United Way Grant Cycle to Open January 7

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Agencies May Apply for Funding Related to Childhood Success and Financial Stability

DANBURY, CT -- United Way of Western Connecticut is pleased to announce that agencies interested in applying for funding during the 2020-2021 grant funding cycle may submit a Letter of Intent beginning Tuesday, January 7, 2020. Letters of Intent are due on Friday, January 17, 2020
 
For this funding cycle, Letters of Intent will be accepted in three areas:

  • Early Childhood Care and Education
  • After-School Programming (serving children ages 5 through 18)
  • Financial Stability 

“For the past five years, we have been focusing on addressing the needs of people who work hard but struggle to get by—a population we call ALICE®,” said Isabel Almeida, Interim President and Chief Operating Officer at United Way. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. “Making child care affordable and helping people get on solid financial footing are top priorities for us,” she added.
 
“Child care expenses can take up 30% or more of a family’s budget,” she said. “We want to make sure hard-working families have access to high-quality child care and after-school care. They should not have to use sub-standard care just because their budgets are tight. Through subsidies to child care providers, we make quality care possible for children living in lower-income households. We believe all children should have access to quality care.”
 
Making quality care more affordable benefits children and families, while helping to reduce the achievement gap. United Way funding benefited more than 3,200 children last year.
 
Financial stability programs funded by United Way help people manage the money they have worked hard to earn. It also helps them start saving for a brighter future.
 
“People often get in challenging financial situations through no fault of their own,” Almeida explained. “A divorce, a health crisis, or a job loss can set people back and drastically affect their personal finances. The programs we fund help people get back on their feet and plan for the future.”
 
Through United Way funding, 525 people received budget coaching through partner agencies last year.
 
Letters of Intent can be accessed and completed via United Way of Western Connecticut’s website at: www.uwwesternct.org/grant-opportunities. The deadline for submitting a Letter of Intent is Friday, January 17, 2020. Funding will be announced during the month of May 2020. Funding will be allocated from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.
 
For more information about the Early Childhood, After-School, and Financial Stability application processes, please contact the United Way Community Impact Coordinator for each region:
 
Greater Danbury/Northern Fairfield County: Victoria Scofield at 203-883-6704 (Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown, New Fairfield, Redding, Ridgefield) victoria.scofield@uwwesternct.org

Greater New Milford/Southern Litchfield County: Katy Francis at 860-354-8800 (New Milford, Bridgewater, Kent, Roxbury, Sherman, Warren, and Washington) katy.francis@uwwesternct.org

City of Stamford: Nicole Granskog at 203-883-6034 nicole.granskog@uwwesternct.org

About United Way of Western Connecticut
United Way of Western Connecticut improves the lives of hard-working, struggling households by mobilizing the resources of local communities to create lasting change. We help residents across Northern Fairfield County, Southern Litchfield County, and the City of Stamford by focusing on the vital building blocks for a good life: Education, Financial Stability and Health. We are committed to ensuring that every child enters school ready to learn, every family is financially stable, and every community we serve is healthy and strong. We are particularly focused on a population that United Way identifies as ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) in our communities. A United Way report published in September 2018 revealed that in Connecticut, more than 1 in 3 households has earnings above the Federal Poverty Level, but below a basic cost-of-living threshold. Combined with those who are struggling below poverty level, 40% of all households in the state are experiencing financial hardship. By leveraging the collective power of the community, we are focused on creating an environment where individuals and families are self-sufficient and can achieve financial independence.

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Contact:

Caroline LaFleur
United Way of Western Connecticut
203- 297-6307
caroline.lafleur@uwwesternct.org

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