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Washington · Public charity

United Way of Whatcom County

UNITED WAY OF WHATCOM COUNTY's mission is to unite with a network of local businesses, nonprofits, and community stakeholders to enable financial stability for every person in whatcom county. Our focus is on individuals and families facing financial hardship.

$740k
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
25
Itemized grants FY2025
24
Organizations funded FY2024
17%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Itemized, FY2025
$668k
The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
Median grant, FY2025
$22,500
Largest grant, FY2025
$62,402
Organizations funded a year
23 to 25
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
2
Total assets, FY2025
$2.6M

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 17% of the organizations United Way of Whatcom County funded were first-time grantees, receiving 12% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $85k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
HealthEducationYouth DevelopmentOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving24$668k0%
FY202424$697k17%
FY202323$740k0%
FY202224$1.0M13%
FY202125$744k20%
FY202023$887k0%
FY201923$887k13%
FY201824$921k0%
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Human Services$2.8MHealth$1.9MHousing & Shelter$960kEducation$406kEmployment$338kFood & Nutrition$335kYouth Development$288kCrime & Legal$210kOther$0

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Opportunity Council$618,97390%
Brigid Collins House$537,80174%
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County$521,46894%
Northwest Youth Services$518,93592%
Lydia Place$456,81293%
Whatcom Family Young Men's Christian Association$411,41991%
Whatcom Center for Early Learning$351,14493%
Bellingham Childcare and Learning Center$345,00294%
Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank$334,79191%
The Whatcom Literacy Council$290,729921%
Show all 39 grantees
All grantees of United Way of Whatcom County by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Opportunity Council$618,97390%
Brigid Collins House$537,80174%
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County$521,46894%
Northwest Youth Services$518,93592%
Lydia Place$456,81293%
Whatcom Family Young Men's Christian Association$411,41991%
Whatcom Center for Early Learning$351,14493%
Bellingham Childcare and Learning Center$345,00294%
Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank$334,79191%
The Whatcom Literacy Council$290,729921%
Whatcom Council on Aging$260,31291%
Sun Community Service$247,25797%
The Bellingham Public School Foundation$225,00676%
Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County$217,60643%
Compass Health$212,94570%
Max Higbee Community Recreation Center$178,88695%
The Dollywood Foundation$173,00740%
Mercy Housing Northwest$168,55790%
Young Women's Christian Association of Bellingham$152,034512%
Work Opportunities Inc$144,31591%
The Arc of Whatcom County$131,72795%
Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington$127,90070%
Rebound of Whatcom County$101,18147%
Interfaith Coalition of Whatcom County$87,40046%
Brigid Collins Family Support Center$80,0002n/a
Foundation for Western Washington University and Alumni$74,70920%
Futuresnw$65,516313%
Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center$60,02842%
Bellingham School District 501$59,4152n/a
Home Port Learning Center Foundation$48,430220%
Communities in Schools$40,0002n/a
Road2home$30,0002n/a
Ferndale School District$30,0002n/a
Communities in School of Whatcom Skagit$30,00022%
Sustainable Connections$20,31021%
Salvation Army Las Vegas Corp$20,0001n/a
The Salvation Army World Service Office$16,05510%
Whatcom Family & Community Network$5,00011%
Cascade Medical Advantage$5,00010%

Plus 1 recipient with no EIN on record ($111k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget United Way of Whatcom County supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetOpportunity Council: $618,973 over 9y, 0.3% of budgetBrigid Collins House: $537,801 over 7y, 4.5% of budgetDomestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County: $521,468 over 9y, 4.2% of budgetNorthwest Youth Services: $518,935 over 9y, 2.2% of budgetLydia Place: $456,812 over 9y, 3.4% of budgetWhatcom Family Young Men's Christian Association: $411,419 over 9y, 0.7% of budgetWhatcom Center for Early Learning: $351,144 over 9y, 3.3% of budgetBellingham Childcare and Learning Center: $345,002 over 9y, 4.3% of budgetAlternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank: $334,791 over 9y, 0.5% of budgetThe Whatcom Literacy Council: $290,729 over 9y, 21% of budgetWhatcom Council on Aging: $260,312 over 9y, 1.1% of budgetSun Community Service: $247,257 over 9y, 6.8% of budgetThe Bellingham Public School Foundation: $225,006 over 7y, 6.4% of budgetBoys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County: $217,606 over 4y, 2.8% of budgetCompass Health: $212,945 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetMax Higbee Community Recreation Center: $178,886 over 9y, 4.7% of budgetThe Dollywood Foundation: $173,007 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetMercy Housing Northwest: $168,557 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetYoung Women's Christian Association of Bellingham: $152,034 over 5y, 12% of budgetWork Opportunities Inc: $144,315 over 9y, 0.6% of budgetThe Arc of Whatcom County: $131,727 over 9y, 5.3% of budgetEvergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington: $127,900 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetRebound of Whatcom County: $101,181 over 4y, 7.1% of budgetInterfaith Coalition of Whatcom County: $87,400 over 4y, 5.8% of budgetFoundation for Western Washington University and Alumni: $74,709 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetFuturesnw: $65,516 over 3y, 13% of budgetWhatcom Dispute Resolution Center: $60,028 over 4y, 1.9% of budgetHome Port Learning Center Foundation: $48,430 over 2y, 20% of budgetCommunities in School of Whatcom Skagit: $30,000 over 2y, 2.2% of budgetSustainable Connections: $20,310 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetThe Salvation Army World Service Office: $16,055 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWhatcom Family & Community Network: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetCascade Medical Advantage: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 33.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Whatcom Community Fou…Chuckanut Health Foun…Puget Sound Energy Fo…The Norcliffe Foundat…First Fed FoundationNorth Sound Accountab…Mount Baker FoundationPeaceHealthThe Albertsons Compan…Jerry H Walton Founda…Medina FoundationSeattle Foundation
Whatcom Community FoundationWA65.4× affinity29 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Whatcom Community Foundation · Chuckanut Health Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · The Norcliffe Foundation · First Fed Foundation · North Sound Accountable Community of Health · Mount Baker Foundation · PeaceHealth · The Albertsons Companies Foundation · Jerry H Walton Foundation · Medina Foundation · Seattle Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare United Way of Whatcom County with peer funders

About United Way of Whatcom County

How much does United Way of Whatcom County give?
United Way of Whatcom County reported 25 itemized grants totaling $668,402, out of $739,961 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 23 and 25 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does United Way of Whatcom County fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Human Services (37%), Health (26%), Housing & Shelter (13%).
Who are United Way of Whatcom County's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Opportunity Council ($619k), Brigid Collins House ($538k), Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County ($521k).
Does United Way of Whatcom County fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 17% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Which funders back the same organizations as United Way of Whatcom County?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Whatcom Community Foundation, Chuckanut Health Foundation, Puget Sound Energy Foundation.
Where is United Way of Whatcom County based?
United Way of Whatcom County is based in WA.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 40 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on United Way of Whatcom County’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home