Three Charlotte organizations are receiving $17 million from the national nonprofit Knight Foundation to support economic development, culture and community cohesion.
The largest portion of the grant -- $10 million -- will be allocated to two projects in the Historic West End. The remaining funds will support expanding Charlotte Ballet facilities and the launch of a journalism initiative by North Carolina News Lab Fund.
Charlotte Ballet Executive Director Doug Singleton called the Knight Foundation "game-changers." As Charlotte grows, so too does its ballet, he said.
"The new investment is really going to allow us to think about our new facilities and how we can transform the North Tryon block that we're on," Singleton said. "We see more need and we are running out of space in our current studios."
The foundation's funding was announced Sunday night at a community celebration at the Mint Museum. The groups were chosen through longtime, ongoing relationships with the foundation, spokeswoman Rebecca Dinar said.
"We're proud to support and accelerate transformative projects like the Charlotte Ballet's new dance facility, a resident-led food cooperative in the Historic West End and the launch of Press Forward Charlotte to strengthen local news," foundation CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth said in a statement.
"We invest in their ideas, their visions and their capacity to shape their futures."
The four groups receiving Knight Foundation funding are:
▪ Local Initiatives Support Corp. Charlotte will receive $8.75 million. LISC will use the funds to support the development of a resident-managed cooperative grocery store in the Historic West End. This initiative aims to provide access to fresh, healthy groceries in the west side of Charlotte, which lacks traditional grocery stores. The 1,500-square-foot, mixed-use space will feature a business incubator.
Officials with LISC did not respond to a request for comment.
▪ Charlotte Ballet was awarded $5 million for its facility expansion in the North Tryon corridor. The ballet's expansion will include housing for artists-in-residence, new dance studios and outdoor event space, according to the city of Charlotte's North Tryon Vision Plan. The vision plan calls for a mixed-used development featuring mixed-income housing with retail and restaurant space, as well as space for the ballet and the McColl Center art gallery.
The ballet's fundraising goal is $60 million, Singleton said. With fundraising getting underway, he said the foundation's gift is "like a stamp of approval."
▪ North Carolina News Lab Fund will see $2 million to support the creation of Press Forward Charlotte. This initiative, part of a larger half-billion-dollar national effort to rejuvenate local journalism, aims to strengthen Charlotte's local news system through partnerships with local funders, such as Wells Fargo and United Way of Greater Charlotte.
The news lab funding supports a diverse range of information networks across the state, including journalists, community organizers, health workers and storytellers.
▪ Historic West End Partners, which covers an 8.8-mile historic African-American corridor near uptown Charlotte, will receive $1 million to foster small business and commercial development centered on the needs and desires of residents. In July, the nonprofit and LISC purchased purchased a Beatties Ford shopping center for $1.3 million at 1121 Beatties Ford Road, The Charlotte Observer reported. Called Thrive Food Hub, it includes a convenience store and other businesses.
Officials with Historic West End Partners did not respond to a request for comment.
The Knight Foundation has a long history of supporting Charlotte, having invested $100 million in the community over the last 20 years. In the spring, the foundation awarded a $5 million grant to the Charlotte Symphony to go to the orchestra's $50 million fundraising campaign to ensure the stability of its endowment.
How the Charlotte Symphony quietly raised $41 million to help ensure a stable future
The foundation's funding has helped "drive significant economic and community development," LISC Executive Director Ralphine Caldwell said in a statement.
Founded in 1955, the Knight Foundation is a national organization that fosters community engagement, supporting local journalism and advancing the creative economy. It is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
It operates in 26 cities, including Charlotte, with a focus on enhancing the quality of life for residents through investments in the arts, culture and journalism.