Potomac Highlands United Way (PHUW) is introducing two new grant programs designed to respond more directly to the immediate needs of hardworking families while strengthening the community organizations that serve them across the Potomac Highlands.
After evaluating this year’s Community Resiliency Investment Grant (CRIG) process and listening to feedback from community partners, PHUW made the decision to redesign its grantmaking approach to better align available resources with local needs and the organization’s long-term vision.
“Our responsibility is to ensure every dollar entrusted to United Way creates the greatest possible impact,” said Michele Walker, Executive Director of Potomac Highlands United Way. “As we reviewed this year’s process, we recognized an opportunity to better meet the needs we see every day in our communities. Rather than continue with a model that wasn’t achieving that goal, we chose to listen, learn, and build something stronger.”
The new approach creates two distinct but complementary funding opportunities: the ALICE Crisis Diversion Fund, which provides assistance to qualifying working households experiencing an unexpected financial emergency, and Meeting the Moment Grants, which provide flexible funding for community organizations responding to emerging and evolving needs.
ALICE Crisis Diversion Fund
For many working households, a single unexpected expense—such as an emergency vehicle repair, medical expense, utility shutoff, or childcare disruption—can quickly threaten the stability they have worked hard to maintain.
The ALICE Crisis Diversion Fund will provide one-time financial assistance of up to $1,000 to eligible ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households facing these types of unexpected financial hardships. By providing assistance before a temporary setback becomes a larger crisis, the fund is intended to help households remain financially stable, maintain employment, and continue moving forward.
PHUW will work with trusted community partners throughout its service area to identify eligible households, verify qualifying expenses, and connect families with assistance. Financial eligibility will be based on household income above the current Federal Poverty Level and at or below the current ALICE Household Survival Budget for the applicant’s county and household composition. Payments will be made directly to vendors whenever possible.
Garrett County Community Action Committee, Inc. will serve as the trusted community partner that will help execute the ALICE Crisis Diversion Fund in Garrett County, while Allegany County Human Resource Development Commission (HRDC) will handle Allegany County, and the Mineral County Family Resource Network (FRN) will handle both Mineral and Hampshire Counties. The ALICE Crisis Diversion Fund launches on Thursday, October 1, 2026 and those interested in learning more about potential eligibility requirements should reach out to the community partner agency in their respective county.
Meeting the Moment Grants
Meeting the Moment Grants, formerly Live United grants, are designed to help local organizations respond to needs and opportunities emerging within their communities.
The program will provide grants of up to $500 to eligible nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, government agencies, and schools serving Allegany and Garrett counties in Maryland and Hampshire and Mineral counties in West Virginia. Funding opportunities will be offered twice each year, creating a more accessible and responsive source of support for community-based projects throughout PHUW’s service area.
Meeting the Moment Grants may support a broad range of community needs, with particular consideration given to initiatives addressing education, financial stability, health, basic needs, opportunities and experiences for youth, and emergency needs. The program is intentionally flexible, allowing PHUW to respond to emerging needs and promising community-based solutions rather than limiting funding to a single issue or type of project. Meeting the Moment grants are currently available via Potomac Highlands United Way’s website at www.potomacuw.org/meeting-the-moment-grant-program/
Together, the two programs create a more responsive approach to community investment—providing a safety net for working families when an unexpected expense threatens their stability while also giving local organizations resources to address needs as they arise.
“This year’s experience reinforced the importance of designing funding opportunities with our partners—not simply for them,” said Walker. “These new grant programs represent a more responsive, flexible approach that will allow us to address both urgent family needs and emerging community challenges. It is important to note that these are pilot program and that we are continually working to refine them. We will take lessons learned over the next 9 months and use them to further improve these programs as we move forward.”
As PHUW celebrates its 70th year of service, the organization remains committed to serving as a convener of funding, volunteers, partnerships, and community-based solutions throughout the Potomac Highlands—bringing people and resources together to improve lives across Allegany, Garrett, Hampshire, and Mineral counties.
For updates, visit www.potomacuw.org or follow Potomac Highlands United Way on Facebook and Instagram.
