United Way Of Chester County

United Way of Chester County, a non-profit organization headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, operates as a federal grant recipient delivering community development and financial assistance services to low- and moderate-income populations in Chester County. The organization does not hold federal contracts; all federal funding flows through grant awards, where it acts as a prime recipient (80% of recent awards) and as a sub-recipient on coordinated entry and emergency rental assistance initiatives (20%).

United Way's federal footprint concentrates in two dominant grant programs. The Internal Revenue Service funds the majority of activity through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program (CFDA 21.009), which has awarded United Way six grants since 2021 to expand free tax return preparation and electronic filing services to underserved populations including persons with disabilities, non-English speakers, Native Americans, rural residents, military families, and elderly taxpayers. The most recent VITA award, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, carries $120,000 in federal funding and requires matching non-federal contribution equal to the grant amount; prior VITA grants ran through fiscal years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Beyond VITA, United Way received a $200,000 Congressional Project Grant from the Small Business Administration Office of the Chief Operating Officer (awarded July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025) supporting small business development, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, job training, and coordinated entry and emergency rental assistance programs. A $100,000 Congressional Project Grant from the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (April 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) funded financial navigation services training at the Pennsylvania CareerLink and United Way Financial Stability Center, with Open Hearth, Inc. as a sub-recipient providing training delivery. In its sub-recipient role, United Way operates coordinated entry services for individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability (sub-award effective April 1, 2025) and administers a coordinated entry 211 service and emergency rental assistance program (sub-award effective January 1, 2024), both in Chester County.

Activity remains modest and stable: two awards in 2025, two in 2024, three in 2023, and one each in 2021 and 2022, with combined obligated dollars totaling $2.3 million across ten awards. Three federal agencies represent the entire customer base: the Internal Revenue Service dominates at six awards, the Employment and Training Administration at one, and the SBA Office of the Chief Operating Officer at one. One award reaches ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, presenting minimal recompete exposure. United Way's grant work centers on tax assistance, workforce development, financial navigation, small business support, and homelessness and housing crisis response across Chester County.