UWBB Funding Overview – FAQ
The United Way of the Big Bend is beginning our next two-year grant funding cycle (2023-2025) and seeks applications for programs with the potential to make significant progress in our five focus areas deemed critically important for a thriving community: Housing, Health, and Mental health, Early Learning and education, Skills development, and Safety Net services. UWBB will be funding programs within the impact areas that provide services to the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population – essentially those living in poverty and the working poor.

UWBB is particularly interested in innovative and research-based programs with clear, measurable, quantifiable (data-supported) objectives, tasks, and outcomes. Nonprofit organizations may apply for funding for different programs in one or more of the five impact areas. No programs are funded in more than one area. A separate notice of intent to apply is required for each area of impact for which an organization seeks funding. This is to say, if an agency has a housing support program that also provides mental health counseling to participants, the agency can apply for funding either under Housing or under Health/Mental Health, but not both.  If, however, an agency has two separately operating programs, one providing housing support, and the other providing counseling, the agency could apply for funding for each program, separately, under each of those impact areas,

Eligibility Criteria
UWBB makes grants to tax-exempt agencies classified as 501(c)(3) organizations, which are public charities as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. The United Way of the Big Bend will only consider grant proposals that benefit residents of the county in which it is funded and that address needs within our five impact areas: Housing, Health, and Mental health, Early Learning and education, Skills development, and Safety Net programming services to include, but not limited to, programs for seniors, and families and children facing emergency situations.

UWBB will use the following criteria to determine a nonprofit’s eligibility for funding:

IRS Form 990 – Most recently submitted IRS 990

Proof of Registration as a Nonprofit corporation incorporated (active) in Florida or authorized by the Florida Department of State to transact business in Florida, pursuant to Chapter 617, Florida Statutes

Proof of 501(c)(3) status from the US. Department of the Treasury (if not shown on IRS Form 990).

Operating Budget – Annual operating budget approved by the nonprofit organization’s board of directors or advisory board.

Financial Audit – Agencies whose operating budget is $50,001 or larger: Full financial audit conducted on an annual basis by an independent certified public accountant who has no affiliation with the agency and whose examination is made in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. NOTE: Agencies selected to receive funding will be required to submit a full audit for each funding year.

Financial Review – Agencies whose operating budget is $50,000 or less: A Financial Review conducted by an independent certified public accountant who has no affiliation with the agency and whose review is made in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards. NOTE: Agencies selected to receive funding will be required to submit a financial review for each funding year.

Agencies must provide services to residents of the county in which they apply, and provide programming addressing needs within our five impact areas of housing, health and mental health, early learning, skills development, and safety net

Agencies must provide services to one or both groups in the targeted population (those living in poverty and the working poor) that fall under at least one of the five impact areas.

Agencies must have the capacity to collect, track, and analyze data.

General Grant Information
Grant term of 24 months (July 2023 – June 2025) with mandatory quarterly reporting

Notice of Intent (Letter of Intent: LOI)
When submitting the LOI to apply for funding, agencies have the option to collaborate and submit a joint notice of intent. A notice must be submitted for each program for which funding is requested.

If submitting a joint notice, each agency will need to meet the eligibility criteria and submit the required documents for review. The joint notice should indicate which agency will serve as the lead agency for the proposed program(s).

All LOIs must be received by December 16, 2022.

Notice of Intent (LOI) Review and Invitation to Apply
Submitted LOIs will be reviewed by volunteer financial professionals to establish eligibility to apply for funding.

UWBB will send notices to the CEOs/Executive Directors of agencies informing them of their agency’s status after the review. Agencies deemed eligible will be sent information for the application process.

Anticipated Deliverables
Nonprofits will be expected to submit each quarter:

• Performance measures/outcome reports
• Stories or photos documenting funded program success
• Demographics and zip codes data for unduplicated clients served by the funded program
• A contractual commitment to publicly acknowledge UWBB funding for all outreach or promotion of funded program(s)

View the 2023-2025 Grant Funding Process Informational Session Powerpoint

View the Agency Funding Portal

UWBB Contact
For questions about the FAQ, notice of intent to apply, required documents, or other general questions, please contact Rhonda Cooper, VP of Community Impact, at rhonda@uwbb.org, or 850-487-8091.