General
United Way for Greater Austin brings our community together to break economic barriers and build opportunity for all.
Since 1924, United Way has been a powerful force for good and a critical part of the fabric of Greater Austin. For 100 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing local families and individuals with the tools and resources they need to thrive. The needs in the Greater Austin area have changed over time, so we’ve adapted our support to stay ahead of emerging needs and help as many people as possible.
What hasn’t changed? Our belief that every person deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential and our passion for solving our community’s biggest challenges.
Something special happens when we Live United. When we work together to build a stronger community, we are sparking a movement bigger than anything we can do alone.
We provide access to education and resources in Travis and Williamson counties. In addition, our Navigation Center answers requests via our 2-1-1 helpline and ConnectATX resource database from a 10-county region, including Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis, and Williamson counties.
Our behavioral health service area includes more than 30 counties across Texas, including Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Coryell, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Gonzales, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Hays, Hill, Lampasas, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Llano, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Robertson, San Saba, Travis, Washington and Williamson counties.
We harness the power of community and innovation so that more people get the help they need, when they need it.
Through a century of serving our community, we’ve learned what works. That’s why we focus on high-quality early care and education and equitable access to pivotal resources. For example, we know that every $1 invested in early care and education results in a $9 return on investment.
We have a unique vantage point of our community’s needs and trends supported by our strategic data. We’re more than just a repository of information; we are the caretakers of research-based insights, with our fingers on the pulse of liveability in Central Texas. Our understanding of the data we collect and analyze is not just technical – it’s the compassionate lens through which we share insights with service providers and civic leaders, informing planning, resource allocation, and policy in their jurisdictions.
That means when you give to United Way, your dollars create groundbreaking change in our region thanks to our real-time insights about our neighbor’s most pressing needs.
United Way offers the convenience of payroll deduction through the support of local employers, allowing employees to give a substantial annual gift through small weekly contributions. You can also give online through our website.
Contributions
Thank you for considering an investment in your community through United Way. Your employer may conduct a workplace campaign where you can make a contribution each year. If not, you may donate online at any time.
If you would like to set up a campaign in your workplace, please reach out to Bill Butler, Director of Corporate Relations, by emailing bill.butler@uwatx.org.
87% of every dollar goes to programs. 100% of every dollar goes to our mission to break economic barriers and build opportunity for all.
If you have a personal connection to an agency, United Way makes it easy to give to that agency through us. When you invest in United Way for Greater Austin, we use our data-driven expertise on community needs to support the individuals who need it most. Our data also gives us a unique ability to adapt to changing community needs.
Donating to United Way stretches your donation the furthest, ensuring that each dollar you give creates the most effective, efficient, and sustainable change for local children and families. Donors also have the option to select from funds that align with our focus areas of education or resources.
United Way does allow designated gifts to non-partner organizations with certain restrictions. Please check with your United Way Account Manager.
Yes, employees can designate their donation to a nonprofit of their choice for a one-time donation of at least $250.
When we are both the fundraiser and the processor, a 18.43% fee is incurred with a cap of $250.
(This is the case 95% of the time. Our only real exception is the out-of-area Texas Mutual, where we only charge the processing fee.)
Here is the breakdown of the 18.43%
Processing: 4.9%
Fundraising: 13.53%
If you’re unable to give dollars at this time, consider other ways to get connected with our work. We have opportunities for advocacy, volunteerism, and more.
Depending on the company, the donation is typically treated as a post-tax deduction.
We accept school supplies donations, which we assemble for kit build events and donate to local schools.
Community Partners
Dial 2-1-1, text your ZIP code to 85511, or visit ConnectATX.org to get help today.
United Way for Greater Austin strategically invests in local partners aligned with our mission to break economic barriers and build opportunity for all. We also partner with foundations to align our investments for the greatest impact. United, we’re making progress in giving every local individual and family the opportunity to thrive.
We’ve identified these strategic investment areas that each of our community partners fall into: Success By 6 Coalition, 2-Gen Coalition for Economic Advancement, Education, and Resources. A complete list of our community investment grant partners can be found here.
United Way for Greater Austin’s 2-1-1 helpline strives to keep updated and accurate information from the 950+ agencies that are listed within its database. 2-1-1 does not provide direct services. 2-1-1 provides a list of resources that are likely to provide services based on the demographic information a caller provides during the call (ZIP Code, age, and gender).
Our Navigation Specialists answer calls from a 10-county region, including Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis, and Williamson counties. They provide access to more than 30,000 social services, including food, workforce development, transportation, housing, health care, disaster relief, mental health, parenting, child care, financial assistance, counseling, utilities, and education.
Our Navigation Specialists provide callers with a program contact, application, and eligibility and intake information, but they do not screen callers to ensure they meet all criteria.
Information can change rapidly, especially during times of disaster (storms, pandemics, fires, floods/etc.) or extreme economic shifts. While the United Way for Greater Austin Community Information team consistently scours news sources and researches leads for new or changed information, there are many cases where it may take 1-3 days to verify or update changes in information with the agencies.
If you know someone seeking help, continue to direct the individual to call 2-1-1. This free, confidential service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in hundreds of languages.
Administration
United Way for Greater Austin’s funding comes from right here in Central Texas – from local companies, foundations, and donors like you! When you donate to United Way, your dollars stay local, making a real and lasting impact in our community. Of the dollars entrusted to us, we strategically invest millions of dollars in two strategic areas every year to vetted community partners. This approach amplifies our community impact.
United Way for Greater Austin is independent and self-governing. The money you contribute stays local to help residents in Travis and Williamson counties. We are not connected to other United Ways except through “best practice” standards with United Way Worldwide in Alexandria, Virginia. Our local Board of Trustees manages the fundraising and distribution of money raised here and assumes responsibility for the integrity and stewardship of our operations.