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City of Charlotte Neighborhood Leadership Awards: Nominate the best and brightest neighborhoods

In an effort to recognize the hard work of neighborhood organizations who keep our city vibrant, the City of Charlotte will host its annual Neighborhood Leadership Awards, a community celebration at Victory Lane Karting that will feature networking, engaging workshops and the Neighborhood Leadership Awards ceremony.

The City of Charlotte is asking residents and members of the community to nominate neighborhood organizations whose contributions to community improvement projects merit recognition. You can nominate your own neighborhood or others.

Nominations will be accepted in the following categories:

The deadline to submit nominations is Aug. 19. Click here to submit a nomination today!

Last month, the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte celebrated the grand opening of The Loft, a third-floor space that will provide an additional 64 beds to homeless women and children.

The City of Charlotte Housing Trust Fund contributed $500,000 towards the total project cost of $1.4 million. The philanthropic community -- including several foundations and private donors -- made significant financial contributions. The Salvation Army provided the remaining funds to complete the project.

The Salvation Army Center of Hope is an emergency shelter for women and children that provides three daily meals, case management, intervention programs, health care, child care, and guidance for school-aged children and teens. The program is free and open to Mecklenburg County residents. The Salvation Army is also one of three Coordinated Assessment sites for Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Coordinated Assessment connects individuals and families who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, to the best available shelter or housing resource.

For more information on Supportive Housing developments in Charlotte, please contact NBS Housing Development Program Manager Zelleka Biermann.

Do you know of a neighborhood that could benefit from a $25,000 neighborhood improvement grant? Or a business that needs grant funding to help with improving their building's appearance?

Check out the programs below to see which Neighborhood & Business Services (NBS) grant deadlines are quickly approaching.


NBS Facade Improvement Grant
NBS’ Facade Improvement Grant assists businesses and commercial property owners with improving their building’s appearance. In doing so, the program helps bring signs, parking and landscaping into conformance with current codes.

As part of the program, the grant provides eligible businesses or property owners with 50 percent reimbursement for certain architectural renovation expenses. Sixty percent reimbursement may be available on a case-by-case basis for businesses who use a certified Small Business Enterprise firm.

Applications are due Aug. 15. For more information, contact Veronica Mosley at vmosley@charlottenc.gov.

Neighborhood Matching Grants
The Neighborhood Matching Grants program awards up to $25,000 to eligible neighborhood-based organizations for community improvement projects ranging from landscaping and bike racks to Little Free Libraries and lighting upgrades. Organizations are also required to match the funds received with cash, volunteer labor, or in-kind donations.

Applications are due Tuesday, Sept. 15. For more information, contact Charlenea Duncan at csduncan@charlottenc.gov.

Help play a role in bridging Charlotte's digital divide

The internet is important to everyone, and access to it is becoming increasingly important as education systems, governments and businesses shift more and more services online.

However, according to a study conducted by the Knight School of Communication at Queens University, 19 percent of Charlotte households do not have internet access. This digital divide - the gap between those who are connected to the internet and those who are not - means there are Charlotte residents who are not participating in 21st century opportunities.

As a neighborhood leader, you can play a role in bridging the digital divide in your community.

When planning your Back to School event and other fall festivals, invite a local digital resource provider to attend your event to share their services with your neighbors. Doing so will help your neighborhood connect with the tools and resources needed to be successful.

To help you and your neighborhood with this, we have created a contact list for local organizations that provide digital training, internet access, and low-cost electronic devices. These organizations are able to staff tables at community events to showcase the services they offer. However, the number of events that each organization can attend may be limited.

If you’re not hosting a fall event but want to learn more about digital resources in Charlotte -- including plans underway to develop a digital inclusion strategy -- visit DigitalCharlotte.org and follow @digCLT on Twitter.

Neighborhood Board Retreat helps local neighborhoods plan for the future

NBS Neighborhood Board Retreats provide Charlotte neighborhoods with an opportunity to work with facilitators to develop visions, long-range strategic priorities and short-term project plans to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Check out this video from last month's Neighborhood Board Retreat to learn more about what the program can offer local communities.