Iowa · Nonprofit
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA (Iowa) receives grants from 102 organizations whose IRS filings report $37,491,616 to it, the largest being AMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION INC ($7,773,497). 74 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 55% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2025
- $24M
- Funders on record
- 102
- Grants received
- $37M
- Net assets
- $35M
What United Way of Central Iowa does
Mission
To improve lives by uniting the caring power of our community
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Economic opportunity: economic opportunity goes beyond simply earning a paycheck; it involves securing a livable wage and building wealth to break the cycle of poverty for future generations. One of the ways uwci has made a meaningful impact in the community is by expanding access to essential services; over 20,300 individuals obtained job training and critical support services, enabling them to obtain quality employment that fosters self-sufficiency and long-term economic stability.
$3,665,648 spentof which $3,665,648 as grants17% of program spendingEducation success: academic achievement is foundational to future success. Uwci collaborates with local school districts and community partners to improve student outcomes, particularly for vulnerable youth. These initiatives focus on enhancing literacy and providing comprehensive support services. For example, in the past year, nearly 4,000 youth engaged in college and career readiness programs. Of youth assessed, 90% demonstrated academic progress or measurable improvements in social and emotional development.
$3,413,854 spentof which $3,413,854 as grants16% of program spendingHealth & well-being: access to quality healthcare, including physical, mental, and dental services, significantly impacts overall well-being. Uwci supports programs addressing these needs, serving nearly 29,000 individuals through funded mental health, medical, and dental providers. One positive outcome of this work is that 65% of individuals assessed either maintained or improved their overall health, contributing to stronger, healthier communities.
$2,781,178 spentof which $2,781,178 as grants13% of program spendingEarly childhood success: early intervention is critical for long-term educational and developmental success. Uwci invests in programs that support young children during these formative years. Among the many impacts, nearly 7,000 children received developmental or dental screenings through uwci-funded initiatives, resulting in nearly 800 children being referred for follow-up services, ensuring timely care and support.essential needs: stability starts with access to life's most essential needs safe housing and nutritious food. Uwci prioritizes funding for programs that meet these essential needs and has achieved significant successes. Among them, nearly 6,000 households participating in housing-focused programs, and more than 2,600 households securing safe and stable housing. Additionally, over 260,000 individuals received food assistance through local food pantries, helping families bridge critical gaps.united way community impact services: the volunteer engagement program mobilizes volunteers to foster a thriving community. Community impact services staff research community conditions and measures progress of united way investments. Community impact services also oversees a…
$12,062,441 spentof which $7,984,525 as grants$5,583 earned by the program55% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $21,923,121.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $42M to $37M (−11%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 1% · 2018 2% · 2019 4% · 2020 5% · 2021 9% · 2022 3% · 2023 6% · 2024 6% · 2025 6%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 6 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 28 funders to 50 funders, grant income rose $763k → $5.5M.
23 of 102 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 55% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $18M from 17 payers (the payer shares this organization's board, largest Community Fdn of Greater Des Moines F/K/A Greater Des Moines Community Fdn). These are real filings, and they are not money UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA raised.
From the IRS filings of UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 102 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 21% of grant income, and it takes 3 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 3 funders to its left
65% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 18% · 2018 51% · 2019 68% · 2020 29% · 2021 25% · 2022 22% · 2023 22% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
60% of UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 73% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
55% of UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $17M that is directly attributable, 84% of it comes from Iowa funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $21M arriving through sponsors registered in 14 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Government funding UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $5.9M on record.
- Department of Labor$3.4M
- Department of Commerce$1.8M
- Corporation for National and Community Service$770k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Iowa
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
86% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
93%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA?
- UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA (Iowa) receives grants from 102 organizations whose IRS filings report $37,491,616 to it, the largest being AMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION INC ($7,773,497). 74 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 55% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA have?
- IRS filings report 102 organizations giving $37,491,616 in grants to UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA, 74 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA?
- AMERICAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION INC is the largest funder on record, with $7,773,497 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Iowa. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 102 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing