Our Agency Partners

Making lasting change requires a great team.

Our region has thousands of nonprofit organizations working to change lives for the better.  But none of us can bring about real change on our own. We know that we are most successful when we build networks of partners that bring the knowledge, expertise and on-the-ground execution to address all of the complex causes of the problems in our community.

Strategic & Lead Partners

United Way invests unrestricted funding in agencies we call Strategic and Lead Partners. In addition to flexible grant dollars, Strategic and Lead Partners actively collaborate within our network, creating opportunities and developing best practices that would otherwise never be possible.  

A small group of organizations are identified as Lead Partners. Lead Partners leverage new opportunities with United Way, help set priorities for the network, and provide expert counsel and partnership to launch new ventures aimed at solving particularly entrenched problems.

Community Partners

There are many, many other organizations in our region doing important work. Although we don’t provide unrestricted funding to all of them, we are still invested in their success. We call these our Community Partners.  They are the critical collaborators who make it possible to engage thousands of volunteers in doing good in their own communities. They join us in providing programming to youth and families across our footprint.  

Search our complete agency list below.  Current agencies can find resources and benefits in our Agency Resources section.

To begin the process for becoming a United Way partner, please click here to complete an application or visit our RFP Application Page for more information.

Agency Search

Name Partnership Type Focus area(s) Region
Action for Boston Community Development Community Partner Ending Homelessness, Supporting Young Children Greater Boston

ABCD is a nonprofit human services organization that each year provides more than 100,000 low income residents in the Greater Boston region with the tools and resources needed to transition from poverty to stability and from stability to success. To fulfill this purpose, ABCD uses a comprehensive approach that systematically addresses the range of barriers faced by households in poverty, from day-to-day crises to longterm needs for jobs and education.

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Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation Community Partner Ending Homelessness Greater Boston

Since 1980 Allston Brighton CDC has led initiatives that create affordable homes, foster community leadership, enhance and protect open spaces and offer steps to increased incomes and assets so residents can call Allston Brighton home for the long-term.

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American Red Cross of Massachusetts Community Partner Moving Families Out of Poverty Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, Seacoast Region, South of Boston

The Red Cross provides food and shelter in emergencies, operates the largest food pantry in New England, teaches lifesaving skills, trains nursesÕ aides and certified nursing assistants, serves members of the Armed Forces, and more. All assistance from the Red Cross is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people.

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Asian American Civic Association Strategic Partner Moving Families Out of Poverty, Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston, South of Boston

The Asian American Civic Association’s (AACA) mission is to provide limited English speaking and economically disadvantaged people with education, occupational training and social services enabling them to realize lasting economic self-sufficiency. AACA’s vision is to become the beacon of hope for all immigrants and their families, enabling them to succeed as productive workers, participating citizens and community leaders, and to be seen as the premier workforce solution for employers and those it serves.

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Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) Strategic Partner Moving Families Out of Poverty Greater Boston, South of Boston

Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) works to build healthy, vibrant neighborhoods and a strong Asian American community.
ACDC works in partnership with the community to:
– Provide culturally appropriate and locally sensitive programs that enable residents to effectively improve their quality of life and the health and sustainability of their neighborhood
– Preserve Chinatown as a hub for culture and a continued gateway for new immigrants, and
Strengthen our Asian American community by leading place making efforts.

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Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence Strategic Partner Ending Homelessness Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South of Boston

Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) is a multilingual/multicultural organization founded 25 years ago, in 1992, to address the lack of accessible services to limited English proficient (LEP) speaking Asian victims of domestic violence (DV) in Massachusetts. ATASKÕs mission is to Òprevent domestic violence in Asian families and communities and to provide hope to survivors.Ó

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BEST Corp. Strategic Partner Moving Families Out of Poverty Greater Boston

BEST’s mission is to provide individuals with the education, skills and training to excel in the hospitality industry and in their personal lives. To advance that mission, BEST’s combines pre-employment (grant-funded) and incumbent worker training (paid for by the employers) to meet the labor market demand in Boston’s growing hospitality industry. Hospitality is an industry where hard-working individuals, often without fluent English or higher degrees, can obtain and succeed in well-paying hospitality positions.

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South of Boston

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay (BBBSMB) partners with under-resourced families to provide their children with transformational, one-to-one professionally-supported relationships with caring adult mentors, so that their children will thrive. Our agencyÕs primary objective is to provide the best one-to-one mentoring experience in the country, based on outcomes that support positive youth development, for the greatest number of low-income boys and girls at the most efficient cost structure possible.

