Community Impact Grant: Measuring What Matters
At United Way of Greater New Bedford (UWGNB), creating lasting change means bringing together leadership, community partnerships, and funding to address our region’s most pressing challenges. At the center of this work is a clear focus: reducing poverty, a key driver of whether families can consistently access essentials like nutritious food, healthcare, and safe housing.
Rather than tackling these issues in isolation, UWGNB takes a holistic approach—aligning its programs, grantmaking, and community leadership to maximize impact across the board.
To guide this work, UWGNB has developed a theory of change built around three core priorities:
• Ensuring households are stable
• Creating pathways for long-term success
• Building supportive community conditions
These priorities shape how resources are invested and how success is defined across all initiatives.
UWGNB’s impact can be seen at multiple levels. On the front lines, programs like the New Bedford Family Resource Center, the Hunger Commission’s food rescue and delivery program, and year-around mobile markets provide immediate support, helping families meet urgent needs and stay stable.
At the same time, UWGNB invests in long-term solutions. Programs like Financial Wellness for Women empower participants with the tools and knowledge to build lasting financial security. Through the Community Impact Grant, local nonprofits receive critical operating support to strengthen their work and expand their reach laying the groundwork for sustained community progress.
With this framework in place, UWGNB now works to measure success. Some outcomes are directly driven by UWGNB programs, while others are influenced through partnerships or broader community-wide efforts.
Recently, UWGNB convened current Community Impact grantees to share best practices for tracking results using a shared rubric. Many partner organizations already bring strong data-driven approaches, using both qualitative and quantitative insights to refine their programs and demonstrate impact. This expertise helps the whole group elevate their skills.
Moving forward, UWGNB will build on these shared tools to better understand collective progress, ensuring that every investment contributes meaningfully to the overall wellbeing of the community.
Together, this work reflects a simple but powerful goal: stronger, more resilient communities where every household can thrive.