Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation - Family Stability Grant

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation's Family Stability Grant aims to enhance the quality of life for residents of Mecklenburg County. By investing between $10,000-$50,000 in eligible organizations, the grant focuses on family formation, financial security, innovative housing solutions, and parental engagement. The foundation seeks to empower families through education, support, and resources, ultimately breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and fostering community involvement.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation (CMCF) provides grants for organizations serving residents of Mecklenburg County, which align with its vision of a community where every resident is afforded the opportunity to be well educated, safely housed, meaningfully employed and actively engaged in community decisions. Further, CMCF believes that the preservation and protection of natural resources and environmentally conscious decision-making are vital to maintaining the community’s quality of life.
Result and Investment Areas
The Foundation views itself as an investor in the community and is interested in creating the highest possible levels of community gain, focused on improving the lives of Mecklenburg County citizens.
The Foundation typically awards grants between $10,000-$50,000 to eligible organizations. However, actual award amounts will be determined based on merit of the project and available funds.
Specific investment and results areas are outlined below and should be reflected in grant applications.
Family Formation
Young women and men have access to the necessary information, resources and support to help them:
Delay pregnancy when they chose to do so.Prepare for a healthy pregnancy and positive birth outcome when they chose to become a parent. Build and strengthen their families as they are being formed.
Financial Security
Parents are on a pathway to living wage employment, asset building and other means of creating financial stability, thus helping their children break the inter-generational poverty cycle.Families are equipped with the basic logistical support and services they need to find and maintain employment.
Innovative Housing Solutions
Children and families are living in safe, nurturing and stable residential environments.
Parenting Education, Family Support and Engagement
Parents/other caregivers are strong advocates for their children and have increased knowledge of and skills for early brain and other positive child development.Families are well-connected to community resources and supports.Families are helping each other succeed through peer supportParents are addressing their own and their mental/behavioral health issues to more effectively support their children’s social/emotional needs and educational outcomes.The impact of a family’s involvement with the criminal justice system is lessened.Fathers are positively engaged in the lives and futures of their children.
For the purpose of this grant program, we define “family” as a household unit consisting of a parent(s) or other primary adult caregiver(s) such as grandparents or other designated relatives, and children under the age of 18 who are being cared for and supported by the adult caregivers.

Eligibility

Grants must be awarded to eligible organizations including 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, congregations, governmental and educational institutions for projects that will serve residents of Mecklenburg County. If the organization conducting the project is not an eligible organization, a grant can be applied for under the fiscal sponsorship of an eligible organization.

Ineligibility

Areas Not Typically Funded:Capital requests.Debt retirement/deficit funding or expenses incurred prior to grant award decisions.Direct support of individuals (e.g. scholarships, hardship).Duplication of existing programs or services by new organizations.Endowment funds.General operating support.Travel and conferences.Publication of books.Projects that are typically the funding responsibility of federal, state or local government.Projects that promote political or religious views.Political or lobbying activities.Sponsorships or fundraisers.In addition, the Family Stability Grant Program will not support the following:Programs/initiatives that primarily focus on providing basic needs such as housing, food, shelter, transportation, etc.Rental subsidy or voucher programs.Programs/initiatives that do not serve low-socioeconomic families.Programs/initiatives that do not directly align with the Opportunity Task Force key determinants and/or cross-cutting factors.