New focus will determine who gets share of millions of dollars in coming years.
Samaritan Center business manager and weekend supervisor Maryanne Grady serves food to Raymond Wade, of Syracuse, outside the Samaritan Center, 310 Montgomery St. Thursday. Grady was worried that the roof overhang above might be dripping on Wade, who recently had surgery and wasnât able to make it down the stairs of the center in his wheelchair. United Way has reorganized its funding priorities to emphasize basic needs because of the weak economy.
The weak economy has prompted the United Way of Central New York to change its focus to give top priority to funding programs that address basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter.
The agency, which raises more than $8 million a year for charities in Onondaga County, reorganized its funding priorities after doing a study that shows the economic downturn has dramatically affected community needs.
The study found the number of Syracusans with income below the poverty line jumped from 17.5 percent in 2007 to 29.7 percent in 2008, and that nearly 40 percent of city children are living in poverty. Those and other economic factors have altered the landscape of need since the United Way did its last community needs assessment study three years ago, said Frank Lazarski, the agency’s president.
“Everything has almost gotten turned on its head,” Lazarski said. “We see job loss and financial insecurity forcing people to make decisions about whether to spend their money on food or medicine.”
The document is available on the United Way’s website, www.unitedway-cny.org and www.syracuse.com.
The study prompted the United Way to focus its funding priorities on four areas: education, income, health and safety net services for people in crisis. Those priorities will guide United Way funding allocations for a three-year period beginning July 1, 2011.
The United Way’s funding priorities were previously based on five “vision” areas: nurture, protect and teach young children; help our youth growing into thriving adults; provide a safety net during crisis; enable people to live with self-sufficiency and independence, and support people facing difficult personal and family problems.
All the programs currently funded by the United Way could potentially fit under the new structure, said Christina Hann, a United Way vice president.
But there are no guarantees those same programs will continue to get funding.
“It’s a clean slate every three years,” Hann said. “We want programs to be solid.”
The United Way also will start making funded programs report on specific outcomes and indicators.
Agencies seeking funding will undergo a fiscal and management audit by the United Way beginning next month. Agencies that pass that review will be invited to apply for money in any one of the four focus areas. Funding decisions will be made by May 27, 2011.
The United Way provides funding for 102 programs run by 38 agencies such as the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Huntington Family Centers and Vera House. The United Way raises the bulk of its donations from employees at more than 600 local workplaces that run charitable-giving campaigns.
Many nonprofits have experienced cuts in state and federal funding.
That’s why Lazarski expects even more charities to apply for funding.
James T. Mulder can be reached at 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com