By Nick Wharton, President & CEO, Charlotte Area Fund
There’s a quiet but powerful engine that’s been empowering millions of Americans to climb out of poverty, gain meaningful work, build stronger families, and strengthen the economy.
It’s called the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), the primary federal funding stream for Charlotte Area Fund— and it’s currently on the chopping block.
In the ‘big beautiful bill’, the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)—the core funding source for 1,000 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) operating in 95% of U.S. counties¹—would be eliminated. This would devastate the national network of programs that CAAs support, especially those serving low-income families and seniors.
Community Action Agencies are the connective tissue in a national network of vital services for low-income families and seniors, including Head Start, the Weatherization Assistance Program, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
If the budget is indeed eliminated, programs like ours at Charlotte Area Fund (CAF) in Mecklenburg County and 32 other agencies across North Carolina would be crippled. The infrastructure supporting the working poor — the people who make this country function — would vanish.
And yet, most people are unaware this is happening.
What CSBG Actually Does
CSBG isn’t a handout. It’s a smart, flexible funding source that allows agencies like ours to design local solutions to local poverty — like high-demand career pathway training, education, food nutrition, childcare, financial education, emergency assistance, transportation, and housing support.
At Charlotte Area Fund, CSBG enabled us to:
● Direct $1.9 million CARES emergency assistance to families devastated by COVID
● Build MT25:40 Mobile Vehicle to provide the county’s unhoused with showers and washed clothing
● Launch CAF Financial Opportunity Center® in partnership with LISC Charlotte, helping families build income, reduce debt, and improve credit.
● Provide career pathway training in high-demand industries, helping participants gain living wage careers with real benefits.
● Deliver wraparound support that addresses barriers to success — including child care access, transportation, nutrition, and emergency financial assistance.
● Maximize every dollar received by effectively leveraging state, federal, and private resources to build sustained strategic partnerships with local nonprofits, businesses, and public agencies.
These efforts don’t just make people feel better — they sustain families and the economy!
In 2023 alone, CAF helped over 900 Mecklenburg County residents take critical steps toward economic stability. Over 70% of clients who completed workforce training found employment within 90 days.²
Why CSBG Matters Now More Than Ever
In a post-pandemic world marked by skyrocketing rents, rising childcare costs, and shrinking safety nets, CSBG is more essential than ever.
● Mecklenburg County ranks 38th out of 50 large cities in the U.S. for upward economic mobility for children born into poverty.³
● One in five children in Charlotte lives below the federal poverty line.⁴
● Nationwide, nearly 8 million people working full-time still fall below the poverty threshold.⁵
Eliminating CSBG now isn’t just ill-timed — it’s dangerous.
It would gut the very infrastructure needed to support working families, train future employees, and reduce intergenerational poverty. And once it’s gone, it won’t be easy to rebuild.
We Need Your Voice
I share this from a place of conviction, not fear. We’ve seen what’s possible when we invest in people — and we know what we stand to lose if we don’t.
I’m asking you to help us advocate:
● Contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to protect Community Action Agencies (CSBG), Head Start, the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in the federal budget.
● Talk to local leaders, business owners, and community influencers about what’s at stake.
● Share stories, statistics, and personal experiences that show how Community Action Agencies make a difference.
● Use your platform — no matter how big or small — to shine a light on the funding that fuels real transformation.
Let’s make sure America’s most economically marginalized have a fair chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
– Nick Wharton President & CEO Charlotte Area Fund www.charlotteareafund.org
SOURCES
1. Community Action Partnership. “CSBG at a Glance.” https://communityactionpartnership.com
2. Charlotte Area Fund Program Reporting, 2023.
3. Opportunity Insights: Harvard University. “The Opportunity Atlas: Mecklenburg County Mobility.” https://www.opportunityatlas.org
4. U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), 2022. https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/saipe/#/?map_geoSelector=aa_c
5. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. “A Profile of the Working Poor, 2022.” https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/working-poor/2022/home.htm