Texas · Nonprofit
United Way of Greater Houston
United Way of Greater Houston (Texas) receives grants from 290 organizations whose IRS filings report $150,803,105 to it, the largest being GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ($27,436,446). 133 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 51% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2025
- $80M
- Funders on record
- 290
- Grants received
- $151M
- Net assets
- $65M
What United Way of Greater Houston does
Mission
United Way works together to improve lives, build a stronger community, and create meaningful opportunities for people to prosper.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Creating Opportunities for People to Prosper - See Schedule OCreating Opportunities for People to Prosper - Together we work to create opportunities for individuals and families to thrive and to achieve what every family wants: a pathway to self-sufficiency and a sustainable quality of life. This work and our investments are focused on ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). ALICE represents those who are working but struggle to afford the necessities of housing, food, childcare, health care, and transportation. Guided by research and data, United Way focuses on and invests in high-quality programs aimed at serving ALICE and those living below the Federal Poverty Level, a group which collectively makes up 44% of the population in the Greater Houston Area. The integrated Client Journey allows clients to create their own customized pathways based on their goals and needs, and orchestrates programs to make it easy for clients to engage across services, breaking down barriers and helping ensure success. Last year, through the various programs of this initiative, and with the collaboration of our Navigators and the Integrated Client Journey, United Way assisted the…
$46,997,484 spentof which $32,233,064 as grants$297,446 earned by the program80% of program spendingCommunity Outreach - See Schedule OCommunity Outreach services/programs: 2-1-1 Texas/United Way HELPLINE - In 2024, the 2-1-1 Texas/United Way HELPLINE connected 1.3 million of our neighbors with help, hope, and critical resources, via phone, live chat, text, and email. With 20+ years of experience, new partnerships, and more ways than ever to connect, 211 is proud to be one our community's most valuable resources. The 2-1-1 Texas/United Way HELPLINE operates 24/7, 365 days per year, and is a free and confidential service staffed by trained information and referral specialists who speak a variety of languages and find real answers for callers as they work the largest helpline of its kind in the country with one of the most comprehensive social services databases in the state. United Way Centers - United Way Centers across our 4-county region increase access to and availability of health and human services in our community in the Bay Area, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County, and Waller County through agencies providing programs like financial and employment coaching, physical and behavioral health care, basic needs assistance, youth programs and disaster response. The centers…
$2,399,435 spentof which $87,077 as grants$352,074 earned by the program4% of program spendingDisaster Recovery, Resiliency, and Preparedness - See Schedule ODisaster Recovery, Resiliency, and Preparedness - In times of disaster, United Way of Greater Houston delivers vital information and resources to drive immediate relief and lead long-term recovery. Year-round, we plan, prepare, and strengthen our community so neighbors are better positioned when disaster strikes. The funds raised for disaster and long-term preparedness are not considered campaign revenue and are not commingled with any other revenue or any other internal or external fund. Key efforts include:United Way Strike Team - When a disaster strikes, crisis ensues, and time is of the essence, the United Way Strike Team is in the community, "boots on the ground," ready to help our neighbors in their most dire moments. This team responds and guides those families and individuals who need immediate crisis assistance. During blue skies, this strike team also works to address emergent needs by working with our community's social service providers to assess emergent needs, identify partners to help meet them, and provide ongoing resources and support. This year, 1,273 referrals for assistance were successfully…
$9,046,827 spentof which $8,477,204 as grants15% of program spending
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $58,443,746.
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. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2017 to 2018, from $106M to $143M (+34%).
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: 2021 5% · 2022 3% · 2023 5% · 2024 5% · 2025 6%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
97% of United Way of Greater Houston’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (80% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 4 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.
Chief executive
Amanda McMillian
President & CEO
Board chair
Steve Stephens
Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
The chief executive listed changed between the FY2020 and FY2021 filings.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base narrowed from 106 funders to 88 funders, grant income rose $17M → $20M.
32 of 290 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 51% 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: $6.0M from 37 payers (the payer shares this organization's board, largest Tulsa Community Foundation). These are real filings, and they are not money United Way of Greater Houston raised.
From the IRS filings of United Way of Greater Houston’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 290 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 Greater Houston has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 18% of grant income, and it takes 6 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 6 funders to its left
58% 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 Greater Houston.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 29% · 2018 24% · 2019 20% · 2020 32% · 2021 20% · 2022 18% · 2023 21% — diversifying over time.
“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
31% of United Way of Greater Houston's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 46% 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
51% of United Way of Greater Houston'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 $73M that is directly attributable, 70% of it comes from Texas funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $77M arriving through sponsors registered in 21 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.
Against its field
United Way of Greater Houston receives grants from 290 organizations whose IRS filings report $151M to it.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 490 philanthropy nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2025
Government funding United Way of Greater Houston receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $40k on record.
- Department of Veterans Affairs$40k
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 Greater Houston
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 Texas
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
84% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
97%
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 Greater Houston: 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 Greater Houston?
- United Way of Greater Houston (Texas) receives grants from 290 organizations whose IRS filings report $150,803,105 to it, the largest being GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ($27,436,446). 133 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 51% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does United Way of Greater Houston have?
- IRS filings report 290 organizations giving $150,803,105 in grants to United Way of Greater Houston, 133 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of United Way of Greater Houston?
- GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $27,436,446 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like United Way of Greater Houston find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Texas. 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 290 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