At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we’re celebrating 100 years of community impact in North Texas. Of course, making it to your Centennial anniversary isn’t without its challenges. Over the years, we’ve had to continually adapt and innovate in order to meet the challenges and opportunities of the given moment. 

That’s why social innovation is part of every aspect of our impact work. We’re constantly identifying, developing and implementing innovative solutions to systemic problems in our community so that we drive change in the most effective and efficient ways possible. 

Embracing innovation allows us to stay nimble as we lead a movement to improve education, income and health in North Texas. It’s one of our strategies for driving progress toward our Aspire United 2030 goals, which include:  

• Increasing by 50% the number of local students reading on grade level by third grade 

• Increasing by 20% the number of North Texas young adults who earn a living wage  

• Increasing to 96% the number of individuals with access to affordable health insurance 

Growing Our Impact Through Social Innovation 

As we kick off our second century of impact and advance toward our Aspire United 2030 goals, a key element of our social innovation efforts is collaborating with local nonprofit and for-profit social ventures that creatively tackle systemic challenges affecting North Texans in education, income and health. 

Our flagship social innovation initiative, the United Way Social Innovation Accelerator in collaboration with Accenture, fosters innovative solutions to social issues by offering entrepreneurs funding, mentorship and community connections to help scale their ventures and expand their impact. 

Since its creation in 2013, the Social Innovation Accelerator has enabled us to expand our impact significantly across North Texas: 

• 84 local social entrepreneurs have completed the Accelerator 

• 507,984 clients have been served by Accelerator alumni 

• $7,071,449 has been invested in funding, training and professional mentoring  

• $75,311,541 in additional funding has been raised by Accelerator alumni 

• 2,620 partnerships have been formed with the support of United Way’s community connections and credibility  

Meet This Year’s Accelerator Fellows 

As we continue to build on this success, we’re proud to announce the fellows selected to participate in the 2024-2025 Social Innovation Accelerator in collaboration with Accenture: 

Tameka Christmas, The Mama Wellness Foundation  

The Mama Wellness Foundation is working to launch a digital maternal mental health app specifically for Black pregnant and postpartum mothers. This innovative app enables partnerships between Mama Wellness and healthcare providers, allowing the nonprofit to leverage technology to track mothers’ symptoms, identify at-risk patients, provide tailored resources and facilitate therapy requests directly through the app.  

Laura Cobb, The Learning Bridge  

Learning Bridge is working to increase students applying for FAFSA and completing college applications by exposing students to college access via an innovative video game.  

Crystal Dobson, CardiacFITT  

CardiacFITT addresses cardiovascular disease in underserved areas through a telehealth platform that delivers integrated care. Their approach combines health monitoring, personalized nutrition, exercise programs and culturally sensitive care to overcome barriers like geographic isolation and limited access, enhancing engagement and outcomes through digital tools.  

Rachel Henry, Creative Flow School  

Creative Flow School addresses the significant education-to-opportunity gap disproportionately affecting marginalized communities.  

Jason Hernandez, ATLAST’s La Tiendita  

La Tiendita is a safe place in East McKinney that provides resources to empower the youth to reach their full potential. The initiative includes a grocery store that provides healthy and affordable groceries, internships at the store that teach social skills and decision making, workforce development programs, and help with medical and mental health to assist students in making positive change and graduating high school.  

Jiles King, Urban Arts Collective  

Urban Arts implements a multi-faceted approach to address the disparity in arts access within our community. They prioritize three key pillars: fostering community engagement, ensuring accessibility and championing arts education.  

Saki Milton, The GEMS Camp  

The GEMS Camp is dedicated to rectifying systemic inequities by ensuring equitable access to quality STEM education, mentorship and support for underrepresented and underserved racially minoritized girls in North Texas. Recognizing the critical years of middle and high school in shaping these girls’ STEM interests, their programs (university sleepaway camps, after-school clubs and enrichment experiences) intentionally target achievement and opportunity gaps in culturally responsive and authentic ways.  

Tazora Moore, Hear My Cry Foundation  

Hear My Cry offers free counseling and medication assistance to individuals who are suicidal and uninsured. This service assists those who are seeking support but lack medical insurance. By removing financial barriers and reducing stigma, the organization empowers individuals to seek support and manage their mental health effectively.  

Van Parker, Housing Connector  

Housing Connector increases access to housing for those with barriers. The nonprofit partners with properties that are willing to reduce their screening criterium and, in exchange, provide financial and stability support to mitigate their risk. The organization lists available units on Zillow to put access at the renter’s fingertips. They also detect early signs of instability and deploy financial and other solutions that prevent thousands from experiencing eviction and homelessness.  

Veronica Shanklin, Dementia Care Warriors  

Dementia Care Warriors is addressing the critical problem of inadequate support and resources for family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementia, particularly in underserved communities.  

What’s Next for the Fellows 

The Social Innovation Accelerator fellows are already going through an intensive bootcamp, with expert instruction that will help them refine their business plans and set important organizational milestone goals. They are also receiving one-on-one mentoring and coaching from a team of Social Innovation Accelerator mentors. 

Early next year, five of the 10 fellows will be selected to participate in The Pitch, our annual social innovation competition, where they will compete for tens of thousands of dollars in additional seed funding. 

You’ll be seeing a lot more of these incredible organizations as they go through the Accelerator and compete for a spot at The Pitch. Stay tuned!