United Way of Southwest Colorado

United Way serves as fiscal agent for four special response programs that help prevent local individuals and families from becoming homeless. Small payments can be made when people are behind on their bills that allow them to catch up and get back ahead. Typically these payments are only a few hundred dollars. United Way funds these programs through our annual grant making, serves on the committees that distribute the funds, and balances each programs' checkbook at the end of the month to ensure funds are being spent appropriately.

United Way of Southwest Colorado makes grants to local human service organizations from funds raised in the annual fundraising drive and from funds provided by the City of Durango. In order to receive a grant, a local human service organization must prove that it is a good organization, has a good board of directors that are overseeing the operations, has competent staff, has solid financial statements, has financial policies and procedures in place to prevent any misuse of funds, and most importantly has a program that can prove it is addressing one of United Way's goals under Education, Self-Reliance or Health. United Way uses local volunteers to conduct this review process. Additionally, United Way staff serve on numerous boards of directors and committees which bring other resources to our community. Examples include Colorado 2-1-1 Collaborative, Colorado Nonprofit Association and the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado.