It is our goal that all Anchorage residents are housed, financially stable and have the opportunity to increase their income and save for the future – to build a sustainable and hopeful life in our community. United Way of Anchorage believes that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. Because about 80% of the factors for student success are community based, we build, support and sustain partnerships that create community solutions. Our goals in this area include 90% graduation rate, 90% of children are kindergarten ready, 90% of 8th grade students are proficient in math - by the year 2020. Within our health focus, our goal is to ensure that all Anchorage residents have access to healthcare, are supported in making healthy choices and are practicing healthy behaviors. To support the basic needs of our community, we are focused on the big picture and all of the integrated supports needed to keep families warm, housed and fed.

We work to mobilize the community - businesses, government, agencies, faith based organizations, individuals - to leverage resources to solve the complex problems we face together. No one program or agency can solve the issues. By working together in networks, we can share data, develop solutions and reach more people to create positive change and improve systems that will lead to long term change.

Our teams are focused in specific areas - education, income and health - staffed by individuals who are well versed in the challenges our community faces and competent in bringing the needed groups to the table to facilitate systemic changes, coordinate delivery of supports and solutions, and track data/outcomes. Our knowledge of the issues and relationships with the organizations needed to address them allow us to drive significant change at a level that could not be achieved otherwise.

We track data for all of the areas, milestones and goals we have in place. We are constantly monitoring progress, adjusting tactics as needed and committed to continuous improvement in our methods to achieve our goals. Seeing the 'needles' move in right direction tells us when we are making progress and when we need to make changes to our work.

The graduation rate in Anchorage has increased from 59% to 80. 2% since 2005. Saved 5,132 Anchorage residents an estimated $1,026,400 in tax prep fees in 2015. Delivered an estimated $7. 5 Million in tax refunds in 2015. Increased the number of insured Anchorage residents by 7% last year. Got the local and state government to make 'solving chronic homelessness' a priority. Increased the number of elementary school children who are active at least 3 times per week by over 700%.