Community Science worked with the John S. and James L Knight Foundation to document and assess the impact of Crossroads Charlotte. Crossroads Charlotte is an initiative that began in 2001 when Charlotte, North Carolina, was one of 40 communities that participated in a survey that revealed the community had high levels of faith-based involvement and philanthropy but ranked next to last in levels of social and interracial trust.

As a result of this work, Foundation for the Carolinas, together with major funding from the Knight Foundation, is funding Crossroads Charlotte. The initiative’s goal is to create an inclusive and equitable community by building organizational capacity for change and developing the leadership to implement change.

Using qualitative and quantitative methods, Community Science’s team examined the impact of the initiative through interviews with key stakeholders and a survey of community leaders. In addition, Community Science generated useful lessons about the grant making and community engagement work in Charlotte that may help inform future efforts in other communities. (2010-2011)