United Way Suncoast Inc

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $11.6 million (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Applications reviewed by panel with site visits for select applicants
• Grant Range: $20,000 - $100,000 annually (Community Investment); up to $20,000 (ACE Grants)
• Geographic Focus: DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota Counties, FL

Contact Details

Website: unitedwaysuncoast.org

Phone: (813) 274-0900

Email: [email protected] (for grant application questions)

Address: 4925 Independence Parkway, Suite 120, Tampa, FL 33634

Overview

United Way Suncoast (EIN 59-3725701), established as one of Florida's largest United Ways, focuses on creating educational opportunity, financial security, and community resiliency across five counties in the Tampa Bay region. In 2024, the organization distributed $11,620,525 in grants across 124 awards. The organization recently received a transformational $20 million donation from MacKenzie Scott, which CEO Jessica Muroff called a "community gift" allocated toward early learning programs, infrastructure, and innovation. United Way Suncoast operates multi-year funding cycles to provide stability to partner organizations, allowing them to focus on program delivery rather than constant grant applications. Their current 2022-2025 Community Investment committed $18 million to support 100 programs, while the upcoming 2025-2028 cycle will invest $14.13 million in 67 high-impact programs.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community Investment Program: Multi-year funding for up to three years, ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 annually (average approximately $60,000). Applications are accepted through an online portal for fixed cycles. The 2025-2028 cycle runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028, investing $14.13 million in 67 programs.

ACE Grants (Access, Capacity, Equity): Operational investments of up to $20,000 for organizations with annual revenue up to $2.1 million. These grants focus on building organizational capacity, improving service accessibility, and ensuring equity. The next ACE funding round opens in spring 2026, with applications accepted March 30 - May 1, 2026. A recent competitive round awarded $225,000 to 13 nonprofits.

Disaster Relief Funds: Responsive grants for community crises. In recent hurricane recovery efforts, UWS issued $600,000 in recovery grants with an additional $500,000 earmarked for future distribution.

Priority Areas

United Way Suncoast focuses exclusively on programs serving ALICE families (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) across three impact areas:

Education Focus:

• Early Learning (ages 0-12): Children entering kindergarten ready to learn
• Grade-level reading for elementary students
• Youth Success (ages 13-18): Guiding middle/high school students to on-time graduation and post-secondary success
• $9.07 million allocated to educational programs in current cycle

Financial Security Focus (ages 18+):

• Workforce training and job placement
• Helping young people and adults secure employment with sustainable wages
• Building and protecting assets
• Financial coaching and literacy
• Income tax assistance (VITA programs)
• Eviction mitigation
• Neighborhood resource centers
• $5.06 million allocated to financial security programs in current cycle

Community Resiliency: Programs that strengthen community capacity to respond to and recover from challenges

What They Don't Fund

While specific exclusions are not detailed in publicly available materials, United Way Suncoast requires that:

• Programs must serve at least 75% of participants who are ALICE families residing in their five-county service area
• Programs must align with one of their three focus areas (Education, Financial Security, or Community Resiliency)
• Organizations must demonstrate focus on ALICE population rather than general community services

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Jessica Muroff, Chief Executive Officer: Leads United Way Suncoast's strategic priorities to fight for education and financial stability in the community. She serves on the boards of the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay and Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. On her funding philosophy, Muroff stated: "I believe in blending data with empathy. Numbers tell you what's happening, but listening tells you why. If we don't understand the lived experiences and context of the people we serve, we'll never create full, lasting change. It has to be both." Regarding crisis response, she emphasized: "That's what United Way does, we stand up and step up during a crisis, and especially one that is so aligned with one of our focus priority areas."

Bemetra Simmons, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer

Kari Goetz, Chief Advancement Officer

Board Leadership

Sara Nichols, Board Chair: Chief Financial Officer at Appspace

Chad Loar, Vice Chair: Regional President at PNC Bank

Lori Baggett: Chief Legal Officer at PODS Enterprises, LLC

Traci Larsen, Treasurer: Florida Credit Executive at Regions Bank

Additional Board Members include leaders from Raymond James, Tampa Bay Rays, Amazon, and other major regional employers and community organizations.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

United Way Suncoast has streamlined its application process, replacing a previous two-stage system with a single submission through their online E-CImpact grant portal.

Community Investment Program (2025-2028 cycle):

• Applications submitted through online portal at agency.e-cimpact.com
• Single application submission replacing former two-stage process
• Must include organizational budgets and financial statements from two most recent fiscal years
• Applications reviewed by UWS staff and community panel of forty external reviewers with experience in industry-related, education, or nonprofit work
• Select applicants invited for site visits
• Virtual information sessions available for prospective applicants

ACE Grants:

• Applications accepted through E-CImpact portal
• Next cycle: March 30 - May 1, 2026
• Must review "ACE Grants Application and Reporting Questions" and "ACE Grant Partnership Agreement Template"
• Contact [email protected] with questions

Eligibility Requirements

All programs must:

• Hold 501(c)(3) status or have an established 501(c)(3) organization serving as fiscal agent
• Have at least one individual committed full-time to program management (can be volunteer or staff)
• Have been in operation in any capacity since at least July 1, 2024 (for 2025-2028 cycle)
• Serve ALICE families in one or more Suncoast counties: DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota
• Demonstrate that at least 75% of participants reside in UWS's identified focus areas
• Align with Education, Financial Security, or Community Resiliency priorities

ACE Grants additional requirement:

• Annual revenue must be $2.1 million or less

Decision Timeline

Applications are reviewed through a competitive process involving:

1. Staff review for eligibility and alignment
2. Community panel review by approximately 40 external reviewers
3. Site visits for select applicants
4. Final funding decisions announced prior to funding cycle start

For the 2022-2025 cycle, the grant application portal opened December 1, with funding announcements made in July before the July 1 funding start date.

