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UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL MARYLAND AWARDS $2.6 MILLION

Baltimore, MD (May 21, 2009) – Today, United Way of Central Maryland’s Board of Directors voted to award $2.6 million in impact grants to 40 organizations providing health and human service programs focused on three key areas.

Because of the effects of the economy, this year United Way focused its funding on housing and the supportive services needed to find and keep it; child care subsidies and programs that provide family support; before and afterschool programs that help mentor youth; and, intervention and services (legal, housing) for victims of violence and abuse.

“As we continued to see an increase in demand for these basic necessities in life, we felt our grant-making focus this year should be on core services that help stabilize families,” said Larry E. Walton, president of United Way of Central Maryland. “Our work in the community includes many resources in addition to this funding, and as nonprofits continue to struggle to assist those who need the most help, we will continue to support those partners any way we can – through financial resources, public policy, new business developments and other collaborations.”

Expert teams of volunteers screened and evaluated 119 proposals for more than $10 million.

“We are grateful to United Way for providing funding to help support our Fresh Start program focused on providing at-risk youth vocational training and academic assistance,” said James Piper Bond, President and CEO of Living Classrooms Foundation, a new partner this year. “Like United Way, we understand the need to educate and mentor youth when they are not in school so they have the chance to live up to their full potential. These funds will help us continue to do that.”

This announcement comes as United Way is making other adjustments to respond to the current economic crisis. In recent months United Way established an Emergency Response Fund to immediately address the most basic needs of our region’s families. The organization has also trimmed its own budget, and has significantly decreased the fees it charges for designations to other nonprofit agencies so that more money will go to people in need.

“This has been a very difficult year and our board had to make some tough decisions with limited resources,” said William Oliver, chair of United Way of Central Maryland’s Board of Directors. “We are confident that these partners will make a difference in the lives of people in our community.”

United Way of Central Maryland’s private sector fundraising campaign is projected to be down more than $3 million from last year.

“These new partnership arrangements represent the continuing evolution of our organization,” Walton said. “United Way is uniquely positioned in our community to address today’s economic environment, and this focused approach will ensure that our funding will have the greatest impact in the coming year.”

Agencies receiving funds are:

AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Inc. - $75,000 for supportive housing program with career and educational opportunities.

Casa de Maryland, Inc. - $60,000 to help provide employment, education, legal, health and social service programs to immigrants and Latinos.

Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning - $75,000 to provide client services and advocacy in reducing childhood lead poisoning.

Congregations Concerned for the Homeless - $61,000 to provide eight transitional housing units with supportive services for families in Howard County.

Harford Habitat for Humanity, Inc. - $60,000 to help provide supplies and staff for homeownership opportunities for low income families in Harford County.

Health Care for the Homeless - $100,000 to support staff and client financial assistance for work with the chronically homeless.

Homeless Persons Representation Project, Inc. - $62,500 to support one staff attorney position and a portion of the Director of Pro Bono Services.

Human Services Programs of Carroll County, Inc. - $95,000 to provide staff support and client financial assistance for people facing imminent or existing homelessness. Funds will be used for staff salaries and client financial assistance.

Marian House, Inc. - $75,000 to provides permanent supportive housing and transitional housing with supportive services for formerly homeless and/or incarcerated women.

Maryland Society for Sight, Inc. - $60,000 to help support the Mobile Eye Care for the Homeless Program.

Mosaic Community Services, Inc. - $66,500 to help fund a case manager and client financial assistance for individuals with mental health and substance abuse.

People Encouraging People, Inc. - $60,000 to provide for client financial assistance: first and last month’s rent, rental assistance, medications, and utility assistance.

Project PLASE, Inc. - $60,000 to support staff salaries and client financial assistance (transportation, prescriptions, and utility assistance.)

St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center - $60,000 to Funds will support a Resident Advocate salary and provide client financial assistance (transportation and utility.)

Women's Housing Coalition - $30,000 to help support permanent supportive housing to very low income and disabled women.

Carroll Child Care Center, Inc. - $23,000 to provide scholarships to low-income families.

Carroll County Public Schools - $50,000 to hire an educator to provide parent education through regular, personal home visits and other services. Emphasis on families for whom English is a second language.

Dayspring Programs, Inc. - $60,000 to provide full-day, full-year Head Start programming for low-income children in east Baltimore.

Enterprise Community Partners - $100,000 to help expand the number of home visitors to serve more families in Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore City.

Episcopal Community Services of Maryland - $100,000 to provide access to year-round pre-school education that focuses on the development of language and social skills.

Family & Children's Services - $100,000 to supports the child development and family support activities of The Park Heights Family Support Center, which targets low-income families with children under age four.

The Y of Central Maryland, Inc. - $100,000 to provide child care scholarships to low-income families in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

Baltimore Urban Debate League - $75,000 to help program that engages at-risk students in debate-based educational activities expand to five additional middle schools.

Family & Children's Services of Central Maryland, Inc. - $75,000 to support out of school counseling and case management services to minority and at-risk youth and their parents in six elementary schools along the Route 40 corridor of Harford County.

Higher Achievement Baltimore - $75,000 to support the establishment of an Achievement Center at Collington Square Elementary/Middle School in East Baltimore.

Living Classrooms Foundation - $63,750 to support the Fresh Start program for adjudicated and at-risk youth.

Salvation Army, Greater Baltimore - $75,000 to support three Boys and Girls Clubs, which offer after-school programming and summer day camps for youth ages 6 - 18.

Village Learning Place, Inc. - $29,250 to support after-school programming for middle school children.

VSP of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore - $75,000 to provide support services to twelfth grade special education low-income minority students as they transition from school to careers.

YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County - $65,000 to support the center's work with teen mothers, including GED classes, parenting classes and other more.

Baltimore Child Abuse Center - $28,000 to support programs serving victims of child sexual and physical abuse in Baltimore City.

CARE Clinic at the University of Maryland - $60,000 help provides services for children and families who have experienced physical or sexual abuse.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore County, Inc. - $25,000 to support a volunteer manager to recruit, train and support additional CASA volunteers.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Baltimore, Inc. - $25,000 to support volunteer manager to recruit, train and support additional CASA volunteers.

Domestic Violence Center of Howard County, Inc. - $25,000 to provide safe shelter and core services for victims of domestic violence.

Family & Children's Services of Central Maryland, Inc. - $45,000 to support child abuse treatment services in Harford County.

Family Tree, Inc. - $50,000 Family Tree to provide services across central Maryland. Funds will support key staff positions providing services to parents and children through the Triple P -Positive Parenting Program, The Family Stressline, and the Parents Anonymous Support Group Program.

House of Ruth, Inc. - $66,000 to support key staff positions in the Legal Services to Victims of Domestic Violence Project.

Northwest Hospital - $30,000 to will support Northwest Hospitals Center's Domestic Violence (DOVE) Program.

Sexual Assault/Spouse Abuse Recovery Center, Inc. (SARC) - $70,000 to support legal staff positions and support of the Legal Helpline Language line and other translation services.

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore (Adelante Familia) - $50,000 to provide core services to Spanish-speaking immigrant victims of violence.

The Women's Law Center of Maryland, Inc. - $59,000 to support the legal services of the Multi-Ethnic Domestic Violence Project (MENDOVI).