United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

About United Way of the Alberta Capital Region:

Founded in 1941, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region (UWACR) gathers resources to fight poverty in Edmonton. It tackles social issues in education, income and wellness. UWACR supports programs and services that address community needs and improve the lives of the poor. In F2016, it reported helping 301,566 unique participants through funded programs in Edmonton and the surrounding area.

Like other United Way organizations across Canada, it has three pillars of funding: education (34%), poverty (13%) and community wellness (26%), along with capacity building (27%). Across these 3 pillars and through capacity building, they fund 108 programs and partnerships. The top five investments from United Way of the Alberta Capital Region are Partners for Kids ($1.3m), All in for Youth ($1.2m), the Family Centre of Northern Alberta ($846k), Canadian Mental Health Association - Edmonton Region ($756k) and the Boys and Girls Clubs/Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton and Area ($595k).

In F2016, the Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton reports that it has served over 5,200 children and youth, providing them with opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge to achieve their full potential. It also reports that through its Math Literacy Program, 22 adults passed the Apprenticeship Entrance Exam, four attended post secondary school and 26 received an increase in salary or a promotion. Through its funded 211 service, it connected 58,897 callers with non-emergency human services in the Edmonton Region.

In 2014, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region identified 12 desired results for its programs and has 5 main goals. These goals aim to attack the causes of poverty, support children from an early age, teach people better financial management skills, advocate for better mental health services and more employment opportunities. They aim to help 22,000 individuals over three years through programs targeting these needs. As reported in 2017, all their goals have been exceeded to the exception of their employment goals, hurt by the economic downturn.

Financial Review:

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region is one of Canada’s Major 100 charities. It collected donations of $22.9m in F2017. Administrative costs are 8% of revenues while fundraising costs are 11% of donations. For every dollar donated, 81 cents goes to the cause, falling within Ci’s reasonable range. United Way of the Alberta Capital Region has funding reserves of $15.3m that can cover just over 9 months of program costs.

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 14, 2017 by Josh Lam.