The Town of Palm Beach United Way, previously known as the Palm Beach Community Chest, was founded in 1945 with the objective to raise and allocate funds to area charitable and philanthropic organizations.
Over the years, our United Way has raised over $150 million to help those in Palm Beach County who need it the most.
Our Mission
To create long-lasting and measurable changes that improve lives and build strong communities throughout Palm Beach County by ensuring everyone has access to the building blocks for a good quality of life: education, health and financial stability.
Our Vision
We envision a world where all individuals and families achieve their full potential.
We Are Here In The Community
For 80 years, the Town of Palm Beach United Way has been uniting people, businesses, and nonprofits to drive positive change in our community. By fostering collaboration and strategically investing in solutions, we address the most pressing challenges in Palm Beach County.
Together, we’re building a stronger, more resilient community—where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
We Are A Force For Lasting Change
United with our partners, the Town of Palm Beach United Way is building a brighter future—one where every child can thrive, every individual can reach their full potential, and every family has the support they need to live free from poverty.
To create lasting opportunity, we take a holistic approach—focusing on education, health, and financial stability.
We believe children succeed in school and life when they receive a quality education.
We know families are more secure when they have the skills and resources to obtain and maintain fair-paying jobs.
And we understand that access to affordable health care leads to stronger, more productive lives for all.
Together, we are building a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.
We Are Trusted And Effective
We hold a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Platinum Transparency designation from Candid, the highest ratings possible from the nation’s leading charity assessment organizations. We are volunteer led, and volunteer driven, with a network of 500+ volunteers
Over the last six years, the Town of Palm Beach United Way has had an average operational overhead ratio of 7.65%, compared to the national nonprofit average of 25%.
Diversity and Inclusion
At the Town of Palm Beach United Way, we believe in an open and inclusive Palm Beach County. We work to break racial barriers and bridge equity gaps in education, the workforce, government and all sectors of our community. We believe that diversity in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective helps generate stronger and more creative ideas to solve the complex problems of our ever-changing community. We denounce all forms of racism, anti-Semitism, and ethnic discrimination. They have no place in our society and undermine our efforts to create a community where all people can realize their full potential.
We value the visible and invisible qualities that make you who you are.
We welcome that every person brings a unique perspective and experience to advance our mission and progress our fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our community.
We believe that each Town of Palm Beach United Way community member, donor, volunteer, advocate, and employee must have equal access to solving community problems.
We strive to include diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at the center of our daily work.
We commit to using these practices for our business and our communities.
History
In March 1945, a group of civic leaders on the island of Palm Beach felt their fundraising efforts would be more effective if they separated from the Community Chest of the Palm Beaches. They decided to establish an organization of their own, operated entirely within Palm Beach, under the sole direction of Palm Beach residents. R. Stuyvesant Pierrepont was elected as the first president and the first campaign set the goal of $64,177. The campaign exceeded its goal, raising $70,575 to support 13 nonprofit agencies in Palm Beach County. Four of the original organizations are still funded by the Town of Palm Beach United Way today.
In the past 80 years the population of Palm Beach County has exploded from an estimated 100,000 in 1945 to over 1.5 million today. Society has changed, needs have changed, but the Town of Palm Beach United Way has kept its mission of improving lives and building a stronger, healthier community for all residents.
