A case study of the implementation of outcomes-based funding within a local United Way system: some implications for...

This case study provides an overview of significant organizational change within the United Way system in Franklin County/Columbus, Ohio. Franklin County is a major urban center with a population approaching 1 million. The implementation of outcomes-based finding proved to be a critical factor that served to promote change within the local United Way system. Adoption of outcomes-based funding principles resulted in significant shifts in United Way funding and major policy changes. A chronology of events and stakeholder reactions over a multiyear period are reviewed. The implications of this effort to initiate major, system-level change for the practice of community psychology are discussed.