Search Through Mecklenburg County Grants for Nonprofits in North Carolina

Cultural Organization Support Grants

The Cultural Organization Support Grant program is an opportunity for nonprofit cultural organizations to invest in their team so they can deliver on their mission. This program provides financial resources for Mecklenburg County based arts, science, history, and heritage organizations to invest in capacity building opportunities that improve their organization’s management, develop audiences, strengthen fundraising and/or achieve operating efficiencies. ASC encourages staff and board development at all levels of the organization.

Purpose

Cultural Organization Grants may support organizations seeking to improve their management, develop audiences, strengthen fundraising and/or achieve operating efficiencies. ASC encourages staff and board development at all levels of the organization. Cultural Organization Support Grants support capacity building opportunities that improve an organization’s understanding of its own environmental culture, the history and legacy of white supremacist structures, the ways in which individuals and organizations play a role in maintaining or disrupting these structures and create concrete plans of action to embody equity in their work.

Charitable Contributions

Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. Throughout the year we receive a large number of requests from nonprofit organizations striving to make a positive impact, and we are thankful to be able to provide support to a variety of organizations and causes. While we would like to respond favorably to all requests, understandably, the needs are far greater than our allocated resources and we are unable to accommodate them all.

Warehouse Donations:

Warehouse donations are handled at the warehouse level - please consult your local warehouse for up-to-date information regarding their donations contacts and review process.

Grant Applications

If the request is under consideration, you may be contacted by staff for any additional information needed. Applications are reviewed within 4-6 weeks, and decisions are made based on several factors, including: type of program; identified community need not otherwise available; indication that evidenced based data will establish measurable results of intended outcomes; community collaboration; broad base of financial support; project budget and operating expenses.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Cisco welcomes applications for Global Impact Cash Grants from community partners around the world who share our vision and offer an innovative approach to a critical social challenge.

We identify, incubate, and develop innovative solutions with the most impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We’re looking for programs that fit within our investment areas, serve the underserved, and leverage technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services. We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. An initial information form is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application.

Social Investment Areas

At Cisco, we make social investments in three areas where we believe our technology and our people can make the biggest impact—education, economic empowerment, and crisis response, the last of which incorporates shelter, water, food, and disaster relief. Together, these investment areas help people overcome barriers of poverty and inequality, and make a lasting difference by fostering strong global communities.

Education Investments

Our strategy is to inclusively invest in technology-based solutions that increase equitable access to education while improving student performance, engagement, and career exploration. We support K-12 solutions that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as literacy. We also consider programs that teach environmental sustainability, eliminate barriers to accessing climate change education, and invite student engagement globally to positively affect the environment.

What we look for:

• Innovative early grade solutions using the internet and technology to bridge the barriers preventing access to education for underserved students globally.
• Solutions that positively affect student attendance, attitudes, and behavior while inspiring action by students to improve learning outcomes, whether they participate in person, online, or in blended learning environments. 
• Solutions with high potential to replicate and scale globally, thereby increasing the availability of evidence-based solutions that support student-centricity, teacher capacity in the classroom, and increased parental participation to help students learn and develop.

Economic Empowerment

Our strategy is to invest in early stage, tech-enabled solutions that provide equitable access to the knowledge, skills, and resources that people need to support themselves and their families toward resilience, independence, and economic security.

Our goal is to support solutions that benefit individuals and families, and that contribute to local community growth and economic development in a sustainable economy.

We target our support in three interconnected areas:

• Skills development to help job seekers secure dignified employment and long-term career pathways in technology or other sectors, including environmental sustainability/green jobs.
• Inclusive entrepreneurship with small businesses as engines of local growth as well as high growth potential start-ups as large-scale job creators nationally and internationally, in technology or other sectors, including environment sustainability/green businesses.
• Banking the unbanked through relevant and affordable financial products and capacity building services.

Cisco Crisis Response

We seek to help overcome the cycle of poverty and dependence and achieve a more sustainable future through strategic investments. We back organizations that successfully address critical needs of underserved communities, because those who have their basic needs met are better equipped to learn and thrive.

What we look for:

• Innovative solutions that increase the capacity of grantees to deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently
• Design and implementation of web-based tools that increase the availability of, or improve access to, products and services that are necessary for people to survive and thrive
• Programs that increase access to clean water, food, shelter, or disaster relief and promote a more sustainable future for all
  • By policy, relief campaigns respond to significant natural disaster and humanitarian crises as opposed to those caused by human conflict. Also by policy, our investments in this area do not include healthcare solutions.

Climate Impact

Our strategy is to invest US$100 million in Cisco Foundation funds over the next decade to help reverse the impact of climate change, working toward a sustainable and regenerative future for all.

The commitment includes both grant and impact investment funding for early-stage climate innovation. Both categories of support will be focused on bold climate solutions, and the grants side will also concentrate on community education and activation. Grants will go to exceptionally aligned nonprofit organizations, while impact investments will go to highly promising for-profit solutions through the private sector and climate impact funds.

Funding comes from the Cisco Foundation and will focus on:

• Identifying bold and innovative solutions that:
  • Draw down the carbon already in the atmosphere
  • Regenerate depleted ecosystems and broadly support the transition to a regenerative future
• Developing curricular initiatives to spur community engagement that can lead to measurable behavioral change and collective action

We will prioritize organizations that can achieve, measure, and report outcomes such as:

• Reduction, capture, and/or sequestering of greenhouse gas and carbon emissions
• Increased energy efficiency and improved mapping and management of natural resources, such as ecosystem restoration, forest treatments, reforestation, and afforestation that also will help repair our water cycles
• Transition to inclusive, just, coliberatory, and regenerative operating models, ways of being, and ways of organizing economies
• Creation of, and increase in, access to green jobs and job training
• Changes in community and individual behavior that lead to carbon footprint reduction, community climate resilience, and localized roadmaps to a sustainable shared climate future for all

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

The Plus Collective

We are a giving program and foundation that awards grants to organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community in the Charlotte region while also cultivating partnerships with community allies.

Grassroots Grants

The Plus Collective (TPC) will award grants to Charlotte-area organizations serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community.

Grassroots Grants are intended to build capacity and strengthen the effectiveness of startup organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) nonprofit status) whose primary objective is to serve the Charlotte-Mecklenburg LGBTQ+ community, allowing TPC to reach organizations with unmet needs that fall outside of the current Basic Operating and Programs, Projects, and Events (PPE) Grant parameters. Grassroots Grants will be awarded to support general operations as specified in the grant application that exemplify the vision of

Grassroots Grants cannot exceed $2,000.

Funding Priorities

Applicant organizations should exemplify TPC’s vision: The organizations’ services should support the following:

• Building understanding and appreciation, as well as promoting the value of inclusion within the organization’s circle of influence, for LGBTQ+ populations.
• Cultivating leadership opportunities for LGBTQ+ people.
• Engaging and including people with diverse backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identity in programs, services and organizational values.

Funding Considerations

As you complete your application, give special consideration to documenting the following criteria which will be used in making grant decisions:

• Scope of impact: The organization has a positive impact on its audience and the Charlotte LGBTQ+ community.
• Nurtures individuals to actualize their potential: The program, project or event supports individuals within the LGBTQ+ community in their personal journey through acceptance, pride, support of community and leadership.
• Presents a positive image of LGBTQ+ people to the community: The program, project or event presents a fair and positive understanding of people who are LBGTQ+.
• Effectiveness: The organization is effective at utilizing resources to provide the services and benefits it offers.
• Budget: The organization’s budget presents reasonable costs for services performed and an efficient way to achieve the objectives.
• Diversity: The organization engages and includes people of color, trans individuals and others typically underserved within the LGBTQ+ community.
• Defined measures: The organization identifies clear objectives and uses relevant metrics and measures to define a successful outcome.
• Organizational experience: The organization has the appropriate talent, skills, and experience to execute its objectives and effectively utilize grant funds.

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

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 support
• Parents 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. 

