About Us
United Way Bay Area inspires and connects people to break the cycle of poverty in the Bay Area by supporting both the short-term needs and long-term systems change.
WHAT WE DO
UWBA brings together partners from the nonprofit, business, and government sectors to address Bay Area poverty. We partner across sectors, develop solutions, capture the data we need, and use those insights to support public policy and create research-backed community initiatives.
OUR VISION
UWBA envisions an equitable Bay Area where all people have the opportunities and resources needed to thrive.
OUR MISSION
UWBA mobilizes the Bay Area to dismantle the root causes of poverty and build equitable pathways to prosperity. Through initiatives and policy change, we provide immediate and long-term support for employment, housing, financial stability, and meeting basic needs.
Breaking the cycle of poverty
United Way Bay Area helps families struggling to meet basic needs, assists students and workers seeking employment and better careers, supports our neighbors working to achieve their financial stability goals, and advocates for housing justice for all Bay Area residents.
Recognition & Awards
United Way Bay Area Earns the Candid (Formerly Guidestar) Highest Seal of Transparency- Platinum
Candid's coveted Platinum Seal of Transparency, previously recognized as GuideStar's Platinum Seal of Transparency. Candid is the world's largest source of nonprofit data.
Guidestar Rating
4-Star Excellence: United Way Bay Area Tops Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator, the world's largest and most trusted nonprofit evaluator, recognized United Way Bay Area with its Four Star rating. Those four stars are a symbol of trust, representing the measures we take to ensure we are accountable, transparent, and responsible stewards of donor dollars.
Charity Navigator
STRATEGIC PLAN
United Way Bay Area identified the need to engage in a focused, inclusive, and comprehensive three-year strategic plan to refine our focus and meet the unique and evolving needs of the communities we serve, rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I want to:
HOW WE DO IT
Housing Justice: Improve access to stable, affordable housing and homelessness prevention.
Learn More about Housing JusticeEmployment & Career Opportunities: Build systems and pathways to career and employment opportunities.
Learn More about employment and career opportunitiesFinancial Stability: Help families increase income and savings on their way to financial stability.
Learn More about Financial StabilityBasic Needs: Ensure access to basic needs like food, housing, and legal services.
Learn More about Basic NeedsHousing Justice: Improve access to stable, affordable housing and homelessness prevention.
Learn More about Housing JusticeEmployment & Career Opportunities: Build systems and pathways to career and employment opportunities.
Learn More about employment and career opportunitiesFinancial Stability: Help families increase income and savings on their way to financial stability.
Learn More about Financial StabilityBasic Needs: Ensure access to basic needs like food, housing, and legal services.
Learn More about Basic NeedsWHO WE SERVE
United Way Bay Area serves eight Bay Area counties
Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano.
HISTORY
View our dedicated United Way Bay Area history page
Since 1922, we have been creating and funding effective poverty-fighting programs. As our community changed, so did our approach. We evolved, and keep evolving, to make sure programs meet local needs and address our community’s most pressing problems. By staying responsive to our community, we are helping to build a more vibrant, more equitable, and more resilient Bay Area. But we’re not doing it alone.
Centennial Celebration
We Celebrated 100 Years!
In 2022 United Way Bay Area (UWBA) celebrates 100 years of fighting poverty across the San Francisco Bay Area. 100 years of uniting community members, building and operating programs, and providing resources to Bay Area residents.
Learn More about our past 100 years
I want to: