United Way Awards Nearly $2.2 million To Advance Equitable Outcomes for Children and Families 

Hartford, Conn. (July 26, 2022) — United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut awarded $2,193,000 to support 67 programs advancing equitable outcomes in the areas of education, financial security and basic needs while also serving ALICE* households in central and northeastern Connecticut.  

“United Way is proud to provide funding to organizations that have demonstrated strong collaboration within our network of partners and/or with other stakeholders that contributes to positive outcomes for nearly 250,000 people in our community. Families are facing a significant number of challenges due to inflation. In this environment, it’s important that we come together to meet immediate needs and tackle long-term issues facing our community,” said Eric Harrison, President and CEO, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.  

This year, volunteers who served on United Way Impact Teams played a significant role in determining funding for programs across our region. We are thrilled to be a volunteer-led organization and are grateful for those who joined us in this capacity in support of local children and families. 

The awards, which were approved by United Way’s Board of Directors at its June meeting, include the following: 

$1,280,000 to United WE READ, which focuses on ways to increase third-grade reading proficiency of children. Programs awarded have an intentional focus on improving literacy through curriculum, family engagement and connection to community resources including programming to keep children engaged and on track over the summer. Organizations receiving awards include: 

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, Inc. 
• Catholic Charities, Inc. –  Archdiocese of Hartford 
• Connectikids 
• Consolidated School District of New Britain 
• Covenant Preparatory School 
• East Hartford Public Schools 
• Educational Resources for Children, Inc. 
• HARC, Inc. 
• Hispanic Health Council, Inc. 
• Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. 
• Literacy Volunteers of Central CT 
• Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters 
• The Salvation Army Southern New England Division 
• The Village for Families & Children, Inc. 
• Windham Public Schools 
• Women’s League, Inc. Child Development Center 
• YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford, Inc. 
• YMCA of New Britain – Berlin 
• YWCA Hartford Region 
• YWCA of New Britain, Inc. 

$424,000 to United for ALICE, which helps families achieve financial security. Awards include a focus on connecting youth and young adults to workforce skill development and specific career training and increasing financial capability skills. Organizations receiving awards include: 

• Catholic Charities, Inc. –  Archdiocese of Hartford 
• Connecticut Foodshare 
• Hartford Working Cities  
• Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. 
• Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford 
• Our Piece of The Pie (OPP) 
• The Village for Families & Children, Inc. 
• Urban League of Greater Hartford, Inc. 
• Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford 
• YWCA Hartford Region 

$489,000 to Basic Needs, which supports programs that meet immediate needs of families for food, shelter, homelessness prevention, safety from domestic violence/sexual assault and disaster recovery; information and referral services through United Way 211; and, services for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Organizations receiving awards include: 

• American Red Cross 
• Catholic Charities & Family Services, Diocese of Norwich, Inc. 
• Catholic Charities, Inc. –  Archdiocese of Hartford 
• CCARC, Inc. 
• Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness 
• Connecticut Foodshare 
• Connecticut Legal Services, Inc. 
• Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Inc. 
• HARC, Inc. 
• Hartford HealthCare at Home 
• Hartford Interval House, Inc. 
• Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. 
• Journey Home 
• Network Against Domestic Abuse of North Central CT 
• Prudence Crandall Center, Inc. 
• Services for the Elderly of Farmington 
• Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Eastern Connecticut, Inc. 
• South Park Inn, Inc. 
• The Arc of the Farmington Valley, Inc. (FAVARH) 
• The Salvation Army Southern New England Division 
• United Way of Connecticut, Inc. 
• Windham Area Interfaith Ministry (WAIM) 
• YWCA Hartford Region 
• YWCA of New Britain, Inc. 

 Through the generous support of United Way’s donors, we and our network of community partners are able to keep children on track academically when school is not in session. For example, children attending Hartford’s Camp Courant participate in enrichment programming and eat two nutritious meals each day at no cost to their families. Pictured here are two campers who accepted the United WE READ Challenge and took home a literacy kit assembled by our corporate partners, which builds home libraries and fosters a love of reading. 

Please visit unitedwayinc.org for regular updates. 

*ALICE is a United Way-coined acronym that stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE represents households that live above the federal poverty line but below the basic cost of living.  

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About United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut   
United Way brings people and resources together to address immediate needs and find long-term solutions to challenging problems. United Way does this by investing in programs and services, leading community change initiatives, and mobilizing resources and volunteers to ensure that children succeed in school, people get jobs and are financially secure, people are healthy and basic needs are met during tough times. For more information, visit unitedwayinc.org.    

Media Contact: Anyeline Céspedes López | United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut  | acespedes@unitedwayinc.org | 787.502.0436