United Ways Of Iowa

What United Ways Of Iowa does

United Ways of Iowa is a nonprofit state association founded in 2012 (operationalized by 2013) and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that coordinates 25 local United Way chapters serving almost half of Iowa's 99 counties. The organization operates across three program areas — education, income, and health — and delivers the Iowa Reading Corps (an AmeriCorps-funded K-3 literacy tutoring program), the ALICE Report (annual research on financial hardship among Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed households across all 99 Iowa counties), the Financial Stability Partnership initiative, a 211 Iowa crisis hotline, and public policy advocacy at state and federal levels. Iowa Reading Corps places trained tutors in schools across 12 counties, with reported outcomes of kindergarten students performing twice as well as peers after one semester and elementary students being 3x less likely to be referred for special education.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform. Its core technology footprint consists of scripted tutoring activities and data tracking software for Reading Corps student progress monitoring, and standard data analysis applied to US Census and other public data for the ALICE Report. The business model is nonprofit and grant-and-donation based: revenue is generated from AmeriCorps federal grants (notably a $940,896 award in July 2024 to expand Reading Corps) and individual and corporate donations to local United Ways supporting education, income, and health initiatives. The organization is autonomously governed as a state-level association while participating in the global United Way network of more than 1,800 organizations in 41 countries.

Name

United Ways Of Iowa

Legal name

United Ways of Iowa

Website

https://www.uwiowa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Ways of Iowa is a state association coordinating 25 local United Ways, delivering Iowa Reading Corps K-3 literacy tutoring, ALICE Report financial hardship research, and advocacy across Iowa. It operates as a nonprofit funded by AmeriCorps grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. AmeriCorps Grants: Federal funding through AmeriCorps grants to operate the Iowa Reading Corps program. Awarded $940,896 grant in 2024 to expand Reading Corps tutoring services for K-3 students.
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual and corporate donations to local United Ways across Iowa supporting education, income, and health initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Ways of Iowa is a nonprofit state association that coordinates 25 local United Ways across Iowa and operates programs including Iowa Reading Corps (an AmeriCorps high-dosage tutoring program for K-3 literacy), the ALICE Report research publication on financial hardship in Iowa, public policy advocacy, and the 211 Iowa hotline for crisis response.

Product overview

United Ways of Iowa is an association of local United Ways serving Iowa communities, operating as a non-profit organization focused on community impact. The organization offers multiple interconnected programs: the Iowa Reading Corps (AmeriCorps tutoring program for K-3 literacy), the ALICE Report research publications (providing financial hardship data across all 99 Iowa counties), the Financial Stability Partnership (community-change initiative), and advocacy services for public policy. These programs work together to advance the organization's mission in education, income, and health across Iowa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Iowa Reading Corps: An evidence-based AmeriCorps program dedicated to helping children in grades K-3 become strong readers through tutoring services.

Products and services

• ALICE Report Research publication providing comprehensive data on financial hardship in Iowa, covering households that are Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed (ALICE) across all 99 Iowa counties at state, county, and municipal levels. Targeted at policymakers, nonprofits, and community organizations.
• ALICE County Reports Individual county-level reports providing granular data on ALICE populations for all 99 Iowa counties, available as downloadable PDFs. Targeted at community organizations and policymakers needing localized data.
• Iowa Reading Corps AmeriCorps program providing high-dosage tutoring services to students in grades K-3 to help achieve third-grade reading proficiency. The program trains tutors to deliver scripted literacy interventions. Targeted at K-3 students and Iowa school districts.
• Advocacy Program Public policy advocacy initiative focusing on youth opportunity, healthy community, financial security, and community resilience issues at the Iowa State Capitol. Targeted at Iowa legislators and policymakers.
• Financial Stability Partnership Initiative promoting community-change strategies to help families meet basic needs while gaining financial capability to plan for long-term financial goals. Targeted at Iowa working families struggling to meet basic needs.
• 211 Iowa Hotline Statewide crisis and disaster response resource hotline providing information and referrals for Iowans in need. Targeted at Iowans facing crisis or needing community service referrals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kindergarten students in Reading Corps perform twice as well as peers after one semester
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2024Federal agency providing $940,896 grant to expand Iowa Reading Corps, an AmeriCorps program for K-3 literacy tutoring. United Ways of Iowa has managed Reading Corps since 2013.
• 12 United Way Funding PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative funding of the ALICE Report with 12 United Way funding partners across Iowa, representing local chapters investing in statewide research and advocacy
• Mid-Iowa Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funding partner for the United Way ALICE project in Iowa, contributing to the comprehensive financial needs research
• Green State FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting partner for the ALICE Report for Iowa, collaborating on the statewide financial hardship study
• Reading Corps (readingandmath.org)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence-based AmeriCorps literacy program replicated nationally in 14 states and DC. United Ways of Iowa operates Iowa Reading Corps using this model.
• Iowa Schools and School DistrictscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner sites hosting Reading Corps tutors in K-3 classrooms across 12 Iowa counties including Appanoose, Clinton, Des Moines, Guthrie, Iowa, Jasper, Johnson, Mahaska, Polk, Scott, Story, and Wapello counties

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Way Worldwide: Global parent federation of 1,800+ United Ways in 41 countries, of which United Ways of Iowa is a member state association. Comparable as the coordinating body that supports local United Way chapters and runs national-level programs.
• Reading Partners: National nonprofit providing one-on-one literacy tutoring to K-4 students in under-resourced schools, with significant AmeriCorps engagement. Directly comparable to Iowa Reading Corps in mission, model (high-dosage tutoring), and target population.
• City Year: Large AmeriCorps program operator placing young adults in schools for near-peer tutoring, mentoring, and school-day support. Comparable as an AmeriCorps-funded educational service delivery organization serving similar student populations.
• Volunteer Iowa: Iowa's state commission on national and community service, administering AmeriCorps programs and volunteer initiatives statewide. Directly comparable mission (volunteer engagement, AmeriCorps administration) within the same Iowa geography.
• Habitat for Humanity Iowa: Iowa affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, a comparable Iowa-based nonprofit operating in housing and community stability with statewide reach and volunteer-driven service delivery. Comparable as a regional nonprofit with similar donor, volunteer, and partnership ecosystems.

Regional players

• United Way of Massachusetts Bay: Large regional United Way serving Greater Boston with similar programs in education, income stability, and health. Comparable as a state/regional United Way entity, though operating at much larger scale and in a different geographic market.
• United Way of California: California state association of United Ways with similar statewide coordination, advocacy, and research functions. Comparable as a sister state United Way association operating in a different (much larger) geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UnitedWaysofIowa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-ways-of-iowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Ways Of Iowa