United Way of the Greater Capital Region (UWGCR) is a local organization that brings individuals and groups together in a community wide effort to help people.
United, we fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in the Greater Capital Region. To drive positive change, UWGCR evaluates our community's diverse needs, mobilizes the caring power of the community, and directs resources to the areas that will have the most positive impact.
We're on a mission to build a stronger more resilient Capital Region - a region where all children have the opportunity to learn and thrive, where families are financially secure, and where people can live their lives to the fullest because they have the good health to do so - today and for generations to come.
Change doesn't happen alone. With you by our side, United, we know we can make this vision a reality.
To live better, we must LIVE UNITED.
Who We Are
United Way is the catalyst in building community change by bringing hearts, minds, and resources together. UWGCR's role in the community continues to evolve. While UWGCR has historically been a fundraising entity, we have expanded to a truly unique position to recruit, convene, and collaborate with people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise, and resources needed to get things done. Today, we work with hundreds of individuals and organizations that share a collective vision for what is possible when we Unite our efforts.
What We Do
UWGCR aligns the caring, compassionate power of this community to tackle some of our greatest challenges together. Because no single person or organization can do it alone.
Why Support United Way?
Each year with your help, UWGCR works to create the best possible version of our community. We stand alongside our donors and our volunteers as the leaders capable of understanding the community’s unique needs and then addressing them in ways that create real change. We do it by connecting children, teens, adults, and families with the tools and support they need to thrive. YOU make it all happen! Something special happens when we LIVE UNITED.
- We have partnerships in place to quickly mobilize the caring power of our community and direct resources to areas that will have the most positive impact. We are uniquely poised to respond with expertise, passion, and innovation... just like we've been doing for more than 60 years.
- We use data to identify our region's greatest needs; then, we follow best practices to drive our strategies to tackle those needs. We are flexible and have the ability to adapt to address the community’s needs even as they change.
- It’s a solid investment in our local community. Undesignated contributions raised here stay here, supporting hard-working households experiencing economic hardship throughout Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties.
- This is an efficient and effective way to stretch your gift since it will support multiple agencies working in their field of expertise. Agencies are vetted by UWGCR and meet high standards of financial accountability, governance, and performance. We'll track our dollars and measure success. And we'll report those outcomes back to you.
- We don't do our work alone. We are in this together, and it's the strength of our community partners that drives real change. By joining forces with UWGCR, you're able to magnify your philanthropic powers by aligning your efforts with hundreds of other generous donors, volunteers, and advocates.