United Way of Central Ohio’s board of trustees approved over $5 million in funding for 68 local nonprofits running 88 high-impact programs that serve our community’s families and children. These funds are dedicated to supporting Success by Third Grade, which focuses on eliminating nonacademic barriers to help families thrive and children succeed in school and in life.
View the list of funded nonprofits
Success by Third Grade is a collective impact movement that brings together individuals, nonprofits, corporations, school districts and governments to ensure children achieve reading proficiency by the time they leave third grade, setting them on a path for long-term success.
The current funding cycle runs from July 2025 to June 2026 and focuses on three primary areas: ensuring that children are safe and supported at school, promoting home and family stability, and enhancing child well-being. Our goal is to address these critical areas to help children succeed both academically and in their overall quality of life.
When Success by Third Grade was launched, 47% of Franklin County students in school districts that participate in Success by Third Grade were reading proficiently by third grade, compared to 77% in nonparticipating districts. Our target goal was to cut this 30-point proficiency gap in half by 2035, knowing it will require a concerted effort to address the underlying issues that affect children’s ability to succeed in school. Currently, combined third grade reading proficiency is at 49.6% for students in participating school districts compared to 78.7% for students in nonparticipating districts.
This year’s investment funding process was a closed and competitive process, conducted by invitation only to those nonprofits that received 2024-2025 funding. Site visits took place throughout February and March. The portfolio of funded partners now includes 47% that are led by a person of color, with 50% of the total amount of allocations, or $2.55 million, invested in these same organizations.
