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United Way Of The Bay Area

Annual Giving
$8.8M
Grant Range
$5K - $3.0M
Decision Time
2.5w

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $8.8 million in grants (2023)
  • Total Revenue: $20.1 million (FY2024)
  • Decision Time: 2-3 weeks (Housing Justice grants)
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $3,000,000 (varies by program)
  • Geographic Focus: Eight Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano)

Contact Details

Website: uwba.org

Phone: 1-800-273-1779

Email: Contact through website at uwba.org/contact-us/

Housing Justice Inquiries: Karen Nemsick, Director Housing Justice, at knemsick@uwba.org

Media Inquiries: uwba@emccommunications.com

Overview

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) was established in 1922 and serves as one of the Bay Area's primary anti-poverty organizations. With total assets of $31.6 million and annual revenue of $20.1 million (FY2024), the organization distributed $8.8 million in grants to 192 partners in 2023. UWBA's mission is to dismantle the root causes of poverty and build equitable pathways to prosperity through initiatives and policy change, focusing on employment, housing, financial stability, and meeting basic needs. The organization takes a racial justice lens in its grantmaking, partnerships, and programming. In 2024, UWBA welcomed Keisha Browder as CEO, the first Black chief executive in the organization's century-plus history. UWBA also serves as the local administrator for the federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), having distributed $74 million in EFSP funds since the program's inception.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Housing Justice Grants (2025): $5,000 - $15,000

  • Total funding available: $150,000
  • Grant period: June 1, 2025 through May 30, 2026
  • Three categories: Bay Area Affordable Housing Coalitions, Housing Justice Initiative grants, and UWBA Ambassadors Community-Led Housing grants
  • Focus on rental assistance, eviction prevention, affordable housing construction, homelessness prevention, and policy advocacy
  • Past grants have supported thousands of households

Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP): Variable amounts

  • FY2024: Distributed $2.4 million initially, plus an additional $2.7 million in a second round
  • Served 172,479 individuals through 105 program partners
  • Annual RFP process with timelines varying by county
  • Funds help with food, shelter, rent/mortgage assistance, and utilities

SparkPoint Centers: Partnership-based grants

  • Financial coaching and integrated services for low-income individuals and families
  • Average client outcomes: $10,000 increased annual income, $6,228 in increased savings, 107-point credit score improvement
  • Supported by major grants from BMO ($3 million multi-year) and Wells Fargo ($250,000)
  • In FY2023: Served 2,679 community college students and 149 formerly incarcerated individuals

Free Tax Help (Earn It! Keep It! Save It!): Partnership-based grants

  • In FY2023: Helped 700 veterans and 2,115 individuals living with disabilities file tax returns

Community Relief Funds: Variable amounts, announced periodically

  • COVID-19 Community Relief Fund: Distributed over $4.8 million to more than 130 organizations
  • Guaranteed Basic Income pilot: 4-year grant of $3 million funding monthly stipends and financial coaching for 100 families in Alameda County

Priority Areas

  • Housing Justice: Stable and affordable housing access, racial wealth gap reduction, homelessness prevention, policy advocacy
  • Financial Stability: Financial coaching, tax preparation assistance, debt reduction, savings building
  • Employment: Job training and placement, career advancement
  • Basic Needs: Emergency food assistance, shelter, rent/mortgage assistance, utility support
  • Equity Focus: BIPOC-led organizations, vulnerable populations including seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and marginalized groups

What They Don't Fund

UWBA is not accepting unsolicited requests for funds at this time. To be eligible for most grant programs, organizations must be existing partners. The organization occasionally launches special community funds open to any eligible organization, typically for specific relief efforts or community projects.

Governance and Leadership

CEO: Keisha Browder (appointed October 2024)

  • First Black chief executive in UWBA's century-plus history
  • Over 25 years of experience advancing economic opportunity and racial justice
  • Former CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz County
  • Oversees staff, resource development, programmatic and financial operations, strategic partnerships, and strategic plan execution

Board Chair: Gioia McCarthy

Vice Chair: Alice A. Chen

The Board of Directors is cultivated from all sectors of the community, comprising leaders who invest their time, passion, and resources to fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in the Bay Area.

Leadership Quotes

On basic needs affordability: "This new Real Cost Measure data shows what many of us in the Bay Area already know: too many of our neighbors are working hard but their paychecks don't cover basic needs," said Keisha Browder regarding 2025 study findings that 27% of Bay Area households struggle to afford basics.

On poverty as policy: "Poverty is not an individual failing, it's a policy choice. At United Way Bay Area, we followed the research and it led us to direct cash payments, an innovation proven to break the cycle of poverty," said Browder regarding a guaranteed basic income pilot program.

