United Way of the Greater Seacoast (UWGS) is a locally governed nonprofit organization working to advance the common good by focusing on the building blocks for a good life – education, income, and health. UWGS develops, supports, and works in groundbreaking partnerships in the Greater Seacoast region of New Hampshire and Southern Maine to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place and create opportunities for a better life for all.

Based on community needs assessments conducted in 2004 and 2008, substance abuse rose to the top as a community issue under the category of health.  As a result of that research, United Way convened a regional body dedicated to addressing the issue of substance abuse in 2006, and supported the coalition as stewards of a $50,000 annual for the first three years for our project United Investment for three years, working to find community solutions to the issue.  Eventually, that coalition became the foundation for the oversight board and membership committee of Allies in Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP).

United Way’s continued role in ASAP includes an ongoing financial investment, recruiting, convening, participating, and providing leadership on the oversight board, and serving as the fiscal sponsor, including administrative and supervisory support.