United Way of Merced County brings people together with a vision of building a stronger, healthier, more compassionate community in Merced County. By Rising United, we can make a greater impact on the quality of life for all Merced County residents through our core Programs and Services. These core Programs and Services fall into the following categories:

Fiscal Sponsorships: We provide grassroots community groups the administrative and financial support to allow them to conduct their important work within their respective communities. Our largest fiscal sponsorship currently is with Central Valley Mutual Aid fund which has distributed over 2.5 million dollars in Central Valley communities in the form of rental and utility relief.

Grant-Funded Programs: We engage in large-scale initiatives with other, larger organizations to bring vital initiatives and programs into our county. For 2020-2022, we have partnered with UC San Francisco and Duke University for COVID-19 testing programs and partnered with the city of Merced for small business relief for the next two years.

Direct Service Programs: We house Merced County’s premiere translation and interpreting services with the intent to guarantee that community services can be successfully accessed across lingual and ethnic boundaries. We implement annual VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) services in Merced County which allow low-income residents to file their tax returns for free. We also operate 2-1-1 Mountain Valley, a 24/7 Community Information and Referral network that provides community members access to the assistance they need when they need it.

Mini-Grants and Community Sponsorship: We provide funding for nonprofits and Community Based Organizations in Merced County through our Community Investment Mini-Grant Program, allowing agencies to leverage local dollars with grant funds and/or other funding entities. Currently our focus in this area remains on arts, early childhood literacy.