Thriving Kids
There’s nothing more important than ensuring our community’s children have what they need to thrive. LEARN MORE
- Our Youth Success Network (YSN) kicked off an exciting new program year with 212 amazing partners! Our annual YSN kickoff event was held on August 22. People from 50 organizations joined us to learn about the supports we offer, and to hear from community partners about how we can better align our efforts serving young people.
- Our Ready for K Alliance is continuing it’s ongoing lead work as part of the healthy development outcome area. This year, the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) joined us again to facilitate strategic planning for year 2 of Louisville’s Lead-Safe Strategic Plan. 30 partners joined in the evaluation of the current workplan and development of the new plan for 2026.
- Our Ages & Stages (ASQ) Southern Indiana expansion is continuing to build momentum. We are now partnering with 3 strategic partners and 9 referral partners across the region, creating strong pathways to reach families outside of traditional childcare settings. To date, we’ve also participated in 3 engagement events and trainings, helping raise awareness of ASQ and strengthen community connections.
- The Ages & Stages (ASQ) Screening Hub team screened 118 children in the month of July and met with several pediatric offices to discuss partnerships and pilot initiative opportunities.
- A recent story from our Ages & Stages (ASQ) screening hub:
The day before JCPS started, our Hub team connected with a mom whose child is non-verbal. She shared that her child was not receiving services and had not yet enrolled in kindergarten. The coordinators stepped in— walking her through the enrollment process and making sure she had the support she needed. Her child was enrolled on the very first day and stepped into their kindergarten classroom on the second day of school. - We had a great time at National Night Out in Algonquin and Iroquois parks! Metro United Way and local labor partners gave away backpacks with school supplies to children ahead of the start of school.
Strong Households
When families have what they need, they can break cycles of poverty and work toward a better tomorrow for future generations and our entire community. LEARN MORE
- We are pleased to be embarking on an in-depth evaluation of our Siemer Institute partnership to glean insights into what factors are most effective in advancing family stability, from both a programmatic as well as a participant perspective. We have been a partner in this national effort for the past 11 years and have seen significant growth from 50 families served to over 300 families this past year. Our goal will be to learn from what is working well to enhance the income and housing stability of families, so children have every opportunity to be successful in school and life.
- In early September, we will be launching an exciting new initiative we are calling the Clinical Entrepreneurship Program. The goals of this effort are threefold: 1) to help nonprofit behavioral health providers to attract and retain qualified practitioners by offering a unique career development pathway incentive that targets a sizable population of new and existing professionals; 2) to create a pathway that helps individuals pursue their career goals in a profession that has spillover benefits to the broader community; and 3) to ensure enough mental health providers are available to meet the growing demand in our region. We look forward to reporting on the impact of this work in the months ahead!
- During our August Your Community. Your United Way. event, attendees put together more than 50 healthy snack kits!
- Our workforce financial coaching initiative continues to produce positive results. Through June, this multi-year effort has reached 357 individuals who have received multiple coaching sessions, of whom
- 275 (77%) have made progress in one or more financial goal areas, specifically as follows:
- 72 have increased their income by a median of $12,428 per year
- 211 have increased their savings by a median of $1,000
- 96 have improved their credit by a median of 26 points
- 129 have reduced their debt by a median of $1,391
- 275 (77%) have made progress in one or more financial goal areas, specifically as follows:
- In the month of June, our 2-1-1 help referral line fielded 1,308 calls from members of our community. The top request categories were rent payment assistance, utility assistance, and community shelter.
- We are pleased to collaborate with Indiana 211, which provides state-wide 211 coverage to all 92 counties in Indiana. As they field 211 calls from Clark, Floyd, and Harrison Counties, Metro United Way will continue supporting services related to child development, housing, food security, and non-profit support in that region. For more information on the resources available in Southern Indiana, click here.
- The Housing Alliance of Louisville began strategic planning in July. The Steering Committee, representative of nine local agencies, discussed the work and overall goal of each subcommittee. This dialogue laid the foundation for continued strategic planning through September.
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Check out Adria’s recent op-ed in the Courier Journal about an upcoming opportunity to learn about how Milwaukee has been successful in addressing their housing issue, and provides a roadmap for other cities to move toward solving unsheltered homelessness. You can register for this free event at the Louisville Palace on Thursday, September 4 HERE.
- During our most recent Impact to Advocacy event, members of Louisville Metro Council joined us to discuss the city’s budget process. Attendees had a chance to ask questions as they learned how to get involved. Thank you to Councilwoman Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge and Councilman Andrew Owen for joining us!
Equitable Community
We envision the Greater Louisville region as a place where zip code doesn’t determine destiny and everyone has the opportunity to grow into their full potential. LEARN MORE
- Investments were officially approved for our United Neighborhoods initiative in the California neighborhood, signaling the next phase of deeper community partnership and place-based work.
- Our Black L.O.V.E. Philanthropic Partnership (BLPP) cohort recently held a peer-to-peer networking session, fostering shared learning, relationship building, and peer support among Black-led social impact organizations in the region.
- Our Equitable Community team members recently presented at the Blueprint 502 team retreat, providing insights on the equitable community framework and the value of community-rooted investment. A member of the Equitable Community team also attended the Muhammad Ali Compassion Convening, representing Metro United Way during the release of the 2025 Compassion Report.
- Join us virtually on Tuesday, September 30 for our next Beyond Buzzwords event featuring Dr. Jemar Tisby! Learn more and register HERE.