On regional inequality: "The Bay Area is a place where many thrive while others barely survive," Browder noted when discussing economic disparities.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Most Programs (SparkPoint, Free Tax Help, Emergency Assistance Network): No public application process. Organizations must be existing partners to receive grants.

For Housing Justice Grants: Open application process through RFP

  • Application portal available on UWBA website
  • Virtual information sessions offered (e.g., February 20, 2025, 1:00-2:00 pm for 2025 RFP)
  • Eligibility: Must be 501(c)(3) community-based organization serving one or more of eight Bay Area counties
  • Must serve vulnerable populations including seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and marginalized groups

For Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP): Open application process

  • Annual RFP issued with timelines varying by county
  • Eligibility: Tax-exempt nonprofit or local government entities providing food and shelter services
  • Requirements include: demonstrated capability, currently funded program, accounting system, Federal Employer Identification Number, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
  • Must practice nondiscrimination and use funds to supplement (not establish new) programs
  • Technical assistance provided to applicants and grantees

For Special Community Relief Funds: Watch website for announcements

  • Periodically launched for specific relief efforts or community projects
  • Open to any eligible organization when announced

Decision Timeline

Housing Justice Grants (2025 example):

  • Application deadline: March 21, 2025
  • Grantees notified: April 7, 2025
  • Non-selected applicants notified: By April 11, 2025
  • Total timeline: 2-3 weeks from deadline to notification

EFSP: Varies by county, but follows annual cycle with local board review and recommendations

Success Rates

2023 Overall: 192 grants awarded from $8.8 million in total funding

Housing Justice Initiative:

  • 2025 RFP: $150,000 available for 10-30 grants
  • Previous rounds: Over 20 organizations funded in inaugural round ($1 million); 23 nonprofits awarded $750,000 in subsequent round; 24 organizations supported in another round
  • Since inception: More than $2 million distributed

EFSP FY2024: Approximately 105 program partners funded

Specific success rate percentages not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Not explicitly stated, but the organization maintains ongoing partnerships with community organizations across multiple grant cycles. Organizations unsuccessful in one funding round can likely apply to future opportunities when announced.

Application Success Factors

For Housing Justice Grants:

  • Community-led decision making: The 2025 Housing Justice RFP was crafted by UWBA Ambassadors with lived experience facing housing insecurity, who also review and score applications
  • Equity focus: Several grants specifically target BIPOC-led organizations working to increase pathways to homeownership for people of color
  • Geographic coverage: Must serve one or more of the eight Bay Area counties
  • Vulnerable populations: Priority for organizations serving seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and marginalized groups
  • Issue areas: Direct services (rental assistance, eviction prevention), affordable housing construction, homelessness prevention, and policy advocacy all valued
  • Racial wealth gap: Projects that address racial disparities in housing and wealth particularly aligned

For EFSP Grants:

  • Existing capacity: Must have currently funded (non-EFSP) program to supplement
  • Supplemental nature: Funds must supplement, not establish new programs
  • Local board priorities: Each county has volunteer Local Board that creates funding priorities based on emerging needs
  • Partnership approach: UWBA works with organizations that "already know their neighborhoods well"

General Strategic Alignment:

  • Racial justice lens: UWBA explicitly takes this approach in grantmaking, partnerships, and programming
  • Root causes focus: The organization emphasizes dismantling root causes of poverty, not just addressing symptoms
  • Data-driven: UWBA values research-backed approaches and captures data for insights
  • Cross-sector partnerships: Values collaboration with nonprofit, business, and government sectors
  • Policy impact: Supports organizations engaged in policy advocacy and systems change

Partnership Philosophy: According to UWBA's approach, they "partner with organizations across the region that already know their neighborhoods well, allowing their support to reach people quickly and respectfully." This suggests preference for:

  • Organizations with established community presence
  • Culturally responsive service delivery
  • Ability to deploy resources efficiently

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Existing partnerships are key: Most UWBA grant programs are closed to new applicants except for special community funds and annual RFPs like Housing Justice and EFSP—build relationships before urgent funding needs arise
  • Equity and racial justice are central: Applications should explicitly address how work advances racial equity and serves marginalized communities; BIPOC-led organizations have strategic advantage
  • Geographic specificity matters: Must serve one or more of the eight designated Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano)
  • Root causes over symptoms: Frame your work in terms of systemic change and addressing poverty's root causes, not just providing services
  • Data and outcomes: UWBA is research-driven; include concrete metrics and evidence of impact (see SparkPoint outcomes as model)
  • Watch for special opportunities: While most programs are partnership-based, UWBA periodically launches community funds open to all eligible organizations—monitor their website and subscribe to updates
  • Quick turnaround: Housing Justice RFP had 2-3 week decision timeline, so be prepared to move fast once opportunities announced

References

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