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United Way of Whatcom County at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· 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.

$740k
Granted FY2025still arriving
25
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$62k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% 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
02FY2025 · 25 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 25 grants below total $668,402, the rows itemized in this filing. The $739,961 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $71,559 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k24 grants · $606k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $62k
$22,500
Median grant
2
States reached
$2.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY$62,402
BELLLINGHAM CHILDCARE AND LEARNING CENTER$46,000
WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA$45,000
BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER$40,000
WHATCOM CENTER FOR EARLY LEARNING$39,000
BELLINGHAM FOOD BANK$34,000
WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING$31,500
NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES$31,000
OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL$30,000
LYDIA PLACE$30,000
SUN COMMUNITY SERVICES$28,000
WHATCOM LITERACY COUNCIL$24,000
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES OD WHATCOM COUNTY$22,500
MERCY HOUSING NORTHWEST$22,500
EVERGREEN GOODWILL$22,500
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–25, $2.5M) land where the poverty rate runs at 12%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER: $96k → 12%BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER: $92k → 12%BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER: $90k → 12%BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER: $90k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $77k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $76k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $75k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $75k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $67k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $64k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $63k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $63k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $63k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $62k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $62k → 12%BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER: $60k → 12%BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER: $60k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $53k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $50k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $50k → 12%BRIGID COLLINS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER: $50k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $50k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $49k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $48k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $48k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $45k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $45k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $42k → 12%YWCA: $42k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $40k → 12%WHATCOM FAMILY YMCA: $40k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $40k → 12%YWCA: $36k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $35k → 12%YWCA: $35k → 12%YWCA: $35k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $35k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $35k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $32k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $32k → 12%NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $31k → 12%WHATCOM EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE: $30k → 12%OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $30k → 12%WHATCOM EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE: $30k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $27k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $26k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $26k → 12%WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $25k → 12%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

99%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$7.5M · 36 repeat orgs$46k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +65% since the first grant, against +7% for those funded once.

36 repeat relationships: 24 still active in FY2025, 12 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

36
4

Total granted

$7.5M
$46k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+65%
+7%

Still filing today

81%
75%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesHealthYouth DevelopmentEducationFood & NutritionEmploymentOther
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.

Backed again, and grew

  • OC
    OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL
    9× · 2017–2025 · $619k · revenue +153%
  • BC
    BRIGID COLLINS HOUSE
    7× · 2017–2023 · $538k · revenue +65%
  • DV
    DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES OF WHATCOM COUNTY
    9× · 2017–2025 · $521k · revenue +6%

Funded once

  • SA
    Salvation Army Las Vegas Corp
    one grant, 2021 · $20k
  • TS
    THE SALVATION ARMY WORLD SERVICE OFFICE
    one grant, 2017 · $16k · revenue +7%
  • WF
    WHATCOM FAMILY & COMMUNITY NETWORK
    one grant, 2021 · $5k · revenue +24%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
United Way of Snohomish County

United way of snohomish county improves lives for families in snohomish county by bringing people, resources, and strategy together.

Philanthropy
2
Lutheran Community Services Northwest

LCSNW partners with individuals, families and communities for health, justice and hope. LCSNW provides a wide variety of social services in Oregon, Washington and Idaho and serves people of all ages, cultures and faiths.

Human Services
3
Whatcom Community College Foundation

The wcc foundation strengthens educational opportunities by providing student scholarships, supporting faculty and staff development, and assisting with key college initiatives.

Education
4
Volunteers of America Western Washington

We serve and empower individuals, families, and communities. we respond to over 200,000 comprehensive human service requests for assistance each year in the following service areas: basic needs, community information & referral,…

—
5
Building Changes

Building changes advances equitable responses to homelessness in washington state, with a focus on children, youth, and families. we work at the intersection of housing, education, and health systems, partnering with communities and public…

Health
6
Whatcom Clubhouse

Whatcom clubhouse will provide support, community, opportunity, and hope for those with a mental health condition.

Health
7
Washington Women in Need

WWIN provides scholarships and supports to help Washington women facing barriers to opportunity succeed in college and careers so they, their families and our communities can thrive.

