United Way of Greater New Bedford

Since 1953, United Way of Greater New Bedford has been a leading institution on the SouthCoast. Today it is one of over 1,800 independent, self-governing United Way organizations throughout the United States and is overseen by a local Board of Directors.

We proudly serve residents throughout the SouthCoast, with a primary focus on the City of New Bedford and the towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Wareham.

UWGNB funds organizations through various grant funding opportunities, including:

• Community Impact Grants: operational support for existing, high quality programs and services
• Changemaker Grants: small dollar grants to all-volunteer community groups across the regions

UWGNB also manages and provides services through its own programs, including:

• Family Resource and Development Center: services for families with children under the age of 18, including case management, parenting classes, and therapeutic interventions
• Hunger Commission: a food rescue program that delivers donated food from local companies and grocery stores to soup kitchens and food pantries. Also serves as the sole distributor of fresh, organic produce and eggs from the Sharing the Harvest Community Farm, a program of YMCA Southcoast, Dartmouth
• Mobile Market: a summer program that provides free, fresh produce to low-income, working families

UWGNB convenes partners through various initiatives, including:

• New Bedford Community Connections Coalition: an initiative focused on strategies that work to prevent child abuse and neglect, strengthen families, and build healthier communitiesUWGNB has teamed up with Lantern to send free activities, games, and resources right to parents’ cell phones. Messages include information on child development, language and early literacy, health and safety, behavioral tips, and more. Text GNBKIDS TO 274448
• UWGNB administers Volunteer SouthCoast, a volunteer matching service that connects people interested in volunteering with projects at local non-profits.

Service Enterprise Vision: United Way of Greater New Bedford strives to create an environment that welcomes, encourages and engages individuals and families to volunteer to utilize their skills to meet the needs of the organization as well as fulfill the aspirations of the volunteers. Through Volunteer SouthCoast, United Way assists organizations by connecting them with potential volunteers to fulfill organizational needs, thus encouraging volunteerism community-wide.

Our Mission:We mobilize people, partnerships, and resources to catalyze change that strengthens the communities we serve.

United Way of Greater New Bedford is a non-profit organization that was established in 1953 that brings together volunteers, community leaders, and corporate partners to provide quality programs and initiatives that achieve positive results. Its service area, which has a population in excess of 200,000, includes the City of New Bedford and surrounding towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Wareham.