2025 Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 42
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND:
SELECTION AND FUNDING PROCESS
The Community Impact Fund (CIF) follows a rigorous, transparent and volunteer-driven
process to ensure funding is directed to nonpro昀椀 t organizations best positioned to
deliver measurable impact across education, economic mobility, health and basic needs.
Through a disciplined eligibility review, a robust volunteer-led evaluation process and
strategic investment decisions, the CIF continues to strengthen a diverse portfolio of
nonpro昀椀 t partners working to improve lives and advance opportunity across our region.
AGENCY ELIGIBILITY REVIEW (AER)
The process began with an Agency Eligibility Review,
announced on Sept. 16, 2024, with a full overview of the
updated CIF framework shared on Sept. 30. The AER opened
Oct. 1 and closed Oct. 25, 2024, supported by virtual training
for applicants.
A total of 239 agencies successfully passed the AER,
con昀椀 rming compliance with nonpro昀椀 t status, 昀椀 nancial
accountability, service alignment and community presence
requirements. Eligibility standards ensured agencies
demonstrated strong governance, 昀椀 nancial transparency,
and a clear focus on serving households at or below the
ALICE threshold or Federal Poverty Guidelines within the
UWGN service area.
COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND APPLICATION PROCESS
Following AER, 211 eligible agencies submitted an application
for funding. Of those applicants, 64 were new organizations,
re昀氀 ecting continued interest from emerging community
partners. Additionally, 42 agencies newly funded in the prior
2023–2025 funding cycle reapplied for support.
In total, applicants requested $18.1 million in funding across
all four impact areas. After a thorough review, the volunteer
and staff review teams proposed funding for 184 of the 211
applicants.
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VOLUNTEER-LED REVIEW AND DECISION-MAKING
Community volunteers play a central role in the CIF process.
Volunteer recruitment occurred from October 2024 through
January 2025, followed by comprehensive training in January.
A comprehensive team of 94 community-based volunteers
conducted detailed written application reviews and scoring,
participated in site visits alongside staff, and engaged in
strategic funding discussions by region.
This multi-stage review process ensured funding decisions
re昀氀 ected both quantitative scoring and qualitative insights
into organizational capacity, community need and alignment
with UWGN priorities.
FUNDING OUTCOMES
For the 2025–2026 cycle, UWGN awarded $7.5 million in
CIF funding. This included funding for 40 new agencies,
while 24 new applicants were not funded, underscoring the
competitive nature of the process and the limited resources
available relative to community need.
Applicants were noti昀椀 ed of funding decisions on April 30,
2025, with contracts executed by June 15. Funded partners
entered a one-year funding period beginning July 1, 2025,
with the opportunity for renewal based on compliance and
performance.
