Because systemic community challenges are most often rooted in multiple causes, Metro United Way harnesses the power of donors, volunteers, thought leaders, experts, other nonprofits and government at all levels to ensure positive, sustainable change.

We envision a community in which everyone can access EDUCATION that inspires and equips, ECONOMIC MOBILITY that meets needs and builds futures, and HEALTH that provides strength and hope.

Our Focus



Why this work is important to our community’s success

Sources: Greater Louisville Project, Brookings Institute

  • Louisville ranks 5th in the nation for concentrated poverty.

    - Out of 1,600 census tracks across our 17 peer cities, 2 of the 10 highest rates of poverty are census tracts in west Louisville.​

    - Eviction rate is twice the national average.

  • Peer cities are excelling past us.

    - In health outcomes, we rank 16th out of 17 cities combining several measures of length and quality of life.​

    - We rank 11th out of 17 cities in education among the working-age population. ​

    - We’ve dropped from 5th in 2005 to 8th in 2018 in median earnings adjusted for inflation.

  • Greater Louisville region lags peers in inclusivity.

    - Gaps between whites and people of color, and between advantaged and disadvantaged neighborhoods, have remained wide. ​

    - Louisville ranks 46th out of 53 large cities in geographic inclusion and 30th for racial inclusion. 

  • The pandemic has only exacerbated need.

    - There were 17,000 disconnected youth (homeless, foster care, criminal justice system, or not employed or in school) in our community in December 2019. That number is well over 32,000 today.

    - 12,000 single-parent female heads of households with children were at immediate risk of homelessness pre-COVID.

    - Nearly 50% of students entering JCPS were are already behind before the pandemic and are at risk of falling further behind in a virtual environment, exacerbated by our community’s digital divide.

This past year...

  • More than 250,000 people were impacted by MUW-supported programs for the health and basic needs of individuals and families in our seven-county region.

  • We launched our Black L.O.V.E Philanthropic Partnership (BLPP) that empowers and invests in Black-led social change organizations. 19 nonprofits were included in our first round of investments.

  • 3,000 attended Beyond Buzzwords speaker series on diversity, equity and inclusion

  • Over 4,000 people participated in Racial Wealth Gap simulations

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    Public Policy Wins

    See Wins

  • 41,953 people contacted MUW's 211 call center for emergency assistance and referral

  • 5,299 households avoided foreclosure, eviction or homelessness through rent and mortgage assistance

  • 8,340 people were sheltered by emergency and transitional housing services through MUW-supported programs

  • 2,057 individuals in homeless prevention programs; 77% made progress toward financial sufficiency

  • 6,821 people sought free tax assistance and MUW-supported programs helped return $10.9 million in refunds to them

  • 417 people sought skills development and training; 77% attained gainful employment

  • 138,312 people were helped with immediate needs through MUW-supported programs

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