Annually, Merrill Area United Way accepts applications from non-profit organizations providing programs and services in Lincoln County specifically Merrill, Gleason, Irma, and the surrounding townships. Programs and services should be addressing our community’s most critical needs that align with one of our four impact areas:
- Healthy Communities (Improve access to nutritious foods and quality health education and services, so people have resources they need to lead healthy lives.)
- Youth Opportunity (Create pathways for young people to reach their goals, from early childhood education to college and career success.)
- Financial Security (Connect people to education, tools, and job training so they have financial freedom and peace of mind.)
- Community Resiliency (Help communities prepare for, prevent, and respond to challenges, from crisis support to disaster relief.)
Each application is carefully reviewed and vetted through our allocation process to ensure accountability, effectiveness and alignment with our impact areas. Merrill Area United Way Board of Directors and the Executive Director take seriously their role to ensure that dollars donated to United Way are used wisely and prudently to meet the most critical needs in our community.
Timeline for 2027 Funding Consideration:
- August 6, 2026: Application for 2026 United Way funding available
- October 15, 2026: Applications due by Noon in the Merrill Area United Way office
- November 10, 2026: Allocation teams will make a preliminary review of each request and (only if necessary) determine if a formal hearing and/or onsite visit with the applicant organization is needed. Funding requests may be approved or denied without a hearing or onsite visit.
- Allocations teams will submit a recommendation for funding recipients and the amounts to the Board of Directors of the Merrill Area United Way, Inc. Organizations will receive written notification of the Board’s decision after a final budget is approved.
2027 Application Instructions and FAQ’s (pdf uploaded when available)
2027 Funding Application form (pdf uploaded when available)
2027 Outcome Matrix form (pdf uploaded when available)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Merrill is a small community with a limited number of people and businesses who can contribute to causes. Merrill Area United Way's annual fundraising campaign begins September 1st and concludes on October 31st. We promote our campaign during this time, and our donors are making their pledges for the year. If you were a donor to United Way reading that support from our campaign is going to a list of partner agencies, what would you be thinking if those same agencies were asking for funds at that time?
We acknowledge that your agency's financial needs are greater than the dollars you receive from Merrill Area United Way and are ever changing. However, our closed period still leaves ten other months that you can fundraise for your agency, other than employee workplace solicitations which are prohibited at any time.
It is our goal to raise as many dollars as we can during our campaign so that we can provide even more in allocations to our funded agencies. Doing fundraising during our Closed Period of September 1st through October 31st, not only hurts Merrill Area United Way, but it also affects your fellow non-profits that are supported by Merrill Area United Way which ultimately impacts the services provided to our community.
Your help in promoting the United Way campaign during the Closed Period is greatly appreciated and encouraged. Please contact the Executive Director at director@merrillareaunitedway.org or via phone at (715)536-2016 to discuss ways you can support the United Way campaign or if you are in need of flyers, yard signs, or other campaign materials.
Merrill Area United Way funds support affiliate programs, not capital items such as facilities. At times, an agency may need to engage in a Capital Campaign to support their agency facilities. Our guidelines ask that an affiliate agency inform us in writing as far in advance as possible, but no later than 45 days prior to the start of the capital campaign. The following information shall be provided: a description of the project, documentation of the need for the project, amount to be raised, timing of the campaign, method of conducting the campaign, and project budget. We reserve the right to request a list of prospective donors.
No new solicitations may take place during our closed period from September 1st to October 31st. The Closed Period might be a good time to regroup, hold planning meetings or continue conversations with potential donors approached prior to September 1st.
We recognize that the financial needs of our affiliates change and that you may find yourself in a place where you cannot follow our fundraising guidelines. An affiliate should communicate in advance about the situation with our Executive Director at director@merrillareaunitedway.org or via phone at (715) 536-2016. If it is determined that the affiliate wants to proceed with their fundraiser and not apply for funding that year, this does not mean they are ineligible to apply in future years.
Please notify the Executive Director if this occurs and explain what happened so that we know this was initiated by a business not you. Otherwise, we may think this was initiated by you and is a violation of the Closed Period.
First, a designated member of the Merrill Area United Way will contact you and discuss the potential violation. If the matter cannot be resolved, the affiliate will be notified through a letter of the cessation of the affiliates' next United Way allocation. The funds will be held until such time as the affiliate can present to Merrill Area United Way's Board of Directors the reasons for their violation of the guidelines. The Board of Directors will decide if or when to reinstate the withheld allocations and the amount to release to the affiliate. A second violation will result
in the affiliate's loss of funding for the remainder of the year. A third violation will result in loss of membership status and funding.
It is our desire to maintain a strong partnership with all our affiliates through open and honest conversations. Please reach out in advance so we can discuss your challenges and fundraising needs. We appreciate the unique challenges you face. It is our goal to support our affiliates as much as we possibly can and decrease your need to spend time on fundraising.