California · Nonprofit
United Way of Santa Cruz County
United Way of Santa Cruz County (California) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,339,834 to it, the largest being MONTEREY PENINSULA FOUNDATION ($735,000). 22 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $5.6M
- Funders on record
- 37
- Grants received
- $5.3M
- Net assets
- $3.0M
What United Way of Santa Cruz County does
Mission
The mission of the United Way of Santa Cruz County is to ignite our community to give, advocate and volunteer so that our youth succeed in school and in life, our residents are healthy and our families are financially independent.our most significant activity is the united for youth initiative, a community partnership that works to reduce youth poverty by creating environment changes giving children more opportunities for living in a healthier, thriving, and safer santa cruz county.cradle to career and black health initiative as fiscal sponsorship.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2024 return the organization reported starting a significant new program and a significant change in how it conducts a program.
Black health matters initiative (bhmi)-black health matters initiative (bhmi) works to advance health equity and improve the well-being of black individuals, youth, and families in santa cruz county. The initiative collaborates with community partners, local leaders, and residents to address health disparities, increase access to resources, and promote equitable health outcomes. Bhmi provides community education, advocacy, outreach, and supportive services focused on mental health, wellness, economic mobility, youth development, and community engagement. Through collaborative programs and community-driven strategies, bhmi seeks to create a healthier, more inclusive, and thriving community for black families and residents.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
Campaign and community impact focus on promoting college and career readiness, health and wellness, economic mobility, and community engagement. United way of scc provides community grants to support local youth-serving programs in marginalized communities within santa cruz county. United way of scc collaborates with local agencies to develop networks and strategic plans to improve the health and wellbeing for youth and families in santa cruz county. Youth programs include after school academic support, mental health services, healthy eating active living, mentoring, career pathways, mindfulness, nutrition workshops, and advocacy to promote healthy communities.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 3).
United way of scc provides programs and administation solutions for first 5 of santa cruz county. First 5 santa cruz county improves the lives of children in the community who need the most support to make sure all children have the early experiences they need to succeed. First 5's priorities fall in three major goal areas: children are healthy; children are learning and ready for school; families are strong; services are family friendly.
$1,766,635 spent43% of program spendingUnited for community also known as 2-1-1 is a centralized helpline for the public to get information on health and human services. Callers can use the easy-to-remember, toll-free number, 2-1-1, where a trained specialist will match needs to local services. In times of disaster, 2-1-1 provides up-to-date information on road closures, evacuation sites and temporary shelter, relieving the burden on 9-1-1. Youth and families can connect to critical services for basic needs by calling the hotline, texting their zip code to 211-211, or visiting the website,www.211santacruzcounty.org united for youth centers youth voice and positions youth as drivers of community change. The goal of the program is to work with out-of-school programs to focus on and support positive youth development, youth-adult partnerships, and fostering community connections through participation in community-level decision-making. Jovenes sanos (healthy youth) focuses on youth leadership and advocacy regarding health and wellness to create a healthier, thriving community. Youth enhance their leadership and academic skills by engaging in local decision-making to promote healthy eating and active living through…
$1,261,006 spentof which $599,248 as grants31% of program spendingCradle to career (c2c) is a parent advocacy initiative and community connector. Our collective brings together community partners and connects them to local youth and parents, to hear directly about how to support the hopes, dreams, and concerns of local families. Our mission is to work collectively to empower families, deliver resources, and advocate for equitable and inclusive support systems to eliminate disparities and ensure all santa cruz county children thrive in their education, health, and character.by ensuring youth have the opportunity to reach their greatest potential, United Way of Santa Cruz County is focusing on youth well-being to provide support services and programs to promote college and career readiness, health and wellness, economic stability, and community connection among santa cruz countys highest needs youth. United 4 youth is a collaborative to provide support services and programs to youth and families throughout santa cruz county. The collaborative assembles nonprofits and local leaders to design innovative programs that lead to positive and sustainable outcomes for youth - from academic support to policy change in local government.youth action network…
$898,250 spent22% of program spendingBlack health matters initiative (bhmi)black health matters initiative (bhmi) works to advance health equity and improve the well-being of black individuals, youth, and families in santa cruz county. The initiative collaborates with community partners, local leaders, and residents to address health disparities, increase access to resources, and promote equitable health outcomes. Bhmi provides community education, advocacy, outreach, and supportive services focused on mental health, wellness, economic mobility, youth development, and community engagement. Through collaborative programs and community-driven strategies, bhmi seeks to create a healthier, more inclusive, and thriving community for black families and residents.
$145,754 spent4% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $4,071,645.
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 2023 to 2024, from $2.1M to $3.3M (+56%).
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 59% · 2018 69% · 2019 81% · 2020 75% · 2021 85% · 2022 88% · 2023 92% · 2024 53% · 2025 64%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
99% of United Way of Santa Cruz County’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (82% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 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 7 funders to 22 funders, grant income rose $160k → $1.3M.
12 of 37 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 15% 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: $302k from one payer (the same organization on both sides, largest United Way of Santa Cruz County); $231k from one payer (the payer shares this organization's board, largest Community Foundation Santa Cruz County). These are real filings, and they are not money United Way of Santa Cruz County raised.
From the IRS filings of United Way of Santa Cruz County’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 37 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 Santa Cruz County has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 14% of grant income, and it takes 5 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 5 funders to its left
82% 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 Santa Cruz County.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 44% · 2018 30% · 2019 33% · 2020 29% · 2021 42% · 2022 26% · 2023 26% — 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
52% of United Way of Santa Cruz County's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 59% 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
76% of United Way of Santa Cruz County's grant income comes from California funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $809k arriving through sponsors registered in 7 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 Santa Cruz County is better cushioned than half of the 1,504 philanthropy nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 1,504 philanthropy nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Organizations like United Way of Santa Cruz County
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 California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
76% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
100%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for United Way of Santa Cruz County: 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 Santa Cruz County?
- United Way of Santa Cruz County (California) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,339,834 to it, the largest being MONTEREY PENINSULA FOUNDATION ($735,000). 22 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does United Way of Santa Cruz County have?
- IRS filings report 37 organizations giving $5,339,834 in grants to United Way of Santa Cruz County, 22 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of United Way of Santa Cruz County?
- MONTEREY PENINSULA FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $735,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like United Way of Santa Cruz County find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. 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 37 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 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing