
United Way-Funded Nonprofit Partners and Their Programs
Our partner agencies play an essential role in our commitment to advancing health, education and financial stability (basic needs) in our community. Our 2021-2022 partner agencies, including school-sponsored programs, receiving grant funding from Rice County Area United Way are listed below.
In addition to the partners listed here, Rice County Area United Way is the regional sponsor for Imagination Library, promoting early childhood pre-literacy and literacy by sending a free, age-appropriate book each month to more than 1300 children from birth to age five.
RICE COUNTY-WIDE
- Community Action Center, offering operational funding to secure staffing and expand the CAC, primarily into Faribault.
- HealthFinders Collaborative, providing funds for mental health and substance use disorder, community health worker program, clinical services (medical and dental).
- Healthy Community Initiative, funding toward HCI’s mission: “to cultivate collaborative Rice County communities that support, value, and empower youth.”
- Hope Center, funding to provide services for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
- KCQ Inc., funding to provide individuals with various disabilities with the opportunity to find and maintain employment in the community.
- Project Able, funding scholarships for music lessons and music therapy for people with disabilities, along with transportation to special events.
- Rice County Neighbors United, funding advocacy for immigrants, refugees and low-income people. The organization created the Mercado Local, runs Necessary Conversations and organizes anti-racist initiatives.
- Ruth’s House of Hope, funding for the Emergency and Transitional Shelter Program at Ruth’s House and to support Sarah’s House, a sober living house for single women.
- Serve MN, funding for a Reading Corp tutor in the Rice County Schools.
FARIBAULT AREA
- Buckham Memorial Library, contributing to the Buckham Book Trike, which will carry up to 125 books into the community to entice more people to use the library.
- Faribault Community School, funding service learning for youths.
- Faribault Schools’ Early Learning, funding equipment to develop large motor skills. Research has found motor abilities and play correlate to important learning processes, such as attention, memory, self-regulation, and overall academic achievement throughout childhood.
- Faribault Adult Education, funding a ServeSafe Food Manager Career pathway. The certificate benefits students interested in working in food service.
- Infants Remembered in Silence, funding to purchase materials for bereavement support and burial clothing sets.
- Supply Our Children, funding backpacks and school supplies for low-income students in Faribault.
- Three Rivers Community Action, supporting Meals on Wheels, a program delivering meals to seniors who are unable to prepare hot, nutritious meals on a regular basis and who are homebound.
LONSDALE AREA
- Tri-City School District, providing scholarships for the Little Titans Preschool program.
NORTHFIELD AREA
- Northfield Public Schools’ PrimeTime, funding for free out-of-school programs for Northfield at-risk youth after school and during summer/vacation periods.
- Northfield Union of Youth, funding to offer a safe space and enrichment activities to all youth, and provide wrap-around services to youth with high-level needs.
- Project Friendship, funding operations including support of the CARES team (promoting Compassion, Awareness, Respect, Empowerment, and Support), made up of a small group of mentors on the Carleton and St. Olaf campuses, as well as two professional advisors.
- Tackling Obstacles & Raising College Hopes, providing organizational support for TORCH, which has been at the forefront of addressing and narrowing gaps in high school completion and post-secondary attendance since its founding in 2005.