United Way NSV Announces Impact Grant Programs Investments,After Receiving More Than $800,000 in Grant Requests 
Winchester, VA (May 12, 2017) - United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley (NSV) reaffirmed its commitment to graduate more kids, lift families and individuals to financial stability and create a healthier community when its board of directors approved funding recommendations made by community volunteers for the 2017-2018 Community Impact Grant Program.
Through the Impact Grant Program, United Way will invest more than $490,000 in 35 education, income and health programs throughout the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Although the $490,000 available for distribution was a 6% increase in funding from the previous year, requests from local agencies were made totaling more than $800,000 in funding, an increase of 17% from the previous year.
“Through the extensive grant vetting process, we hope to address the most pressing needs in our community that have been identified through our needs assessment, in the most efficient and effective way possible” said Kurt Beyreis, Chair of the Fund Distribution Committee.
Funding for the Impact Grant program is specially earmarked by donors, and is only a portion of the total money raised and given out by United Way NSV, which raised a record high of 1.18 million dollars last year. In addition to grant funding United Way NSV processes over $300,000 in designated funds, which are distributed and accounted for separately from the grant program.
“We’re committed to creating meaningful change in the Northern Shenandoah Valley,” said United Way President and CEO Nadine Pottinga. “One way we drive change is by investing in the best local education, income and health programs to impact our community’s kids and their families.”
In the area of education, one of the United Way grant recipients, Fremont Street Nursery, will receive a grant investment of $15,000. This will fund four enrichment programs that provide high-quality childcare to low-income and single-parents, new caregivers, and at-risk youths. Funded programs include: physical fitness, gardening, summer enrichment activities, and early learning assessment as well as support programs to prepare our kids for kindergarten and help them achieve and maintain grade-level reading. This investment aligns within United Way NSV’s community needs strategy to address barriers to learning such as chronic absenteeism and social and emotional development to ensure our community’s kids have the support necessary for high school graduation and beyond. Additional programs granted funding by United Way address other priority needs such as advancing learning and career development as well as leadership and workforce development, including youth program collaboration.
In income, United Way is investing $5,000 in a new food pantry program launched by Lord Fairfax Community College. The Pantry will provide a shopping-model food pantry at the LFCC Middletown campus for students struggling with food insecurity. The pantry will provide 20,000 meals and serve 250 students. This new program aligns with community priority needs, specifically to support programs helping individuals and families achieve and maintain financial stability with a focus on workforce development through education, job placement, and retention. The goal of investments like the food pantry program at Lord Fairfax Community College is to help our community earn it, keep it and save it. In Income Impact Grants, United Way is also supporting housing, basic needs, life skills training and emergency service programs.
In health related grants, United Way is investing $20,000 in grant dollars to programs within the Child Safe Center. Grant dollars for this specific program will provide child abuse assessments, therapy for abuse victims and will provide funds to open a satellite operation in Shenandoah County in order to reduce barriers to receiving services such as transportation. This program will address priority needs within our community, specifically addressing access to affordable and accessible health/mental health care for people in need as well as the prevention of the effects of risk behaviors (i.e. obesity, abuse/neglect, teen pregnancy). Additional Health grants given by United Way NSV align within the identified priority needs to support programs addressing the health needs of an increasing senior population as well as increasing affordable and accessible health/mental care for people in need.
“The requests received this year reinforce the data collected through our Community Needs Assessment, “ said United Way Board Chair Darcus Breneman, “ and the grants funded this year by and large go toward addressing the needs identified.”
Please see the below full list of Impact Grant Awards for 2017. Distribution of 2017-2018 year Impact Grant funds will begin July 1:
See the ful list of awards here
About United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley: Since 1946 the United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley has worked to impact the community human care needs that matter most to the people of Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah Counties and the City of Winchester. United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley convenes the people and organizations necessary to create solutions to our region’s most pressing challenges and collaborates with effective partners. United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley seeks to serve as the catalyst for community change by supporting over 42 partner agencies in the area on Income, Health and Education. For more information visit our website www.unitedwaynsv.org. Follow us on Twitter @UWNSV.