United Way of Miami-Dade

What United Way of Miami-Dade does

United Way Miami is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1924 (originally as Miami Community Chest) and headquartered in Miami, Florida, that serves as a community impact convener and direct service provider across Miami-Dade County. It organizes its work around four pillars: Health & Wellbeing, Education, Resilient Communities, and Economic Mobility, targeting the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population — the 54% of Miami-Dade households that fall below the Household Survival Budget but above the federal poverty line. Operating subsidiaries include the Center for Excellence in Early Education (founded 2007, an Educare Learning Network member), the Center for Financial Stability (2009, three physical locations), Mission United (2016, veteran services), UpSkill Miami (2023, workforce development), and United Way EDEN Place (2016, children and family services in Overtown and North Miami).

Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining individual donations, corporate workplace giving campaigns, federal/state/local government grants (Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Florida Department of Health), tiered giving communities (LINC at $250 minimum, Young Leaders at $1,000, Tocqueville Society at $10,000), signature fundraising events (VeritageMiami, Mayor's Ball), and fee-free direct service programs (VITA tax preparation, financial coaching) that leverage volunteer time. Distribution is handled through a five-building campus complex (Ansin Building headquarters plus Partnership, Empowerment, Royal Caribbean/Batchelor Campus, and CFE buildings), three Centers for Financial Stability, 60+ impact partner agencies running nearly 100 programs, the 2-1-1 helpline partnership with Jewish Community Services, mobile service units, and the VolunteerMiami digital platform.

The organization delivered $105+ million in total community social human service impact in FY2020, turning every $1 in unrestricted public support into $2.92 in direct community impact. Notable programmatic scale includes HealthConnect in Our Schools serving 283 schools (backed by a $25.8 million annual Children's Trust grant as of 2025), CFE reaching 80,000+ children and training 30,000+ educators since 2007, and 71,627 individuals served through health programs, 32,934 through education, 116,142 through resilient communities, and 21,418 through economic mobility programs. There are no proprietary technology products; operations rely on standard nonprofit management systems, donor databases, the VolunteerMiami platform, and the 2-1-1 helpline infrastructure.

Name

United Way of Miami-Dade

Legal name

United Way of Miami-Dade

Website

https://unitedwaymiami.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Short description

United Way Miami is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1924 that delivers integrated social services across health, education, financial stability, and economic mobility to Miami-Dade County residents — particularly the ALICE population — through direct service centers and 60+ partner agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Financial stability programs
• Early childhood education
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Support and Donations: United Way Miami raises funds through individual donations, corporate workplace giving campaigns, planned gifts, and cryptocurrency donations. Donor-directed contributions form the largest portion of public support.
2. Government Grants and Contracts: The organization receives significant government funding including federal grants (Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services) and local government partnerships for disaster response and community services.
3. Event Revenue: Major annual events including VeritageMiami (wine and food series celebrating 30 years), Mayor's Ball (raising $1M annually), and other community events serve as fundraising vehicles and community engagement platforms.
4. In-Kind Gifts and Matching Grants: Corporate matching gifts, in-kind donations, and foundation grants from partners like The Batchelor Foundation, Buffett Early Childhood Fund, and others contribute significantly to revenue.
5. Program Services Revenue: Revenue from fee-free services including Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), financial coaching, and other community programs that generate indirect revenue through leveraged volunteer time valued at $27.20 per hour.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

United Way Miami is a community-impact nonprofit that raises and deploys philanthropic, government, and corporate funds across four pillars—Health & Wellbeing, Education, Resilient Communities, and Economic Mobility. It delivers services directly through the Center for Excellence in Early Education, the Center for Financial Stability (financial coaching, free tax preparation, credit counseling), Mission United (veteran services), UpSkill Miami (workforce development), the VolunteerMiami platform, and the Zero Drownings Miami-Dade water-safety program, while convening a network of 60+ partner agencies running nearly 100 programs countywide.

Product overview

United Way Miami is a nonprofit organization operating as a community impact organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings span four impact pillars: Health & Wellbeing (access to healthcare, mental health support, family counseling), Education (early childhood education through CFE, school-aged programs, tutoring, youth mentorship), Resilient Communities (disaster response, drowning prevention, community support), and Economic Mobility (financial stability services, workforce development via UpSkill Miami, veteran services via Mission United). Key operational products include VolunteerMiami platform for volunteer management, VeritageMiami fundraising events, ALICE Report research publications, and Miami Tax Pros free tax preparation services. The organization also operates the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education (CFE) as a demonstration school and the United Way Center for Financial Stability providing financial coaching and assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VeritageMiami: Signature culinary and wine event series celebrating 30 years of wine, food and philanthropy
• VolunteerMiami
• Mission United
• United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education
• United Way Center for Financial Stability
• UpSkill Miami
• United Way EDEN Place