Background

The Social Capital Grants program aligns with the recommendations of the Opportunity Task Force. It is designed to support organizations and programs focused on building social capital-networks, relationships, and access to opportunities --- through the lens of increasing economic opportunity for all children, youth, and families in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

The program will concentrate on supporting and strengthening organizations and programs that build and nurture social capital within communities, among communities, between organizations, and promotes a culture of caring and life navigation.

Building Social Capital & Promoting a Culture of Caring

• All children, youth, and families have access to pipelines of opportunities to development, resources, information, and positive networks and relationships.
• Organizations, business, educational and religious institutions, along with individuals collectively leverage their connections, relationships, and resources to help improve life of all children, youth, and families.
• Development of mutually genuine and trusting relationships, that promote the exchange of ideas, perspectives, and personal stories. 
• Development of a culture of caring that's demonstrated to every child, youth and families in Mecklenburg County.

Life Navigation

• All children and youth have access to an enduring person or persons of caring and support that expose them to new opportunities, connect them to careers, and assist with navigation of educational systems and life. 
• All children, youth, and families are offered tangible pathways to achieving their active aspirations*. 

*Active aspirations are goals that a person is consciously and deliberately working toward--requiring an individual to invest time, energy, and resources.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

What We Do

We serve as the designated “Office of Cultural Resources” for the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and six suburban towns by providing advocacy, cultural education programs, cultural planning, fundraising, grant making, public art and workshops and trainings for the cultural community. We work to ensure Culture For All by combining resources from local and state government with those of the private sector to maximize community impact throughout the cultural sector.

We work every day to ensure access to an excellent, relevant, and sustainable cultural community for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Region.

Commitment to Cultural Equity

ASC’s Cultural Equity Statement makes the commitment to uphold, “cultural equity in all ASC investments, governance and administrative policies and practices.” With that commitment and an interest in building a stronger sense of belonging in our community, we welcome applications led by culturally specific organizations, and those celebrating and nurturing people who are Seniors, Disabled, Immigrants, Low-Income, Women and Girls, LGBTQIA, and those of African, Latin-a/o/x/e, Asian, Arab, and/or Native American descent.

Equity In Our Grantmaking Practice

ASC accepts applications to the Cultural Vision Grant program from individuals, large and small non-profit organizations, and community groups. We recognize the need for community programming in every neighborhood across Mecklenburg County. We encourage applications from every township in Mecklenburg. We encourage applications which provide community programs centered around history, science, and technology. ASC intentionally recruits panelists who represent the diversity of our community, share our commitment to equitable grantmaking, and represent the different disciplines of our applicants. These panels are responsible for selecting which applications ASC funds. 

Purpose

The Cultural Vision Grant program directly responds to the Charlotte Mecklenburg community’s interest in arts, science, history and heritage programming that builds strong communities and demonstrates innovative, relevant and transformative cultural expression. ASC seeks to support high quality arts and culture projects presented within Mecklenburg County by Creative Individuals or Nonprofit Organizations that advance one of the following goals:

• Building Community by connecting individuals across points of difference
• Building Community by nurturing, celebrating, and supporting authentic cultures and creative expression
• Increasing Relevance by using arts, science and history to address complex community issues
• Increasing Innovation by supporting the creation of new and groundbreaking work

Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to quality and clear intention toward at least one of the objectives above and a capacity for success. 

Matching Funds

ASC Cultural Vision Grants require grantees to leverage additional funding from sources other than ASC. This may include funding from other grants, cash on hand, or in-kind contributions. ASC grant may represent up to 50% of the project budget, or $10,000, whichever is less. If producing matching funds is an obstacle to your participation in the program, please contact grants@artsandsicence.org prior to the deadline to discuss the situation.  

Additional Panel Considerations

• We support programming with, by and for under-invested populations, which may include people who are: Seniors, Disabled, Immigrants, Low-Income, Women and Girls, LGBTQIA, and those of African, Latin-a/o/x/e, Asian, Arab, and/or Native American descent.
• We recognize a need for projects that will occur in Charlotte-Mecklenburg communities beyond the Center City area.
• We seek programs that engage communities in scientific and historic curiosity.
• We look for participatory audience experiences.

