Nonprofit Resources

What is a Community Impact grant?

United Way of Palm Beach County Community Impact grants are how we invest local dollars in our community. Funding decisions are made through a competitive application process.

A Community Impact Committee, comprised of informed volunteers from the community, is charged with reviewing agencies applying for funding by evaluating programs and reviewing financial records to develop an understanding of the agency. The committee then determines funding recommendations based on criteria such as program outcomes, fiscal accountability and demonstrated need in the community. The recommendations are then presented, reviewed and approved by the United Way of Palm Beach County Board of Directors.

Agencies receiving funding through the Community Impact grant process meet strict standards of accountability and are required to report semi-annually on the efficiency of their programs and how they are meeting their goals.

Our Community Impact grants are invested in high performing nonprofit organizations that provide programs and services aligned with the areas of Education, Mentoring, Special Needs, Income and Health. United Way of Palm Beach County invites 501(c)3 organizations doing outstanding work in these areas to consider applying for a United Way Community Impact Grant.

Launched in February 2007, the Continuous Improvement Initiative was conceived as a way to build the capacity of agencies under contract with Children’s Services Council and United Way.

The guide provides additional information about categories of support, funding limits, reporting requirements and application deadlines.

• Guidelines FY 22-23
• Application FY 22-23
• Technology Plan Template
• Agency Computer Inventory Template
• Nonprofit Resources
• Project Completion Report – Cover Page and Summary
• Project Completion Report – Financial Reconciliation Form

Launched in January 2014, the Mentoring Support Opportunity was conceived as a way to help mentoring programs develop additional matches and help alleviate the wait list of mentees in Palm Beach County. These funds will go toward helping programs make additional mentoring matches. Through the Mentoring Support Opportunity, United Way of Palm Beach County seeks to enhance the quality of mentoring programs and increase the number of youths being mentored. For the mini-grant opportunity, only affiliate programs that have a current active mentoring program and are seeking to implement all Elements of Effective Practice are eligible to apply. The typical grant is between $2,000 up to a maximum of $7,500 (based on available funds) to be used to increase program capacity and become eligible to join the Mentor Center Network.

The Mentor Support Opportunity is now closed. Please check back for future funding opportunities.

For more information or questions, please contact the mentoring team at Mentoring@UnitedWayPBC.org.

Recognizing the unacceptable consequences of hunger, United Way of Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, backed by a group of 183 organizations, convened the Hunger Relief Initiative and identified the need to create a comprehensive plan to reduce local hunger. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and the University of South Carolina (USC) Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities were commissioned to create the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief Plan. Since its inception in 2015, United Way of Palm Beach County has worked alongside community partners to address food insecurity in the county.

View the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief Plan here.

The Hunger Relief Capacity and Infrastructure RFP will fund in three categories. The funding categories were chosen based on their ability to promote long-term, sustainable improvements to the hunger relief system in Palm Beach County, as well as needs identified by hunger relief partners and frontline hunger organizations. Additional details for the following funding category can be found in the Guidelines:

• Alternative farming
• Equipment
• Technology

All funding requests must be related to improving food access and food operations. This grant will NOT fund programs or programmatic support (i.e., weekend backpack programs, food purchase, staffing). This grant is to fund long-term, systemic projects that will be sustainable after funding ends. For more information regarding the Hunger Relief Initiative, please visit the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief page.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides hunger relief services in Palm Beach County.
• Applicants must be a tax-exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) (or tax-exempt equivalent) of the Internal Revenue Code and provide hunger relief services in Palm Beach County. Hunger relief services do not need to be the nonprofit organization’s primary purpose or mission, but they must be a regular part of the nonprofit’s work (for example, a nonprofit whose only hunger relief service is an annual holiday meal would not be eligible).
• Applicants must be in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations for at least two (2) consecutive years before the date of the application.
• Applicants must be a tax-exempt organization registered in the state of Florida in good standing as of January 31, 2023, and established for at least two years, as shown on the Florida Division of Corporation’s website (SunBiz.org).
• Applicants must have audited or reviewed financial statements for the past two years, if legally required.
• Applicants must be active participants in the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief Initiative through regular attendance at one or more Hunger Relief Initiative meetings (work groups and subcommittees are listed in the Guidelines).
• Applicants must serve Palm Beach County residents. Organizations that are not located in Palm Beach County or whose service area extends beyond Palm Beach County may apply but grant requests must be specific to meeting the needs of and serving Palm Beach County residents only.
• Applicants must be an active partner in good standing with 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast by the time of funding or provide an explanation of exemption.
• Applicants must have the ability to meet all reporting requirements and have completed all required reporting for prior United Way of Palm Beach County grant funding.
• Applicants must have the ability to meet any local or federal funding requirements.

The Hunger Relief Capacity and Infrastructure RFP is now closed. Please check back for future funding opportunities.

For questions about United Way’s work in Hunger Relief, please contact Kathleen Mason, Director for Hunger Relief, at HungerRelief@UnitedWayPBC.org.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) was created in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both nonprofit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic emergencies (not disaster-related [i.e., fires of any kind, floods, tornadoes, etc.] emergencies). Therefore, EFSP funds are not to be used to provide emergency assistance for circumstances that are the immediate result of a disaster situation. EFSP funds may be used to provide economic assistance in the long term, even if the current circumstances may have been impacted by an earlier disaster occurrence. EFSP funding is open to all organizations helping hungry and homeless people. EFSP funds must be used to supplement feeding, sheltering (including transitional sheltering), and rent/mortgage and utility assistance efforts only.

EFSP is governed by a National Board that selects jurisdictions for funding. Local Boards are convened in those qualifying jurisdictions to determine the highest need and best use of funds and to select Local Recipient Organizations (LROs) that will provide emergency food and shelter services. Each year, needs are to be assessed in an effort to respond to changes in the community.

United Way of Palm Beach County’s role is to administer the EFSP program locally, which includes facilitating the local EFSP board, coordinating the distribution of EFSP funds to local emergency food and shelter programs, and monitoring and providing technical assistance to those programs regarding EFSP funds.

EFSP Phase 40 Applications