John Wilgers
President & CEO Greater Twin Cities United Way
Dorothy Bridges
Chair, Board of Directors Community Leader
Acooa Ellis
Senior Vice President, Community Impact Greater Twin Cities United Way
John Wilgers
President & CEO Greater Twin Cities United Way
Dorothy Bridges
Chair, Board of Directors Community Leader
Acooa Ellis
Senior Vice President, Community Impact Greater Twin Cities United Way
Innovating for Impact
Imagine every person in our community reaching their full potential. Individuals and
families live in safe, stable homes with healthy food. Babies reach developmental
milestones and are ready for kindergarten. Children are nurtured. Students receive
high-quality education. And adults have stable jobs and build wealth.
This should be attainable by all. Unfortunately, divisions and poverty result in barriers for
many, and COVID-19 and civil unrest have forced a reckoning with long-standing systemic
racism and oppression. We must work to dismantle disparities to become a united
community where all people thrive, regardless of income, race or place.
Together, we made notable progress toward this vision in 2019, touching the lives of over
500,000 people. As you look through these results, you’ll meet our experts who are working
with partners to drive positive change. You’ll also see our innovative and collective impact,
based on listening to those closest to the challenges and activating partnerships.
We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together. Thank you for your support.
COVID-19: We’re in This Together
When COVID-19 hit our region, we immediately leveraged our unique, holistic model.
United Way 211 Resource Helpline
Provided 460k referrals to services like housing
and food; leveraged 211 data to inform advocacy and
funding strategies
Advocacy & Policy
Developed new 2020 policy agenda
rooted in equity
Innovative Initiatives
1. Full Lives: Sustainable food system in N MPLS
2. Career Academies: Students on pathways to careers
3. Culturally Powered Communities: Increased capacity of nonprofits led by and serving People of Color
4. 80x3: Children meet 80% of development by age 3
Learning & Skill Building
Hosted 26 convenings to raise awareness of needs and
solutions; provided trainings for 1,500 nonprofit leaders,
donors, volunteers and United Way staff
Grant Making
Distributed grants to 178 nonprofits on the front
lines of assisting the community
Volunteer Services
Engaged volunteers who worked on
projects serving 274,000 people
Partnerships
60k individuals, 643 companies, 178 nonprofits and 38
foundations addressed community needs
Thanks to Our Generous Donors
We are grateful for our Tocqueville Society donors, corporate and foundation partners, giving community members and more whose commitment is helping United Way and our community thrive.
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Kittie Fahey
Senior Vice President, Individual Giving
Kristina Salkowski
Director, Corporate & Foundation Relationships
Fueling Our Impact Through Equity
At Greater Twin Cities United Way, we seek to disrupt inequities and foster a region where everyone has opportunity.
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Olivia Jefferson
Director of Equity & Holistic Grantmaking
Driving Change Through
Policy and Advocacy
Greater Twin Cities United Way advocates to improve housing, food, education and employment systems so they meet the needs of everyone in our community, particularly people experiencing poverty.
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Kristen Rosenberger
Senior Advocacy Manager
Providing Referrals via Our 211 Resource Helpline
Available via phone, web, text or chat, 211 connects people with information and referrals to resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week and in multiple languages.
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Julie Ogunleye
Program Officer 211 & Policy
Housing
Homelessness grew nine percent in the Twin Cities metro area from 2015 to 2018, even amidst record employment. We support stable housing for all as it is the foundation that enables us to thrive. Thanks to the generosity of donors, we helped nearly 11,000 people connect to housing resources last year.
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Sam Blackwell
Program Officer Household Stability
Saroeun Earm
Program Officer Household Stability
Food Security
Nearly one in 11 households in Minnesota experience hunger. Black, Indigenous and People of Color, especially children and seniors, are disproportionately affected. Together with our partners, we help ensure everyone has access to healthy, culturally relevant food, which provides the nourishment we all need to thrive.
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$16.9M
in United Way-directed investments
$11.7M
in donor-directed gifts
100
nonprofit partners funded
216,112
people served through volunteer projects
76,189
individuals and households received information and referrals to resources
1,337
families or youth secured stable housing
16M
meals distributed
10,966
people connected to stable housing resources
2.5M
food shelf visits
Carrie Zelin Johnson
Program Officer Education
Early Childhood Education
35,000 children across Minnesota are unable to access quality early childhood care and education during their most critical years, which can have lasting effects on their ability to thrive. We support culturally relevant, high-quality early childhood care and education from prenatal to age five, so all children have a thriving start. In 2019, we helped 1,879 children meet age-appropriate developmental milestones.
Read MoreCareer & Future Readiness
Minnesota continues to face one of the worst opportunity gaps in the nation for Black, Indigenous and Students of Color. We support social and emotional learning for youth through out-of-school programs. We also increase access to career pathway programs through Career Academies, so young people have the knowledge, skills and relationships to direct their own futures and contribute to their communities.
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Steve Walvig
Program Officer Education
$13.3M
in United Way-directed investments
$7M
in donor-directed gifts
78
nonprofit partners funded
19,093
youth participated in career and future readiness programming
41,062
infants, toddlers, preschoolers, youth, young adults and parents served in early childhood education and career and future readiness programs
53,677
people served through volunteer projects
16,056
children and parents supported through early childhood education initiatives
3,500
college and tech school credits earned by Career Academies participants, saving over $1M in tuition
Economic Opportunity
Minnesota is diversifying quickly, and growth in our workforce will come from Communities of Color. Yet, these communities historically have been excluded from the job market or underestimated in their abilities. To ensure all adults have stable jobs to support themselves and build wealth, we engage in advocacy, leverage resources for those seeking support, and bring together community to learn from one another.
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Eva Song Margolis
Program Officer Economic Opportunity
$6.9M
in United Way-directed investments
$4.7M
in donor-directed gifts
35
nonprofit partners funded
9,605
people served in job skills, employment and household financial stability programs
3,964
people served through volunteer projects
2,464
participants attained in-demand, industry-recognized credentials
2,998
people received retention and advancement services to help them keep and thrive in their jobs
Explore what it means to be a changemaker, and to make an impact in your community with Greater Twin Cities United Way.