Spring 2017 Grants

Berryhill School

Charlotte, NC

Program support for “Project Horizon-Summer Cool” summer school to prevent summer learning loss in reading (Next Gen Advisory Board Grant*) $10,000

BEST NC

State Level – NC

General operating support for BEST NC, a nonprofit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to moving North Carolina’s education system from good to great $35,000

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

Charlotte, NC

Program support for community-wide Active Reading training for parents, tutors, volunteers and non-profits that aligns with Read Charlotte’s evidence-based practices $100,000

Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC)

State Level – NC

Program support for research on the effect of student teaching placements in NC to inform practice and policy to ultimately improve the performance and retention of early-career teachers $49,887

Institute for Emerging Issues

State Level – NC

Program support for five communities to launch high quality early childhood programming through systems improvement, research and data in partnership with the NC’s Pathways to Grade Level Reading initiative and IEI’s Forum focus on the economics of early childhood investment $150,000
(over 2 years)

Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at NC State University

Charlotte, NC

Program support for eight CMS STEM magnet elementary school teachers to complete a three-week summer internship in Charlotte businesses, participate in 80 hours of professional development, and create new curriculum that connects classroom to workplace skills $50,000

KIPP Charlotte

Charlotte, NC

Capital support to furnish and upfit classrooms and the library at the new location of KIPP Change Academy, scheduled to open in July 2017 $100,000

Montclaire Elementary

Charlotte, NC

Program support for Active Reading training and materials for Montclaire parents (Next Gen Advisory Board Grant*) $7,500

National Council on Teacher Quality

State Level – NC

Program support for analysis of teacher preparation programs in North Carolina in NCTQ’s upcoming edition of the Teacher Prep Review $50,000

Public School Forum

State Level – NC

Program support for The NC Safe and Supportive Schools Initiative for elementary school teacher training to respond to the impacts of childhood trauma on student learning and behavior $100,000

Queens University

Charlotte, NC

Program support for Queens School Executive Leadership Academy (SELA) and support for a joint Leadership Conference with CMS, led by noted education expert Paul Bambrick-Santoyo $96,272

Reading Partners

Charlotte, NC

General operating support for this researched-based, one-on-one volunteer reading tutoring program $75,000

The Hill Center

State Level – NC

Capacity building to increase the effectiveness, reach, and scalability of The Hill Center’s support of teachers across the state delivering the HillRAP model to struggling readers. The grant will allow for an integrated and user-friendly website interface and further development of the HillRAP professional development model. $90,000

The Innovation Project

State Level – NC

Program support for the adoption of the “restart model” for 40-50 continually low-performing schools in NC to redesign their approaches to human capital and student learning $150,000

University of North Carolina

State Level – NC

Program support for a review of the UNC system teacher preparation programs with an emphasis on evidence-based instruction in reading $120,000

WINGS for Kids

Charlotte, NC

Program support for WINGS, a results-driven after school program focusing on social and emotional learning within high-poverty elementary schools in CMS $60,000

Winterfield Elementary School

Charlotte, NC

Program support for the expansion of BEAR (Bringing Early Access to Reading) Bag literacy initiative designed to increase the exposure and foundational literacy skills for English Language Learners (Next Gen Advisory Board Grant*) $2,500

A+ Education Partnership

State Level - AL

General operating support for this statewide organization that works to ensure every child in Alabama has access to a quality education $50,000**

Teach for America – Alabama

State Level - AL

General operating support to recruit, train, and support corps members and alumni as they work to improve educational opportunities for students in Alabama $75,000**
(over 2 years)

KIPP Metro Atlanta

Atlanta, GA

Program support for the KIPP WAYS Primary STEM program, which utilizes a dedicated STEM coordinator to push in STEM related project-based learning to the early grades $75,000**
(over 2 years)

WINGS for Kids

Atlanta, GA

Program support for WINGS, a results-driven after school program focusing on social and emotional learning within high-poverty elementary schools in Fulton County $60,000**
(over 2 years)

* Continuing the family legacy, the Next Generation Advisory Board is comprised of 4th generation Belk family members who have come together to learn about the Belk Foundation legacy and mission, in part by running their own grantmaking process. This Advisory Board was formed in 2013.

** Historically, The Belk Foundation awarded grants in communities throughout the South, with more recent emphasis in Atlanta, GA and Birmingham, AL. In May 2016, the Foundation Board decided to hone its focus on its home state of North Carolina. We are deeply grateful for the many partners and educators that we have learned from and engaged with over the years and will invest in a small group of Atlanta and Birmingham-based organizations through 2018.

Fall 2017 Grants