United Way of the Concho Valley has a fiscal funding year which begins April 1 and runs through March 31 of the next year. Program applications are generally accepted from mid-August through mid-October of the year. Programs must be administered by a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization and must meet the United Way Standards of Excellence including guidelines for fiscal soundness.

The program applications are done in a web-based software program. Program applicants can contact Carol Harrison, Senior Vice President for Community Impact to get information on how to access this application. In addition to the application, the agency is required to provide its most recent IRS Form 990 and audit information.

Once the application has been received and reviewed by the United Way staff, the application is provided to a Community Investment Panel. Each program is reviewed annually for soundness. The Community Investment Panel is made up of 5-10 well-qualified community volunteers who review the application and the United Way Standards of Excellence. Once the application is reviewed by this group of volunteers, the program provider is contacted to schedule a site visit. The site visits are generally made during November and December of each year. At this site visit, the program provider is asked to provide the panel with a tour of their agency, and present other information relating to the program and how it meets community needs requested by panel members and based on the United Way Standards of Excellence.

After the visit, the Community Investment Panel meets together and makes a recommendation to the Community Investment Council, who receives the panel's presentation on each program provider. Once the Community Investment Council has received each panel's recommendation, they meet and agree on a recommendation for programs to be funded and make this recommendation to the full United Way Board of Directors. The United Way Board of Directors usually votes on this recommendation during their Board Meeting in late March. Program providers are notified of the Board of Directors' decision soon after the Board Meeting.