The Canopy Housing Foundation's Community Grants Program launched in 2009. Its purpose is to provide financial support to nonprofit organizations that address unmet housing needs in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties.

Each year, grants are awarded and provide valuable funding and recognition to organizations that are making a difference in the lives of others.

Since 2009, the Canopy Housing Foundation's Community Grants Program has funded $267,499.70 to area nonprofit organizations to address unmet housing needs in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties.

The deserving organizations who have received funding since 2009 are detailed below.

2018 Community Grants Program Recipients

A Child's Place
$3,000 to fund the ACP Emergency Fund Reserve to allow the community-based social worker to support homeless children and families in crisis situations.
Realtor® referral: Marcy Basrawala, Dickens Mitchener

Ada Jenkins Center
$3,000 to provide direct housing assistance to families who have progressed within the Investment Pathway program.
Realtor® referral: Arlene Arciero, Southern Homes for the Carolinas, Inc.

Beds for Kids
$2,300 to purchase 32 dressers for the organization’s client children and their families; this furniture will create a more stable and sustainable environment as they transition into permanent housing.
Realtor® referrals: Cullen McNulty, McNulty Realty and Jen Wetzel, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Paracle

Changed Choices
$3,000 to provide stable, sober and supportive housing for six women, who otherwise would be homeless, upon their return to society following incarceration.
Realtor® referrals: Jonathan Roberts, Jonathan Roberts Realty and Marlyn Jamison, Allen Tate

Charlotte Family Housing
$3,000 for move-in expenses for four families experiencing homelessness for when they transition from temporary shelter.
Realtor® referral: Dan Cottingham, Cottingham Chalk

Charlotte Housing Authority Scholarship Fund
$3,000 to support the cost of mentor training and mentee student activities for two months as students engage in skills that help them create and sustain a path to success during their college tenure, therefore assisting in breaking the cycle of generational public housing.
Realtor® referral: Roger Parham, Allen Tate Company

Home4Me
$3,000 to provide seven Home4Me College kits and 11 Bed-in-a-Bag kits to teens aging out of foster care.
Realtor® referral: Antonio Worsham, Equity North Carolina Real Estate

Lily Pad Haven
$3,000 to support Operation Hope, a home renovation project intended to ensure that the safe houses for human trafficking victims remain open and habitable for trafficking survivors and their children.
Realtor® Referral: Tori Robinson, Keller Williams Realty

QC Family Tree
$3,000 to make structural repairs of long-deferred maintenance on a recently acquired property that will be used for long-term, low-income housing.
Realtor® referral: David Kennedy, T.R. Lawing Realty, Inc.

Safe Alliance
$2,999.70 for the purchase of 1,818 single-ride bus fares for residents of the Clyde & Ethel Dickson Domestic Violence Shelter so that survivors can regain independence and transition from the shelter to safe and affordable housing.
Realtor® referral: Lynn Johnson, Savvy & Co. Real Estate

Supportive Housing Communities
$3,000 to provide a storage unit for furniture and appliances for prospective residents along with building supplies and tools to maintain decent housing for all SHC residents.
Realtor® referral: Robert Dulin, Keller Williams Realty

The Relatives
$3,000 to purchase mattresses and bedframes for homeless young adults who are exiting homelessness and seeking housing through The Relatives’ housing program.
Realtor® referral: Carolyn Taylor, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

Time Out Youth
$3,000 to provide support for the Host Home Program and Emergency Financial Assistance Program, which will help provide transitional housing for 10 homeless LGBTQ youth.
Realtor® referral: Frances Dawson, RE/MAX Executive

The T.R.E. Foundation
$2,400 to provide resources to prepare and distribute lunches for 200 homeless individuals in Charlotte for 12 months.
Realtor® referral: Renata Henderson Murray, Wilkinson ERA Real Estate

2017 Community Grants Program Recipients

Beds for Kids, Inc.
$2,500 to purchase 250 blankets for homeless families and children.
Realtor® Referrals: Cullen McNulty, McNulty Realty; Ben Bowen, Ben Bowen Properties; and Caleb Troop, Dane Warren Real Estate

Carolina Comfort Coalition / Serenity House
$530 to purchase two therapeutic contour mattresses to improve the comfort and healthcare of their patients during their end-of-life care.
Realtor^® Referral: Laura Marx, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolinas Realty

Changed Choices
$2,500 to provide rental assistance for women who are newly released from incarceration to aid in their transition back into society.
Realtor® Referral: Jane Kusterer, Allen Tate Company

Community Culinary School of Charlotte
$3,000 to provide half the cost for one homeless participant to attend a 14-week culinary arts, life skills and job placement training program.
Realtor® Referral: Missy Banks, Allen Tate Company

Charlotte Crown Realtist Association
$2,700 to provide funding for the annual Get On The Bus Tour where consumers visit prospective homes as well as attend a home-buying seminar.
Realtor® Referral: Antonio Worsham, Equity North Carolina Real Estate

Charlotte Family Housing
$3,000 to provide resources to care for 12 homeless families for a period of one month each as they work toward stabilization.
Realtor® Referral: Dan Cottingham, Cottingham Chalk Hayes, Realtors®

Charlotte Housing Authority Scholarship Fund
$3,000 to provide support for a mentoring program to encourage first-generation students living in public/subsidized housing to graduate to break the cycle of poverty.
Realtor® Referral: Roger Parham, Allen Tate Company

Charlotte Rescue Mission
$2,200 to provide for heat-reflecting tint at the Dove’s Nest women’s facility, which will aid in cooling the building and reducing energy costs.
Realtor® Referrals: Kim Overman, Allen Tate Company

Crisis Assistance Ministry
$2,500 to purchase unassembled bedframes with storage kits to meet the needs of families in financial crisis.
Realtor® Referral: Joe Naccarato, Allen Tate Company

Gracious Hands Transitional Housing
$3,000 to assist 12 families transitioning out of the homes program (mostly women and children) with utilities deposits and necessities for the home/apartment.
Realtor® Referral: Joan Inglis, CD Realty

Men’s Shelter of Charlotte
$2,970 to provide bus passes for homeless men in the shelter to have transportation to jobs and job interviews.
Realtor® referral: Penny Teeter, Shearer Realty

My Sister’s House (Friendship Community Development Corp.)
$3,000 to provide 10 residents with assistance toward deposits and application fees for permanent, safe and affordable housing.
Realtor® Referral: Anthony Lindsey, GLOBECROSSING, LLC

QC Family Tree
$2,700 to support the renovation of one apartment unit in Enderly Park, which will be used to house a low-income resident at an affordable rent.
Realtor® referral: David Kennedy, T.R. Lawing Realty, Inc.

Safe Alliance
$2,500 to provide single-ride bus fares for residents of the domestic violence shelter to aid in their transition to safe, affordable housing.
Realtor® referral: Lynn Johnson, Savvy & Co. Real Estate

The Relatives
$3,000 to purchase mattresses and bedframes for homeless young adults who are exiting homelessness and seeking housing through The Relatives’ housing program.
Realtor® referral: Carolyn Taylor, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

The T.R.E. Foundation
$2,400 to provide resources to prepare and distribute lunches for 200 homeless individuals in Charlotte for 12 months.
Realtor® referral: Renata Henderson Murray, Wilkinson ERA Real Estate

2016 Community Grants Program recipients

Angels and Sparrows
$3,000 to purchase food to feed those in the community without homes who face hunger on a daily basis.
Realtor® Referrals: Andrea Montague, Allen Tate and Danae Caulfield, Allen Tate

Beds for Kids, Inc.
$2,500 to purchase 250 blankets for homeless families and children.
Realtor® Referrals: Cullen McNulty, Keller Williams, Shannon Hildreth, Giving Tree Realty, Sarah Salton, HM Properties and Jennifer Wetzel, RE/MAX Executive Realty

Charlotte Rescue Mission
$3,000 to undertake a shower renovation to support the homeless men at the Rebound Campus.
Realtor® Referral: Bessie Tate, Allen Tate

Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte
$3,000 to provide translation and interpretation services for refugee families seeking to establish a credit history and/or purchase a home.
Realtor® Referrals: Lisa Blanton, Cottingham Chalk Hayes and Logan Smith, Prostead

Kids First of the Carolinas
$3,000 to provide clothes, school supplies, food, bedding and towels for children in need.
Realtor® Referral: Logan Smith, Prostead

Hope Haven
$3,000 to support age-appropriate therapeutic groups for children of chemically-addicted individuals ages 0-5.
Realtor® Referral: Bessie Tate, Allen Tate

Matthews Help Center
$3,000 to provide financial-crisis assistance to six families at a cost of $500 per client.
Realtor® Referral: Cat Stamper, Allen Tate

RunningWorks
$2,600 to be used to assist with transportation for individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
Realtor® Referral: Sherry George, Dickens Mitchener

Supportive Housing Communities
$3,000 to purchase 20 new mattresses for use by formerly homeless people moving into scattered-site housing and to replace mattresses at McCreesh Place.
Realtor® Referrals: Robert Dulin, Keller Williams South Park and Natalie Terry, Terry Realty

The T.R.E. Foundation
$400 to prepare and distribute lunches for 200 homeless individuals in uptown Charlotte for two months.
Realtor® Referral: Renata Henderson Murray, Wilkinson ERA Real Estate

Time Out Youth
$2,500 to provide transition housing and case management for ten LGBTQ homeless youth.
Realtor® Referral: David Deal, Allen Tate

Urban Ministry Center
$2,500 to purchase cleaning supplies for tenants in the HousingWorks program.
Realtor® Referral: Josie Mazzaferro, Fetch Realty

2015 Community Grants Program recipients

Beds for Kids, Inc.
$2,500 to purchase 30 new Sealy twin mattresses for client families.
Realtor® Referrals: Cullen McNulty, Keller Williams Ballantyne; Shannon Hildreth, Giving Tree Realty; Sarah Salton, HM Properties; Jennifer Wetzel, RE/MAX Executive Realty

Changed Choices
$2,500 to provide stable, sober and supportive housing for six women who would otherwise be homeless upon their return to Charlotte following incarceration.
Realtor® Referrals: Jane Kusterer, Allen Tate Company

Charlotte Community ToolBank
$2,000 to increase the on-site tool inventory to be used primarily in the special event category as well as for tool repairs.
Realtor® Referral: Michael Seaton, RE/MAX Executive Realty

Children’s Hope Alliance
$2,900 to help with the purchase and installation of heavy-duty and tamper-proof “Knox Boxes” on campus buildings housing domestic abuse victims so that emergency / first responders can gain immediate access in the event of an emergency.
Realtor® Referral: Arlene Arciero, Southern Homes of the Carolinas

Community Link
$2,500 to support one formerly homeless veteran with homeownership education and counseling for one year, resulting in that veteran becoming a first-time homeowner.
Realtor® Referral: Dempsey Miller, D Real Estate Company, LLC

Crisis Assistance Ministry
$3,000 purchase inexpensive, unassembled pieces of furniture to be assembled / delivered by volunteers at no cost to families moving from homelessness into housing.
Realtor® Referral: Joseph Naccarato, Allen Tate Company

Diakonos (Fifth Street Ministries)
$2,000 to be applied to the purchase of washers and dryers for use by the residents and individuals that are homeless and / or impoverished.
Realtor® Referral: Sally Parker, Lake Norman Realty, Inc.

Kids First of the Carolinas
$3,000 to provide families with school supplies, food, bedding, towels and furniture.
Realtor® Referral: David Barnhardt, First Charlotte Properties

Men’s Shelter of Charlotte
$2,000 to provide short-term financial assistance to former clients to help maintain their housing through the Housing Disruption Fund.
Realtor® Referral: Frank Deaton, Keller Williams South Park

Safe Alliance
$3,000 for the purchase of 1,704 single-ride bus fares for residents of the Clyde and Ethel Dickson Domestic Violence Shelter.
Realtor® Referral: Lynn Johnson, Savvy + Co. Real Estate

Time Out Youth
$2,000 to support the “Host Home and Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) Program” providing transitional housing for ten LGBTQ homeless youth and also provide case management to obtain permanent housing.
Realtor® Referral: Tracy Gregg, 5 Points Realty

Vision Possible Ministries
$2,600 to make necessary home improvements to a house that was donated to the non-profit. Following repairs, the home will be used to provide a home for single homeless fathers to ensure they will not be separated from their children.
Realtor® Referrals: Joan Goode, Dickens Mitchener & Co.; Stephanie Cline, Belle Properties

2014 Community Grants Program recipients

Beds for Kids, Inc.
Received $2,500 to purchase 30 new Sealy twin mattresses for children in need.
Realtor® references provided by Jennifer Mildenberger, Shannon Hildreth and Cullen McNulty.

Bradley-Reid Corporation
Received $1,650 to provide one veteran with two months of rent, food, nutrition and toiletries.
Realtor® reference provided by Valerie Lewis.

Changed Choices
Received $2,000 to provide four scholarships for women in re-entry from jail or prison who need help covering the cost of housing.
Realtor® reference provided by Jonathan Roberts.

Diakonos Inc. (Fifth Street Ministries)
Received $2,500 to provide for the purchase of plates, cups, utensils and small appliances to assist with the preparation of over 85,000 meals to the homeless.
Realtor® reference provided by Edwin Hunter.

Love In The Name of Christ (Love INC)
Received $2,000 to provide for building materials to construct handicap ramps for people who are poor, elderly and have disabilities.
Realtor® reference provided by Vivian Munson.

Men’s Shelter of Charlotte
Received $2,000 to provide rental assistance to house eligible men experiencing homelessness through Rapid Re-Housing Program. 
Realtor® reference provided by Robert Dulin.

The Salvation Army Center of Hope
Received $2,000 to provide assistance for a shelter diversion pilot program, which would reroute families from potentially being homeless back into housing.
Realtor® reference provided by Nancy Braun.

The Harvest Center of Charlotte
Received $1,700 to provide funds to complete work on one house for three men who will be part of the transitional housing program.
Realtor® reference provided by Dan Cottingham Sr.

Time Out Youth Center
Received $2,000 to provide funds for the Host Home and Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) program providing transitional housing for ten lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ) homeless youth and provide case management to obtain permanent housing.
Realtor® reference provided by David Deal.

YWCA Central Carolinas
Received $1,650 to provide for the aftercare for graduates of the Families Together (FT) program, a residential program for families with children who have experienced homelessness.
Realtor® reference provided by Joan Goode.

2013 Community Grants Program Recipients

A Child’s Place
Awarded $2,250 to provide financial assistance for rent, lease deposits and utility bills to homeless families involved in their programs.

Barium Springs
Awarded $2,500 to provide life-training skills for youth aging out of the foster care system who continue to need transitional support.

Changed Choices
Awarded $2,250 to provide rent and utility costs for clients who are in a recovery program for offenders.

Horizon Development Properties
Awarded $1,000 to purchase computers for a self-sufficiency program for homeless women and children.

Love in the Name of Christ
Awarded $2,500 to purchase materials to construct handicap ramps for people who are poor, elderly and/or disabled.

Time Out Youth
Awarded $2,000 to provide assistance for emergency transitional housing for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, and Questioning homeless youth.

Urban Ministry Center
Awarded $1,000 to purchase cleaning supplies and provide a laundry subsidy for the Housing Works Program's chronically homeless and disabled residents.

YWCA
Awarded $1,500 to provide matching funds toward security and utility deposits for Families Together Program graduates.

2012 Community Grants Program Recipients

Changed Choices
$2,500 to support clients in transition from prison to the Changes Choices supervised home. This funding will contribute towards five months of support ($500 each) for the rent and utilities for five clients.

Diakonis (Fifth Street Ministries)
$2,500 to provide mattress covers for 154 beds in the shelter and transitional housing program to be used to combat the continuing negative health effects of transient living.

Love In The Name of Christ
$2,500 to purchase materials to build handicap ramps for people who are poor, elderly or who have disabilities. All ramps are built with volunteer labor.

Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Charlotte
$1,500 to purchase a one-year license for the Kid’s College Math & Literacy Learning System program for homeless children who are part of the Boys & Girls Clubs program.

