NOTE FROM UNITED WAY OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY:
On December 31st, 2023, United Way of Snohomish County ended our funding relationship with the CORE Collaboratives. You can read more about this decision on our CORE Collaborative Grants page, as well as find additional information surrounding this decision in an announcement from our Interim CEO and President, Maya Hemachandra. We still remain committed to finding additional ways to support the Collaboratives going forward.
This process of updating our work to meet emerging community needs requires that we revise the current Values, Mission and Vision of our organization. While we remain dedicated to improving equitable outcomes for families with children, we understand that the language in these articles don't fully reflect where we are now, or where we are headed in the future.
As such, we have started to take the necessary steps to update the information you see on this page. Because we do not want to do this in a rushed manner, we are working internally with our staff and Board of Directors to ensure we do this in a way that best represents our community as a whole. We took the first steps in the fall of 2023 with a community-wide survey, and are currently analyzing the results to ensure we understand what our neighbors and friends believe are the needs of our community. We are also researching additional ways in which we can hear as many voices as possible, whether that be through community focus groups or other such avenues. When we make those decisions, we will be sure to announce them across email, social media and other public resources.
Thank you for your patience during this time, and we look forward to sharing our new vision for a thriving Snohomish County in 2024!
Our Commitment to Equity
The unrest in our country in the wake of the deaths of too many Black lives underscores how crucial it is to dismantle our inequitable systems. We have been committed to equity as an organization and through our CORE work, but now see that equity is not enough. Systemic racism creates barriers for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, upholds all other forms of oppression, and is an injustice to us all. United Way of Snohomish County recommits to centering equity but will also strive to be anti-racist in all facets of our organization, intentionally disrupt White-dominant culture, and work to create spaces where our staff, board, and partners feel comfortable being their authentic selves. Missteps are to be expected but we’ll use them as an opportunity to grow and learn rather than be defensive. We’re on this journey with you.
Read more on our Anti-Racism Resources page.
Why We're Focused on Families with Young Children
Creating Open Roads to Equity is a collaborative approach that removes barriers to help families escape the traps of poverty. Our CORE work is focused on children prenatal to age 8 because the learning, development, and stability of a child’s early years is crucial to their success in life.
We believe collaborative solutions for both children and the adults in their lives has the greatest potential to not only meet the needs of families today, but will support the success of the whole family for generations to come.
Read more on our Families with Children 0-8 page.
Our Core Values
These are the beliefs and ideals that United Way of Snohomish County upholds to motivate and inspire our work.
- Integrity
We strive to be honest and transparent with our community, partners, and each other. Change cannot happen without courageous conversations, accountability, and relationships built on trust. - Collaboration
We believe that barriers in our system cannot be removed without intentional collaboration, mutually beneficial relationships, and equitable partners working together toward common goals. - Equity
We seek to remove barriers for our CORE Collaborative families that exist within the structures that uphold racial and other forms of inequities that keep families trapped in poverty. We believe in consciously making decisions that provide fair treatment, access, and opportunity for all. We believe the family voice should be paramount and that it is our current inequitable systems that prevent all families from living to their fullest potential. - Innovation
Success is rarely achieved the first time around. We believe progress requires curiosity and a tolerance for risk, being nimble, and failing forward toward new ideas and breakthrough solutions. - Outcome-oriented
We are dedicated to measurable outcomes for children birth to age 8 and their families experiencing poverty. Our work begins with the end in mind and if the data shows that we are off track, we will course correct to reach our shared goals.
The Value of United Way
United Way of Snohomish County has moved beyond its traditional role of simply being a fundraiser to being a funder, active partner, and convener around intentional collaborative solutions to create lasting community change.
Through our CORE Collaborative approach, United Way of Snohomish County removes barriers to help families escape the traps of poverty. We are the only organization in Snohomish County who is not only a funder, but an active partner in CORE Collaboratives — groups of cross-sector partners with shared goals for both the child and the adults in their lives. CORE places families at the center, working to create more equitable systems and long-term solutions for the whole family.
Mission
We improve lives for families in Snohomish County by bringing people, resources, and strategy together.
Vision
Families in Snohomish County live to their fullest potential for generations to come regardless of race, place, and ability.
Learn more about United Way of Snohomish County in our Frequently Asked Questions.