Mecklenburg Partnership for Children is a public charity based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Also identified on its website as Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, it funds and supports programs serving young children and families, with stated program areas including child care and education quality and affordability, health and safety, and family support.
Key facts about Mecklenburg Partnership for Children
In short: Mecklenburg Partnership for Children gave $24.6M across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $1.8M), mostly in North Carolina. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 56-1853108
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $24,562,092
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- Average grant
- $1,754,435
- Median grant
- $315,845
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 11, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,411,629
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$1.4M
-19.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$24.6M
+1.9% YoY
Grant Count
14
-26.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$1.8M
+38.2% YoY
Is Mecklenburg Partnership for Children open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 11 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. How we count
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s 2023 filing does not provide a mission statement in the supplied information. It describes program areas as child care and education quality—including referrals, teacher education, salary supplements, and inclusion services; affordability, including NC Pre-K and Meck Pre-K; health and safety services for children ages 0 to 5; and family support through workshops, programs, and community-based sites.
Its website describes community funding across early care and education, family support, health, and literacy. In its own descriptions, grantees illustrate the range of organizations supported: Care Ring says its mission is to empower people with limited resources to establish and maintain good health; Freedom Communities says it works toward holistic family and community transformation in the Freedom Drive Corridor; and The Learning Collaborative describes its work as tuition-free, high-quality preschool and Pre-K alongside family engagement.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the organization reported 14 grants totaling $24,562,092. Grant amounts ranged from $104,855 to $19,916,877, with a median of $315,844. The largest grant was $19,916,877 to Mecklenburg County for Meck Pre-K. Other notable awards included $1,299,930 to Childcare Resources for Quality Every Day; $500,000 to CMS for the NC Pre-K Program; and $439,764 to the Mecklenburg County Health Department for Child Health Care Consultation.
Ready to take the next step with Mecklenburg Partnership for Children?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization is based in Charlotte, and its website describes funding local early-childhood-serving agencies in Mecklenburg County. All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $10.3M (2019) to $24.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $24.6M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Mecklenburg County ($19.9M). Together the top 10 received $24.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
103 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 38 grants of 103 (37%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County Charlotte, NC | Meck. Pre-K | $19,916,877 |
| Childcare Resources Charlotte, NC | Quality Every Day | $1,299,930 |
| CMS Charlotte, NC | NC Pre-K Program | $500,000 |
| Meck Co Health Dept Charlotte, NC | Child Health Care Cons. | $439,764 |
| Communities in Schools Charlotte, NC | Safe Journey | $436,700 |
| Childcare Resources Charlotte, NC | Teacher Coaching | $339,938 |
| YMCA of Greater Charlotte Charlotte, NC | Parents as Teachers | $322,033 |
| Childcare Resources Charlotte, NC | Preschool | $309,656 |
| Care Ring Inc Charlotte, NC | Nurse Family PSHIP | $226,741 |
| Charlotte Speech & Hearing Greensboro, NC | Community Language Impact PGM | $199,820 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,411,629 | $32,449,826 | $32,297,014 | $24,562,092 |
| 2024 | $1,753,973 | $32,513,187 | $31,444,935 | $24,114,743 |
| 2023 | $1,170,490 | $28,508,319 | $30,163,576 | $23,111,426 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,411,629 | $1,753,973 | $1,170,490 |
| Revenue | $32,449,826 | $32,513,187 | $28,508,319 |
| Expenses | $32,297,014 | $31,444,935 | $30,163,576 |
| Net Investment Income | $111,252 | $129,414 | $40,722 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 23, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 1, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 1, 2024)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Amanda Nitto as board chair, Liz Buckingham as vice chair, Ben Gilman as past chair, and Kelly King as treasurer. It also lists Joanette Freeman, Braxton Winston, Elaine Liberato Jenkins, Emily Nanney, Kru Trivedi, and Latoya Scott as directors.
