Funded Partners
Our Funded Partners
United Way Waterloo Region is proud to work with the following organizations to help our community on their journey to a better quality of life. Through strategic funding, we support local non-profit partners delivering essential programs and services that strengthen people, build resilience, and create lasting change across Waterloo Region. Together, we are addressing urgent needs today while working toward a healthier, more equitable community for everyone. The following reflects the 2025-2026 reporting period.
- All
- Affordable Housing & Homelessness
- Children & Youth
- Food Insecurity
- Mental Health & Addictions
- Community & Social Supports
- Hate + Gender Based & Family Violence
- Literacy + Employment Skills & Assistive Devices
- Strategic Partnership
A Better Tent City Waterloo Region
ABTC’s belonging and inclusion program provides community-based services and activities that foster belonging, stability, and personal well-being. By building strong social connections/ offering supports, they help residents stabilize their lives and supports their transition into supportive/ permanent housing.
Adventure4Change
Adventure4Change follows an upstream approach to community transformation by enabling and empowering underserved and marginalized populations—many from refugee or newcomer backgrounds—to recognize their intrinsic worth, navigate new realities, and contribute meaningfully to the community.
Argus Residence for Young People
Argus provides youth experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region with 24/7 homelessness prevention, shelter diversion services, and employment training, which include life-skills programs that empower youth to reintegrate into the community and thrive independently.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region
BBBSWR provides life-changing, volunteer-based mentoring programs to children facing adversity, helping them build confidence, resilience, and the skills needed to reach their full potential through one-on-one and group-based support.
Cambridge Food Bank
The Cambridge Food Bank serves the City of Cambridge and the Township of North Dumfries, which together have a population of over 156,000 people. Deeply rooted in the communities we serve, we support people to access healthy food and opportunity in times of need.
Cambridge Shelter Corporation
The Cambridge Shelter Corporation provides emergency shelter, supportive housing, and other programs and services for individuals experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region with the ultimate goal to assist them in finding affordable, appropriate, permanent housing.
Child Witness Centre of Waterloo Region
The Child Witness Centre provides a trauma-informed support program to young victims and their families as they journey through the criminal justice process, building resiliency and strengthening mental health and wellbeing.
Children & Youth Planning Table
The Children and Youth Planning Table (CYPT) is a community-wide partnership that includes over 800 service providers, researchers, planning bodies, and funders serving children, youth, and families in Waterloo Region.
Coalition of Muslim Women of KW
Provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed support for racialized Muslim women and youth experiencing gender-based violence, hate, and systemic discrimination. CMW works to address racism, Islamophobia, and other barriers to safety, inclusion, and well-being.
Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot Townships
Provides essential home support services to seniors and individuals with special needs across Woolwich, Wellesley, and Wilmot, enabling them to maintain independence and enhance their quality of life while remaining in their own homes.
Community Support Connections
Community Support Connections provides customized, life-changing services for caregivers and older adults, enabling them to live independently at home, while using an innovative business model and sliding scale fees to ensure affordability and quality care.
COMPASS Refugee Centre
COMPASS Refugee Centre offers comprehensive support for refugee claimants, helping them navigate legal, housing, and educational challenges while fostering a welcoming environment for those seeking asylum.
Counselling Collaborative Network
For over 20 years, the Counselling Collaborative has helped Waterloo Region residents find local, affordable counselling through one simple point of access—ensuring supports are shared equitably across the community.
Crow Shield Lodge
Crow Shield Lodge offers healing through Indigenous land-based practices, promoting environmental stewardship and fostering reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities as they work together toward healing
Food4Kids Waterloo Region
Food4Kids provides healthy food packages directly to at-risk vulnerable children ages 1-14 living with chronic hunger from severely food insecure homes, when they are not in school, which is 40 weekends of the school year and 90 days school breaks (170 days).
Greenway-Chaplin Community Centre
Greenway-Chaplin Community Centre brings neighbours together through recreational, educational, and supportive programs, volunteer opportunities, and community events—empowering residents to thrive and build a stronger community.
House of Friendship
House of Friendship provides men experiencing homelessness with on-site, integrated housing and health supports to become healthier, housed and exit the cycle of homelessness for good.
Immigration Partnership
The Immigration Partnership is a collaboration of public, private and non-profit partner organizations working together through a Leadership Council and three Steering Groups – Settle, Work, Belong – to take action to enhance immigrant success and community prosperity.
John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington
John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington is a community-based, non-profit, charitable organization that aims to address the root causes of crime and to support the creation and maintenance of healthy communities.
Kinbridge Community Association
Kinbridge Community Association strengthens social and economic well-being by providing sustainable support programs that empower individuals and families, fostering a connected and diverse community in Cambridge.
Kind Minds Family Wellness
A group of Black professionals with 15+ years of trauma-informed experience, providing culturally grounded counselling, groups, outreach, and DEI education to address systemic discrimination and intergenerational trauma and strengthen trust and relationships in Black communities.
Kitchener Waterloo Multicultural Centre
KWMC helps build an inclusive, welcoming community where everyone, regardless of immigration status, can thrive. They provide settlement support, language and employment programs, youth and refugee services, and community events.
KW AccessAbility
An information and resource centre that supports self-determination for adults with physical and developmental disabilities, grounded in choice, equality, and mutual respect, while offering safe, engaging programs that foster personal growth, confidence, and mental well-being.
