Funding
The funding for the CDE came from a variety of sources in FY2024:
*Note: $1 million in grant funding was awarded this fiscal year by the State and will be received between FY25 and FY26. Furthermore, ACP-related funding impacted both current grants and opportunities for additional revenue influencing the percentage of funding from MREI. Originally, MREI was anticipated to be 37% of the overall budget and, as shown above, landed at 43%.
The Knight Foundation endowment, the CDE’s original funding source, supports the basics of the organization’s structure including personnel expenses for leadership.
In FY2024 grants/service revenue includes the following:
- The North Carolina Division of Aging Adult Services to develop the tools for a statewide network of highly skilled individuals known as Digital Navigators, capable of teaching other professionals the basics of how to best utilize existing resources, teach a standardized digital curriculum, and work with older adults at various skill levels.
- The City of Charlotte to support overall City initiatives including the Access Charlotte program through Digital Navigator service.
- Your Home Your Internet federal grant through INLIVIAN to support a campaign around the Affordable Connectivity Program through the Digital Navigator service, including the funding of five part-time Digital Navigators.
- The North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office to provide Digital Navigation training for NC Counts employees and grantees, as well as United Way NC211 Digital Navigators.
- The North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office Digital Equity Champions Grant to expand the Digital Navigator service to surrounding counties. Grant was awarded this year and funding will be provided between FY25 and FY26.
Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative
FY2024 was the second year the CDE received MREI funding. This funding continued to build on the foundational pillars started in FY2023 and added a no-cost device pipeline to the ecosystem.
As a result of our innovative initiatives—including the device pipeline, Train the Trainer framework, and community council development—a diverse array of organizations and partners within our ecosystem have experienced significant financial benefits. These benefits come directly from the CDE paying for devices and program licensing on their behalf, and indirectly through enhanced operational efficiencies, expanded service capabilities, and acquired skills. Collectively, these financial benefits amount to nearly $500,000. Below is a list of the primary organizations and partners that have benefited:
| Organization | Number of Laptops | NorthStar or Community Council Co-Chair | Estimated Direct and Indirect Financial Benefit |
| Camino | n/a | Yes | $500 |
| Renaissance West Community Initiative | n/a | Yes | $500 |
| Rogger Matamoros | n/a | Yes | $5,000 |
| Margaret Scurry | n/a | Yes | $5,000 |
| Judith Brown | n/a | Yes | $5,000 |
| Maurice Lewis | n/a | Yes | $5,000 |
| Loreal Harper | n/a | Yes | $5,000 |
| E2D, Inc. | 2,030 | n/a | $405,500* |
| CDE Individual Distributions | 692 | No | $138,400 |
| YWCA | 126 | No | $25,200 |
| Roof Above | 125 | No | $25,000 |
| Hickory Grove Elementary School | 100 | No | $20,000 |
| Urban League of Central Carolinas Inc. | 90 | No | $18,000 |
| Let’s Talk About It – The Autism Center, Inc. | 75 | No | $15,000 |
| Marizetta Kerry Child Development Center | 66 | No | $13,200 |
| A Brighter Day Outreach | 57 | No | $11,400 |
| Latin American Coalition | 50 | Yes | $10,500 |
| First In Families | 50 | No | $10,000 |
| The Accelerated Training Program (T-ATP) | 40 | No | $8,000 |
| Charlotte Rescue Mission | 40 | Yes | $8,500 |
| Harmony Health Therapeutic Services | 40 | No | $8,000 |
| Beatties Ford Vocational Trade Center | 40 | Yes | $8,500 |
| Seasons of Giving Lake Norman | 40 | No | $8,000 |
| Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte | 37 | No | $7,400 |
| Harris YMCA | 32 | Yes | $6,900 |
| Freedom Fighting Missionaries | 37 | No | $7.400 |
| Charlotte Area Fund | 25 | No | $5,000 |
| Mecklenburg County DSS | 23 | No | $4,600 |
| MeckEd | 21 | No | $4,200 |
| Trades Tech | 20 | No | $4,000 |
| Strive CLT | 15 | No | $3,000 |
| City Startup Labs | 13 | No | $2,600 |
| Newell Elementary | 12 | No | $2,400 |
| Avian Robotics | 10 | No | $2,000 |
| Emmaus | 20 | No | $4,000 |
| Forest Hill Church Eastland | 10 | Yes | $2,000 |
| Common Wealth Charlotte | 6 | No | $1,200 |
| CLTRising | 5 | No | $1,000 |
| The Center for Community Transitions | 4 | No | $800 |
| Stan Greenspon Center at Queens University of Charlotte | 4 | No | $800 |
| Pathways NC Inc. | 4 | No | $800 |
| Empowerment Publishing & Multi-Media | 3 | No | $600 |
| A Giving Heart Project, Inc. | 3 | No | $600 |
| Cultivate Hope NC | 5 | No | $1,000 |
Future revenue sources
Through IIJA and North Carolina’s state-sponsored digital equity efforts, there are several upcoming opportunities for funding. Promising opportunities include competitive grants and funding to support the implementation of the state’s digital equity plan. Although many of the exact dollar amounts are unknown, part of our FY2025 planning includes implementing a funding strategy with a field expert that will help us successfully approach some of the competitive opportunities, as well as identify possibilities for more permanent and sustainable funding sources.