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United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona Inc

EIN 86-0098932 · Tucson, AZ

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood78 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Our vision is a community where every child receives a high-quality education from birth to career, every adult has the opportunity to thrive financailly and in the workplace, and every older person can retire and age with dignity and independence.

Income
$12.8 million
Spending
$15.1 million
Spent on programs
75%
Reserves
9.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 54%
Employees
96
Volunteers
4,481
Highest pay
$411,069, president and ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 9.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 13% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 18% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 8% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    75% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 37% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    23 of 23 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 (2)
  1. $11.0 million spent. United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona is building a thriving community by uniting people, ideas, and resources, serving more than 250,000 individuals locally in 2024-2025. With more than a century of service in this region, United Way of Tucson remains committed to transforming lives and driving lasting change by focusing on key issues: educational success, financial wellness, healthy living, housing stability, and homelessness. As the premier community convener, United Way fosters strategic partnerships and mobilizes resources to design impactful, innovative solutions that support community members and strengthen the local economy. By utilizing measurable results, United Way ensures data-driven decision-making and monitors both internal and external partner programs to maximize outcomes.Key 2024-2025 Results Include: *1,947 children are in early education programs actively engaged in quality improvement efforts*Children received 252,625 age-appropriate books to build their personal home libraries*849 Families received guidance for raising and nurturing their child either in the home or at community-based settings and 5,489 adults received services from Family Resource Centers*436 Individuals learned new developmentally appropriate early childhood education and systems building skills*2,335 Opportunity youth were supported to sustain their engagement in connecting education and a career pathway through the re-engagement centers* 15,960 individuals were impacted through Math Change Network collaborative efforts*13,361 Low-income working families used no-fee tax preparation services at VITA sites to receive all appropriate tax credits*1,902 household members built financial skills related to budgets and credit, debt reduction, saving strategies, and received assistance to obtain public benefits, financial education and coaching*3,767 Older adults became more active and independent through volunteering 118,106 Hours to support 29,942 other older adults and families to meet their needs*32,132 Older adults were able to stay at home because of help and support from quality programs*1,734 individuals sought more information about becoming a Direct Care Worker*1,634 Days of Caring volunteers provided over 4,823 volunteer hours to complete 95 community improvement projects impacting 78,700 individuals*112,807 individuals were helped with emergency needs, such as rental and utility assistance, food, diapers, and health and safety needs * 849 families of young children were served with classes, workshops, parent-child interactions and family support coordination/case management
  2. $341,453 spent. Allocations - Through United Way's annual campaign, United Way raises funds to distribute to education and social services, and health and welfare programs administered by not-for-profit agencies.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 1958.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.