United Way of Salt Lake works to create lasting change at the systems level and advocates for policies that support our mission of 100% of Utah kids and families thriving. This legislative session, we’re working with Sen. Lincoln Fillmore to introduce our top priority bill, SB 165 Economic Mobility Initiative.
This bill would create REACH—Raising Expectations through Accountability, Community, and Hope—a grant program to support community-based partnerships across the state. “Utah is nationally recognized for this kind of infrastructure,” said Bill Crim, President & CEO of United Way of Salt Lake. “[REACH] brings private sector capital together with public sector investment and aligns and focuses people’s efforts to get better results.”
What’s in the Bill
SB 165 Economic Mobility Initiative would require the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity to contract with a technical assistance provider to establish and administer a grant program. The program would offer two types of grants that support the development and implementation of community-based partnerships focused on educational and economic outcomes.
Each community will prioritize the indicators it wants to address. These could include education outcomes such as kindergarten readiness rates, third grade reading proficiency, and high school graduation rates. Indicators could also be tied to economic outcomes such as housing stability rates, median household income, poverty rates, and more.
The first grant type, “Partnership Development & Planning” grants, would provide up to $300,000 to eligible communities. With the support of the technical assistance provider, grantee communities would develop a mobility action plan that includes specific and measurable goals, outlines strategies to achieve those goals, and establishes data-sharing and measurement systems. This approach empowers and aligns stakeholders from across sectors to develop locally driven solutions tailored to each community’s assets and needs.
The second grant type, “Implementation & Scaling” grants, would provide up to $2.5 million to communities that have already developed a mobility action plan and are ready to begin implementing the strategies in that plan. Communities will use this grant to deliver services and supports such as early childhood programs, student mentoring programs, housing initiatives, and other strategies designed to improve outcomes in their chosen indicators.
Why it Matters
Last year, we partnered with Sen. Lincoln Fillmore to secure funding for a study by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to analyze community-based initiatives and their efficacy for improving outcomes and economic mobility for Utah’s youth. The findings from that report demonstrate how targeted, collaborative approaches can transform entire neighborhoods and create lasting pathways out of poverty. “This report reinforces that the best solutions can come from our own communities,” Sen. Fillmore said in a Gardner Institute press release. “When we work together, we can improve outcomes for kids no matter their circumstances.”
This work is already happening in our state through cross-sector partnerships like Promise Partnership Utah, which is nationally recognized for its community-based approach. “We go to see the best work in America, and I am telling you, right here in Utah, I’ve seen some of the best work in the country,” said Geoffrey Canada, President and Founder of Harlem Children’s Zone and Founder of William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children’s Zone. “The work that’s happening here right now is a model for what could change for America.”
SB 165 Economic Mobility Initiative is an opportunity to scale this model and transform communities across the state. We’re advocating for a $5 million appropriation in the first year to leverage $100 million in local and national philanthropic funding. This strategic state investment would align community efforts to improve youth and family outcomes by creating pathways from early childhood through postsecondary education and workforce entry. REACH has the potential to impact 200,000+ youth in 24 communities statewide.
What You Can Do
We need your voice to help SB 165 become law. Contact your representatives and ask them to vote YES on SB 165 Economic Mobility Initiative. Keep an eye out for opportunities to join us on the Hill this session to meet with legislators and talk to them about how this work transforms communities.
You can also check out our SB 165 REACH Fact Sheet and use our 2026 Bill Tracker to follow along as SB 165 moves through the legislative process. Sign up for Action Alerts and subscribe to our Policy Matters newsletter to stay up to date on REACH and our other policy priorities throughout the session. Together, we can build a future where every Utahn is thriving.
Written by Jenna Fischer, Content Strategist
