Funding Opportunities & Guidelines

United Way of Calgary and Area (United Way) is committed to making our city better. We come together with partners and stakeholders across our community to meet our city’s emerging needs and drive long-term social change.

One of the ways we do this is by providing funding to local organizations in Calgary and area to address systemic or individual change. Funding decisions are made by a committee of United Way staff and volunteers with fiduciary oversight by the Board of Directors, guided by the Community Impact Framework. The amount of funding available from year-to-year is dependent on dollars raised in the community through our fundraising efforts.

United Way provides funding to organizations in the social sector who are committed to mobilizing the community to make lasting change and improve the lives of individuals and families. We work with organizations whose work aligns with our focus areas:

• Socioeconomic Well-being – improving people’s financial and living situations
• Mental Health – supporting people’s mental health and well-being
• Social Inclusion – creating a sense of belonging and equality for everyone
• Healthy Relationships – encouraging positive and supportive relationships

We provide funding to registered non-profits and charities. We do not provide funding to individuals, hospitals, political parties or for religious activities.

Sign up below for our mailing list to learn more about our funding opportunities as they become available.

A list of agencies currently receiving funding from United Way of Calgary and Area can be found here.

United Way of Calgary and Area also leads four Signature Initiatives to improve the short- and long-term social landscape of our community: All In for Youth, Community Hubs, Healthy Aging Alberta and Planet Youth Calgary. United Way strategically invests fundraising revenue to power these initiatives. The vast majority of funding for these initiatives is distributed to agencies in the community, who drive the social impact and outcomes of the signature initiatives

United Way provides a number of different funding opportunities:

• Multi-year funding: Multi-year funding offers stability and allows agencies to plan and implement activities with a longer-term perspective, ensuring continuity and reducing the uncertainty that can come with year-to-year funding.
• Grassroots and Innovation funding: Grassroots funding supports local, community-driven initiatives, while innovation funding fosters new ideas and solutions with the potential for significant impact. Check back soon for more information on these opportunities.
• One-time funding: On occasion, funding is available to address emergent issues and/or emergency response. These opportunities are limited and vary from year-to-year.

Please review the Community Impact Framework: Investment Strategy Guide to gain insight into United Way’s learnings and understandings of emerging trends and non-profit sector needs, as well as our commitment to create lasting change for people through positive outcomes.

Use the fillable box below to learn more about our funding opportunities as they become available. If your agency currently receives funding from United Way, you are already on our mailing list and do not need to sign up.