Langs
Youth Services at Langs provides recreational, social, and leadership programs for youth, with transportation from Ayr to Cambridge to improve access and foster peer connection, trusted relationships, and conversations about well-being and mental health.
Marillac Place
Marillac Place supports homeless mothers and mothers-to-be by providing transitional shelter, teaching parenting and life skills, fostering supportive relationships, and working toward a future where every mother and child in Waterloo Region can recover and rebuild successfully.
Nutrition for Learning
In partnership with youth and educators, Nutrition for Learning continually strives to elevate the experience of universal food access at schools in ways that promote optimal wellbeing, healthy relationships, and food literacy.
Peace for All Canada
Peace for All Canada’s ‘RiseAbove’ Community Education Program aims to bridge gaps in knowledge and skills, building confidence and inspiring children and youth from minority communities.
Preston Heights Community Group
Preston Heights Community Group engages and supports families, children, and individuals in the Preston Heights area of Cambridge through diverse programs and services that foster growth, community involvement, and neighbourhood well-being.
oneROOF Youth Services
oneRoof Youth Services is committed to providing for the safety, support and overall well-being of youth who are experiencing homelessness, and youth who are at-risk of homelessness, aged 12-25, in Waterloo Region.
Rhythm & Blues Cambridge
Rhythm & Blues Cambridge provides a safe, engaging space to empower, inform and inspire the Black community in Cambridge through promoting and appreciating the Black experience by building partnerships, sharing, and developing vital resources for our community.
Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region
SASC provides support to survivors of sexual violence from equity-deserving communities. In response to increased demand for services during the COVID-19 and post-#MeToo eras, this funding will help expand access to counselling for survivors from these communities.
Shelter Movers Southwestern Ontario
Shelter Movers helps survivors of gender-based violence transition to a better, safer life by removing barriers to leaving by providing moving and storage services at no cost.
Social Development Centre of Waterloo Region
SDCWR is a learning organization that supports all voices in the creation of community wide solutions, ensuring that lived experience is the basis for collective action towards change in policies and service delivery.
Spectrum Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space
Spectrum is an organization that serves, affirms, and supports the well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Waterloo Region and the broader community through peer support, community partnerships, education and training, resources, and events.
The Healing of the Seven Generations
H7G provides the supports and tools to heal from the past atrocities caused by the residential school system, and to provide a path of healing for those of the FNMI community. To support FNMI peoples threw the Justice system, child protection, education and the health care system.
The Literacy Group of Waterloo Region
The Literacy Group empowers adults in Waterloo Region with essential literacy and numeracy skills, helping them reach their full potential through personalized education and training programs, regardless of their background or ability
Thrive HIV Prevention and Support
Thrive works towards reduction of HIV, hepatitis C, sexually-transmitted blood-borne infections and opioid substance use, addresses the social determinants of health creating stigma, discrimination and vulnerability for our service users, provides excellent harm reduction, overdose response, PrEP, primary care, HIV/STI testing, clinical care partnership supports to most-affected communities.
Volunteer Waterloo Region
Since 1984, Volunteer Waterloo Region has connected volunteers with over 160 charities, serving as a hub for volunteerism and providing resources to build resilient, inclusive, and vibrant communities across the Waterloo Region.
Wilmot Wellesley Resource Centre
The client-centred food insecurity program is strategically designed to expand access to resources, supports, services, and education for residents of rural communities experiencing food insecurity, while being responsive to diverse socio-economic, cultural, identity, and wellbeing needs.
Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region
Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region empowers women and children affected by violence through safe shelters, outreach programs, and comprehensive support services, including risk assessment, safety planning, legal navigation, and emotional support, accessible via 24/7 support lines and online chat.
Youth Impact Project via CYPT
YIP is a youth-led initiative in Waterloo Region that supports young people in turning ideas from the 2023 Youth Impact Survey into community-driven solutions.
YW Kitchener Waterloo
YW Kitchener Waterloo is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls through services and programs that support physical, mental wellbeing and economic choice and independence.
YWCA Cambridge
Through leadership, advocacy and program and service delivery, YWCA Cambridge will influence communities to ensure all cis and trans women and girls, non-binary and two-spirit individuals are respected, valued and equal.
211
211 is a helpline that easily connects people to the social services, programs and community supports they need
Investment Strategy
How we fund
United Way Waterloo Region Communities has revised the Community Impact Fund application process for fiscal year April 1st 2025 to March 31st 2026.
Below is a brief summary of the key changes to the Community Impact Fund process.
For additional details, please refer to the Community Impact Fund Guide.
Key Changes to the community impact process
- Each quarter will focus on one or two specific Issue Areas, and applications must align with the designated Issue Area(s).
- Organizations may submit one application per quarter and receive a maximum of one funded application per year.
- Funding Ranges & Timing: Minimum request of $20,000 and a maximum of $160,000 per application. Successful applicants receive funding at the start of term
Types of Funding
Our funding model allows us to provide Agencies with two options for funding: General Operating Support and Program/Project Grants.
General Operating Support grants are unrestricted funds to support an organization’s ability to achieve its mission overall. This type of grant is flexible and allows grantees to allocate funds towards self-identified organizational priorities in order to develop and strengthen their internal systems.
Program/Project Grants provide funding for a specific program or project.