The Community Impact Committee spent the fall connecting in person with our Nonprofit Partners, formerly known as Grantees. Our committee was interested to learn how the Women’s Impact Fund’s unrestricted grant had affected the goals and outcomes of the organizations. We also started the discussion of how WIF can sit beside instead of across the table in better support of their organization.

In the next few months, we will be sharing Mission Moments in our newsletter which will go into more detail about how our Nonprofit Partners are growing and how we as an organization and as individuals can contribute to their organization through more awareness of their events, volunteer opportunities and the work they are doing in our community.

Below is a brief takeaway from the impact of our grants in our fall reports.

Charlotte Art League – $76,000 – 2022

Our grant assisted them in expanding free arts programming for homeless and at-risk youth. They were also able to hire a part-time Administrative Assistant to help manage event calendars, and gallery installation schedules and help with other operational needs. They are working to change the phrase “We didn’t know you existed.”

Charlotte Youth Coalition – $95,000 – 2021

Our grant assisted them in hiring a program director for underclasswomen/underclassmen programs. This director will be launching and designing the ninth-grade program. They also used the funds to start a college persistence platform that supports students and tracks data on the students.

Heart Math – $80,000 – 2022

Our grant assisted 1,250+ tutors to become engaged and finish orientations in 26 schools. Their goals (academic and confidence) were met during last year’s program – 97% of all students met math growth goals and 90% of teachers noted increased confidence/enthusiasm in their Heart students. EOG test scores also rose from 2021, but not quite to 2019 levels.

Carolina Farm Trust – $70,000 – 2021

Our grant assisted them to build out an urban farm at Aldersgate, distribute produce through The Boy and Girl Farm, deliver food to 13 senior citizen nutrition sites, run a mobile pantry, facilitating a Lunch and Learn with Atrium, and working on food as medicine programming.

Sustain Charlotte – $95,000 – 2022

Our grant assisted them in continuing to build a transportation coalition that meets with city council members and builds relationships between the community and elected leaders, organizing a connectivity study on the east side of Charlotte, and providing speakers for the 704 Academy. Our grant supported the hire of a Director of Donor Engagement and an advocacy manager.

Johnson C. Smith University Birthing Professional Program – $76,000 – 2021

Our grant assisted them in hiring a Classroom Program Professional, providing scholarships for needy participants, and a long-overdue upgrade of their website. BPP has three programs to prepare individuals for accreditation as a Birth Doula, Perinatal Educator, and Lactation Consultant.

The Bulb – $95,000 – 2022

Our grant assisted them in their ability to focus on their core mission and capacity building, giving them greater flexibility to support whatever the mobile markets might need at any given time. The Bulb operates 12 mobile markets between Charlotte and Concord.

Commonwealth Charlotte – $95,000 – 2021

Our grant assisted them in engaging 5044 clients with financial empowerment through workshops and one on one counseling sessions. Trust is a critical component to serving this client base.  Predatory lending has targeted these communities aggressively and this experience creates skepticism when CWC is offering 0% loans and other services free of charge.  Being a recipient of a WIF grant further legitimizes CWC and builds trust in the community.

Refugee Support Services – $40,000 – 2021

Our grant assisted with hiring 4 new staff members expanding their capacity for outreach and engagement. April through September they had 608 participants, 177 volunteers, and 286 donors. They are now acting as a resettlement agency as many people they are serving classify as Humanitarian Parolees (Afghan, Ukrainian) instead of refugees. This distinction changes the support they qualify from the government/case manager. Our grant supports this new role.