• United is the Way

    United Way of Central Iowa mobilizes our community to action so all can thrive.

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  • United To Thrive

    Fostering an equitable, engaged, and empowered community.

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  • United for Action

    Empower lives. Strengthen our community. Your time makes a lasting impact!

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Who we are

Fostering an Equitable, Engaged, empowered Community

United Way of Central Iowa is committed to addressing the challenges our community faces. We are nimble and responsive in the way we work within the community to focus on not only meeting basic needs – but on growing, prospering, and thriving.

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Engaging our community to address critical issues

United Way of Central Iowa holds a unique role in our community as a convener and mobilizer, engaging every voice in our community to empower all. Central Iowa looks to United Way to bring everyone together, find alignment to address issues, identify strategies, and execute collectively on those strategies. 

Read the 2025 Community Report
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Critical Community Issues

  • 10%
    of Central Iowans are food insecure.

    In central Iowa, 10% of the population is food insecure, including 15% of children under age 18 - that’s nearly 23,000 children.

  • 7%
    of central Iowa youth ages 16-19 are disengaged from school or work.

    Experts agree that youth disengagement (not being enrolled in school or being under-employed) can be a determining factor in contributing to youth violence.

  • 75%
    of central Iowa children under the age of 6 have both parents or caregivers in the workforce.

    Iowa ranks #1 in the nation for the percentage of households in which all parents or caregivers of young children are in the workforce. Access to safe, affordable childcare and other workforce supports are critical to a thriving, robust economy.

  • 57%
    of youth in Iowa do not receive the mental health services they need.

    Our state falls short of the number of mental healthcare providers needed to meet this challenge. In Iowa, there are 570 individuals for every 1 mental health provider.

THE 5 ELEMENTS OF A THRIVING COMMUNITY

The 5 Elements of a Thriving Community are interconnected areas of focus United Way of Central Iowa uses to create strategies and set goals to improve the lives of every person in our community.

To thrive, central Iowans need to live in stable, healthy places with essential supports.
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essential
To thrive, central Iowa children need to start out healthy and ready to learn.
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early-childhood
To thrive, central Iowa youth need to be academically successful and have a plan for their future.
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eduction
To thrive, central Iowans need to have sufficient income and opportunities to build wealth.
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economic
To thrive, central Iowans need to have physical and mental well-being.
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We are UNITED to THRIVE

United Way of Central Iowa's strategic focus outlines the way our organization establishes standards, sets goals, and measure progress in the community. UNITED to THRIVE guides our strategic approach as we unite central Iowans to foster a thriving community – one that is equitable, engaged, and empowered.

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Our Stories

  • "United Way’s impact is one of the reasons why our region is such a special place. It seems that both as individual citizens as well as companies in central Iowa, we are all focused on making sure this is a great community to live for everybody, not just for some."

    McCoy
    Mike McCoy
    CEO, NCMIC

Integrity & Stability

Responsible and Trustworthy Since 1917

United Way of Central Iowa has earned a four-out-of-four-star rating each year since 2004 from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest independent evaluator of charities and nonprofit organizations. Charity Navigator’s four-star rating recognizes United Way’s sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. Less than 1% of the thousands of charities evaluated that have achieved four-stars for ten years in a row or more.

United Way of Central Iowa has received a Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, the world's largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. The seal is given to nonprofits who have achieved the highest level of transparency through disclosures, information made available to the public, and accuracy and frequency of updates.

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News & Insights