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 |
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Action, Inc. | Strategic Partner | Ending Homelessness, Preparing Youth to Succeed | North Shore |
The mission of Action Inc. is to create opportunities that promote a thriving Cape Ann for all. |
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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 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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ASPIRE Developmental Services, Inc | Community Partner | Supporting Young Children | North Shore |
Aspire Developmental Services, Inc. is a private, nonprofit healthcare and educational agency that provides programs for children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities as well as their families. The agency was organized by parents and professionals interested in providing services for persons with cerebral palsy. |
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Beverly Bootstraps | Community Partner | Moving Families Out of Poverty | North Shore |
Beverly Bootstraps was first established in 1992 as a food pantry in the basement of the First Baptist Church. With the generous support of our donors, volunteers and the community at large, we have grown to be a leading social service agency on the North Shore. |
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Beverly Children’s Learning Center | Strategic Partner | Preparing Youth to Succeed, Supporting Young Children | North Shore |
Beverly Children’s Learning Center (BCLC) provides a nurturing educational experience in an inclusive, diverse and communityÐconnected learning environment. Our caring approach and creative programs encourage the social-emotional development and potential of every child to strengthen the health and resilience of families. Offering continuity of education, care, and nutrition programs from birth to early teen, BCLC promotes healthy, engaged and socially responsible children and families through affordable and accessible learning opportunities and family support. |
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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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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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Boys & Girls Club of Lower Merrimack Valley | Strategic Partner | Preparing Youth to Succeed | Merrimack Valley, North Shore, Seacoast Region |
Our mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those that need us the most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens .The purpose of the Boys & Girls Club of Lower Merrimack Valley is to promote academic success, good citizenship, and healthy life styles. |
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Cambridge Family and Children’s Service | Strategic Partner | Preparing Youth to Succeed | Greater Boston, North Shore, South of Boston |
Since our founding in 1873 as the Avon Home orphanage, the range of services we offer to children and families has changed dramatically, to meet the needs of the community. Throughout our history, Cambridge Family and ChildrenÕs Service (CFCS) has remained committed to successfully providing critical services while evolving to meet changing needs. |
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Camp Fire North Shore, Inc. | Community Partner | Preparing Youth to Succeed | North Shore |
Camp Fire North ShoreÕs mission is to build caring, confident youth and future leaders.Through our programs we promote moral, social and interpersonal development for area children and young adults. Our agency is a reliable source of education, advocacy and support meeting the needs of the children we serve and their families. |
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Catholic Charities | Lead Partner | Ending Homelessness, Moving Families Out of Poverty, Preparing Youth to Succeed, Supporting Young Children | Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South of Boston |
For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities has continued its mission of building a just and compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people. As one of the largest providers of social services in Massachusetts, Catholic Charities of Boston offers nearly 75 programs and services in 26 locations around Eastern Massachusetts. From Lawrence to Brockton and Natick to Boston, our service sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts helped 185,000 of our neediest neighbors of all faiths last year. |
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Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center | Community Partner | Supporting Young Children | Greater Boston, North Shore, South of Boston |
The Child Witness to Violence Project (CWVP) is a therapeutic, advocacy, and outreach project that focuses on the growing number of young children who are hidden victims of domestic and community violence and other trauma-related events. CWVP is staffed by a multi-cultural staff of social workers, psychologists, early childhood specialists, a consulting pediatrician and consulting attorney. |
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Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts | Strategic Partner | Preparing Youth to Succeed | Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore |
The mission of the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts is to promote and secure equal justice and to maximize opportunity for low-income children and youth by providing quality advocacy and legal services. |
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Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) | Strategic Partner | Ending Homelessness | Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South of Boston |
CitizensÕ Housing and Planning AssociationÕs mission is to encourage the production and preservation of housing that is affordable to low and moderate income families and individuals and to foster diverse and sustainable communities through planning and community development. Every person in Massachusetts should have a safe, healthy, and affordable place to call home. We achieve this by advocating for opportunity, expanding access to housing, and developing the field. |
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Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston | Community Partner | Ending Homelessness | Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South of Boston |
Combined Jewish Philanthropies combines expertise and resources to create positive, life-changing results for people in need, for our friends in Israel and for the future of the Jewish community. |
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Community Action, Inc. | Strategic Partner | Supporting Young Children | Merrimack Valley, North Shore |
Community Action, Inc. (CAI) provides resources and opportunities for individuals, families and communities to overcome poverty. CAI works with low income families to secure basic resources such as: shelter; food; clothing; heating assistance; homeless aid; emergency rent; and utility assistance. CAI offers opportunities for learning, care and education through: WIC (nutrition, health education and other services to low income pregnant and postpartum women and children under the age of 5); child care; early education; adult education; English literacy classes; and referrals to state programs. |
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Community Labor United | Strategic Partner | Moving Families Out of Poverty | Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South of Boston |
Community Labor United empowers community-based organizations and labor unions to build strategic campaigns that protect and promote the interests of low and middle-income working families in the Greater Boston Area. |
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Community Teamwork | Strategic Partner | Ending Homelessness, Moving Families Out of Poverty, Preparing Youth to Succeed, Supporting Young Children | Merrimack Valley, North Shore |
The mission of Community Teamwork is to serve as a catalyst for social change. We strengthen communities and reduce poverty by delivering vital services and collaborating with key stakeholders to create housing, education and economic opportunities. As a Community Action Agency, our core programming must have a direct alignment with the mission of the organization. We are mission driven and we focus on efforts that will have the greatest impact on those we serve to help them become and remain self-sufficient. |