United Way Ottawa (UWOTT) formed in April 2017 when four smaller United Ways merged – United Ways of Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark County, and Renfrew County. UWOTT is formally named United Way East Ontario. It collects and distributes donations to projects and local charities in Greater Ottawa, aiming to bring people together to build strong, healthy and safe communities. Grants fit into three focuses: All That Kids Can Be, From Poverty to Possibility, and Healthy People, Strong Communities. UWOTT holds an annual, open Call for Proposals to pick charities that will receive funding. Besides grants to charities, UWOTT also spends money in-house on community initiatives, research projects, and partnerships.

In F2020, United Way Ottawa spent $8.9m on programs and grants in Ottawa. This is 92% of total mission spending for the year. $297k was spent in Lanark County, $290k in Renfrew County, and $224k in Prescott-Russell. UWOTT’s F2020 annual report provides key results for the F2019 year. In total, it granted to 114 charities and supported 158 programs in F2019, reaching 107,647 people. 71% people were in Ottawa, 22% in Prescott-Russell, and 3% each in Renfrew and Lanark Counties.  

All That Kids Can Be programs prepare children for kindergarten and give youth a safe place to go after school. In F2019, UWOTT funded 46 programs and 34 charities that reached 13,008 children and youth in Ottawa, down 51% from 26,733 kids in the prior year.  

From Poverty to Possibility programs focus on getting homeless youth off the streets and helping new immigrants and people with disabilities get jobs. Its goal is to help people become financially independent and stable. In F2019, UWOTT funded 24 programs and 34 local charities that reached 8,034 people in Ottawa, up 41% from 5,715 people in the prior year.

Healthy People, Strong Communities programs focus on breaking down barriers faced by vulnerable people (including seniors and people struggling with mental health or addiction) so that they can be socially connected in their communities. In F2019, United Way Ottawa funded 57 programs and 51 charities that reached 55,748 clients in Ottawa, down 24% from 72,954 people in the prior year.

Besides its activities in Ottawa, in F2019 UWOTT funded 14 programs and 13 local charities in Prescott-Russell that reached 23,684 people. In Renfrew County, it funded ten programs and charities that reached 3,699 people. In Lanark County, it funded seven programs and six charities that reached 3,474 people.

United Way Ottawa is a Major 100 charity, meaning it is one of Canada’s largest charities in terms of donations. It received $22.2m in donations in F2020. This includes $9.4m in designated donations that flow through the charity as donor-designated grants. Administrative costs are 15% of revenues (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 6% of donations. For every dollar donated to United Way Ottawa, 80 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

United Way Ottawa holds $9.9m in funding reserves, which includes $447k in donor-endowed funds. Excluding donor endowments, the charity’s reserves can cover annual program and grant spending at the current level for 1.1 years.

Total mission spending (excluding donor-designated grants) was $8.2m in F2020. 60% was grants to other charities, and 40% was on UWOTT’s own activities. United Way Ottawa’s 10 largest grants in F2020 went to Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa ($413k), Salvation Army Ottawa Booth Centre ($303k), Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Center ($281k), Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre ($236k), Family Services Ottawa ($204k), Social Planning Council of Ottawa ($193k), Ottawa Youth Services Bureau ($145k), World Skills Employment Centre ($144k), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa ($140k), and Ontario 211 Services ($133k). These ten grants make up 44% of total grants.

United Way Ottawa’s financial statements disclose $4.4m in future grants to local charities from the 2020 Call for Proposals process. This is equal to 46% of UWOTT’s funding reserves (excluding donor-endowed funds). The funding will take effect in July 2020 and is not committed until signed.

This report is an update that has been sent to United Way Ottawa for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 3, 2020 by Katie Khodawandi.