—
8
Washington Vocational Services

To provide job development, job seeking skills and job placement for persons with disabilities. we are dedicated to providing outstanding quality services that result in successful community involvement and employment for persons with…

Employment
9
Solid Ground Washington

At Solid Ground, we work passionately to end poverty and build a more equitable community. Our services support people experiencing poverty by helping them achieve stability and expand their skills to realize their dreams. And that's just…

Housing & Shelter
10
Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access C/O Chuckanut Health Fdn

Waha is a nonprofit organization based in bellingham, washington whose mission is to connect people to health care and facilitate transformation of the current system into one that improves health, reduces cost and improves the experience…

—
11
Washington Indian Civil Rights Commission

Washington Indian Civil Rights Commission is led by and for Indigenous people, and envisions a just society in which we are treated with honor, fairness and respect. Our mission is to uphold our individual civil rights through education…

Human Services
12
Recovery Cafe Skagit

Provide a safe, healing, and restorative community that empowers long-term transformation through human connection for those recovering from the trauma of homelessness, addictions, and mental health challenges.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Whatcom Council On Aging; the most unlike its peers is The Salvation Army World Service Office. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

33 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 33 of the 40 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
14
Early backer (in before they grew)
32/33
Grantees still filing
26/33
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

LYDIA PLACE: $456,812 · OtherLYDIA PLACEWhatcom Center for Early Learning: $351,144 · OtherWhatcom Center for Early LearningBELLINGHAM CHILDCARE AND LEARNING CENTER: $345,002 · OtherBELLINGHAM CHILDCARE AND LEARNING CENTERTHE WHATCOM LITERACY COUNCIL: $290,729 · OtherTHE WHATCOM LITERACY COUNCILSUN COMMUNITY SERVICE: $247,257 · OtherSUN COMMUNITY SERVICETHE BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOL FOUNDATION: $225,006 · OtherTHE BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOL FOUNDATIONCOMPASS HEALTH: $212,945 · OtherCOMPASS HEALTHMAX HIGBEE COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER: $178,886 · OtherTHE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION: $173,007 · OtherMERCY HOUSING NORTHWEST: $168,557 · OtherEVERGREEN GOODWILL OF NORTHWEST WASHINGTON: $127,900 · Other+13 more: $646,385 · Other+13 moreOPPORTUNITY COUNCIL: $618,973 · Human ServicesOPPORTUNITY COUNCILBRIGID COLLINS HOUSE: $537,801 · Human ServicesBRIGID COLLINS HOUSENORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES: $518,935 · Human ServicesNORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICESWHATCOM FAMILY YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION: $411,419 · Human ServicesWHATCOM FAMILY YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN …WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING: $260,312 · Human ServicesWHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGINGYoung Women's Christian Association of Bellingham: $152,034 · Human ServicesYoung Women's Christian Association o…DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES OF WHATCOM COUNTY: $521,468 · HealthDOMESTIC VI…THE ARC OF WHATCOM COUNTY: $131,727 · HealthTHE ARC OF …Interfaith Coalition of Whatcom County: $87,400 · HealthInterfaith …+1 more: $5,000 · HealthAlternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank: $334,791 · Food & NutritionBoys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County: $217,606 · Youth Development+1 more: $5,000 · Youth DevelopmentWORK OPPORTUNITIES INC: $144,315 · EmploymentFOUNDATION FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY AND ALUMNI: $74,709 · EducationFUTURESNW: $65,516 · Education
Other$3,423,630Human Services$2,499,474Health$745,595Food & Nutrition$334,791Youth Development$222,606Employment$144,315Education$140,225

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

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
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds BRIGID COLLINS HOUSE ↗
  • Who funds DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES OF WHATCOM COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds NORTHWEST YOUTH SERVICES ↗
  • Who funds LYDIA PLACE ↗
  • Who funds WHATCOM FAMILY YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds Whatcom Center for Early Learning ↗
  • Who funds BELLINGHAM CHILDCARE AND LEARNING CENTER ↗
  • Who funds Alternatives to Hunger Bellingham Food Bank ↗
  • Who funds THE WHATCOM LITERACY COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds WHATCOM COUNCIL ON AGING ↗
  • Who funds SUN COMMUNITY SERVICE ↗
  • Who funds THE BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOL FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County ↗
  • Who funds COMPASS HEALTH ↗
  • Who funds MAX HIGBEE COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER ↗
  • Who funds THE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MERCY HOUSING NORTHWEST ↗
  • Who funds Young Women's Christian Association of Bellingham ↗
  • Who funds WORK OPPORTUNITIES INC ↗
  • Who funds THE ARC OF WHATCOM COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds EVERGREEN GOODWILL OF NORTHWEST WASHINGTON ↗
  • Who funds REBOUND OF WHATCOM COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds Interfaith Coalition of Whatcom County ↗
  • Who funds FOUNDATION FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY AND ALUMNI ↗
  • Who funds FUTURESNW ↗
  • Who funds WHATCOM DISPUTE RESOLUTION CENTER ↗
  • Who funds HOME PORT LEARNING CENTER FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOL OF WHATCOM SKAGIT ↗
  • Who funds SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIONS ↗
  • Who funds THE SALVATION ARMY WORLD SERVICE OFFICE ↗
  • Who funds WHATCOM FAMILY & COMMUNITY NETWORK ↗
  • Who funds Cascade Medical Advantage ↗

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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization United Way of Whatcom County funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from United Way of Whatcom County. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    22report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

    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