United Way of Greater St. Louis mobilizes the community with one goal in mind – helping people live their best possible lives. We unite people, resources and funding to help build strong and equitable communities where everyone can thrive.
Our History
United Way was formed in 1887 when a Denver priest, two ministers and a rabbi recognized the need for cooperative action to address their city’s welfare problems. The first campaign raised $21,700 for 22 nonprofits.
United Way of Greater St. Louis began in 1922 as the Community Fund, organized by volunteers to raise money to help operate 40 charities.
By the 1950s, more than 1,000 communities across the U.S. and Canada had established United Ways. In 1974, United Ways raised nearly $1.04 billion, marking the first time in history that a single organization raised more than $1 billion in an annual campaign. Over its long history, United Way has helped with everything from the Persian Gulf War to the Olympic torch relay to the President’s Summit for America’s Future. It’s won awards, such as the Charity of Choice from Financial World magazine. Across the country, United Ways now raise more than $4 billion annually.
Today
United Way continues to flourish and use its storied past as a guide on how to best serve the community. Instead of supporting a single cause, we focus on 5 impact areas – essential needs, early childhood and youth success, health and wellbeing, jobs and financial mobility, and community stability and crisis response.
United Way equips over 160 local nonprofits with vital funding and training resources to keep our region’s safety net healthy and help us fulfill these impact areas. These nonprofits and more make use of United Way’s Volunteer Center to galvanize the community around their efforts. We operate the region’s largest Volunteer Center that mobilizes thousands of local people, companies, and groups through meaningful volunteer opportunities.
We also connect our neighbors to resources and support near them using our 211 helpline and navigation center. 211 is a free resource that is available 24/7 to find providers, programs and services for those in need. Each year we receive more than 100,000 requests for help from our community through 211.
All of these efforts are a part of our valued mission of helping people live their best possible lives. Working together, we will continue to create a stronger, healthier, and more equitable St. Louis region.
A message from our CEO, Michelle D. Tucker
For the past 100 years, this region has come together time and again with a shared sense of caring and compassion for one another. Through United Way, our staff, donors and volunteers have had a profound impact on the lives of millions of local individuals and families, raising nearly $3 billion overall to invest back into these communities we call home. This was especially true this past year as many continued to face challenges stemming from COVID and even more families found themselves in despair following the sudden and significant flooding our area experienced last summer. As they’ve always done, people from across the region answered the call, raised their hands and offered their support. And, through it all, we have continued to provide stable, predictable funding to more than 160 local nonprofits on both sides of the river to strengthen and maintain our region’s safety net – ensuring resources and help are there when a neighbor needs it most.
Thanks to a century of committed and generous supporters, we remain one of the top United Ways across the nation. We celebrated our 100-year birthday in many ways this past year, but we also remain focused on the future. We are excited and hopeful as our United Way enters its second century of helping the St. Louis region. Thank you for being a part of this journey.
Learn more and get help. Visit: https://helpingpeople.org/united-way-2-1-1/
