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United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley

Annual Giving
$26.2M
Grant Range
$3K - $0.1M
Decision Time
1mo
Success Rate
50%

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $26,231,833 (2024-2025 campaign)
  • Success Rate: Approximately 50% or lower (nearly double the funding requests vs. available funds)
  • Decision Time: 30 days for qualification application; varies for funding cycles
  • Grant Range: $2,500 - $50,000 (varies by program)
  • Geographic Focus: Lehigh, Northampton, and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania
  • Funded Programs: 150 programs across 96 partner agencies

Contact Details

Address: 1110 American Parkway NE, Suite F-120, Allentown, PA 18109

Phone: 610-758-8010

Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Website: unitedwayglv.org

Qualification Application Contact: Priscilla Rosado, 610-807-5731

Overview

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (EIN: 23-2657933) has been fighting for the health, safety, and education of every person in the Greater Lehigh Valley for decades. Under the leadership of President and CEO Marci Lesko since June 2024, the organization has achieved remarkable fundraising success, raising $26,231,833 in its most recent annual campaign (April 2024 - March 2025), marking its 15th consecutive year of growth. With a Four-Star (100%) rating from Charity Navigator, United Way channels at least 84 cents of every dollar directly into community solutions. The organization serves over 200,000 people annually through strategic investments in Education (80% of funding), Healthy Aging (12%), and Food Access (8%), plus dedicated support for Emergency Services and Mental Health. They operate using a Collective Impact model and Results Based Accountability framework, bringing together hundreds of human service agencies to create measurable, lasting community change.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Core Investment Program (2023-2026 Cycle)

  • Amount: $10,000 - $150,000 over 3 years
  • Application: Periodic basis (next cycle information available through partner contact)
  • Focus: Health and human services programming aligned with education, healthy aging, and community stability

Fund for Racial Justice and Equity (FRJE)

  • Amount: $10,000 - $50,000
  • Duration: One-year grants (January - December)
  • Application: Annual cycle (typically opens September, decisions by November)
  • Eligibility: Organizations led by and explicitly serving BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disability communities
  • Focus Areas: Leadership development, economic advancement, health and wellness, stories of Black and Brown excellence

Youth Mental Health Innovation Grant

  • Amount: $2,500 - $25,000
  • Focus: Programs prioritizing mental well-being of young people
  • Recent Investment: $150,000+ distributed to 16 organizations (2025)

United for Veterans' Mental Health Grant

  • Amount: Typically $20,000
  • Focus: Directly addressing veterans' mental health needs
  • Recent Investment: $100,000 distributed to 5 organizations (2025)

TeenWorks Grants

  • Focus: Supporting teen employment and workforce development programs

Priority Areas

Education (80% of investments)

  • 0-5 years: Early education and literacy support, high-quality early learning opportunities, kindergarten transition
  • K-3rd Grade: Targeted academic intervention, mentoring, case management, behavioral health, summer learning, community school coordination
  • 4th-8th Grade: Academic intervention, youth development, mentoring, case management, community school coordination
  • United Way Community Schools: Supporting 34 schools in highest-need neighborhoods

Healthy Aging (12% of investments)

  • Preventative services for at-risk seniors
  • Support services enabling dependent seniors to remain in their homes
  • Quality of life improvements for older adults and caregivers

Food Access (8% of investments)

  • Increasing access to and availability of nutritious food
  • Goal: Increase food access by 50%

Community Stability

  • Housing stability and emergency services
  • Mental health services
  • Emergency relief and crisis programs

What They Don't Fund

  • Programs that don't align with their three core focus areas (education, healthy aging, community stability)
  • Organizations that fail to meet rigorous performance and accountability criteria
  • Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, age, or service in the uniformed services
  • Organizations in existence for less than one year (unless using a fiscal sponsor)

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Marci Lesko - President and Chief Executive Officer (appointed June 2024)

  • Provides strategic leadership to actualize the board's vision
  • Quoted: "During my first year as president and CEO, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley raised a record-breaking $26 million through its annual campaign and navigated meaningful partnerships and mergers that will create lasting impact on the region."

Senior Staff Include:

  • Carmen Bell - Sr. Director, Healthy Aging
  • Madeline Falcone - Sr. Director, Engagement and Events
  • Danielle Stokes - Assistant Director, Digital Communications
  • Zandra Whalen - Sr. Director, Marketing and Design
  • Shaun Marakovits - Sr. Director, Workplace Engagement

Board of Directors

Joe Savage - Board Chair, Executive Vice President and CFO at Victaulic

Matt Green, Ph.D. - Board Vice Chair, Power at TRC Companies

Additional Board Members (27 total) include representatives from:

  • PPL Corp. (Joe Bergstein, Vanessa Hartline)
  • Air Products (Laurie Hackett)
  • B. Braun Medical Inc. (Scott Blair)
  • Capital Blue Cross (Vicki Doulé)
  • PNC Bank (Erica Melendez)
  • Crayola (Peter Ruggiero)
  • C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. (Thomas Ripsam)
  • Allentown, Easton, and Bethlehem School Districts (Carol Birks, Tracy Piazza, Jack Silva)
  • Lehigh Valley Justice Institute (Joe Welsh)

