United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania announces $21 million in community investments and launches public fundraising campaign
United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, powered by its community of 50,000 donors, has announced investments of $21 million over the next three years to human services agencies helping our region thrive. These awards are the result of United Way’s recent Multi-Year Grant funding process, where record numbers of community volunteers reviewed proposals from hundreds of nonprofits.
The awards come as United Way launches the public phase of its fundraising campaign to raise $40 million for a new endowment in honor of its 100th anniversary in 2027.
“This $21 million investment is vital and needed now more than ever,” said United Way President & CEO Bobbi Watt Geer, Ph.D. “The number of funding requests to United Way grew by 30% since our last multi-year grant cycle in 2023. This is a reflection of unprecedented needs our partner agencies are seeing in the community, often from people who have never sought help before. Meeting these needs is one of the reasons we’re asking the public to help us meet our goal of raising $40 million in honor of our 100th anniversary in 2027.”
United Way’s $21 million investment will benefit 138 programs run by 121 nonprofit agencies across Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties through FY 2029. Investments are in four categories: meeting basic needs, moving to financial stability, building for success in school and life, and capacity building to strengthen the nonprofit sector. Funded agencies are listed on United Way’s website: https://uwswpa.info/funded-agencies.
About the public campaign: United Way’s new endowment, called the Fund for Transformation and Resilience, will power at least $2 million more in investments each year. United Way has raised $20.5 million so far from foundations and corporations toward its $40 million goal and is now asking the public to donate. Endowment dollars raised are above and beyond United Way’s ongoing fundraising of more than $30 million each year.
“This new endowment will make it possible for United Way to achieve three key goals: meeting increasing community needs, responding to unforeseen emergencies, and investing in innovative projects that bring nonprofits together to meet challenges that no single organization can meet on its own,” Watt Geer said.
United Way has also launched Give Big United 100th anniversary, an online giving campaign in partnership with Pittsburgh Magazine, powered by $70,000 in matching funds from Comcast. Give Big runs through June 30, 2026 and marks the launch of the public campaign.
How United Way makes funding decisions: United Way is unique in that it provides three years of stable funding to its partner agencies, rather than requiring applications each year. Multi-Year Grants are possible when people and companies donate to United Way without restrictions on which agencies will benefit. These “greatest needs” donations are then awarded out through a robust funding process that engages community leaders and volunteers from across all sectors of the community.
A record 475 funding requests were submitted to United Way in January and February 2026. These were then narrowed down to194 full proposals totaling $45.6 million. These proposals were then reviewed by United Way staff and community volunteers and approved by its board of directors.
United Way’s funding process is also unique in that the organization invites community experts and donors to participate in proposal review. So many people signed up to review proposals — 180 in all — that United Way halted recruitment.
United Way donor Dr. Marc Cordero, who helped with evaluating grant proposals this year, said that seeing “the nuts and bolts” of how local nonprofits work and the variety of services provided showed not only the range of needs but also the resourcefulness local nonprofits demonstrate in meeting those needs.
“Some of these organizations have been doing this for 35 years. You see the difference they’re making, and you wonder what else they could do with even more resources,” Cordero said.
Our major supporters: Corporate and foundation contributors to United Way’s 100th anniversary fund include PPG and PPG Foundation, Dollar Bank Foundation, PJ Dick-Trumbull-Lindy Group, Koppers Inc. and Eaton Charitable Fund. Donate to support the 100th anniversary on United Way’s website at uwswpa.info/100thAnniversary.