United Way of Northwest Vermont Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
OUR MISSION IS TO BUILD A STRONGER NORTHWEST VERMONT BY MOBILIZING OUR COMMUNITY TO IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES. UNITED WAY ISN'T JUST OUR NAME - IT'S HOW WE WORK. WE BRING TOGETHER INDIVIDUALS, NONPROFITS, BUSINESSES, AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES TO FIGHT FOR A STRONG, VIBRANT, AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY. WE FIGHT FOR THE EDUCATION, FINANCIAL STABILITY, AND HEALTH OF EVERY PERSON IN CHITTENDEN, FRANKLIN, AND GRAND ISLE COUNTIES.
- Income
- $5.6 million
- Spending
- $5.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 3.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 45%
- Employees
- 34
- Volunteers
- 55
- Highest pay
- $178,269, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending March 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 12% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 19% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 21 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending March 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2520 of 20 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending March 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $4.1 million spent. SEE SCHEDULE OCOMMUNITY FUNDING: THROUGH A MULTI-STEP PROCESS, A DIVERSE GROUP, WHICH INCLUDES VOLUNTEERS AND BOARD MEMBERS, EVALUATES APPLICATIONS FROM LOCAL NONPROFIT AGENCIES AND MAKES FUNDING DECISIONS THAT HELP ACHIEVE COMMUNITY-DETERMINED PRIORITIES. UWNWVT AWARDED APPROXIMATELY 1,500,000 IN AGENCY ALLOCATIONS FOR 2023 AND 2022 - FUNDED THROUGH THE UNDESIGNATED PORTION OF THE ORGANIZATION'S ANNUAL COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN AS WELL AS RESTRICTED STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS. UWNWVT ALSO DISTRIBUTES DONOR- DESIGNATED FUNDS TO OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS BASED ON AMOUNTS ACTUALLY COLLECTED. WORKING BRIDGES: UNITED WAY WORKING BRIDGES IS AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO IMPROVE JOB RETENTION, PRODUCTIVITY, AND ADVANCEMENT BY SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES WITH COMMUNITY RESOURCES. THE CONCEPT IS SIMPLE: EMPLOYERS WORK TOGETHER TO EFFECTIVELY DEVELOP AND TEST INNOVATIVE HR PRACTICES USING THE WORKPLACE AS A PLATFORM FOR SERVICES DESIGNED TO HELP WORKERS GET, KEEP AND GROW STABLE EMPLOYMENT. BY SHARING RESOURCES, EMPLOYERS ARE MINIMIZING THE BARRIER TO EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES' NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND IMPROVE THEIR LIVES. COMMON GOOD VT: AS OF JANUARY 2021, COMMON GOOD VERMONT IS A PROGRAM OF UNITED WAY OF NORTHWEST VERMONT. COMMON GOOD VERMONT SERVES AS THE "GO-TO" RESOURCE FOR ALL OF VERMONT'S MISSION-DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS TO SHARE RESOURCES, GAIN SKILLS, AND BUILD PARTNERSHIPS. COMMON GOOD VERMONT'S PROGRAMS INCLUDE: - NONPROFIT CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS - VERMONT NONPROFIT SUMMER CAMP - THE NONPROFIT NEW ENGLAND WAGE AND BENEFITS REPORT (VERMONT EDITION)- VERMONT NONPROFIT ADVOCACY & LEGISLATIVE DAY - VERMONT NONPROFIT NEWS - JOB POSTINGS FOR VERMONT MISSION-DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS - OTHER NONPROFIT PROFESSIONAL TRAINING COMMUNITY IMPACT AND VOLUNTEER MOBILIZATION: COMMUNITY IMPACT CONVENES AND BACKBONES VARIOUS INITIATIVES THROUGHOUT THE REGION. CURRENTLY UWNWVT IS DIRECTING TWO EFFORTS. NORTHWEST VERMONT REGIONAL PREVENTION NETWORK: IN DECEMBER OF 2021, UNITED WAY OF NORTHWEST VERMONT LAUNCHED THE NORTHWEST VERMONT REGIONAL PREVENTION NETWORK AS PART OF A 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN TO UNIFY THE REGION AROUND A HOLISTIC AND COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PREVENTING SUBSTANCE MISUSE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS. THIS WORK IS FUNDED BY PREVENTION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (PCE) GRANT AWARDED TO UNITED WAY THROUGH THE VERMONT DIVISION OF SUBSTANCE USE PROGRAMS. MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE: UNITED WAY OF NORTHWEST VERMONT'S MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE IS ELEVATING THE VOICES OF DIRECT PROVIDERS OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, VERMONTERS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE, AND ORGANIZATIONS AND ALLIANCES FOCUSED ON MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE. TOGETHER WE WILL WORK TO ALIGN EXISTING MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES, IDENTIFY GAPS IN THE SYSTEM OF CARE, AND CREATE A SHARED AGENDA AND ACTION ITEMS FOR OUR NEXT STEPS. THROUGH EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THREE INITIAL PRIORITIES FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE TO FOCUS ON: ADDRESSING VERMONT'S CRITICAL LABOR SHORTAGE OF MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS; STRENGTHENING AND ALIGNING RESOURCES FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION; AND RESPONDING TO THE ACUTE RISE IN YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. OUR ROLE IS TO WORK ALONGSIDE OUR SERVICE PARTNERS ON THE GROUND, THOSE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE NAVIGATING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND POLICYMAKERS TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS TO THE SYSTEMS CHANGE WE NEED TO PROMOTE BETTER MENTAL HEALTH AND ENSURE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WANT IT HAVE TIMELY ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO WILL HELP GUIDE THE MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE'S WORK INCLUDE HOWARD CENTER, NORTHWESTERN COUNSELING & SUPPORT SERVICES (NCSS), VERMONT CARE PARTNERS, SPECTRUM YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES, VERMONT SUICIDE PREVENTION CENTER, AND NAMI VERMONT. THE MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE IS MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO FUNDING FROM THE UVM HEALTH NETWORK, IBM AND GENEROUS INDIVIDUAL DONORS. VOLUNTEER MOBILIZATION ACTIVITIES PROMOTE AND SUPPORT VOLUNTEERING THROUGHOUT THE REGION THROUGH GENERAL VOLUNTEER POSTINGS ONLINE THROUGH VOLUNTEER CONNECTION. UWNWVT ALSO CONDUCTS TWO, MAJOR "55+" VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS FUNDED IN LARGE PART BY FEDERAL AND STATE GRANTS - THE "RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM (RSVP) OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY- AND THE "FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM (FGP)." RSVP: SCHOOL BUDDIES HELP SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN WHO TEACHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED AS NOT MEETING ACADEMIC STANDARDS IN READING, MATH, SPELLING, OR OTHER ACADEMIC AREAS. READ TO ME VOLUNTEERS READ ONE-ON-ONE AND IN SMALL GROUPS TO CHILDREN IN LOCAL CHILD CARE CENTERS TO PROMOTE NOT ONLY A LOVE OF READING, BUT THE SKILLS NECESSARY TO BECOME EMERGING READERS. FGP VOLUNTEERS SHARE THEIR WARMTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT WITH CHILDREN BY HELPING TEACHERS IN A CLASSROOM SETTING 15 OR MORE HOURS PER WEEK. FGP SERVES CHILDREN IN CHITTENDEN, FRANKLIN, GRAND ISLE, AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE A TAX-FREE STIPEND THAT DOES NOT AFFECT THEIR OTHER BENEFITS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending March 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending March 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 1966.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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