Financial Security
We help working families build the financial security they need to thrive.
Financial security isn't just about a paycheck. It's about whether a family can absorb a flat tire without missing rent, whether a teacher has to spend her own money so a kid has pencils, whether a child can play the sport they love without their parents worrying about the cost of cleats. These are the everyday pressures facing ALICE households, Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, the working families across our region who are doing everything right and still coming up short. Nearly everything we do at United Way of Northwest Florida traces back to relieving that pressure, in ways big and small, so families can keep more of what they earn and kids can start on equal footing.
Investing in Local Solutions
Beyond our own direct programs, United Way strategically funds affiliated partner agencies working to expand financial security across our region. Through our Community Impact Fund, we support organizations focused on employment readiness, housing stability, and access to essential resources for ALICE households, helping strengthen the broader network of support working families rely on.
VITA: Free Tax Preparation
Every year, working families across our region leave federal dollars unclaimed because they don't know about free tax help, aren't sure if they qualify, or feel overwhelmed by the process. VITA mobilizes and trains local volunteers to provide free, high quality tax preparation for families making generally less than $70,000 a year, helping them claim every credit they've earned and avoid the cost of paid tax prep. VITA runs January through April at sites across Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes/Washington, and Jackson counties.
Stuff the Bus
Teachers spend an average of $750 or more of their own money on classroom supplies every year. Each summer, we partner with school districts across all six counties, along with local businesses and volunteers, to collect and distribute school supplies so teachers don't have to foot that bill themselves and students walk into the first day of school ready to learn. Learn more about StB→
Clothes for Kids
In Jackson and Washington Counties, we help provide funding so kids in need can get new clothes, taking that cost off of teachers who too often reach into their own pockets when they see a student wearing the same outfit week after week.
Play It Forward
High equipment costs keep kids out of sports they love. Our annual youth sports equipment swap connects families with free, good quality gear, so cost isn't the reason a child sits on the sidelines.
Learn more about Play It Forward →
ReadingPals
Reading on grade level by third grade is one of the strongest predictors of high school graduation, and graduation is one of the strongest predictors of future earning power. ReadingPals connects volunteer mentors with early readers so more kids stay on track, both academically and financially, for the long run.
Learn more about ReadingPals →
Why It All Adds Up
Financial security is one of our four community focus areas, alongside youth opportunity, health, and resilience. Whether it's a tax refund, a backpack, a new pair of shoes, a spot on a team, or a child reading on grade level, every one of these programs is aimed at the same goal: giving working families and their kids a fair shot at getting ahead instead of just getting by.
Get Involved
Want to help? Volunteer for VITA, donate school supplies for Stuff the Bus, drop off gently used sports equipment for Play It Forward, or become a ReadingPal. Contact us to find the opportunity that fits.