Oklahoma City, OK − United Way of Central Oklahoma (UWCO) announced its 2025 WayFinder Innovation Grant recipients during the annual fundraising campaign kickoff reception at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club.

The first initiative to receive a grant was Lilyfield, which leads an innovative, community-driven strategy within the Will Rogers Courts Public Housing Complex, known as the Westwood Community Collaborative. It brings together stakeholders from many sectors and integrates evidence-based services in a place-based approach. UWCO’s WayFinder Grant will fund a new component of the collaborative by creating a Strengths Based Coaching Model for adolescents and young adults living in Will Rogers Courts with the intention of being replicated in other public housing complexes in Oklahoma City and beyond. The goal of the project is to provide specific support to adolescents and young adults ages 14-26 living in Will Rogers Courts through the wraparound model, which utilizes Gallup’s Clifton Strengths, the Career Ladder and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF), and Hope Driven Goal Planning using the Science of Hope. Lilyfield has chosen these three interventions because they support several evidence-based protective factors shown to improve maltreatment outcomes and support resilience. Lilyfield received a $150,000 grant for this project.

Upward Transitions, a UWCO Partner Agency, was awarded the second grant. Through a partnership with Drop Mobility, Upward Transitions will expand its transportation assistance services to include additional means of transportation for its clients whose temporary loss of a reliable source of transportation may prohibit them from finding or maintaining employment or traveling to medical and other important appointments. Upward Transitions hopes to build a bridge with Hope Flyers. Upward Transitions will loan e-bikes leased from and managed by Drop Mobility’s app to selected clients free of charge for a period of 1-6 months, during which the client will be actively saving up for repairs to existing vehicles or seeking long-term means of transportation.  The short-term, no-cost loan of an e-bike, which is easy to store, easy to maintain, and always available, would be a solution for many individuals with temporary transportation problems while empowering them to accomplish their goals. Upward Transitions received a $58,960 grant for this project.

Since 2019, $1,577,960 has been awarded to 21 innovative health and human services programs throughout central Oklahoma. Local nonprofits submit proposals to UWCO to be considered a WayFinder recipient. Selected agencies must pitch their ideas Shark Tank-style to a group of volunteer community leaders, who make the ultimate decision in which programs will receive funding. Sherri Lance, managing partner and president of Gaming Capital Group, is the WayFinder Sharks panel chair, as well as the Strategic Growth Committee Chair for United Way.

UWCO offers up to $250,000 in WayFinder funding to local nonprofits every year. For more information about WayFinder, visit UnitedWayOKC.org/WayFinder.