United Way of Larimer County was governed by the following community leaders in 2018 and 2019. We thank them for volunteering their time and using their creativity, expertise, and enthusiasm to help solve community problems.
Learn more about the passion and the drive that our current United Way Board Members have by clicking here
Our 60th year was one for the books! Generous donors made 45 grants totaling $1.1 million possible, while 28 nonprofits in Larimer County received over $732,000 in donor designations. Our first year of Innovation Grants encouraged technology advances and out-of-the-box thinking in the nonprofit sector, and our mission-based move allows us to explore shared services while also responding to our community’s need for affordable childcare. I am so grateful for the opportunity to lead your United Way and work alongside such an exceptional group of generous and solution-focused donors and volunteers. Thank you for your support!
We invite you to please view our Annual Report on a desktop for the best experience. 
United Way of Larimer County’s Cornerstone Program helps underwrite our management and general costs so that 94% of your donor-directed dollars go to the program of your choice, having the most impact in our community.
We are grateful for our supporters that strengthen our community through annual memberships in our giving programs. Click below to see the list of members that helped us make an impact this year.
At the beginning of FY 2018-19, United Way of Larimer County announced a new type of funding strategy: Innovation Grants
These types of grants are intended to allow United Way to be nimble and responsive to time-sensitive community needs, assist organizations with opportunities to leverage new dollars, and as a
resource for capacity building expenses (an area that nonprofits often find hard to fund). Click here to
read a note from our CEO regarding our first year with Innovation Grants.
In Larimer County, the average cost of childcare is $1200 a month and continuing to climb. In response to the need for affordable childcare, a group of passionate and caring women came together in 2006 to create an opportunity for the community to help single mothers have access to higher education without being hindered by the cost of quality care for their children.
Today, WomenGive is comprised of a dynamic network of more than 500 members who use their financial resources to help women in Larimer County achieve economic self-sufficiency by offering childcare scholarships for single mothers to achieve their educational goals to find quality employment.
We are grateful for our supporters that strengthen our community through an annual WomenGive membership. Click below to see the list of members that helped us make an impact this year.
211 provides unmatched, critical services -- 211 is a vital service leveraged by thousands of people across Larimer County. Every day, clients contact 211 to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utility payment assistance, employment services, veteran services, childcare and family services.
211 can be accessed by phone or computer. A toll-free call to 211 connects you to a community resource specialist who listens and identifies solutions, connecting people to local resources that can improve lives and provide a path to financial stability.
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Thanks to 211, United Way of Larimer County was able to support the Jaramillo family. Read on to learn more about their story and how 211 impacted their path to financial stability.
"When Dennis Jaramillo became disabled and could no longer work his manufacturing job, his family lost their home. He and his wife, Bethany, and their son, Bonefacio, lived in a hotel for more than a year. Even though Bethany was working full-time, they struggled to make ends meet and were on the verge of living in their car. After contacting United Way’s 211, the Jaramillo's were able to connect with Neighbor to Neighbor and received a housing placement. Now, their family is prospering with the stability of a home." Read more about the Jaramillo family here
Seasonal Overflow Shelters open during our coldest months when demand for a safe place to sleep to avoid
freezing temperatures often exceeds the supply of beds at local shelters. In FY2018-19, United Way partnered with the City of Fort Collins, Catholic Charities, Fort Collins Rescue
Mission and Community of Christ Church to provide more than 20,000 nights of shelter during a six-month period. Learn more about how United Way of Larimer County is helping with
this initiative here
United Way of Larimer County's Community Impact Committee awards funding to nonprofits who partner and work together collaboratively towards a common goal in an area of need. We call those partnerships of 10-15 nonprofits, "workgroups."
For financial stability, we have a workgroup focused on youth's transitions to independence and a workgroup focused on pathways to economic stability for working families. The representatives within each workgroup determine how to distribute the grant funding to participating nonprofits, empowering agencies to respond to changing trends and growing needs within the community every year.
Our programs and partnerships in this area focus on kindergarten readiness, reading at grade level by the end of third grade, and high school completion.
United Way of Larimer County provides funding to Respite Care to support childcare scholarships for children with a developmental disability, like Isaiah, who utilized their Early Childhood Program. Through these scholarships, families pay, on average, 25% of the actual cost, providing low-income families with access to respite and specialized care for their child. Read more about the Oliver family here.
Be Ready is a county-wide collaboration of nearly a dozen organizations who work with parents to create children ready to succeed in Kindergarten.
Research demonstrates that 90% of brain development occurs by age five and parents are the most significant factor in determining a young child’s development and learning. United Way is actively involved with the Be Ready initiative, funding Be Ready family navigators, assisting with Be Ready marketing, and soliciting funds to produce an annual Kindergarten Guide and Be Ready resource fairs in Estes Park, Loveland and Fort Collins.
Colorado Reading Corps is a nationally replicated model that utilizes AmeriCorps Members, trained in early intervention literacy strategies, to provide one-on-one tutoring to kindergarten through third-grade students who are not reading at grade level.
United Way of Larimer County launched Colorado Reading Corps in Thompson School District in August 2014 and expanded to Estes Park the next year. We continue to provide over $100,000 in funding to this program annually because research shows that reading at grade level by the end of third grade is a strong indicator of high school graduation and future success.
In Larimer County, many families cannot find adequate childcare - there are simply not enough licensed facilities to meet our growing populations' demand. To address the need, United Way of Larimer County partnered with Brinkman, the City of Fort Collins, and Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center to create 100 more affordable childcare slots.
To do this, United Way of Larimer County offices relocated and established The Community Impact Center at 525 W. Oak Street, allowing Teaching Tree to expand in place by taking over the former United Way offices at 424 Pine Street. To learn more about this initiative, click below:
According to Independent Sector, the only national membership organization that brings together the charitable community to advance the common good, the value of volunteer time for the state of Colorado is $28.02 per hour.
Annually, United Way of Larimer County hosts Make A Difference Day in October, Family Volunteer Day in November, and National Volunteer Month in April. We collaborate with nonprofit agencies to provide a variety of volunteer opportunities to individuals and businesses across the county.
United Way of Larimer County knows how important it is to keep the community engaged and partners with over 100 local businesses to help give back to Larimer County through monetary donations and volunteering. Workplace Campaigns can strengthen connections between employees and their community, helping build community inside a company and out.
United Way staff members partner with companies to develop customized campaign efforts that align with corporate values and the particular interests of employees. If you are interested in learning more about workplace campaigns, click here
We support nonprofits’ efforts to be efficient and effective through capacity-building grants as well as provide free training to nonprofits through generous corporate
support from Comcast. 
To see more detail per training opportunity and other past nonprofit excellence series events, click here.
Early survey results show:
»100% of attendees believed the information in the training would be useful for their work in the
nonprofit community
» 91% indicated they knew more about the subject matter than they did before
» 98% said they were likely to participate in future Nonprofit Excellence events
These grants are awarded for technical assistance & support, county-wide training to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Larimer County nonprofits, reporting tool
implementation, and sponsorship of external training & nonprofit events. Grant award range of $500 - $2,500. Grant applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Click here to learn more about our other Nonprofit Excellence Grant recipients.
Copyright 2015 United Way of Larimer County
