Our Mission
United Way of Greater Charlottesville connects our community, enabling individuals and families to achieve their potential.
Our Vision
A strong, equitable community where every person can thrive.
Our Approach
Our three impact areas – early childcare and education, financial support and services, and community involvement – inform our mission, vision, and work.
Our Impact Areas
Financial Stability
We focus our work on increasing opportunities for families, individuals, and small businesses to become financially secure and independent. We aim to help ALICE families and individuals who are on the path to becoming financially stable, but struggle to break the cycle of choosing which life essentials to pay for due to lack of income. We offer personalized and holistic programs and resources that address specific obstacles and barriers faced on this journey.
View Financial Services & Supports
School Readiness
Through this impact area, we focus our work on providing families with high-quality care and education so that all children have the chance to arrive at school ready to reach their full potential. Our goal is to close the opportunity gap experienced by children from ALICE families by offering accessible, appropriate, and effective services, programs, and resources related to early childcare and education, focusing specifically on children from birth to five years old.
View Childcare & Early Education Services & Supports
Connected Community
We lead collaborative systems-building through the establishment and facilitation of community-wide task forces, coalitions, forums, and social equity initiatives.
Our Values
Humility
We approach our work humbly and with respect.Compassion
We honor and see the dignity in our fellow community members.Equity
We are committed to promoting equity internally and through our public-facing programs.Advocacy
We speak up for the voiceless so that they may speak for themselves.Conviction
Regardless of the challenge or cost, we aim to do what is right.Collaboration
We work with community members and cross-sector partners to build more vibrant communities.Our History
In the 1940s, we helped feed, clothe, and house the children of local families impacted by World War II. During Jim Crow, we served low-income working families from Ridge Street—most of whom were African American—providing healthcare, early education, and childcare. We also donated the property for the Janie Porter Day Nursery (now the Barrett Early Learning Center).
In the 1980s, our organization helped create the fabric of services and public education in our community around HIV and AIDS. In 2017, following the events of May and August, we saw a need to bring people together once again. We hosted a committee of diverse community leaders and welcomed close to 700 community members to the Jefferson School City Center to have a meaningful conversation with a new neighbor over a shared meal.
Now, we continue to identify new solutions to the issues and barriers facing our community’s residents. To learn more about our current work, read about our Envision Initiative.