Women’s Resource Center Earns Investment Funding

July 30, 2021 – Sarasota

A program aimed at boosting the financial stability of ALICE families in Manatee and Sarasota counties has earned an infusion of support from one of the area’s leading nonprofits. 

United Way Suncoast will grant $22,000 from its annual community investment funding to the Women’s Resource Center of Manatee for its Project UpLift program. 

Project UpLift aims to elevate financial self-sufficient and emotional healthy. It works with coaches or case managers to create a plan that addresses their needs. WRC operates three primary central hub locations in the region – Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice, and seeks to meet the needs of more than 400,000 area women.

“The Women’s Resource Center is proud to be a partner with United Way Suncoast,” said president and CEO Ashley Brown. “The funding we receive through this community investment will support WRC’s program, Project UpLift. At the WRC, we meet our clients where they are and connect them with the programs and services they need to find stable, family-sustaining wages through employment and build self-esteem that supports healthy decision-making and strong emotional health.”

The lasting community impact created by Women’s Resource Center of Manatee aligns with United Way’s priorities. As households continue to grapple with the financial fallout of the pandemic and parents strive to navigate a challenging educational year, United Way Suncoast has stepped up with a $6.05 million boost to 77 area nonprofits for the 2022 fiscal year.

UWS continues its 97-year mission of lifting up the community by sustaining its focus on four priority areas: early learning, youth success, financial stability and asset development. The investment extends to all five counties in UWS’ region – DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota – and underscores the organization’s long-time commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“We are proud to support high-impact programs that will do so much good across our region,” said United Way Suncoast CEO Jessica Muroff. “As we look to emerge from the pandemic and strengthen our commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion with a new strategic vision, it’s never been more important to advocate for our community. Through our partnerships and expertise, we will continue to create bold solutions to our biggest challenges – uplifting lives and achieving equity for generations to come.”

For the second consecutive year, the organization convened a group of dedicated volunteers who conducted a thoughtful and thorough job in choosing the nonprofits. The allocation, an increase of more than $400,000 from the 2020 allocation, will impact nearly 150,000 people in UWS’ five-county region. UWS also raised and distributed $1.9 million for pandemic relief over a six-week period in 2020.

Each grant will fund specific programs that support the interconnected priority areas and help ALICE (Asset, Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families who stand just one unexpected expense from enduring hardship.