As part of the Plan for Community Well-Being, United Way of Dane County brings together partners and resources to help remove barriers to healthy living, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to live their healthiest life. This includes working with partners like Anesis Foundation to increase access to mental health services.

United Way’s support has strengthened Anesis’s ability to provide accessible, culturally responsive behavioral health services to individuals and families who may otherwise face significant barriers to care. The investment has supported the expansion of Anesis’s Drop-In Clinic model, allowing participants to receive immediate support and connect with therapy, case management, peer support, and community resources, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

For one participant experiencing a significant mental health crisis, that support meant finding the right therapist, developing healthier coping strategies and connecting with long-term resources. Over time, the participant regained confidence and began setting meaningful goals. Today, the participant is preparing to graduate from Operation Fresh Start and has secured employment.

United Way’s flexible investment also helps Anesis provide coordinated, wraparound care that addresses mental health needs and other factors that affect well-being, including housing, employment, transportation, food security and connection to community resources.

Through partnerships like this, United Way helps strengthen the network of support individuals and families rely on across Dane County – helping ensure the right resources are there when our neighbors need them the most.

Please note that names and photos for this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those featured.

United Way of Dane County’s Season of Caring is your premier resource for holiday volunteerism and donations. Join us in sharing the giving spirit and helping others during the holiday season. Because, while we can’t fix all of the issues affecting our community overnight, we can unite to address the most urgent needs facing families during the holiday season.

After more than 30 years of service to support student learning, Schools of Hope and Achievement Connections ended in August 2026 due to reductions in federal funding. United Way of Dane County has released a report detailing the impact these programs have had on local students.

United Way is grateful to all of the volunteers, staff and partner organizations who came together to support Schools of Hope and Achievement Connections. We honor them and thank them for believing that all our community’s children can succeed academically, and for taking action to implement an effective community response.

Please note that Middle Schools of Hope, not funded by AmeriCorps, provides one-on-one and small group literacy and mathematics tutoring, and continues to be operated by Urban League and supported by United Way.

At United Way, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to live in an affordable, safe, stable home and for homeowner readiness to be an achievable goal for every family. That’s why we bring together community resources and invest in partners like Habitat for Humanity of Dane County to create solutions that help families access housing and build a stronger future.

For Kate, homeownership had been a dream years in the making. A mother of three, she worked hard to provide for her family while balancing the demands of raising her son and twin daughters. Yet despite her determination and persistence, her own seven-year path to homeownership was filled with challenges.

When Kate learned about Habitat for Humanity of Dane County’s Homeownership Program, she was inspired by the opportunity it could provide families. Being accepted into the program became a life-changing moment and a pathway to achieving the goal that once felt out of reach for her and her children. As they settle into their new home, Kate looks forward to putting down roots, building relationships and creating new opportunities for her family’s future.

Through our Plan for Community Well-Being, United Way invests in strategies that support financial security, such as homeownership programs, and works alongside partners like Habitat for Humanity to help families overcome barriers to housing and achieve economic stability. When families have a stable place to call home, children are better positioned to succeed, parents can focus on their goals, and our entire community grows stronger.

Please note that names and photos for this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those featured.

At United Way of Dane County, we recognize that our community is strongest when we come together to support the common good. In a year marked by rising costs of living, shifting public funding and growing demand for services, that strength was all the more visible and impactful.

Because of your generosity and shared commitment to our neighbors, we exceeded the 2025 Community Fundraising Campaign goal, raising $18.1 million to advance our Plan for Community Well-Being – aligning investments in youth opportunity, financial security, healthy community and community resilience to create lasting, multi-generational change.

This momentum was further amplified by a historic 10-year, $10–$15 million commitment from the Dan & Patti Rashke (TASC) Family Foundation, the largest single philanthropic commitment in United Way of Dane County’s history. This extraordinary investment helps ensure that every undesignated individual donation can go directly toward addressing our community’s greatest needs and most effective strategies.

