Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation is Updating its Grants Process with a Focus on Trust-Based Philanthropy

With the launch of its updated grants process, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation hopes to usher in a new era of its philanthropy. By introducing significant changes to its grant cycles and funding priorities, CMCF – a competitive grantmaking program of Foundation For The Carolinas – is reaffirming its commitment to building a stronger, more equitable community.

Starting in 2025, CMCF will offer two grant cycles to eligible 501(c)3 publicly supported charities, with applications for the spring cycle open from March 10 to April 18. These grants will focus on organizations that advance youth from cradle to career, build social capital, provide family stability, and promote civic engagement.

Other changes that CMCF will introduce to the grantmaking process include:

• Streamlining Grant Cycles: Transitioning from three annual grant cycles to two, with a focus on simplifying the application process.
• Expansion to Include General Operating Support: Grants can now be used for operational support in addition to program-specific requests.
• Enhanced Transparency: Introducing a scoring rubric to provide organizations with summarized feedback on their submitted grant applications.
• Introduction of Civic Engagement as a Priority: Civic engagement is now included as one of the investment areas for grant funding.

This marks the first significant update to CMCF’s grantmaking approach since 2017 when it aligned its funding strategy with insights from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report. The report – which spotlighted Charlotte’s challenges with economic mobility and offered a path forward – sparked transformative responses across the community, launching programs, forming new organizations and driving significant investments.

A Renewed Focus on Economic Mobility

The Foundation’s new grantmaking framework aligns with Leading on Opportunity’s Opportunity Compass, a data-driven tool launched in 2022. This resource establishes measurable indicators of economic mobility, guiding community investments and progress. Priority will go to organizations whose work directly addresses these key determinants of economic mobility.

While recent data from Opportunity Insights highlights progress – Charlotte no longer ranks last among major U.S. cities for economic mobility – Federico Rios, FFTC’s senior vice president of the Robinson Center for Civic Leadership, stressed the importance of sustained investment.

“Our updated focus areas and grantmaking process reflect our ongoing commitment to this work,” Rios said. “We must invest for the long-term to foster a landscape of economic opportunity for all current and future residents of our community.”

Embracing Trust-Based Philanthropy

The revised grant process also reflects a broader shift toward Trust-Based Philanthropy, prioritizing flexibility, transparency and collaboration. This approach reimagines the dynamics between donors, nonprofits and communities to shift power and decision-making into a more equitable partnership model.

For the first time, CMCF will accept applications for general operating support alongside program-specific funding. Additionally, applicants can access a toolkit with a revamped application and scoring rubric to better understand the grant review process.

“This evolution represents our first steps to incorporate Trust-Based Philanthropy principles into our grantmaking,” Rios noted. He also acknowledged the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation’s Board of Advisors for their leadership in driving these changes.

With these updates, CMCF reaffirms its commitment to economic mobility and community well-being, ensuring that philanthropy continues to serve as a catalyst for transformative change.

Resources for Applicants

To support applicants, CMCF will host a webinar on March 4 at 1:00 p.m. to provide insights into the updated process. Registration is required and a recording will be available for those unable to attend. For additional details, visit FFTC’s Online Grants Center and select “Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation” in the Grant Program Name field.

For more information about the grantmaking changes, contact Nicole Fote at nfote@fftc.org.

Visit www.charmeck-cf.org for a list of the CMCF’s previous grant awards.