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Big Sister Association of Greater Boston Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South of Boston

Our core programs advance our mission to ignite girlsÕ passion and power to succeed through positive mentoring relationships with women and enrichment programs that support girlsÕ healthy development. Big Sister Boston enrolls girls between ages 7 and 15 (grades 2-10), and supports mentoring relationships throughout their duration, or until the Little Sister reaches age 20. We do not charge families (or mentors) fees to participate in our programs; the majority of the girls we serve live in the low-income communities of Greater Boston.

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Bird Street Community Center Community Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

Bird Street Community Center is the hub for children and youths who seek intellectual, physical, emotional, and personal growth and well being. Bird Street is a major provider of intentional programming for out-of-school and after school activities where generations of children have found a safe and caring place for growing and developing character and skills.

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Boston After School & Beyond Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

Boston After School & Beyond is a public-private partnership that seeks to ensure that every child in Boston has the opportunity to develop to his or her full potential.Ê Boston BeyondÕs role is to expand learning and skill development opportunities for students.

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Boston Asian: Youth Essential Service Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

Boston Asian Youth Essential Service (Boston Asian YES) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
founded in 1975 in response to the emerging needs and interests of Asian youth who did not
have access to services, resources and opportunities that met their specific needs and interests.
YESÕs primary service population is low-income immigrant Asian youth, ages 12-21, who face
language and cultural barriers, challenges in school, at home, and within the community. YES
was founded by youth workers, with support from Boston Public Schools educators and
Chinatown community activists.

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Boston Center for Independent Living Strategic Partner Ending Homelessness, Moving Families Out of Poverty Greater Boston, North Shore, South of Boston

The organization was created by people with disabilities seeking full integration into society. BCIL accomplishes this by empowering people of all ages with a wide range of disabilities with the practical skills and self-confidence to take control over their lives and become active members of the communities in which they live. At the same time, BCIL engages in advocacy and community organizing to promote access and change within society.

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Boston Centers for Youth & Families Community Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

As the City of Boston’s largest youth and human service agency, we support children, youth, individuals and families through a wide range of programs andÊservices. We manage 36Êfacilities, including community centers and pools, and our programming focuses on arts, community and civic engagement, education, and sports, recreation, fitness, and health.

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Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

The Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) is a nonprofit organization that strengthens BostonÕs communities and its workforce by connecting youth and adults with education and employment opportunities that align with the needs of area employers. Our work is grounded in the belief that meaningful employment changes lives, lifts people out of poverty, and strengthens the local economy. The Boston Private Industry Council is both the cityÕs Workforce Development Board and its school-to-career intermediary organization.

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Boston Scores Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

The mission of Boston Scores is to provide Boston youth with team-based education programs that foster their health and well-being, academic achievement and civic engagement.
Boston Scores helps to close the learning gap that exists between inner-city youth and their suburban peers and to support the development of the whole-child through after-school and summer learning programs. Scores has established long-term goals of promoting engaged learning, supporting creative expression, reducing childhood obesity, encouraging civic engagement and leadership and teaching students strategies to achieve financial stability and independence.

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Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

Boys & Girls Clubs of BostonÕs mission is to help young people, especially those most in need, build strong character and realize their full potential as responsible citizens and leaders. We do this by providing a safe haven filled with hope and opportunity, ongoing relationships with caring adults, and life-enhancing programs.
BGCB expects and empowers our members to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrate good character and citizenship, and live healthy lifestyles.

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Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester Strategic Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed, Supporting Young Children Greater Boston

Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester (BGCD) is an award-winning youth development agency that has provided outstanding services to BostonÕs inner city youth for more than 40 years. Our mission is to inspire and enable all young people, from diverse circumstances, to realize their full potential by providing opportunities for personal growth to become contributing, caring and responsible members of the community.

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Breakthrough Greater Boston Community Partner Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

Breakthrough Greater Boston prepares low-income students for success in college and trains the next generation of urban teachers using a unique Students Teaching Students model. Through our six-year program, students gain a passion for learning and the perseverance and tools to succeed in college and beyond.

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Bridge Over Troubled Waters Strategic Partner Ending Homelessness, Preparing Youth to Succeed Greater Boston

Bridge is Boston’s premier organization dedicated to transforming the lives of runaway, homeless, and high-risk youth through safe, supportive, and encouraging relationships and effective and innovative services that guide them toward self-sufficiency.

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