The United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley recently announced $3 million in grants that will fund 29 local programs over the next three years. The programs that received funding are aligned with the United Way’s four top priorities: education, financial stability, health, and basic needs (such as access to food, shelter, and medical care). Fifty programs submitted grant applications seeking a total of more than $2 million annually through 2021. The applications were reviewed by volunteers who determined how best to serve the more than 40 percent of the Chippewa Valley’s population who live at or below the so-called ALICE threshold. (ALICE stands for “asset limited, income constrained, employed.”) Among the recipients of United Way funding are the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic, Family Promise of the Chippewa Valley (which runs a homeless shelter for families), the Western Wisconsin Nurse-Family Partnership Consortium, the Family Support Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bolton Refuge House, and the Chippewa Valley Technical College Foundation (which provides micro-grants to CVTC students). “We are proud to announce this most recent investment in our community,” Executive Director Jan Porath said. “Our program partners, in collaboration with other human service organizations, will be joining together under comprehensive plans of action to tackle key issues affecting our population’s quality of life. Working together, we will continue to fight for the education, financial stability, and health of Chippewa and Eau Claire counties.”