United Way
of Whatcom County

Become a partner

If your nonprofit program helps families and individuals increase their financial stability, you may be eligible for a grant from our Community Impact Fund.

The grant process is currently open for our 2021-2022 Community Impact Fund grants (funding period July1, 2021 - June 30, 2022).

To qualify for funding, you must be serving Whatcom County residents in one or more of the following areas:

Basic Needs

  • Combating food insecurity
  • Stable, attainable, affordable housing
  • Healthcare access

Economic Mobility

  • Financial literacy and training
  • Vocational readiness training or support
  • Adult education programs

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

  • Affordable childcare and early-learning programs
  • Academic programs to increase student attendance and achievement
  • Parenting support
  • Addiction treatment and recovery
  • Abuse prevention

Our funded programs are more than just grant recipients, they're partners. 

In addition to working together to help clients and our community, we meet regularly to connect, collaborate, and advocate for each other in the name of positive community change. It's our pleasure to highlight the amazing work we are helping to fund, and we're forever grateful to these nonprofits for speaking out about what it means to be part of the United Way network.

See Our Current List of Partner Agencies

We Live United. Together. 

Want to join us? Here's how to apply:

There are some significant changes to the application process for the United Way grants for the 2021-22 funding cycle. This is a two part application. The first part is a Common Application shared with the City of Bellingham's Housing, Human and Social Services Grants. The second part is a United Way-specific addendum. 

You must submit your application and all required documentation by 4:00pm Friday, February 12th, 2021.

There are two ways to submit your application:

Fill out our online application here (includes both the Common Application and the United Way-specific Addendum)

OR

Submit the Common Application, the United Way-specific Addendum, and all required documents via email to Mike Weinstein at [email protected] 

Common Application United Way-specific Addendum 

Please submit your application only once: online or via email, not both.

If you plan to submit online, we recommend you draft your responses to each question and then copy them into the online submission form.

We also recommend that you review the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the Agency Relations Policy prior to submitting your application.

MOU Agency Relations Policy

 

STANDARDS FOR ELIGIBILITY

  • Tax-exempt, nonprofit organization in Whatcom County
  • Uses evidence-based practices that affect community metrics
  • Non-discriminatory
  • Active board of directors
  • Sound financial management

Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

We want long-term solutions for our community. But emergencies happen. We’re grateful for the $100,000+ in federal funds Whatcom County receives annually to supplement local emergency food and shelter programs. We serve as the fiscal agent for these funds and work with local government and non-profit organizations to determine allocations to local programs.

Grant applications are accepted and reviewed annually.

STANDARDS FOR ELIGIBILITY

  • Nonprofit or government agency in Whatcom County
  • Eligible to receive federal funds
  • Uses evidence-based practices that affect community metrics
  • Non-discriminatory
  • Active board of directors
  • Sound financial management
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter

MATERIAL FOR APPLICANTS

Application Form

Program Standards Verification Form

EFSP Scoring Sheet

ADDITIONAL EFSP RESOURCES

EFSP Program Manual

EFSP National Website