Coeur d'Alene Press | July 17, 2021
COEUR d'ALENE — United Way of North Idaho has received $1 million from the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare Community Programs Grant.
“Our existing Community Care Fund grant process will be one of the mechanisms for ensuring these funds are invested in the most appropriate and impactful way possible” said Mark Tucker, UWNI executive director. “We’re honored to receive and invest these funds to help the ALICE population in our region."
The purpose of the grant is to support learning, mitigate learning loss, and offer behavioral health supports for youth ages 5-13.
Youth success has long been an education priority for United Way, Tucker said, and the structure and transparency of its impact councils will ensure that the greatest unmet needs are addressed with these dollars.
Recent work has focused on supporting local ALICE families (asset limited, income constrained, employed) with child care. These funds will expand assistance to working families with school-age care needs, Tucker said.
The fund has local community leaders serving on Community Impact Councils. Anyone with a passion for serving and evaluating community need is welcome to reach out about serving on the UWNI impact council. The grant award process has already opened, so nonprofits are encouraged to review the application and apply if they meet the criteria.
“The strategy is to build systems and capacity to increase behavioral health supports, reduce learning loss, and expand educational activities that support student learning outside the classroom” said Keri Cederquist, UWNI community impact director. “We know there are so many people already working toward these goals, like child care providers who have taken on before-and-after school care during the pandemic, relatives who have become primary caregivers and community organizations that offer camps and summer activities."
Tucker said UWNI will also be able to expand to the broader region, deepen relationships with existing nonprofit partnerships, and open new opportunities for rural communities because of the grant.
“The size and scope of this grant will allow us to reach communities in all corners of Idaho’s region one” said UWNI board president Jason Livingston. “We’re eager to work with partners across the Panhandle to listen to their needs and build collaborative solutions for our children."