Success Rates

United Way Suncoast describes their process as "competitive." The most recent ACE grants round was characterized as their "most competitive round to date," awarding $225,000 to 13 nonprofits from an undisclosed applicant pool.

For the Community Investment Program:

• 2024: 124 awards made
• 2023: 134 awards made
• 2022-2025 cycle: 100 programs funded
• 2025-2028 cycle: 67 programs selected for $14.13 million

The reduction from 100 to 67 funded programs in successive cycles suggests increasingly competitive selections, though specific application-to-award ratios are not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not detailed in publicly available materials. Organizations seeking clarification should contact [email protected].

Application Success Factors

Focus on ALICE Population: United Way Suncoast strongly encourages all applicants to "take the time to understand ALICE and determine whether their program is a fit for this population." Programs must clearly demonstrate how they serve Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households.

Data Plus Empathy Approach: Reflecting CEO Jessica Muroff's philosophy, successful applications should blend quantitative outcomes with qualitative understanding of lived experiences. Applications should demonstrate both measurable impact and deep understanding of community context.

Multi-Year Stability: United Way Suncoast explicitly designs multi-year funding cycles to provide stability and reduce administrative burden. Applications should demonstrate capacity for sustained programming over three years with appropriate evaluation mechanisms.

Alignment with Strategic Priorities: Programs must clearly connect to one of three age-specific impact areas:

• Early Learning and Youth Success (ages 0-18) under Education
• Financial Stability (ages 18+)
• Community Resiliency across all ages

Geographic Focus on High-Need Areas: At least 75% of program participants must reside in UWS's identified focus areas within their five counties. Applications should demonstrate concentration in areas with highest ALICE populations.

Recent Funded Programs include established organizations such as:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast
• Metropolitan Ministries
• Bay Area Legal Services
• Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County
• Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA
• Family Studies Center at University of South Florida
• Healthy Start Coalition of Pinellas County

Application Support Available: UWS hosts virtual information sessions about their investment process. Taking advantage of these sessions demonstrates commitment and allows applicants to ask clarifying questions.

Organizational Capacity Matters: The requirement for at least one full-time person dedicated to program management signals UWS's focus on organizational capacity to deliver consistent, quality programming.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• ALICE is non-negotiable: Every aspect of your application must demonstrate clear focus on Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households. Generic community benefit claims will not succeed.

• Three-year sustainability: Structure proposals to demonstrate sustainable impact over three years, not just year-one activities. Show how program will maintain quality and outcomes across the full funding period.

• Geographic precision matters: Demonstrate that 75%+ of participants reside in high-ALICE areas within the five-county region. Vague service area descriptions will undermine competitiveness.

• Blend quantitative and qualitative: Following Muroff's "data with empathy" philosophy, applications should integrate robust outcome measures with authentic understanding of participant experiences.

• Streamlined process favors preparedness: With a single-submission process, there's no opportunity to revise based on first-round feedback. Applications must be complete, compelling, and polished from the outset.

• Community review panel: Knowing that 40 external reviewers from education, industry, and nonprofit backgrounds evaluate applications, write for an informed but diverse audience that values both mission and operational excellence.

• Consider ACE grants as entry point: For smaller organizations (under $2.1 million revenue), ACE grants offer a pathway to demonstrate capacity before pursuing larger Community Investment grants.

References

• United Way Suncoast Official Website: https://unitedwaysuncoast.org (accessed January 2026)
• United Way Suncoast 2022-2025 Community Investment page: https://unitedwaysuncoast.org/2022-2025-community-investment/ (accessed January 2026)
• United Way Suncoast Capacity Building page: https://unitedwaysuncoast.org/capacity/ (accessed January 2026)
• Instrumentl 990 Report for United Way Suncoast Inc: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/united-way-suncoast-inc-97de0aba-7d7e-43fa-a4ce-be98a0417bef (accessed January 2026)
• St Pete Catalyst: "United Way Suncoast invests $14.13M in community programs" https://stpetecatalyst.com/united-way-suncoast-invests-14-13m-in-community-programs/ (accessed January 2026)
• United Way of Florida: Jessica Muroff profile https://www.uwof.org/jessica-muroff (accessed January 2026)
• Sarasota Magazine: "Jessica Muroff Will Steward Sarasota's Next Era of Giving" (November 2025) https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/news-and-profiles/2025/11/community-foundation-jessica-muroff-new-ceo (accessed January 2026)
• WMNF: "WaveMakers: United Way's Jessica Muroff on the housing crisis" https://www.wmnf.org/wavemakers-united-ways-jessica-muroff-on-the-housing-crisis/ (accessed January 2026)
• Fundsforngos: "United Way Suncoast's Community Investment Program (Florida)" https://us.fundsforngos.org/grant-2/united-way-suncoasts-community-investment-program-florida/ (accessed January 2026)
• United Way Suncoast Board Leadership page: https://unitedwaysuncoast.org/who-we-are/board-leadership/ (accessed January 2026)