United Way of DeKalb County

What United Way of DeKalb County does

United Way of DeKalb County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization (EIN 35-1065714) established in 1960 and headquartered in Auburn, Indiana. It operates as a local affiliate of United Way Worldwide, the national network of nearly 1,800 community-based United Way organizations. The organization serves DeKalb County, Indiana residents across four impact areas: Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency, with a particular programmatic emphasis on ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households.

The organization's core offerings comprise direct service programs, grant funding mechanisms, and signature community events. Direct service programs include Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (delivering free age-appropriate books monthly to 1,986 enrolled children), the Hunger Relief Alliance, the Early Learning Coalition, and the recently launched Fortify Play Initiative. Grantmaking operates through two tiers: ALICE Grants of $5,000–$25,000 for direct service programs aligned with the four impact areas, and a $100,000 Community Impact Grant for transformational collaborative projects. Recent grant commitments include $100,000 each to YMCA of DeKalb County (childcare expansion) and Roots of Giving (food insecurity), plus $80,151 in Healthy Community ALICE Grants and $25,000 in Youth Opportunity ALICE Grants across the 2025-2026 cycle. Signature events include Day of Caring (900 volunteers completing 62 projects), Power of the Purse, Annual Meeting, and the UNITED Fore Impact Golf Outing.

Revenue is generated exclusively through donations and contributions — including annual workplace giving campaigns, individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and event-based fundraising. The organization employs 1–10 staff, led by Executive Director Tyler Cleverly with Community Impact Coordinator Kirby Cool. Grant administration is managed through an online Grant Portal. Geographic scope is single-county, single-state (DeKalb County, Indiana), with no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML systems disclosed. Total grants awarded reached $495,766 in a reported year, though organizational revenue itself is not publicly disclosed.

Name

United Way of DeKalb County

Legal name

United Way of DeKalb County

Website

https://unitedwaydekalb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

United Way of DeKalb County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization in Auburn, Indiana, serving DeKalb County residents through health, education, and financial stability programs including ALICE Grants, Community Impact Grants, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, and Hunger Relief Alliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Impact Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

Keywords

• Community impact funding
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Community fundraising
• Human services programs
• Volunteer coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization raises funds through annual fundraising campaigns, workplace giving programs, and individual donations to support community programs and grants to local agencies.
2. Event-based Fundraising: Revenue generated from signature events including Day of Caring, Power of the Purse, Annual Meeting, and UNITED Fore Impact Golf Outing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

United Way of DeKalb County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises charitable funds through donations, workplace giving, and events, then redistributes them as grants and direct programs to address health, education, financial stability, and community resilience in DeKalb County, Indiana. Core deliverables include ALICE Grants ($5,000-$25,000), a Community Impact Grant ($100,000), the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library book-delivery program, the Hunger Relief Alliance, the Early Learning Coalition, and the Fortify Play Initiative, alongside Day of Caring and signature fundraising events.

Product overview

United Way of DeKalb County operates as a nonprofit community impact organization offering a portfolio of programs, grant funding mechanisms, and community events. The core offerings include four impact areas (Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, Community Resiliency) that guide grantmaking and program priorities. Key programs include Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for early literacy, Hunger Relief Alliance, and Fortify Play Initiative. The organization distributes funding through two grant mechanisms: ALICE Grants ($5,000-$25,000) for direct service programs and a $100,000 Community Impact Grant for collaborative projects. Signature fundraising and volunteer events include Day of Caring, Power of the Purse, Annual Meeting, and UNITED Fore Impact Golf Outing. A Grant Portal enables nonprofit partners to apply for funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Early Learning Coalition: Coalition focused on early childhood education and school readiness programs.
• Hunger Relief Alliance
• Power of the Purse
• Day of Caring
• United Fore Impact Golf Outing
• Auburn Coat & Glove Drive

Products and services

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DeKalb County affiliate) Early childhood literacy program that delivers a free age-appropriate book to each enrolled child's mailbox every month from birth until they begin school, supporting youth development and educational readiness for DeKalb County families.
• ALICE Grants Annual grant program awarding $5,000-$25,000 to local nonprofit agencies for direct program expenses that support ALICE households within United Way's four impact areas; capital costs, building expenses, administrative overhead, and fundraising activities are not eligible.
• Community Impact Grant Annual $100,000 transformational grant awarded to a qualifying collaborative project intended to create long-term, measurable impact in DeKalb County; limited overhead, salaries, and capital expenses are permitted up to 20% of the total award.
• Day of Caring Annual volunteer event that brings DeKalb County community members together for a day of service projects supporting local nonprofits and community initiatives.
• Power of the Purse Annual fundraising event featuring purse-themed raffles and auctions that raises money to support the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program in DeKalb County.
• Annual Meeting Annual community meeting that gathers donors, volunteers, partner agencies, and board members to review organizational impact, elect leadership, and conduct nonprofit business.
• UNITED Fore Impact Golf Outing Annual four-person scramble golf tournament at Garrett Country Club featuring contests and raffles that raises funds for United Way of DeKalb County programs.
• Hunger Relief Alliance Collaborative initiative within the Community Resiliency impact area that addresses food insecurity and connects DeKalb County residents with hunger relief resources and partner agencies.
• Fortify Play Initiative Initiative that creates meaningful, accessible play experiences to help children learn, grow, and thrive, strengthening early development and supporting families in DeKalb County.
• Early Learning Coalition Coalition focused on early childhood education and kindergarten readiness, convening partners to support learning and school-readiness outcomes for DeKalb County children.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: National parent organization of which UWDC is a local affiliate. Operates at global scale across ~1,800 chapters, setting brand standards, workplace giving frameworks, and impact-area models that UWDC implements locally.
• Indiana United Ways: Statewide association representing Indiana's United Way affiliates, providing shared services, advocacy, and coordination. Acts as a broader incumbent umbrella covering UWDC and similar local chapters across the state.

Direct peers

• United Way of Allen County: Local United Way affiliate serving Allen County (Fort Wayne), Indiana. Closely comparable in mission, grantmaking structure, and community-impact focus, with similar ALICE-aligned programming and signature fundraising events.
• United Way of Northeast Indiana: Regional United Way affiliate serving the broader northeast Indiana area, including adjacent counties to DeKalb. Operates the same federated giving, ALICE-focused grantmaking, and workplace giving model under the same United Way Worldwide umbrella, making it the closest direct peer.
• Community Foundation of DeKalb County: Local grantmaking foundation serving the same DeKalb County geography with donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles. Directly competes for the same local philanthropic dollars, workplace giving, and corporate sponsorships.

Regional players

• Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership: Regional economic development organization covering the same northeast Indiana footprint as UWDC. Comparable in geographic scope and stakeholder engagement (employers, civic leaders), though focused on economic development rather than direct human services.
• Early Childhood Alliance (Northeast Indiana): Regional nonprofit focused on early childhood education and kindergarten readiness, directly overlapping with UWDC's Early Learning Coalition and Youth Opportunity impact area across the same geographic region.

Others

• Community Harvest Food Bank: Regional food bank serving northeast Indiana, including DeKalb County. Functions as both a potential grantee/partner and adjacent nonprofit addressing food insecurity — one of UWDC's four core impact areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 DeKalb County