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United Way of Summit & Medina

Annual Giving
$3.0M
Grant Range
$5K - $0.3M
00

United Way of Summit & Medina - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Approximately $3 million in community grants (2023 cycle)
  • Total Revenue: $13.5 million (2024)
  • Grant Range: $5,276 - $265,539
  • Number of Grants: 40 organizations funded (2023 cycle)
  • Geographic Focus: Summit and Medina Counties, Ohio
  • Application Method: Invitation-based partnership model (no open application process as of 2024)

Contact Details

Address: 37 North High Street, Akron, OH 44308

Phone: 330-762-7601

Website: www.uwsummitmedina.org

211 Helpline: Dial 2-1-1 or text zip code to 898-211

Email Format: FirstInitialLastName@uwsummit.org

Fund Development Contact: Angie Berresford, Associate Vice President, Fund Development

Overview

United Way of Summit & Medina was formed in 2020 through the merger of United Way of Summit County and United Way of Medina County, creating a unified organization serving both counties. With nearly 110 years of history, the organization has evolved from a traditional fundraising intermediary to a direct service provider and strategic community partner. In fiscal year 2024, the organization reported total revenues of $13.5 million and total assets of $16.9 million.

The organization operates with a "community impact" approach, aligning resources around common strategies to accomplish four Bold Goals by 2028. Since April 2022, United Way has implemented an "ecosystem" strategy focused on direct service programming, strategic partnerships, and a robust referral network. This ecosystem includes services like the 211 helpline, Financial Empowerment Centers, Family Resource Centers, housing services, Youth United, and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

In October 2023, United Way announced a significant strategic advancement, moving away from traditional grant applications to deeper partnership-based collaborations. Annie McFadden became the organization's eighth president and first woman CEO in June 2025, succeeding Jim Mullen who led the organization for 10 years.

Funding Priorities

Bold Goals by 2028

United Way of Summit & Medina focuses funding on organizations that advance their four Bold Goals:

1. Education - Reading Proficiency: Raise reading scores among Akron Public Schools (APS) third graders to 65% at or above grade level

2. Youth Success - Graduation & Career Readiness: Raise four-year high school graduation rates among APS students to 90%, with 60% of graduates college/career ready; boost the percentage of Akron youth employed or active in extracurricular activities to 60%

3. Financial Empowerment: Financially empower 11,000 people in Summit County and 2,500 people in Medina County

4. Health Equity: Reduce the Black infant mortality rate in Summit County to 6 out of every 1,000 births (from a 2019 baseline of 15.4 per 1,000)

Funding Categories

Community Partner Grants (Main Funding Stream)

  • Amount: $5,276 - $265,539 per organization
  • Total Annual Investment: Approximately $3 million distributed to 40 organizations (2023 cycle)
  • Duration: One-year funding cycles
  • Focus: Organizations that directly advance Bold Goals through aligned programming, targeted populations, and data collection

Infant Health Fund (Specific Initiative)

  • Amount: $3,000 - $5,000 per grant
  • Number of Awards: Up to 10 grants annually
  • Focus: Community-based organizations working in maternal health, breastfeeding support, safe sleep education, infant nutrition, and early childhood development
  • Eligibility: Nonprofits serving Akron neighborhoods with high infant mortality rates
  • Application: Email to FTFB@schd.org (typically annual application cycle)

Recent Grant Recipients (2023 Cycle)

Funded organizations include: ACCESS, Inc., ACE Mentor Program of Greater Akron-Canton, Akron Area YMCA, Akron Inner City Soccer Club, Akron Interfaith Immigration Advocates, Akron Urban League, Alchemy Inc., Asian Services in Action (ASIA), Battered Women's Shelter/Rape Crisis Center, Building for Tomorrow, Catholic Charities, Child Guidance & Family Solutions, Community Legal Aid Services, ConxusNEO, Early Childhood Resource Center, Family Promise, Feeding Medina County, First Tee – Greater Akron, Greater Akron Chamber, Greenleaf Family Center, Habitat for Humanity of Medina County, Heart to Heart, Leadership Akron, Love Akron, Minority Behavior, and others.

Priority Program Areas

  • Early childhood education and literacy
  • Youth development and mentoring
  • Financial coaching and economic stability
  • Housing and homelessness prevention
  • Maternal and infant health
  • High school graduation support
  • College and career readiness
  • Community leadership development

Governance and Leadership

Current Leadership

Annie McFadden, President & Chief Executive Officer (appointed June 2025)

  • First woman to lead the organization in its 110-year history
  • Previously served as Chief of Staff, Impact and Communications
  • Quote: "I am laser-focused on empowering our knowledgeable and talented staff to their full capabilities, with our efforts geared towards streamlining our programs and workload for maximum impact"
  • Focus on operational efficiency, revenue diversification, and long-term organizational stability

Board Leadership

Bradley A. Wright, Immediate Past Chair

  • From Roetzel & Andress law firm
  • Emphasized that "One of the greatest investments we can make in the long-term health of our community is to cultivate purposeful, inspiring and service-minded leaders"

Organizational Transition

Jim Mullen served as President and CEO from 2015 to December 2024, overseeing the merger of Summit and Medina United Ways, the launch of the Bold Goals strategy, and the transition to the ecosystem model. He departed to become President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Cleveland.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: United Way of Summit & Medina does not currently have an open public grant application process.

As of March 2024, the organization transitioned from a competitive grant application model to an invitation-based partnership approach. Organizations are not invited to submit unsolicited proposals. Instead, United Way staff identify and engage organizations that align with their Bold Goals and ecosystem strategy through direct outreach and relationship building.

According to the organization: "Community organizations funded by United Way no longer go through an outdated and cumbersome grant application process, but instead engage in deeper strategy sessions with key United Way staffers that build on mutual shared vision and co-authorship of programming."

Exception - Infant Health Fund: The Full Term First Birthday collaborative does accept applications for the Infant Health Fund. Organizations serving Akron neighborhoods with high infant mortality rates can apply for grants of $3,000-$5,000. Applications should be emailed to FTFB@schd.org during open application periods (typically announced annually).

Historical Application Process (Pre-2024)

Before the strategic shift, United Way used a Letter of Intent-based process where applicants submitted brief statements explaining how their organizations could partner with United Way to advance the Bold Goals. Competitive applications were then invited to speak in person to the Community Impact Task Force. This revised process (implemented around 2023) was designed to allow new or smaller agencies to apply and streamlined requirements compared to traditional lengthy grant proposals.

Getting on Their Radar

Strategic Relationship Building:

  • Alignment with Bold Goals: Organizations advancing one or more of the four Bold Goals (reading proficiency, youth success, financial empowerment, or infant mortality reduction) are most likely to be considered
  • Data-Driven Approach: United Way seeks partners who can demonstrate measurable outcomes and contribute to collective impact data collection
  • Geographic Focus: Priority given to organizations serving Summit and Medina counties, particularly Akron Public Schools students and high-need neighborhoods
  • Ecosystem Integration: Organizations that complement or enhance United Way's direct services (211, Financial Empowerment Centers, Family Resource Centers, housing services) may have stronger partnership potential

Networking Opportunities:

  • Connect with United Way's Community Impact staff who identify potential partners
  • Participate in collaborative initiatives like Full Term First Birthday
  • Engage with United Way's 211 system as a referral partner
  • Attend United Way's Report to the Community events where partnerships are showcased

Direct Outreach:

  • Contact the Fund Development team through Angie Berresford, Associate Vice President
  • Express interest in partnership opportunities that align with Bold Goals
  • Demonstrate understanding of the ecosystem strategy and how your organization fits within it

Decision Timeline

Historical Timeline (when open applications existed):

  • Grant awards announced in January-February for funding cycles beginning in April
  • One-year funding cycles
  • In 2023, the organization awarded $2,998,500 to 40 organizations for an April 2023 start

Current Partnership Model:

  • Rolling engagement with organizations throughout the year
  • No fixed application deadlines
  • Partnership conversations and planning occur on an ongoing basis
  • Funding decisions made through strategic alignment discussions rather than competitive review cycles

Application Success Factors

Critical Alignment Points

1. Bold Goals Focus Organizations must demonstrate clear, measurable impact on one or more of the four Bold Goals. United Way seeks partners who can articulate how their work directly advances community-wide objectives in reading proficiency, youth success, financial empowerment, or infant mortality reduction.

2. Ecosystem Integration As Annie McFadden noted, the organization is focused on "streamlining our programs and workload for maximum impact." Partners should understand how their services integrate with United Way's direct programming ecosystem, including potential referral pathways to/from 211, Financial Empowerment Centers, Family Resource Centers, and housing services.

3. Data and Measurement The partnership model emphasizes "tightly aligned goals, targeted populations, and data collection." Organizations must be prepared to track outcomes and contribute to collective impact measurement frameworks.

4. Geographic Specificity Priority is given to organizations serving:

  • Akron Public Schools students (for education and youth goals)
  • High infant mortality neighborhoods in Akron (for health equity goal)
  • Summit and Medina County residents (for financial empowerment goal)

5. Co-Creation Approach United Way describes its partnership model as "co-authorship of programming" built on "mutual shared vision." Organizations should be prepared for collaborative strategy development rather than independent program implementation.

Strategic Considerations from Recent Changes

The 2023 Application Process Success Factors (last competitive cycle):

  • The streamlined Letter of Intent process was designed to "allow new or smaller agencies to apply"
  • The revised process aimed to "broaden and strengthen the ecosystem of supportive services"
  • In-person presentations to the Community Impact Task Force were a key component
  • 40 organizations were selected from a larger applicant pool

Quotes from Leadership on Partnership Priorities:

Annie McFadden emphasized that United Way is "engaged with our board & staff, community leaders, partner agencies, donors and community members to assure we are not making these tough but necessary decisions in a vacuum, nor are we doing them alone." This suggests that organizations already connected to the community network have stronger positioning.

Brad Wright, board chair, highlighted that United Way values organizations that help "cultivate purposeful, inspiring and service-minded leaders," indicating that leadership development and capacity-building are valued outcomes.

What United Way Looks For:

  • Organizations that can demonstrate community trust and connection
  • Programs with proven models or strong evaluation frameworks
  • Partners willing to engage in ongoing strategy discussions and program refinement
  • Organizations serving populations experiencing the greatest disparities
  • Programs that can scale or replicate successful approaches

Common Characteristics of Recent Recipients: The 2023 funded partners span education, youth services, health care, legal aid, housing, financial services, food security, and community development. Many are established organizations with long track records, but the streamlined process also welcomed newer or smaller organizations, suggesting both organizational stability and innovative approaches are valued.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. No Open Application Process: United Way of Summit & Medina does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Focus on relationship building and demonstrating alignment with Bold Goals through other channels before expecting funding opportunities.

  2. Bold Goals Are Central: All partnership decisions flow from the four Bold Goals by 2028. Organizations must be able to clearly articulate measurable contributions to reading proficiency, youth success, financial empowerment, or infant mortality reduction.

  3. Ecosystem Strategy Matters: Understanding United Way's direct service ecosystem (211, Financial Empowerment Centers, Family Resource Centers, housing services) and how your organization connects to it is essential for partnership potential.

  4. Data-Driven Partnership: Be prepared to discuss outcomes measurement, data collection methods, and how you'll contribute to collective impact tracking. United Way emphasizes evidence-based approaches.

  5. Geographic Specificity Required: Organizations must serve Summit and/or Medina counties, with particular priority for Akron neighborhoods and Akron Public Schools. Broader regional or statewide organizations may need to demonstrate specific local programming.

  6. One Exception - Infant Health Fund: The Full Term First Birthday collaborative does accept applications for small grants ($3,000-$5,000) supporting infant mortality reduction efforts. This is the primary open application opportunity.

  7. Significant Strategic Shift: The organization has fundamentally changed from a traditional United Way funding intermediary to a direct service provider with selective strategic partnerships. Historical grant patterns may not predict future decisions.

  8. New Leadership Direction: With Annie McFadden's appointment in 2025 as the first woman CEO, the organization is focused on operational efficiency and revenue diversification while maintaining community impact priorities.

References

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