Press Release: 6/24/2025

UWMB Launches United Response Fund Amid Unprecedented Uncertainity

 

JUN 23 2025

 

BOSTON - Amid federal policy changes creating emerging needs and causing growing impacts on individuals and families and the support systems they rely on, United Way of Massachusetts Bay is launching the United Response Fund to help stabilize community-based organizations, strengthen the safety net and sustain the progress and impact of the nonprofit sector in the region.   

 

 

In launching the new fund, United Way is calling on donors, corporations and foundations to come together in support of the community-based organizations that are working to meet emerging needs and quickly deploy emergency assistance to individuals and families. 

 

 

“Over the past four months, we’ve convened hundreds of nonprofit partners, business leaders and government officials to ensure we have a deep understanding of the concerns and impacts resulting from federal actions. It’s clear that this is not just a moment – the disruption we are experiencing today will have ripple effects for years to come,” said Marty Martinez, President and CEO at United Way of Massachusetts Bay.  “Our entire nonprofit sector and many community-based organizations must now fundamentally shift how we fund our missions and services in the future. The United Response Fund will act as a bridge toward that new reality.”  

 

 

The United Response Fund will provide strategic, targeted support to address reductions and threats to funding for essential needs, fear and uncertainty among communities most affected, job losses, and instability facing community-based organizations. Seeded with $250,000 from United Way, the United Response Fund will: 

 

• Provide flexible operating funds to support local community-based organizations that are most impacted and the new, unexpected and emerging needs they face. These resources will enable them to focus on sustaining critical services and meeting the needs of their communities, despite stretched budgets and staffing resources.  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Increase resources for emergency financial assistance in response to immediate and significant shifts in federal policy that are putting essential safety net programs at risk. Immigrant families often face the greatest barriers to these programs and will be among those most impacted.  With programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) under real threats, the need for philanthropy to step in and ensure people’s basic needs are met will be even greater.   
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Sustain the progress and impact of the nonprofit sector by building strategic solutions and targeting support for contingency planning, exploration of different program delivery models, and new partnerships. United Way is also calling for corporate partners to mobilize and provide pro-bono support to nonprofits as they adapt to significant changes to their organizational strategy and program models.  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

Since early February, United Way of Massachusetts Bay has convened 15 calls with nonprofit, government, civic and corporate partners to hear from speakers and community leaders about the federal impacts they are learning about and experiencing in real time.  The calls provided actionable information from local and national leaders and experts about what is happening at the federal level, at sector-specific levels and on the ground. These conversations helped United Way identify the work that the United Response Fund will support. 

 

 

United Way will use a multi-pronged, community-informed approach to identify nonprofit recipients of the United Response Fund.  United Way will convene its 124 New Way Forward partners to surface specific anticipated challenges from federal cuts and identify actionable strategies that could be seeded with URF support.  It will also invite organizations impacted by federal funding reductions to reach out directly for consultative interviews instead of a traditional application process. These conversations will inform rolling funding decisions throughout the summer, fall and likely into 2026. 

 

 

As a collaborator and convener with deep community roots, United Way ensures that dollars are   invested with strategic insights, accountability, and maximum impact – reaching the right places at the right time. More information about the United Response Fund can be found here.