Description

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation (CMCF) is a permanent endowment at Foundation For The Carolinas. CMCF’s Board of Advisors directs its grantmaking to support a community where every resident is afforded the opportunity to be well-educated, safely housed, meaningfully employed and actively engaged in community decisions. CMCF 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 residents in Mecklenburg County, N.C.

Result and Investment Areas

CMCF’s intended investments for this grant opportunity originate from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report (March 2017) and Leading on Opportunity’s Opportunity Compass. Launched in 2022, the Opportunity Compass is a tool that provides a shared language for the key determinants of economic mobility and establishes a baseline for future progress for our community. Recognizing the importance of investing in efforts that we know move the needle on economic mobility, the most competitive applications in this grant cycle will clearly demonstrate how their organization’s work addresses at least one economic mobility indicator reflected within the Opportunity Compass. CMCF encourages all applicants to explore the Opportunity Compass prior to applying.

Cradle to Career

A child’s earliest years have a profound and lasting impact on their school success, their career success, and their lives. CMCF seeks proposals that address early childhood (birth to kindergarten) and college and career readiness (elementary school to age 24). Priority will be given to proposals that will:

• Ensure access to safe and enriching early care and education or strengthen the early care and education workforce in Mecklenburg County, N.C.
• Support parents and other caregivers as a child’s first teacher in promoting positive early brain development.
• Broaden the range of and access to high-quality college and career pathways offered by K-12 and post-secondary institutions and equip students with the necessary information and guidance to understand them.
• Create more on-ramps to education, training, and employment for disconnected youth and young adults, including paid work-based learning opportunities for students.
• Expand and strengthen support for first-generation or low-socioeconomic status students as they transition to and complete post-secondary education.

Women's Impact Fund Grant

Our grantmaking process has two purposes. First, to make high-impact grants to local nonprofit organizations. Second, to train our members as thoughtful philanthropists. We continue to lean into trust-based philanthropy principles and aim to conduct a fair, transparent grantmaking experience.

Program Areas

Women’s Impact Fund makes annual grants in five program areas. Nonprofits must choose in which program area to apply.

• Arts & Culture
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Human Services

Funding Principles

• Builds resilience and/or demonstrates the ability to adapt to changing societal and environmental circumstances
• Reduces disparities in our community
• Increases accessibility
• Responsive to, or aware of, root causes
• Considers racial and/or gender equity
• Serves populations that are underserved or not reached through other resources or organizations

Funding

Grant applications, member vote, and the grant pool size determine recipients and grant amounts. Grants for can range from $10,000 to $100,000. Unlike prior years, WIF is not asking applicants to request a specific funding amount.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Community Service Grant Program

The Community Service Grant Program is an opportunity for the County to partner with nonprofit organizations to help meet the needs in our community through a competitive application process. 

Who Can Apply?

Nonprofit organizations that serve Mecklenburg County residents. In addition to the eligibility requirements, grant awards are often driven by how well the applicant’s program aligns to the County’s Strategic Business Plans, the Board of County Commissioners’ priorities and the availability of funds. Eligible organizations should apply under one of the four goal areas that reflect the County's strategic priorities:

• Connected Community
• Economic Opportunities
• Healthy Community
• Safe Community

How Long Does the Grant Last?

Grants last for a period of one year. Programs (not organizations) that are awarded funding for three consecutive fiscal years will be sunset from the CSG program and, if an application is submitted for the following year, consideration will be given for a vendor relationship within a Mecklenburg County department.

The Plus Collective

We are a giving program and foundation that awards grants to organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community in the Charlotte region while also cultivating partnerships with community allies.

Programs, Projects, and Events (PP&E) Grants

The Plus Collective (TPC) will award up to $25,000 in Programs, Projects and Events (PPE) Grants to a select group of Charlotte-area organizations serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community.

Programs, Projects and Events (PPE) Grants are awarded to encourage LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to serve the Charlotte-Mecklenburg LGBTQ+ community either directly or in partnership with another organization(s). The program, project or event should exemplify the vision of

LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ organizations are eligible for (i) ONE direct PPE Grant of up to $5,000 or (ii) ONE PPE grant of up to $7,500 if applying in partnership with another 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization(s).

