CMCF Awards $1.2 Million to Impact Local Children & Families

Grants Help Nonprofits Build Social Capital and Advance Equity for Young People

For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has helped change kids’ perspectives and provided opportunities to reach their potential. An operating grant from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation will help sustain their mission to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.


Since 2001, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation has made investing in children and families across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area a top priority. CMCF — FFTC’s primary grantmaking arm — recently granted more than $1.2 million to local nonprofits for various projects that center around the needs of families, children, youth and young adults, and social capital.

The most recent round of grant recipients include:

  • $25,000 to Ada Jenkins Center to provide elementary school students with afterschool academic support and enrichment programming.
  • $10,000 to Augustine Literacy Project to recruit and train volunteers who will tutor 300+ young, aspiring readers in under-resourced communities.
  • $15,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas to provide mentorship, career and college guidance, and job shadowing opportunities for students.
  • $30,000 to Carolina Youth Coalition to provide high school students with mentors and college-preparatory resources.
  • $35,000 to Charlotte Bilingual Preschool for programming that will advance equity for Latinx children and families.
  • $15,000 to CrossRoads Corporation for Affordable Housing and Community Development to provide programming that supports youth in the Grier Heights Community, including college preparation, access to mental health support and mentoring.
  • $15,000 to Latin American Women's Association to host bilingual workshops and tours at colleges for local families.
A Rocket Mortgage employee mentors a student with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas.
A Rocket Mortgage employee mentors a student with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas.


Grants will fund such projects as aiding first-generation college students, equipping youth with skills for future job prospects and providing out-of-school programs to immigrant and refugee students — expanding opportunities, strengthening social capital and promoting equity.

CMCF, the Foundation's primary grantmaking arm was established following a $35 million bequest from Lucille Puette Giles in 1995. To date, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation has awarded more than $57 million in grants — more than $20 million beyond the original gift. Because the fund was established as an endowment, it provides a permanent source of grantmaking to address community needs as they evolve over time.

For a complete list of grants, visit charmeck-cf.org.