Our Community Investment Grants
Each year, United Way for Greater Austin distributes more than $6 million in community investment grants and subgrants throughout Travis and Williamson counties to local organizations including healthcare providers, early learning centers, childhood support agencies, social service organizations, community health centers, and more, helping connect local individuals directly to vital resources.
Over the last year and a half, we have been seeking community input from families, partner organizations, and committed volunteers to reimagine our grantmaking strategies. We want to amplify and enhance partner programs that support strong and resilient families, children, and individuals who live with low-income across Travis and Williamson Counties.
During times where funding is difficult for all organizations to seek and attain, we hope to provide needed support to organizations in our region.
We are excited to share our community-informed funding strategies with you.
United Way’s North Stars
More Kids Kindergarten-Ready
70% (over 15,000) students who enter kindergarten will be ready to learn
More Economically Stable Families
70% of families (420,000) families will earn a family-sustaining income
Enhanced Resource Navigation
60% of community members (4,100 people) who engage with United Way will improve stability or self-sufficiency within six months
Community Feedback
We have leveraged the community-led goals from our coalitions, including Success By 6 in Travis and Williamson counties, the 2-Gen Coalition for Economic Advancement, and Community Healthy Connect, as well as programmatic feedback from our navigation programs including 211 and ConnectCTX, to redefine our direction to support initiatives that are aligned with a single, streamlined, regional approach.
With around 278 survey responses from community members to assess needs across Travis and Williamson county, we have developed our funding scope based on areas aligned with our organizational reach and north star goals. While some identified needs remain unmet in our community not aligned with our infrastructure, expertise, or focus area, we will continue to amplify those and determine ways to support organizations that work within these areas.
With our refreshed funding strategies, we will continue to lean into the areas of early childhood, workforce development and economic stability, and coordinated access to resources people need.
We also conducted an in-person listening and focus group session with our current funded partners to discuss areas of need and processes around our grantmaking. Primary feedback included strong alignment with United Way’s focus on Education & Early Childhood and Access to Essential Resources, while emphasizing that basic needs and workforce readiness are deeply interconnected and should not be addressed in silos. Partners advocated for multi-year funding to enable better long-term planning and reduce administrative burden, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining unrestricted and flexible funding.
The Community Needs survey captures the areas of need identified by community members across Travis and Williams counties.
Strategy Areas
Our Community Investment Grants fall under two strategy areas that are aligned to United Way’s North Star Goals:
Education and Early Childhood aims to invest in high-impact programs that implement evidence- and research-based or promising practices related to quality education, childcare, and family support services.
Resource Access aims to invest in programs and providers that support access to critical resources and services while working towards advancing their employment and education goals to achieve financial stability.
With community and stakeholder feedback, we have identified specific funding priorities within each strategy area:
Education and Early Childhood
High-Quality Child Care
- Center Services
- Provider Training
- Child Care Access
Healthy Beginnings & Supported Families
- Perinatal Care
- Parent Education
- Mental Health
Resource Access
Basic Needs
- Food Access
- Housing
- Financial Support
- Physical and Mental Health
Education & Employment
- Workforce Training
- Post-secondary Pathways
Navigation Services
- Care Coordination
- Referral Networks
Funding Opportunities
Each strategy area has three funding opportunities. Total funds available amount to $2.1 million split across these six opportunities. Awards and application processes vary by funding opportunity. Please refer to the Request for Proposal on December 1, 2025, for more detailed descriptions of each funding opportunity, process, and scoring rubric.
Education & Early Childhood
Community Investment Grants
Opportunity 1
Status: Open application
Awards: Seven $50K awards
Description: Investments to provide maintenance support for ongoing work tied to community priorities.
Opportunity 2
Status: Open with LOI
Awards: Four $150K awards
Description: Larger investments to support innovative initiatives that fill gaps and align to community priorities.
Opportunity 3
Status: Invitation to Apply
Awards: $235K total
Description: Renewed support for current CIG recipients that require bridge funding to continue critical programming.
Resource Access
Community Investment Grants
Opportunity 4
Status: Open application
Awards: Ten $20K awards
Description: Provide access to critical basic need resources and services to support individuals achieve stability and self-sufficiency.
Opportunity 5
Status: Open with LOI
Awards: Thirteen $40K awards
Description: Provide access to critical employment and education resources and services to support economic advancement and workforce development.
Opportunity 6
Status: Invitation to Apply
Awards: Four $50K awards
Description: Co-development and participation in a Community Information Exchange (CIE).
Key Dates
| Monday, December 15, 2025 | 3-4pm CST: Technical assistance call for opportunities 2 and 5 – Register here |
| Friday, January 16, 2026 | Letters of Interest due for opportunities 2 and 5 |
| Monday, February 2, 2026 | Invitations to apply for opportunities 2 and 5; Applications open for all opportunities |
| Monday, February 16, 2026 | 3-4pm CST: Technical assistance call for all opportunities – Register here |
| Friday, March 27, 2026 | Applications due |
| Friday, June 5, 2026 | Applicants notified of funding decisions |
| Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | Grant term begins |
In addition to the technical assistance calls above, we will hold open office hours with program staff at the following times (no registration required):
- Thursday, February 26, 2026 from 11am-12pm CST – Teams Drop-In Link
- Monday, March 23, 2026 from 1-2pm CST – Teams Drop-In Link
Applications will be reviewed by United Way staff members and scored against a rubric by community reviewers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, unless you are notified separately by a United Way staff member, you will need to reapply for funding with this new RFP.
No, while many components of our new strategies have remained the same, we are also integrating some new sections based on community needs. We are granting increased dollar amount awards this cycle, but the number of grantees will be less. It is important to review the funding strategies and rubrics to submit a competitive application.
Yes, you are eligible to apply for multiple strategies, however we are prioritizing a diverse pool of applicants to fund to ensure as many programs as possible are able to fulfill aligned goals. It is unlikely applicants will be funded across multiple opportunities whether as a single organization or as part of a collaborative (multi-organization) proposal. We strongly recommend targeting a single proposal; UW program staff are available to assist you in determining what makes a competitive proposal. If you submit applications for multiple strategies, you will also need to submit budgets for each strategy your organization applies to. Please review the strategies and rubrics to submit a competitive application.
Yes, in addition to two Technical Assistance calls, we are also holding office hours with United Way program and coalition staff to brainstorm ideas or receive support in submitting a competitive application. (Times TBA)
We understand that the current funding environment is challenging. There is no one-size-fits-all method to support organizations that are no longer being funded through United Way. Therefore, we are open to discussing what support looks like for organizations if they are no longer funded by our grantmaking strategies. Please email matt.thompson@uwatx.org to schedule a conversation.
United Way for Greater Austin has a robust method for reviewing grant applications that includes an internal staff review, an external community review process by volunteers, and scoring rubric that allows intentional and thorough review of applications. A strong narrative that clearly reflects rubric components is the best method for ensuring organizations submit a competitive application.
Additional Questions?
We encourage you to participate in one of our technical assistance calls or office hours. For additional questions regarding Community Investment Grants, contact Matt Thompson at Matt.Thompson@uwatx.org.