Organizations may apply for either a Basic Operating Grant or a Programs, Projects and Events (PPE) Grant, but NOT both.

Funding Priorities

Applicant organizations should exemplify TPC’s vision: The organizations’ services should support the following:

• Building understanding and appreciation, as well as promoting the value of inclusion within the organization’s circle of influence, for LGBTQ+ populations.
• Cultivating leadership opportunities for LGBTQ+ people.
• Engaging and including people with diverse backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identity in programs, services and organizational values.

Funding Considerations

As you complete your application, give special consideration to documenting the following criteria which will be used in making grant decisions:

• Scope of impact: The organization has a positive impact on its audience and the Charlotte LGBTQ+ community.
• Nurtures individuals to actualize their potential: The program, project or event supports individuals within the LGBTQ+ community in their personal journey through acceptance, pride, support of community and leadership.
• Presents a positive image of LGBTQ+ people to the community: The program, project or event presents a fair and positive understanding of people who are LBGTQ+.
• Effectiveness: The organization is effective at utilizing resources to provide the services and benefits it offers.
• Budget: The organization’s budget presents reasonable costs for services performed and an efficient way to achieve the objectives.
• Diversity: The organization engages and includes people of color, trans individuals and others typically underserved within the LGBTQ+ community.
• Defined measures: The organization identifies clear objectives and uses relevant metrics and measures to define a successful outcome.
• Timeline: The proposed timeline is realistic for accomplishing the outcomes.
• Organizational experience: The organization has the appropriate talent, skills, and experience to execute its objectives and effectively utilize grant funds.

The Plus Collective

We are a giving program and foundation that awards grants to organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community in the Charlotte region while also cultivating partnerships with community allies.

Basic Operating Grants

The Plus Collective (TPC) will award Operating Grants to Charlotte-area organizations serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community.

Basic Operating Grants are intended to build capacity and strengthen the effectiveness of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations whose primary objective is to serve the Charlotte-Mecklenburg LGBTQ+ community. Grants will be awarded to support the general operations of organizations that exemplify the vision of

Organizations may apply for either a Basic Operating Grant or a Programs, Projects and Events (PPE) Grant, but NOT both.

Funding Priorities

Applicant organizations should exemplify TPC’s vision: The organizations’ services should support the following:

• Building understanding and appreciation, as well as promoting the value of inclusion within the organization’s circle of influence, for LGBTQ+ populations.
• Cultivating leadership opportunities for LGBTQ+ people.
• Engaging and including people with diverse backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identity in programs, services and organizational values.

Funding Considerations

As you complete your application, give special consideration to documenting the following criteria which will be used in making grant decisions:

• Scope of impact: The organization has a positive impact on its audience and the Charlotte LGBTQ+ community.
• Effectiveness: The organization is effective at utilizing resources to provide the services and benefits it offers.
• Budget: The organization’s budget presents reasonable costs for services performed and an efficient way to achieve the objectives.
• Diversity: The organization engages and includes people of color, trans individuals and others typically underserved within the LGBTQ+ community.
• Defined measures: The organization identifies clear objectives and uses relevant metrics and measures to define a successful outcome.
• Organizational experience: The organization has the appropriate talent, skills, and experience to execute its objectives and effectively utilize grant funds.

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Our Mission

The Hansen Family Foundation provides opportunities to domestic, international, secular, and non-secular organizations that support the American way of life, which is defined by the principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Causes

Children

The Hansen Family Foundation supports causes dedicated to helping children both home as well as abroad. Learn More

Education

The Hansen Family Foundation believes that a decent education should be made available to everyone, young or old, the world over. Learn More

Animals

The Hansen Family Foundation believes in helping those who cannot speak on their own behalf. Learn More

Environmental

The Hansen Family Foundation is dedicated to preserving the world we all share. Learn More

Humanitarian

The Hansen Family Foundation views the plight of our fellow man as an opportunity to actively engage and effect change. Learn More

Arts & Culture

The Hansen Family Foundation supports all forms of artistic and cultural endeavors. Learn More