of life; and develop assets for the future. As part of this effort we’ve launched our SparkPoint Centers.

Success: Investing in education to empower the next generation for success
Children are our future. Unfortunately, 1 in 5 California high school students drops out of school. United Way helps children succeed in school, and ensure youth graduate healthy and prepared for their futures. Last year, we increased our support of community school partnerships., which bring support services—such as health and counseling, mentoring, after-school activities, and parenting programs—directly onto school campuses in low-income neighborhoods.