Title
Knight Foundation Grant: North End Smart District
Action
Action:
A. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for the North End Smart District, and
B. Adopt a budget ordinance appropriating $60,000 from the Knight Foundation for the North End Smart District in the Neighborhood Grants Fund.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Phil Reiger, General Services
Sarah Hazel, City Manager’s Office
Explanation
§ In December 2019, the Knight Foundation awarded the City of Charlotte $60,000 to fund ongoing smart cities work in the North End Smart District in Council Districts 1 and 2.
§ The city applied for the one-year grant, which will allow residents to collaborate with government, nonprofit, and private sector partners on projects including:
- Urban Arboretum Trail Community Youth Engagement through Mobile Application Development:
§ The Urban Arboretum Trail is a component of a larger tree canopy preservation program, consisting of smaller properties where trees are preserved and amenities are added to create meaningful connections with neighbors through public space.
§ Through the inclusion of smart technologies, the city will engage youth in the planning and use of the trail.
§ The grant may be used to purchase supplies and materials needed for public engagement activities, or to fund the delivery of digital community engagement products.
§ The city is not required to provide matching funds for this grant.
Background
§ The North End Smart District, comprised of eight neighborhoods (Genesis Park, Park at Oaklawn, Greenville, Brightwalk at Historic Double Oaks, Druid Hills, Lockwood, Optimist Park, and Graham Heights), optimizes infrastructure and services for public good through partnerships between government, companies, universities, and neighborhoods.
§ Smart cities initiatives leverage technology, data, and partnerships to deliver city services more effectively and improve quality of life for residents.
§ The Knight Foundation Community Foundations Program focuses on building an equitable and inclusive city that attracts and retains diverse talent, promotes economic opportunity, and fosters a culture of civic engagement.
§ The work funded by this grant will expand upon work that originated in May 2017 under grant funding from The Funders’ Network ($75,000), the Knight Foundation ($50,000), and OrthoCarolina ($25,000). Foundational projects completed with the original (2017) grant funding include:
- Healthy Communities: Engaged participants to take practical, every day steps to improve their health and the health of the community through healthy eating and tracking organic waste diversion.
- Tech Charlotte: Helped residents develop career pathways by providing access to technology education and training through Road to Hire, Earn a Laptop, Digi-Bridge STEM Saturdays, and Tech Charlotte Youth Internships.
- Smart Homes: Provided participants with weatherization, training, and smart technologies to reduce the cost burden of high utility bills and resource waste.
- Build Your Own Kickstart: Addressed the community-identified goal of improving access to fresh, healthy produce through a North End farmers market.
Fiscal Note
Funding: Knight Foundation Grant
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Map
Budget Ordinance