These milestones matter because they translate into measurable impact. Together, you helped 67,850 neighbors, including more than 1,000 households remaining stably housed, 500 under- or unemployed individuals securing new or better employment and more than 1,000 students improving academically.

Our Annual Report celebrates how we came together in 2025 to support your neighbors – and showcases just how much change we can make when we come together and take action.

In Dane County, struggle doesn’t always look the way you’d expect. It’s a teenager quietly coping. An older adult looking for resources. A family falling further behind. Struggle isn’t always visible, but it’s here. And so is the work to address it.

That is why we are asking you to participate in the 2026 United Way of Dane County Community Campaign. With your support, we:

• Respond to urgent local needs with agility and care
• Invest in education, health, housing and financial stability
• Strengthen families and neighborhoods

Together, we’re building a Dane County where everyone can thrive.

Join the community of people creating change. Donate today to ensure 100% of your undesignated individual gift goes directly to

the greatest needs in our community. You’re not just giving. You’re changing lives.

Together, we are The Power of Caring. Working for All.

At United Way, we strive to help young people realize their full potential. That’s why we bring together community partners and invest in proven strategies that foster connection, belonging, leadership and academic success with youth at risk of disconnecting.

At United Way, we strive to help young people realize their full potential. That’s why we bring together community partners and invest in proven strategies that foster connection, belonging, leadership and academic success with youth at risk of disconnecting.

Before joining United Way partner Operation Fresh Start (OFS), Rafael struggled to balance school, work and family responsibilities while finding the support he needed to succeed. Encouraged by relatives who had completed OFS’s Legacy program, he enrolled and quickly stood out for his determination, leadership and commitment. Through a combination of education, conservation work and leadership development, Rafael strengthened academic skills, built confidence and developed the social and emotional tools needed to thrive. He became a role model for his peers, fostering a sense of belonging and encouraging others to succeed.

With support from OFS staff and the opportunities made possible through United Way, Rafael expanded his vision for the future, discovering pathways beyond what he once thought possible. Inspired to serve his community, he is now pursuing a career as an EMT and firefighter. As a young father, he is focused on creating a strong future for his daughter while continuing his education at Madison College.

Rafael’s story is one example of what’s possible when a community comes together to support young people. Through our Plan for Community Well-Being, United Way helps create pathways to success by connecting youth with education, opportunities and support they need to succeed in school, work and life. When young people thrive, families are stronger and our entire community is better positioned to thrive.

Please note that names and photos for this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those featured.

Too often in Dane County your ZIP code and income significantly affect your quality of life, life expectancy and health outcomes. United Way’s infant and maternal health partnerships work to change that by improving outcomes for parents, babies and families. 

“Maria” came to United Way partner Access Community Health Centers early in her pregnancy facing housing instability, food insecurity, limited transportation and little social support, along with the added challenge of gestational diabetes. Through Access’s Maternal Child Health program, she received coordinated, team-based care addressing both medical and social needs. Her care team helped her access stable housing, nutrition assistance and reliable transportation. 

With consistent prenatal care, education and mental health screening, Maria improved her health and prepared for her baby’s arrival. After delivery, she received postpartum care, lactation support and guidance on infant well-being, including early literacy practices that promote bonding and brain development. 

United Way works closely with our community partners to help people overcome barriers to healthy living and ensure neighbors can live their healthiest lives. By partnering with organizations like Access Community Health to advance our Healthy Community strategies, we work to strengthen families and advance a healthier community for every neighbor. 

Since its inception in 1973 as the State Employees Combined Campaign, Partners in Giving has raised $91 million for charitable causes. In 2025, the Partners in Giving Campaign raised over $2 million from more than 3,700 State of Wisconsin, Universities of Wisconsin and UW Health employees.

United Way of Dane County is honored to partner with 11 federated organizations to join nearly 500 individual charities in one workplace giving campaign for State employees. Thank you!

Last month, we held our 14th annual Women United Brunch. About 500 people came together to celebrate the caring power of women – and we honored Karen Kallerud as our Women United Philanthropy Award Recipient!