United Way is people helping people...a network of volunteers united to help solve community problems and meet community needs. Serving a population of more than 700,000 in 13 communities, it is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees who, in 1996, named Maria Vizcarrondo-DeSoto as the organization's President and CEO. She is the first Latina to head a major United Way in New Jersey.

United Way is at the center of a network of organizations that provide vital human services. $.85 of every dollar spent by United Way goes directly to programs supporting the community. Its' mission:

To serve as a comprehensive, results-oriented community builder by investing time and resources in initiatives that create strong communities to ensure our donors' trust.

Initiative Funding

As part of its strategic direction, United Way of Essex and West Hudson has moved away from the tradition of providing funding to a cadre of "member" agencies. All funding is generated through an annual RFA (requests for applications) process which asks applicants to address specific critical community needs in one of the following areas: Success By 6 (birth to age 6), Bridges to Success (ages 7-19) or Family Power, which includes services for the elderly, literacy, emergency services and other areas that help promote family stability. The Family Power initiative includes two Vision Councils, UW C.A.R.E.S. (Comprehensive Aids Resources, Education & Support) and FUTURES (Substance Abuse/Crime Prevention). Collaborations of non-profit health and human service agencies are able to submit proposals to meet those needs.

Local non-profit organizations that submit proposals must meet the following objectives:

• Collaboration: Programs that include diverse agencies and other community groups in partnership to reach common goals;
• Address Unmet Needs: Programs that are innovative in addressing the needs of the family which are not currently being met in any sustainable manner;
• Increase Community Awareness: A plan to promote service programs to reach the populations most in need as well as a component to publicize the measurable ongoing success to all sectors of the community through forums and public education;
• Increased Access to Service: Components such as reaching out to target populations, providing transportation, housing or other supports that are required for families to participate and succeed in the program.

In recent years United Way has found that more and more government and private funders have begun requesting that applicants meet these same objectives, in particular the stipulations on collaboration and addressing unmet needs.

The municipalities served by United Way of Essex and West Hudson are: Belleville, Maplewood, East Newark, Newark, East Orange, North Arlington, Harrison, Nutley, Irvington, Orange, Kearny, South Orange and West Orange.

The United Way of Essex and West Hudson is a founding member of the United Ways of Tri-State, a regional collaborative focusing on employee workplace campaigns at participating corporations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The inclusion of any organization or person in this database does not constitute a representation, warranty, or endorsement with respect to the competence, suitability, or reliability of such organization or person by United Way of Essex and West Hudson; nor does United Way of Essex and West Hudson sponsor or endorse any third-party web site. Legal Notices