The United Way of Moscow reached the deadline earlier this week for accepting applications for local businesses and nonprofit organizations willing to partner with them for 2015.
United Way is an organization with the yearly objective to raise money to distribute to local nonprofit agencies that partner with them.
Executive Director of United Way of Moscow and Latah County Cretia Bunney said organizations applying for funding usually fill out an application by giving information about a specific project they’re doing.
Next week, the applicants will meet with an allocation committee for United Way and give a presentation about their project and what they need the funding for, before the committee decides money should be allocated.
According to Bunney, there was one new local agency that applied for funding this year. Some of the current agencies partnered with United Way include Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, Boy Scouts of America, Circle of Caring, Families Together of the Palouse, Girl Scouts, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Sojourner’s Alliance, Success by 6 of the Palouse and The Willow Center.
Bunney said the amount of money allocated to each business or organization depends on the amount requested and the amount United Way raised during the year. United Way’s fiscal year officially ends June 30. She said United Way is seen as indispensable for many of their partners, because of the flexibility they give to the agencies to use the funding.
“We don’t necessarily put many restrictions on the money we give them,” Bunney said. “We want them to use it for the project, or whatever they ask for it for. And then they report back and tell us what they’ve used it for … the flexibility that we let them have I think is a huge bonus to them. It’s what they’ve appreciated the most.”
There are three annual events United Way runs each year to raise money for their partnered agencies: the celebrity dinner, the Radio-A-Thon and the Fun Run — also called the Dash for Cash.
The Radio-A-Thon is a 30-hour radio broadcast put on by Bull Country radio, and usually takes place in the fall. The 2013 Radio-A-Thon raised $10,000. Bunney said the Radio-A-Thon is an important event for the United Way of Moscow and Latah County because it’s an opportunity to collaborate with the United Way of Pullman, something the organization has been trying to do more often in the past few years.
The Fun Run also takes place in the fall, and is a 5-kilometer family run. Bunney said funds are raised through runner registration fees, as well as through event sponsors. Bunney said the Fun Run is probably her favorite annual fundraiser for United Way.
“I try to sometimes run myself,” Bunney said. “It’s an event you can have your whole family involved in.”
Bunney said a year-round goal of United Way is to advance the common good of the Moscow community, and they are always looking for new volunteers.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected]