Funding
The funding for the CDE came from a variety of sources in FY2025:
The Knight Foundation endowment, the CDE’s original funding source, supports the basics of the organization’s structure including personnel expenses for leadership.
In FY2025 grants/service revenue includes the following:
- The North Carolina Division of Aging Adult Services to implement the tools for a statewide network of highly skilled individuals known as Principal Digital Navigators, capable of developing local ecosystems, teaching other professionals the basics of how to best utilize existing resources, and working with older adults at various skill levels.
- The City of Charlotte to support overall City initiatives including the Access Charlotte program through the Digital Navigator service.
- The North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office Digital Equity Champions Grant to expand the Digital Navigator service to surrounding counties (Union, Gaston and Cabarrus). The grant was awarded in FY24 and funding will be provided through FY26.
- The Barings Social Impact investment for a wrap-around approach to digital opportunities across affordable housing communities.
- The Charlotte Alliance Foundation investment to support entrepreneurs navigating the Regional Innovation & Support for Entrepreneurs (RISE) platform.
- The Spectrum Digital Education program to support digital skills training, access to resources, and technical support across affordable housing communities.
Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative
FY2025 was the third year the CDE received MREI funding. This funding continued to build on the foundational pillars started in FY2023.
As a result of our collaborative 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 over $500,000. Below is a list of the primary organizations and partners that have benefited from the ecosystem:
| Organization | # of Laptops | NorthStar or Community Council Co-Chair | Estimated Direct or Indirect Financial Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerated Training Program T-ATP | 32 | N/A | $6,400 |
| Albemarle Commission | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Asociación Colombiana Charlotte | 20 | Yes | $4,500 |
| Black Coalition of Peer Support Specialists | 6 | Yes | $1,700 |
| Building Hope Building Commitment | 20 | Yes | $4,500 |
| By His Stripes Wellness Center | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| C.W. Williams Community Health Center Inc. | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Camino | 30 | Yes | $6,500 |
| Catholic Charities | 20 | Yes | $4,500 |
| CDE Digital Navigator Service | 666 | N/A | $133,200 |
| CDE St. Luke | 33 | Yes | $7,100 |
| Center for Community Transitions | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Centralina AAA | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Charlotte Area Fund | 10 | N/A | $2,000 |
| Charlotte Bilingual Preschool | 10 | Yes | $2,500 |
| Charlotte Rescue Mission | 52 | Yes | $10,900 |
| Charlotte Steam Works | 4 | N/A | $800 |
| City of Charlotte | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| CMPD Special Victims Unit | 1 | N/A | $200 |
| Communities in Schools of Charlotte Mecklenburg | 9 | Yes | $2,300 |
| Creative Play Preschool | 2 | N/A | $400 |
| Crittenton | 13 | N/A | $2,600 |
| Cultivate Hope | 5 | N/A | $1,000 |
| Diagnostic Days Recipients | 273 | N/A | $54,600 |
| E2D* | N/A | Yes | $504,100 |
| Earl Inscore | 1 | N/A | $200 |
| Eastern Carolina Council (ECC) | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Empowerment Media | 10 | N/A | $2,000 |
| Erika's Closet | 14 | N/A | $2,800 |
| Factors of the Seven/ Fifteenth Street Church of God | 19 | N/A | $3,800 |
| Fenix Collective | 10 | N/A | $2,000 |
| First in Families | 100 | N/A | $20,000 |
| Forest Hill Church | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Freedom Fighting Missionaries | 30 | N/A | $6,000 |
| Greater Steps Scholars | 6 | N/A | $1,200 |
| Handy Tech Solutions | 30 | N/A | $6,000 |
| Harmony Health PLLC | 1 | N/A | $200 |
| Hickory Grove ES | 75 | N/A | $15,000 |
| High Country Council of Governments | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| JCSU By His Stripes | 40 | N/A | $8,000 |
| JCSU Cannon Christian Center | 12 | N/A | $2,400 |
| JCSU Charlotte Area Fund | 50 | N/A | $10,000 |
| JCSU Community Youth Learning in Action Inc | 22 | N/A | $4,400 |
| JCSU Factors of the Seven | 20 | N/A | $4,000 |
| JCSU Green Kids Science Club | 15 | N/A | $3,000 |
| JCSU Laptop Request: Be Prepared America | 60 | N/A | $12,000 |
| JCSU Laptop Request: Miles Technology Solutions LLC dba Miles Enterprise Solutions | 30 | N/A | $6,000 |
| JCSU Laptop Request: Project 658 | 10 | N/A | $2,000 |
| JCSU Life Changing Church/My Daughter's Keeper | 30 | N/A | $6,000 |
| JCSU Moore's Sanctuary AME Zion Church | 93 | N/A | $18,600 |
| JCSU New Creation Baptist Church | 40 | N/A | $8,000 |
| JCSU The Connect Center | 40 | Yes | $8,000 |
| JCSU Urban League | 100 | Yes | $20,000 |
| Jones County Government | N/A | N/A | $500 |
| Judith Brown | N/A | N/A | $2,500 |
| Kiddie Farms Child Dev. Ctr. | 3 | N/A | $600 |
| Kika's House | 12 | Yes | $2,400 |
| Know More Tears | 20 | Yes | $4,000 |
| Land of Sky Regional Council | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Latin American Coaltion (LAC) | 43 | Yes | $9,100 |
| Lions Services | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Loreal Harper | N/A | N/A | $2,500 |
| Margaret Scurry | N/A | N/A | $2,500 |
| Maurice Lewis | N/A | Yes | $2,500 |
| Mecklenburg County DSS | 25 | Yes | $5,000 |
| Mecklenburg County Guardian Ad Litem | 3 | N/A | $600 |
| Mid East Commission | N/A | N/A | $500 |
| NC State University | N/A | N/A | $500 |
| Ndatche | 16 | N/A | $3,200 |
| North End Initiative | 10 | Yes | $2,000 |
| Novant Bridges to Healthcare | 57 | N/A | $11,400 |
| Pathways NC | 5 | Yes | $1,500 |
| Per Scholas | 107 | N/A | $21,400 |
| Prepare2Prosper | 13 | Yes | $2,600 |
| Renacer Atrium Health | 15 | Yes | $3,500 |
| Renaissance West Community Initiative | 45 | Yes | $9,500 |
| Revelation Truth Center | 6 | Yes | $1,200 |
| Rogger Matamoros | N/A | Yes | $2,500 |
| Roof Above | 20 | Yes | $4,500 |
| Shackle Free Community Outreach | N/A | N/A | $500 |
| Smart Start | 10 | Yes | $2,000 |
| Southwestern Commission | N/A | Yes | $500 |
| Strive CLT | 34 | Yes | $7,300 |
| The American Childhood Cancer Organization | N/A | N/A | $500 |
| Trusted Parents | 6 | N/A | $1,200 |
| UISAC | 45 | Yes | $9,000 |
| Urban League of Central Carolina | N/A | N/A | $500 |
| Venezuelan Alliance | 10 | Yes | $2,000 |
| YMCA Harris | 36 | Yes | $7,200 |
| YMCA of Greater CLT | 30 | Yes | $6,500 |
*Note: most of the laptops provided to the other organizations listed were paid for through this funding (E2D).
Future Revenue Sources
As the Center for Digital Equity (CDE) prepares for its next chapter, we are continuing to implement our long-term sustainability model rooted in collaboration, innovation, and shared growth. In partnership with PwC, we are actively shaping a commercialization strategy that identifies areas where CDE’s expertise—such as system-level consulting, implementation support, and strategic coordination—can provide value to the broader ecosystem. This is not about replacing community-based services or competing for limited resources. Rather, it is about discovering where our unique capabilities can reinforce and uplift the trusted network of partners that already exist—and where new revenue models can help fuel that collective work.
While many digital opportunity programs both local and across the nation remain authorized; the timing and availability of those funds remain fluid. As such, our FY2026 planning reflects a proactive approach—building a diverse mix of funding streams that includes institutional partnerships, philanthropic investment, and earned income aligned with our mission. This model allows us to remain responsive to changing funding landscapes while continuing to anchor our work in trust, collaboration, and shared impact across the ecosystem.