Funding for the Community, by the Community

How the Lycoming County United Way decides where YOUR donations are distributed throughout the community.

The Lycoming County United Way relies on a unique annual process called “allocations”. The Allocation Process puts the process of awarding funding directly into the hands of trained community volunteers. Each year, our Program Partners are invited to submit funding requests for their programs that target our three pillars of focus, Health, Education, and Financial Stability. Each application provides details pertaining specifically to their program and their involvement in meeting a community need. The partners also make a presentation to one of our panels of community volunteers, who ask probing questions about agency management, measurable results, and efficiencies.

We are proud to train over nearly 100 volunteers, throughout our three county service area, to serve as allocation panel members. All are eager to make sure your donations are granted efficiently for maximum community impact. Every panel member is given opportunity to engage directly with those presenting from each program to discuss community need, outcomes, challenges, budgets and other topics in effort to fully connect to the impact made by funding the program. Panel members then spend time in a deliberation phase to discuss the funding recommendations. This portion of the process can prove challenging as funding requests typically exceed the dollars available to allocate. Once funding recommendations have been finalized, our Board of Directors approve for distribution to the selected programs. Your dollars make a direct and positive impact on the lives of many in your community.