2022-23 Annual Report, Letter from our Leadership

The year 2023 was one of historic significance, as we merged two sister organizations – United Way of Coastal Fairfield County (UWCFC) and United Way of Western Connecticut (UWWC) –  to become United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut.  Together, we now serve 27 towns and approximately one-fourth of the state’s population.

We united in purpose to build communities where everyone can thrive -- focusing specifically on a population who falls at or below the ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold,  who works hard but earns incomes below the cost of living.

We united in purpose with a clear vision:  every child enters school ready to learn, every family is financially stable, and every community we serve is healthy and strong.

We united in purpose behind a key set of operating principles:

·        We identify gaps in services that support ALICE and innovate solutions to empower households to thrive. Listening to the needs of our community, delivering innovative support services, and advocating for long-term solutions is core to who we are.

·        We seek to understand community needs and allocate resources to meet them. True to our United Way heritage, we fund nonprofits making a measurable impact on the ground. 

·        We value collaboration.  We invest in collective impact initiatives that bring together cross-sector partners to change systems and improve outcomes for families and youth.

·        We promote equity.  We believe that communities thrive when every person has the opportunity to succeed. 

·        We work to build strong and representative governance.  We are committed to building a governance model infused with community voice and representative of the population that we serve.

As we reflect on the final fiscal years of each legacy organization, we celebrate the combined impact we made.  Together, we invested $___M into our communities, thanks to our donors, funders, and corporate partners. We partnered with 240 nonprofit organizations in our community. We mobilized nearly 2,200 volunteers to meet community needs. We impacted more than 58,000 neighbors in our combined footprint.  Read on to learn more about the outcomes of our work and community investments.

With your ongoing support and partnership, we will continue to be the champions for our communities.  Together, we will empower our neighbors to lead healthier lives, to succeed in school and prepare for careers, and to build stronger financial foundations—for today and the years to come.