Samaritan House, Inc.
$2,500 to provide short-term recuperative care for homeless men and women following a hospital stay. This organization is currently the only one that offers this type of assistance in the Charlotte area.

United Family Services
$1,000 for bus passes for the Shelter for Battered Women. These passes will be utilized to assist clients in obtaining employment and to start them on the path to a more secure future.

Urban Ministry Center
$2,500 to provide six month of utility costs for three chronically homeless people who currently have no disability income or housing voucher. Clients typically suffer from physical or mental health disabilities, a substance abuse issue, or a combination of both.

2011 Community Grants Program Recipients

Builders of Hope
$1,300 was used to provide tools for eight individuals going through the “Hope Works!” Mentoring Program; each person in the program will develop construction skills and basic workplace competencies to transition to a self-supportive environment and independent lifestyle.

Carolinas Care Partnership
$2,500 was used to assist with the rent and utility deposits to help of five families and individuals with HIV/AIDS who need secure and stable housing; most of these clients struggle to find adequate housing due to their health situation.

Charlotte Family Housing
$2,500 was used for housing deposits to help five Charlotte families living in shelters move into housing on their own where they will receive supportive services.

Children’s Homes of Iredell County
$2,500 was used to provide educational training materials, college application funds, and transportation funds for employment and college visits to the young adults in the Children’s Homes’ Transitional Living Program, which houses children aging out of the foster care system.

Love In the Name of Christ
$1,200 was used to purchase materials for eighteen handicap ramps for people of few resources, senior adults and people with disabilities in Mecklenburg County; this gives homeowners the freedom to enter and exit their homes safely and easily.

2010 Community Grants Program Recipients

Changed Choices, Inc.
$2,500 was used to finance the living costs of five clients for one month while they worked to attain employment and their first paycheck; allowing former female inmates the opportunity to transition back into society while receiving mentoring, counseling, education and life coaching. This funding helped these women (and their children) to make positive changes in their lives and to achieve self-sufficiency by overcoming the barriers of finding a job and a safe place to live.

Men’s Shelter of Charlotte
$2,500 was used to assist with the rent and utility deposits to help 10 of the community’s most fragile citizens begin the process of moving out of the shelter while still receiving supportive services from the Continuing Care Component; these support services allowed them to obtain and maintain housing.

Residential and Support Services
$2,500 was used for the “First in Families” project that provides assistance to families that are in need of help with their mortgage payments and are in danger of losing their homes. All of these families also have the additional challenge of caring for a family member who is developmentally disabled.

Samaritan House
$2,500 was used to provide a home-like environment for homeless men and women as they recuperated after a hospital or emergency room stay; funds were also used to support the process of referring these individuals to local social service agencies where they could obtain additional assistance to aid in transitioning them into stable housing.

2009 Community Grants Program Recipients

Latin American Coalition
$2,500 was used for the Hispanic Homeownership Initiative to assist in serving 387 families, which resulted in 66 successful house closings. Funds were also utilized in offering foreclosure prevention and budget counseling for 60 families to help prevent mortgage delinquency.

Wesley Community Development Center
$2,500 was used to pay the pre-development costs and architect’s fees for completion of a three-bedroom home to be built in Cornelius for three mentally disabled adults. In addition, the funds were used to leverage challenge grants from surrounding churches within the United Methodist Church districts and have served to assure that Realtors® are considered leaders in establishing this project.

Urban Ministry Center
$2,000 was used to pay for 12 phone lines for use through the SABER program. The utilization of these funds allowed residents (homeless and currently undergoing drug treatment and job counseling) to achieve stability in their lives by seeking permanent employment and housing.

The Salvation Army Center of Hope
$2,000 was used to purchase 1,777 one-ride bus passes for the 60 participants in the Show Up for Life job-training program. As a result, 22 women gained employment and are now on their way to the next step of transitional living and housing.

Hope House
$1,000 was used to transform a utilitarian garage into a safe, recreational space for homeless residents of all ages while residing at Hope House. As the last space to be renovated, this funding allowed the center to open for full occupancy this past fall and will offer a home to 12 adult women and their children for up to a six month stay.

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The mission of the Canopy Housing Foundation is Realtors® creating housing opportunities through advocacy, education, funding and leadership.