United Way of Central Indiana in Morgan County
For more than six decades, Morgan County has been part of United Way of Central Indiana.
Since 1964, we’ve worked with organizations across the county to meet the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors, remove barriers and provide life-changing resources to tackle generation poverty.
Since 2019, United Way has invested over $4 million in grants in Morgan County and partnered with 18 nonprofits and schools.
Community Need in Morgan County
Some 37% of Morgan County households cannot afford a basic household budget. That’s more than 1 in 3 households – over 10,100 households – that are in or near poverty.
The number of households in need in Morgan County has increased by 23% since 2018 – the third largest growth in this population in United Way’s seven-county service area.
In Morgan County:
Nearly 1 in 5 households are burdened by housing costs, meaning they spend 30% or more of their income on housing. 1 in 5 renting households spend at least 50% of their income on housing.
55% of households under age 25 can’t afford the basics.
Learn more about the need and dig into the data:
Our Work in Morgan County
United Way’s programs combine community impact with strong local leadership to create lasting change.
Community Leadership
Our commitment goes beyond grants. United Way staff members serve on the Morgan County Better Communities Coalition, supporting efforts around child care, transportation and housing.
Program Impact
For more than a decade, we've partnered in Morgan County for our signature ReadUP program, which sends volunteers into elementary schools to help third graders get on track with grade-level literacy. During the 2024-2025 school year, 17 ReadUP volunteers worked with 27 students at Newby Memorial Elementary School, Paragon Elementary School and Poston Road Elementary School.
Since 2017, YMCA of Morgan County has served as a Center for Working Families site, helping local residents achieve financial stability.
"Family Connect is a YMCA program funded through the United Way Family Opportunity Fund. The funding allows us to maintain and support programming such as Preschool, School-aged Childcare, Summer Learning Loss Prevention providing safe and enjoyable care for children. In addition, programming supports adults with financial planning, workforce development, and parenting skill-building, and connects families through Parent Cafe and Family Activity nights for families to learn and be active together.
“We are grateful to be among the organizations rewarded by United Way to provide family building activities for our community."
– Dave Nash, Executive Director/CEO, YMCA of Morgan County