BANGOR – The United Way of Eastern Maine board of directors has announced its decision to make three-year grants totaling more than $3.6 million to 66 human-service programs throughout eastern Maine.

For the first time, United Way will end its practice of making annual grants in favor of longer-term commitments to the programs it supports.

“We want the programs United Way funds to measure and demonstrate results, so we feel it is essential to provide our agency partners with the time and resources to do just that,” explained Mike Shea, chairman of United Way of Eastern Maine’s board of directors.

“While the United Way review is always rigorous, this year’s process was highly focused on each organization’s ability to deliver results and how well programs matched the ‘community outcomes’ or goals developed by the community impact councils,” said Shea. “There is no question but that the volunteers who reviewed our programs were the most highly informed we’ve seen yet.”

Forty community impact volunteers worked together for more than a year and a half to learn about the needs of the community, to set goals and gain knowledge of the programs before conducting the funding review.

The 66 programs being funded over the next three years include 51 programs that have been funded by United Way in previous years, as well as 15 programs receiving United Way funding for the first time.

With a reduction in programs funded this year – 66 as compared to 72 in the last cycle – there are some programs that are seeing increases while other previously funded programs are not funded at all. In all, nine programs that applied for funding did not receive funding.

“It is easy to give a little bit of money to every program that applies. It takes courage to fund only those programs that show the greatest promise of delivering results and that really need United Way funds to accomplish their goals,” said Bill Imes, chairman of the community impact committee.

“The real news is that the $3.6 million in funding is just the start,” Shea said. “We see this funding as one of the first steps in what has been a fundamental change that has been taking place at our United Way.”

Funding programs is part of a strategy that United Way has termed “surrounding issues.” Rather than seeing funding as the only, or even primary strategy, United Way of Eastern Maine is looking at one, two or even three issues with resources that go beyond funding. United Way is looking to tackle issues like ensuring children are ready to enter school; helping seniors remain in their own homes as long as possible; and ensuring that those in crisis get the support they need to move out of crisis and on to self-sufficiency.

To be successful, United Way of Eastern Maine is striving to continue to bring people together from across the community -people from government, business, faith groups,

nonprofit groups and ordinary citizens -to “surround” the issues that matter most. If that requires fund raising, going to the State House, or just getting people to work together, that’s what they will do, officials said.

Much of United Way’s success will depend upon encouraging and supporting collaboration unlike anything this region has seen before. United Way is facilitating that collaboration, bringing partners together who share common goals but who have been separated by competition or lack of communication.

For example, knowing that a lack of reliable transportation is an obstacle to services for the rural poor, the elderly and those facing medical crises, United Way has developed a collaborative of transportation providers from across Eastern Maine. Until recently, they had never been in the same room together. With United Way help, they now meet regularly and recently secured a planning grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation which will enable them to develop a comprehensive transportation plan for Eastern Maine.

Similar collaborative efforts are underway to improve access to long-term care for the elderly and adults with disabilities, to develop a statewide 211 help-line and information referral system, and to play a role in regional efforts to end homelessness. At the same time, United Way is helping its partners enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

The strategic alliance now known as the “Bangor Y” has inspired four other organizations to come to United Way for help in merging. Increased collaboration, experienced at a variety of levels, will result in greater community capacity and real progress on achieving the community’s goals. It is the kind of work United Way officials hope to do much more of in the years ahead.

United Way sponsors InfoLine, a social services referral hotline at (800) 204-2803 or 973-6815 in the Bangor area; Volunteer Solutions, an online service that matches volunteers with opportunities; and, a gifts-in-kind clearinghouse. To obtain more information or to get involved, call 941-2800 or visit www.unitedwayem.org.