Products and services

• United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education (CFE) A nationally recognized demonstration school and best-practices teaching and learning initiative providing early childhood education, professional development for educators, and quality enhancement services for early care programs. Reached over 77,000 children and trained more than 30,000 educators since 2007.
• United Way Center for Financial Stability Financial empowerment center offering personalized financial coaching, credit and debt management, free expert tax preparation through the VITA program, student loan assistance, legal services, and resource referrals to help working individuals and families achieve financial independence.
• Mission United Veteran services program helping active duty military and veterans transition to civilian life with no-cost resources including job training, affordable housing assistance, and legal aid.
• UpSkill Miami Workforce development program fostering strategic collaborations between underserved populations, training providers, and employers to provide access to training, support, and employment opportunities in high-need industries across Miami-Dade County.
• Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Program supporting individuals and families facing financial emergencies by providing food, shelter, rent/mortgage, and utility assistance.
• Miami Tax Pros / VITA Program Free tax preparation service connecting individuals with IRS-certified volunteers to help file taxes and maximize refunds at no cost.
• VolunteerMiami Community service hub connecting passionate individuals with volunteer opportunities and allowing partner organizations to create and manage opportunities, recruit volunteers, and access data to measure impact.
• VeritageMiami Signature culinary and wine event series celebrating 30 years as a Miami tradition, bringing together chefs, wineries, and philanthropists to support United Way Miami's mission.
• ALICE Report Annual research report documenting financial hardship among Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) households, providing county-level data on economic conditions for Miami-Dade families.
• Zero Drownings Miami-Dade Innovative water safety program transforming drowning prevention education by investing in year-round, continuous swim lessons for underserved populations in Miami-Dade County.
• HealthConnect in Our Schools School-based health initiative delivering nursing care, physical and mental health services, telehealth, and mobile unit services at 283 schools serving pre-K through 12th grade students through six contracted healthcare agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Turns every $1 in unrestricted public support into $2.92 in direct community impact
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and program.

• Miami-Dade County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey educational partner in the HealthConnect in Our Schools initiative, coordinating health services delivery across 283 schools in the district.
• Florida Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment health partner providing oversight and collaboration for school-based health services through the HealthConnect in Our Schools initiative.
• Miami-Dade County Office of the MayorstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on authoring the Age-Friendly Action Plan for Miami-Dade County and facilitating adoption of age-friendly county policies.
• Alliance for AgingstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Age-Friendly Community initiative, working to encourage municipalities to join the age-friendly movement.
• Miami Homes For AllstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way Miami partnership with Miami Homes For All to tackle housing instability. The organization is dedicated to advancing affordable housing production and preservation across the region, creating pathways to economic mobility.
• Miami Tax ProscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree tax preparation service connecting individuals to IRS-certified specialists to help file taxes and maximize refunds through the VITA program.
• Jewish Community ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for 2-1-1 Miami crisis and resource hotline providing 24/7 access to health, human, and utility services for Miami-Dade residents.
• United For ALICEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research organization providing ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) data on financial hardship, enabling United Way Miami to understand and address community needs with comprehensive county-level data.
• Miami Herald / El Nuevo HeraldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of Operation Helping Hands (OHH), a joint emergency response and disaster relief partnership fund established in 1998 after hurricanes Mitch and Georges.
• Barry UniversityprogramStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner of Center for Excellence in Early Education, contributing to early childhood education initiatives.
• Florida International UniversityprogramStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through College of Education and Frost School of Music, supporting early childhood education programs and initiatives.
• University of MiamiprogramStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting early childhood education through Miami Children's Hospital affiliation and Frost School of Music involvement.
• Educare Learning NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for Excellence in Early Education joined the Educare Learning Network as its seventh center in 2008, following its opening in 2007.
• Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/MonroecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funding partner and collaborator in early childhood education initiatives, providing $5+ million in support.
• United Way WorldwidestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational United Way affiliation providing resources, best practices, and disaster resilience partnerships including Verizon pilot initiative.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United Way Bay Area: Bay Area United Way running a four-pillar community impact model (Education, Income, Health, Housing) with workplace campaigns, signature events and disaster response — closely comparable operating model and donor structure.
• United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey: Multi-county United Way affiliate with similar community impact funding model across health, education and financial stability, comparable scale of public support and corporate workplace giving.
• United Way of Greater Los Angeles: One of the largest U.S. United Way local affiliates, serving the LA region with a comparable community impact model spanning health, education, housing and financial stability programs — the closest scale and structural analog to United Way Miami.
• United Way of New York City: Large-metro United Way affiliate operating integrated programs across education, income, health and housing, with a similarly tiered donor community (Young Leaders, Tocqueville-style giving circles) and substantial government and corporate funding.

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross — South Florida Region: National humanitarian organization with overlapping disaster response, preparedness training and 24/7 crisis services in the same region — competes for disaster funding, volunteer engagement and corporate sponsorships.
• United Way Worldwide: The national federation of which United Way Miami is an affiliate; provides brand standards, national partnerships (e.g. Verizon disaster resilience pilot), shared donor infrastructure, and represents the broader movement scale in which this affiliate operates.

Regional players

• Chapman Partnership: Miami-based nonprofit providing comprehensive homeless services — direct overlap in client population (ALICE/vulnerable households) and shared donor base; notably, current United Way Miami CEO Symeria Hudson previously led this organization.
• The Miami Foundation: Community foundation serving greater Miami with comparable grantmaking, donor-advised funds and civic leadership role; competes for the same philanthropic capital and corporate sponsors across Miami-Dade.
• Feeding South Florida: Regional food bank serving the same 4-county Miami-Dade / Broward / Palm Beach geography; comparable community-based nonprofit model focused on addressing hunger through partner agency distribution — operates in the same donor and volunteer pool.

Others

• Educare Learning Network: National network of high-quality early childhood education centers of which the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education is a member; comparable in operating model to the CFE subsidiary and relevant ecosystem peer for the early education pillar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UnitedWayMiami
• Facebookfacebook.com/UnitedWayMiami

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Way of Miami-Dade