About Greater Twin Cities United Way
We unite changemakers, advocate for social good and develop solutions to address the challenges no one can solve alone to create a community where all people thrive regardless of income, race or place.
Focus Areas
Housing / homelessness preventionFood security / regional food systemsEarly childhood & K-12 educationWorkforce development & economic opportunityCrisis and referral services (211, 988)Innovation grantmaking (e.g., Full Lives, 80x3, Pathways Home)
Funding Style
program cost supportrestricted program fundingoperational/program expensesproject-level expense coverage
Topics
About Greater Twin Cities United Way
Greater Twin Cities United Way’s grantmaking is built around program support for organizations working on housing stability, food security, early childhood education, workforce development, and crisis response across the Twin Cities metro. Its recent awards show a strong reliance on repeat partnerships and multi-year funding, with large program-cost grants flowing to community nonprofits that serve children, families, youth, and neighborhood-based economic opportunity efforts. Among the larger recent awards are grants to Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio Inc in St. Paul and Pillsbury United Communities in Minneapolis, both funded at scale across multiple years. The foundation also backs direct service organizations such as YWCA of Minneapolis, Project for Pride in Living Inc, and The Family Partnership, reflecting a preference for operating support and project-level expense coverage rather than one-time event funding. It serves as a central administrator for Early Learning Scholarships and runs targeted initiatives such as Career Academies, Full Lives, Pathways Home, and Community Investments, tying its grantmaking to specific service systems and local community infrastructure.
What Greater Twin Cities United Way Funds
In early childhood education, Greater Twin Cities United Way serves as the Central Payment Administrator for Early Learning Scholarships in FY25, executing statewide payments to centers with approved scholarship awards under Minnesota statutes and direction from the Department of Children, Youth and Families. For workforce and career pathways, it supports school-business partnerships through Career Academies, including Purpose Driven Paychecks, to prepare students for high-wage, high-demand careers. Its food-security work appears through Full Lives, a food-security and economic-equity initiative that backs local farmers, small businesses, nonprofits, food producers, distributors, and entrepreneurs. The foundation also funds housing stability through Pathways Home, which awards grants to nonprofit organizations preventing homelessness for youth exiting foster care or incarceration.
How Greater Twin Cities United Way Gives
Typical grant size sits at a p25 of $37,144, a median of $75,000, and a p75 of $125,274. The recent grants list shows repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, pointing to ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-off gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Grant support is largely program-cost oriented, with restricted program funding and coverage of operating and project expenses appearing in the grant descriptions and philosophy tags. Community Investments is explicitly competitive and accepts unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$16.3M
Total Assets
$140.9M
Total Revenue
$42.8M
Total Expenses
$52.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $37K and $125K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$37K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$125K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
JOHN WILGERS
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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