On July 3, United Way of Cumberland County publicized their annual Community Impact Partners for the 2025–2026 funding cycle. The announcement marked not only United Way’s $450,000 in funding allocations to 20 nonprofit programs, but long-standing and newly-budding partnerships between United Way and a host of individuals and organizations who are intent on improving the quality of life for residents of Cumberland County.
This year saw a new partner added to the list as well as a returning partner that has been with the organization 86 years. Long before such partners receive funding allocations, UWCC expends significant effort identifying needs within the community, raising funds, and educating nonprofits about the application process.
It starts with UWCC’s mission to “Improve quality of life by addressing critical human needs,” according to executive director Scott Embry. He says they envision a diverse, dynamic community where everyone shares in opportunity and responsibility—a community where neighbors help neighbors.
By functioning as an independent fundraising arm for nonprofits in the area, Embry says UWCC hopes to reach those neighbors in a meaningful way. UWCC receives donations, identifies core needs in the community through regular community needs assessments, and then receives applications from nonprofits that believe they align with UWCC’s three pillars. If the nonprofit’s applications are accepted, they receive funding from UWCC, enabling them to spend less time doing their own fundraising and more time serving in their area of expertise.
Embry says they conduct community needs assessments every five years to help them hone their pillars, which have largely remained constant through UWCC’s history: Education, Health, and Basic Critical Needs & Financial Stability.
As part of their community needs assessment, they host public surveys, both digital and on-location, for a six-week period.
“In every zip code, we partner with either a library or community center to set up these conversations, and we ask questions,” Embry explained.
He says the goal is to identify, first-hand, where the community’s greatest needs lie.
“It really is a collaboration across this whole community to determine what needs need to be addressed, and then how we are going to address it.”
The digital surveys are advertised on mailers sent out through a partnership with Fayetteville State University—a partnership that Embry says gives them “a lot of confidence” in the quality of the research they’re conducting. Once collected, the data is made available to local government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses in addition to being used by UWCC as they decide which nonprofits to partner with.
The most basic criteria mean that nonprofit applicants must be offering services that fall under one of the three pillars as defined by UWCC:
Education: Programs that strengthen children’s ability to succeed in school from kindergarten to college and programs that build successful youth, families and Cumberland County adults.
Health: Programs that provide access to health care and wellness education programs that provide access to health care and wellness education to help people manage and prevent chronic physical and mental illnesses.
Basic Critical Needs & Financial Stability: Programs that provide access to emergency food, safe shelter, rental, utility, and medical assistance, as well as programs that provide employment preparation and financial self-sufficiency.
In addition to aligning with the three pillars, nonprofits must be at least 2 years old and must meet criteria for financial transparency and effective internal governance.
“They're not incredibly difficult criteria. But unfortunately, some nonprofits won't have the structure in place to get the funding,” Embry shared. “But going through the process of applying will absolutely make every nonprofit better. Because what we require, most organizations that are granting any type of funds are going to require too.”
He said their goal is to add value to the nonprofit community, whether or not they end up funding them. They do that by hosting workshops throughout the year on topics such as sales and marketing.
“We're never going to be able to fund everything, but we're here to help and support nonprofits,” Embry explained. “If I can add to what you're doing just by standing next to you, United Way is interested in that as well, because we know it takes the whole community for the community to be the best version of itself.”
Embry says that while the criteria ultimately exclude certain nonprofits, it means that donors can be confident about where their donations are going.
The 2025-26 funding cycle recipients include the following nonprofits:
Education
• Adult Literacy & Education Center – Fayetteville Urban Ministry
• Community Engagement Program – Girl Scouts, NC Coastal Pines Council
• Find A Friend Mentoring Program – Fayetteville Urban Ministry
• Garden Field Trip & Classroom Program – Cape Fear Botanical Garden
• Intervention & Prevention After School Programs – Greater Life of Fayetteville
• Youth Scouting Programs – Scouting America, Occoneechee Council
Health
• Community Caregiving Circle – Cumberland County Council on Older Adults
• Diabetes Self-Management Program – Better Health of Cumberland County
• Medical Emergency Direct Aid Program – Better Health of Cumberland County
• Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Services – Cumberland County CommuniCare Preparedness, Health & Safety Programs – American Red Cross, Sandhills Chapter
• VRC on the Move for the Visually Impaired – Vision Resource Center
Basic Critical Needs & Financial Stability
• Day Resource Center for Women & Children – Connections of Cumberland County
• Disaster Services – American Red Cross, Sandhills Chapter
• Emergency Assistance Program – Fayetteville Urban Ministry
• Food Pantry Services – Catholic Charities of the Raleigh Diocese
• Home Improvement Program – Cumberland County Council on Older Adults
• Nehemiah Emergency Home Repair Program – Fayetteville Urban Ministry
• Senior Nutrition Services (Meals on Wheels) – Cumberland County Council on Older Adults Services to the Armed Forces – American Red Cross, Sandhills Chapter
This year’s newest addition is Cape Fear Botanical Garden’s Garden Field Trip & Classroom Program.
“They have an incredible garden and classroom education program that they open up to Title 1 schools to bring buses in so kids can experience something really remarkable locally,” Embry shared. “We were just really excited, because we hate to think that that's not available to people. And if the United Way can help pay for their admission, we think that when we can expose our kids to the best parts of our community, we're going to have a better community.”
Vision Resource Center, an organization that helps the visually impaired of the Cape Fear Region live more independently and socially, is the longest-standing community impact partner, boasting an 86-year partnership with UWCC. This year, they received funding for their program “VRC on the Move for the Visually Impaired.”
Embry says that during a time when many organizations face uncertain government funding and technology that allows donors to send their donations across the world, UWCC is more committed than ever to staying local.
“100% of our focus is on Cumberland County. 100% of the funds we raise stay in Cumberland County,” he shared. “We need people to join us in doing this good work. I promise, at the end of the day, they’re going to find that what we do is exceptional.”

(Photo: Cape Fear Botanical Garden is the newest community impact partner with United Way of Cumberland County. Photo courtesy of United Way of Cumberland County)