Strategic Plan

Executive Summary

For more than a century, United Way of Tarrant County has functioned as a convener, funder, and innovator dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for residents in Tarrant County. To effectively address the evolving needs of the community—amid advances in technology, changing societal priorities and fluctuating funding sources—it is necessary to adapt many of our processes and programs.

Central to this work is a sharpened focus on the ALICE population—Asset-Limited. Income-Constrained yet Employed individuals and families who are living paycheck to paycheck. These residents, who represent a third of Tarrant County’s population in 2025, often struggle to cover basic necessities despite working hard every day. By prioritizing our work to address their challenges, UWTC ensures that support reaches those most vulnerable to economic instability.

Five-I Framework

The 2025–2030 Strategic Plan sets forth our vision of becoming a national model for cross-sector innovation and collaboration, guided by a mission to unite people, resources and strategies to ensure every Tarrant County resident can thrive. Rooted in the values of community, integrity, stewardship, accountability and innovation, UWTC embraces a five-part framework (5-I) to guide systemic change and build nonprofit capacity within Tarrant County:

Identify the most pressing community needs and the scope of social problems collaboratively with community members, including individuals, organizations and institutions.

Inform through knowledge sharing and transparent communications with members of the community using storytelling and data to engage meaningfully and openly.

Invite as a convener through a deliberate effort to transform discussion and awareness into engagement and cultivate and mobilize broad-based participation and action.

Invest resources and seek investment in various forms to ensure sufficient assets are committed to address identified needs.

Innovate by using insights from rigorous data analysis and ongoing collaboration with the community to cultivate innovative solutions to the challenges facing Tarrant County.

Identify Inform Invite Invest Innovate cycle

Strategic Priorities

Our renewed focus aligns with five priorities that drive our work internally and within the community.

1. High Impact Programming and Initiatives

Foster education, youth opportunity, community health, financial security and community resilience

In collaboration with partners, UWTC aims to engage in innovative strategy development and build scalable programs to address challenges across our four impact pillars:

Education and Youth Opportunity

Reducing early literacy gaps through innovative tools, bringing technology-enabled, personalized learning support to schools and community hubs.

Healthy Community

Prioritizing access to health resources and providing multi-level health supports for Tarrant County residents, while addressing the social determinants of health, resulting in positive health outcomes.

Financial Security

Launching new initiatives that target young adults, aligning career training in high-demand fields with employer partnerships, career counseling services, and financial literacy supports for those who fall under the ALICE threshold.

Community Resilience

Responding to emergencies, addressing emergent problems in partnership with local agencies, and reducing isolation among veterans and seniors, while preparing neighborhoods to respond more effectively to crises.

2. Resource, Innovation and Capacity Building

Identify community needs, evaluate programs, launch innovative pilots and build nonprofit capacity

UWTC is committed to expanding innovation, research, and nonprofit capacity-building. Through our United Way Institute, a centralized hub for data-driven evaluation, program design, and nonprofit support, UWTC adopts a more central convening role, assisting nonprofits in accessing leadership support, research training, and assistance with pioneering technology- and place-based solutions to drive social change.

3. Leadership, Training and Personnel Development

Ongoing staff mentoring and development, internal pathways to leadership and succession planning

Recognizing the centrality of our personnel to all we do, UWTC commits to leadership development efforts and business continuity planning, cultivating mentoring efforts and internal talent pipelines to strengthen staff retention and organizational stability.

4. Fundraising, Development and Sustainability

Diversify funding sources, ensure sustained donations and improve financial position

UWTC will pursue fundraising, development, and sustainability through a diversified revenue strategy blending corporate partnerships, individual donations, philanthropic grants, public funding, and fee-for-service models, while building reserves and credit capacity to guard against volatility.

5. Communications, Marketing and Brand Enhancement

Enhance engagement, brand visibility and community connections

UWTC will invest in communications, marketing, and brand enhancement by elevating storytelling, showcasing measurable outcomes, and repositioning itself as both an innovator and a trusted convener within the community.