Unite Charlotte Promotes Healing and Expands Opportunities With Funding By Vanessa Clarke Sam Smith, Director of External Engagement at United Way of Central Carolinas
The Premier Foundation of North Carolina community fair
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ounded after the social unrest that erupted following the Keith Lamont Scott killing in 2016, Unite Charlotte, a United Way of Central Carolinas initiative, has given new life to local grassroots organizations in the Charlotte area that work to advance racial equality and address economic mobility. Unite Charlotte has flourished under the leadership of the Director of External
Engagement, Sam Smith. Since Smith began working with Unite Charlotte in 2019, the program has transformed into one that helps to break down systemic barriers that often impede organizations that have Black and Brown leaders that are committed to serving marginalized groups. Unite Charlotte seeks to give organizations led by people of color a more pronounced voice in how they want to change and uplift their communities.
By the end of this year, Unite Charlotte will have awarded $2.2 million in funding to 33 organizations. Leaders of these agencies will also have an opportunity to earn a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University to help amplify their community impact. The Unite Charlotte program has a few requirements that Smith said “helped United Way move more toward a racial equity space... as this will be the face of what United Way will look like.” The organization must be led by a person of color, work toward racial equity and make below $250,000 in revenue. Unite Charlotte recipients must also submit a report detailing how they will use the funding. The final selections are made by an annually rotating panel of community leaders, clergy, elected officials, activists and other community members. Funding that Unite Charlotte gives to the chosen nonprofits has an unrestricted use and allows the leaders to use the funds for “anything that helps the health of the organization, such as salaries, supplies, utilities, and other things,” Smith said. Three outstanding nonprofit organizations that have received Unite Charlotte funding are The Academy of Goal Achievers, the Premier Foundation of North Carolina and GardHouse.
The Academy of Goal Achievers
When Courtnie Coble was preparing to apply for college, the only research she did was searching the internet. That’s why she founded The Academy
September-October 2021 | Pride Magazine
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