Mecklenburg County

Mecklenburg County, a North Carolina local government entity headquartered in Charlotte, acts as a federal grant recipient (67% of recent awards) and sub-recipient (33%) delivering community development, public health, homelessness prevention, transportation, and criminal justice services across multiple federal grant programs and pass-through state agencies.

Mecklenburg County's federal footprint centers on housing and homelessness programs, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development accounting for 120 awards under the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program (CFDA 14.267). Representative CoC awards include a $272,208 project grant effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, and a $440,540 project grant from January 1 through December 31, 2026, both supporting permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, homeless management information systems, and homelessness prevention activities in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Mecklenburg County also holds Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement awards from HUD under CFDA 20.507, with a formula grant running through September 1, 2033. Beyond housing, the county receives federal transit operating assistance through the Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (CFDA 20.507), including a $3.861 million formula grant awarded January 17, 2024 through March 30, 2029 to support Mecklenburg Transportation System for on-demand and subscription-based services for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and veterans, plus a $982,163 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act award for non-emergency medical transportation.

The county's public health programs are anchored by the Department of Health and Human Services and Environmental Protection Agency. Mecklenburg County Public Health has received CDC grants for workforce strengthening and infrastructure improvements (CFDA 93.738, awarded December 1, 2022 through November 30, 2027), substance abuse and mental health resilience (SAMHSA RECAST, CFDA 14.267 equivalent, awarded December 31, 2022 through September 29, 2026), and opioid response coordination through a cooperative agreement with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (awarded September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028). The EPA Region 4 has funded Mecklenburg County Air Quality for PM2.5 and air toxics monitoring infrastructure and operations across multiple project grants (CFDA 66.001 and related), including a $1.184 million award (August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2029) for vehicle and equipment replacement to reduce diesel emissions and nitrogen oxide in the Charlotte region.

Criminal justice and public safety work flows through the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance and Office on Violence Against Women. The county's Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office received a $125,000 body-worn camera policy and implementation grant (CFDA 16.835, October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026) and participates in opioid-response and mental health court programming. A $600,000 Violence Against Women grant (CFDA 16.021, October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026) funds supervised visitation, safe custody exchange, and civil legal assistance for families affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.

The county acts as a sub-recipient on numerous pass-through awards from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for child support services (TANF, Title IV-E foster care and adoption assistance, LINKS, WIC breastfeeding support), immunization, HIV/STI partner services, TB control, and emergency preparedness. Sub-grant work also includes behavioral health programming through Duke University's EASE program (substance use and mental health counseling with case management and HIV/HCV testing), job training and career development through the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, and green infrastructure projects through the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Activity has grown from 20 awards in 2022 to 43 in 2024, with 39 awards in 2025 and 12 year-to-date in 2026. Nine awards will reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating recompete opportunity on recurring formula and CoC grants. The county's posture is entirely federal grant recipient/sub-recipient; it holds no federal contracts, IDIQ seats, or GWACs. Across 45 distinct customer agencies, HUD's Community Planning and Development office dominates by award count (120 awards), followed by FEMA, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, CDC, and DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance. The combined obligated dollars across all awards stands at approximately $608.6 million against a combined potential value of $988 thousand, reflecting the mature, recurring nature of formula and entitlement grant funding that flows through the county's social services, public health, and transportation operations.