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children is led by Michael L. Blackwelder, CEO since 2025 (on filings since 2022); 5 of 25 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael L. Blackwelder
CEO
CAO → CEO & CAO, 2024
CEO & CAO → CEO, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$137K (2023) → $194K (2025)
Amanda Pickens Nitto
Board Chair
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Board Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jake House
Director
Chief Executive Officer → Director & CEO, 2024
Director & CEO → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$101K (2024) → $0 (2025)
Jennifer Stamp
Strategic Initiatives Director
Chief Strategy Officer → Strategic Initiatives Director, 2024
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$113K (2023) → $115K (2025)
Jared Keaton
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joanette Freeman
Director
Board Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2024
Immediate Past Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Latoya Scott
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shivani Mehta
Director
Director → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Braxton Winston
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Nanney
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Meier
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elaine Liberato Jenkins
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amanda Joyner
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heba Abdelbaky
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kimberly Henderson
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kru Trivedi
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maddie Myers
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Teressa Beam
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lis Pordes
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catherine J. Etters
CFO
Director of Finance → Finance Director, 2023
Finance Director → CFO, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$105K (2020) → $132K (2025)
Mary-Margaret Kantor
Chief Early Education Officer
Meck Pre-K → Chief Early Education Officer, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$107K (2023) → $115K (2025)
Syreeta Campbell
CIO
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$128K (2025)
Ben Gilman
Past Chair
Vice Chair → Board Chair, 2024
Board Chair → Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Liz Buckingham
Vice Chair
Director → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly King
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (33)
- Former: Tamikia Treene (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Tamar Goldblatt (2022–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Renee Johnson (2024) — Director
- Former: Ray Jones (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Krutesh Trivedi (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Marybeth Simon (2020–2023) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Jacob T. House (2022–2023) — CEO
- Former: Jacqueline McKnight (2023) — Director
- Former: Matthew Hayes (2023) — Director
- Former: Cheryl Richards (2019–2022) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Cinty Fritz (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Betsy Mack (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Chris Law (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Dwayne Sanders (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: John Eller (2022) — Director
- Former: Carrie Reeder-Petkavitch (2019–2021) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Nancy Hughes (2019–2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Victoria Manning (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: T. Dean (2021) — Meck Pre-K Executive Director
- Former: George Dunlap (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Dana Eure (2020) — Director
- Former: Dimple Ajmera (2020) — Director
- Former: Barbara Bascom (2019) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Bo Boylan (2019) — Director
- Former: Gibbie Harris (2019) — Director
- Former: Janice Price (2019) — Director
- Former: Mary Beth Simon (2019) — Secretary
- Former: Matt Newton (2019) — Director
- Former: Robert McCarter (2019) — Director
- Former: Ruth Hedgpeth (2019) — Director
- Former: Sarah J. McNeill (2019) — Director
- Former: Tameika Leslie (2019) — Director
- Former: William Myer (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $194K, to Michael L Blackwelder (CEO). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 601 East Fifth Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: (704) 377-6588
Website: https://smartstartofmeck.org
Frequently asked questions about Mecklenburg Partnership for Children
How much does Mecklenburg Partnership for Children give each year?
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children gave $24.6M across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $24.1M across 19 grants.
What is Mecklenburg Partnership for Children's typical grant size?
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children's median grant in 2025 was $315,845, and its average grant was $1,754,435, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Mecklenburg Partnership for Children give grants?
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children gives mostly in North Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Charlotte, NC (13 grants).
Does Mecklenburg Partnership for Children give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Mecklenburg Partnership for Children's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Preschool" (3 grants).
Who are Mecklenburg Partnership for Children's largest grantees?
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children's largest 2025 grantees include Mecklenburg County ($19,916,877), Childcare Resources ($2,054,379 across 4 grants) and CMS ($500,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mecklenburg Partnership for Children?
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $32.4M.
What does Mecklenburg Partnership for Children fund?
The organization’s 2023 filing does not provide a mission statement in the supplied information. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mecklenburg Partnership for Children?
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check smartstartofmeck.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Mecklenburg Partnership for Children's EIN?
Mecklenburg Partnership for Children's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1853108. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Mecklenburg Partnership for Children by hand.
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