UWNCO Grant Application & Partner Reporting Portal

Access frequently-used grant application and reporting forms at the bottom of this page. Please read all funding cycle deadlines and instructions carefully.

RBA/Collective Impact and Application Training

Use this button to access recorded trainings provided to current and prospective grant applicants.

Eligibility Guidelines for All UWNCO Funding Opportunities

  • Applicant must be tax-exempt organization or public agency working in one of our five counties: Crawford, Marion, Morrow, Seneca, and Wyandot counties. 
  • Program must demonstrate measurable impact in one or more of our Bold Impact Areas: Successful Children, Healthy Families, Self-Sufficient Residents, Strong Communities. 
  • We do not fund individuals, endowments, capital campaigns, political organizations or political campaigns, religious organizations for religious purposes, or sports teams. 

Funding Applications

UWNCO Community Impact Sustaining Grant Application.

Grant applications for the 2025-2026 funding cycle are open through May 8.

  • Standard Sustaining Grant 

    • Annual funding of $5001+
    • Program must demonstrate measurable impact in one or more of our Bold Impact Areas: Successful Children, Healthy Families, Self-Sufficient Residents, Strong Communities
    • Application made annually with funds distributed throughout the funding cycle
    • Sustained full-year funding with reporting requirements
    • Promoted as funded partners by UWNCO 
  • Small Sustaining Grant 
    • $5000 or less. 
    • Program must demonstrate impact in one or more of our Bold Impact Areas: Successful Children, Healthy Families, Self-Sufficient Residents, Strong Communities
    • Application made annually with funds distributed at the beginning of the funding cycle 
    • No reporting requirement 
    • Promoted as funded partners by UWNCO 

Please note! UWNCO is utilizing Smarter Select as our application platform this year. If you have a Smarter Select account, you will need to login before beginning the application. If you do not have an account, you will be prompted to register for one.

UWNCO Limited Assistance & Impact Sponsorship Grant

Grant applications for Limited Assistance & Impact Sponsorship funding are open throughout the year.

  • Use this form to apply for a UWNCO Limited Assistance & Impact Sponsorship Grant:
    • One-time funding of $2500 or less
    • Project, program, or event must demonstrate impact in one or more of our Bold Impact Areas: Successful Children, Healthy Families, Self-Sufficient Residents, Strong Communities
    • Intended to cover unexpected shortfall for an organization or provide funds for a specific one-time need
    • Application may be made one time annually per UWNCO fiscal year – July to June
    • Applicants requesting recurring or increasing annual assistance grants may be directed to the next Small Sustaining Grant cycle
    • Impact follow-up by UWNCO
    • Promoted as funded impact partners by UWNCO

Please note! UWNCO is utilizing Smarter Select as our application platform this year. If you have a Smarter Select account, you will need to login before beginning the application. If you do not have an account, you will be prompted to register for one.

OSU Pay It Forward Application.

OSU Marion Pay It Forward Application.  See the RFP for Spring 2025 Pay It Forward Project here. Grant applications for the 2025 Spring Pay It Forward grant are closed. Marion County programs may use this form to apply for funding from the Marion OSU Pay It Forward program. Applications for PIF Spring Semester are due by February 5. 

Sustaining Partner Reporting Form.

For grant recipients who have reporting requirements. This Program Report should represent data collected from January 1, 2025  through June 31, and is due no later than June 12, 2025. Please make estimates as necessary for the month of June.

Please note! UWNCO is utilizing Smarter Select as our reporting platform this year. If you have a Smarter Select account, you will need to login before beginning the application. If you do not have an account, you will be prompted to register for one.

The Five Conditions of Collective Impact
Click thumbnail to expand.

What is RBA?

Basic RBA Principles
Click thumbnail to expand.

RBA is Results-Based Accountability. RBA uses a data-driven, decision-making process to help communities and organizations get beyond talking about problems to taking action to solve problems. It is a simple, common sense framework that everyone can understand. RBA starts with ends and works backward, towards means. The “end” or difference you are trying to make looks slightly different if you are working on a broad community level or are focusing on your specific program or organization.

United Way of North Central Ohio is committed to using RBA and collective impact throughout our funding process. Please use the resources below as needed while completing the application.

RBA Definitions.
Click thumbnails to expand.

RBA Glossary

RESULT. Results are conditions of well-being for entire populations – children, adults, families or communities – stated in plain language.

INDICATOR. Indicators are measures that help quantify the achievement of a population result. They answer the question “How would we recognize these results in measurable terms if we fell over them.” Indicators refer only to whole populations, not programs.

PROGRAM. A program, agency, or service system responsible for helping reach the stated RESULTS. Programs are not themselves STRATEGIES; they are expressions of strategies.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE. Performance Measures are measures of how well public and private programs and agencies are working. The most important performance measures tell us whether the clients or customers of the service are better off. Performance Measure can apply to entire agencies, service delivery systems, or individual programs.

CURRENT VALUE. The current level of achievement for an Indicator or Performance Measure at a point in time.

TARGET VALUE. A desired level of achievement for an Indicator or Performance Measure.

Selecting Performance Measures
Click thumbnail to expand.

Accountability: The Whole vs. the Parts
Click thumbnail to expand.

Turn the Curve Thinking
Click thumbnail to expand.

United Way of NCO Results & Indicators

RESULT: All residents in north central Ohio live in vibrant neighborhoods.

INDICATORS:

    • % of residents with gross rent payments higher than 30% of household income
    • % of residents with gross mortgage payments higher than 30% of household income
    • % of occupied housing units

RESULT: All children in north central Ohio will achieve their full potential.

INDICATORS:

    • % of students reading at proficiency by 4th grade
    • % of students who receive a high school diploma in 4 years
    • % of students who demonstrate kindergarten readiness
    • % of preschoolers with access to accredited early childhood programs

RESULT: All children and adults in north central Ohio are mentally and physically healthy.

INDICATORS:

    • % of people with access to mental health services
    • Rate of abused and neglected children
    • % of food insecure individuals
    • Suicide rate

RESULT: All residents in north central Ohio are able to meet their financial needs.

INDICATORS:

    • % of households with incomes greater than 200% of the poverty rate
    • Rate of unemployment
    • % of 16 to 23 year olds not working or in school (disconnected youth)