Reflecting on 2023 with Our President and CEO

As another year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on what United Way and our nonprofit partners have achieved towards our collective mission to end poverty and improve economic mobility. This year, we invested more than $16M across four counties, including grants to 132 neighborhood and grassroots organizations. Our partners are tackling issues related to housing, education, health, mental health and early childhood education so that every child and family has the opportunity to succeed. 2023 marked the first year of a major expansion of United Neighborhoods, which focuses investment in some of our most disinvested neighborhoods.

United Way is effective because we use a collective and collaborative approach that matches local priorities to nonprofits that can address those needs. It is a unique approach because it centers the communities we serve, and those who live in them, in the process. We each know best what we need in our lives and what our neighborhoods need to thrive. United Way is a conduit, a connector, and we marshal resources to create efficiency and impact in the nonprofit sector.

In 2023, United Way also launched the implementation of A Home For All, our community’s ambitious effort to address homelessness and housing affordability. This effort is perhaps a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Charlotte-Mecklenburg to aggressively tackle these issues before they intractably impact our beloved hometown. The plan can work because it focuses on three things: preventing homelessness, reimagining how we support people on the path to housing stability, and producing more affordable housing – of all types. Success will require a long-term commitment, both in will and resources. United Way is honored to lead this work and we hope you will join us on the journey.

I am so thankful to our nonprofit partners, our donors, our volunteers and our team. The nonprofit sector continues to face significant challenges related to inflation, staffing shortages, and increased demand. Supporting United Way helps relieve a financial burden for every grant recipient and allows them to focus on their missions. We are proud to stand with them in their work and hope you will be proud of what you have helped us achieve together.

Sincerely,

Laura Yates Clark, President & CEO

United Way of Greater Charlotte