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Step 1: Qualification Application

  • Organizations must first become a Qualified Community Partner
  • Submit Qualification Application (available at unitedwayglv.org)
  • Applications accepted on a rolling basis
  • Decision within 30 days of receipt
  • Qualification renewal required every two years

Step 2: Funding Application

  • Only qualified partners may apply for funding
  • Funding applications accepted on a periodic basis (specific cycles vary by program)
  • 18-point application requiring access to: 990 form, budget, strategic plan, board of directors list

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be in existence for at least one year
  • Hold 501(c)(3) status for at least one year OR have fiscal sponsor
  • Provide health and human services programming in Carbon, Lehigh, or Northampton Counties
  • Must not discriminate in hiring or service delivery
  • While prioritizing nonprofits, may fund public nonprofits, for-profits, or school districts when necessary

Decision Timeline

Qualification Application: Organizations notified within 30 days of receipt

FRJE Grant Timeline (typical annual cycle):

  • September: Application opens
  • Early October: Application deadline
  • October: Review period
  • November: Funding decisions announced
  • January: Funding begins

Core Funding Cycle: Multi-year cycles (most recent was 2023-2026). Volunteer-based review committees screen programs, with recommendations reviewed and approved by Board of Directors.

Success Rates

  • Approximately 50% or lower acceptance rate (organization notes "nearly double the requests for funding than available funds")
  • Currently funding 96 agencies compared to 61 in previous cycle, showing expansion
  • In recent FRJE cycle, 21 organizations funded from applicant pool
  • Recent mental health grants: 21 organizations funded from applicant pool

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants were not publicly documented. Organizations are encouraged to contact Priscilla Rosado at 610-807-5731 for guidance on reapplication timelines and processes.

Application Success Factors

Alignment with Community Impact Goals

United Way emphasizes that "in some cases, an agency may be doing great work, but it may not have programs that align with United Way's identified community impact goals for education, healthy aging and community stability." The strongest focus remains on education with 80% of investments. Successful applicants demonstrate clear alignment with one or more priority areas.

Performance and Accountability

The organization uses Results Based Accountability to measure program outcomes. Applications must demonstrate measurable, lasting community impact. Organizations that fail to meet "rigorous criteria for performance and accountability" will not receive funding. Prepare to show strong performance metrics tied to United Way's goals:

  • Education: Increasing third grade reading proficiency by 50%
  • Food Access: Increasing access to nutritious food by 50%
  • Healthy Aging: Increasing number of seniors whose basic needs are met at home by 50%

FRJE-Specific Success Factors

For the Fund for Racial Justice and Equity, "led by" is explicitly defined as "the executive director and/or a significant percentage of senior-level staff and/or Board members identifying as being part of" BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disability communities. Applications must demonstrate this leadership representation and explicit service to these communities.

Recent Successful Projects

Recent mental health grant recipients demonstrate valued approaches:

  • Pinebrook Family Answers: Received $25,000 for comprehensive family and school-based mental health programming
  • Preventative Measures Foundation: Received $10,000 for TeleWell App providing mental health services to community college students, demonstrating innovation
  • Victory House of Lehigh Valley: Received $20,000 to create a dedicated social work supervisor position, showing value in capacity-building
  • St. Luke's University Health Network: Received $2,500 for Aevidum Programming Extension at United Way Community Schools, showing alignment with existing initiatives

Collective Impact and Partnerships

United Way values organizations that can work collaboratively. The organization uses a Collective Impact model to "bring partners together around common strategies and goals, funding and convening coalitions of community partners." Applications should demonstrate ability and willingness to participate in collaborative approaches.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Focus on the Big Three: With 80% of funding going to education, 12% to healthy aging, and 8% to food access, ensure your program clearly aligns with these priorities. Education programs have the highest likelihood of funding.

  • Become a Qualified Partner First: The two-step process requires qualification before funding applications. Start the qualification process early (30-day decision window) to be ready for periodic funding cycles.

  • Demonstrate Measurable Impact: United Way uses Results Based Accountability and seeks organizations that can show concrete outcomes aligned with their 50% improvement goals in reading proficiency, food access, and senior support.

  • Limited Funding, High Competition: With nearly double the requests versus available funds, applications must be exceptionally strong. The organization funded 96 agencies in the current cycle (up from 61), but competition remains intense.

  • Multi-Year Relationships: Core funding operates on 3-year cycles (2023-2026), suggesting United Way values sustained partnerships over one-time grants. However, special initiatives like FRJE and mental health grants offer one-year funding opportunities.

  • Geographic Specificity: Must serve residents of Lehigh, Northampton, or Carbon Counties. The organization invests in "lasting solutions that make life better for over 200,000 people in the Greater Lehigh Valley."

  • Contact Priscilla Rosado Early: The dedicated qualification application contact (610-807-5731) can provide guidance on fit and timing before investing significant effort in applications.

References

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