Grant helping boost tech training for N.C. residents

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charitable giving and volunteerism are on the decline nationwide, but one nonprofit in North Carolina is finding ways to grow despite the challenges.

Gallup reports global generosity slipped in 2024, with fewer people donating or volunteering compared to pandemic-era highs. Analysts point to philanthropic fatigue and shifting priorities amid economic uncertainties as factors behind the drop.

The trend is worrisome for nonprofits dependent on donations, but some organizations are pushing forward.

Per Scholas is a national nonprofit focused on economic mobility through technology training, ensuring community members are skilled and job-ready for high-demand careers.

The nonprofit is providing tech training at no-cost, particularly to those in underserved communities.

Per Scholas North Carolina offers virtual training throughout North Carolina and in-person technology training at its Charlotte and Wilkes Community College campuses.

The N.C. organization recently received a $300,000 three-year grant from the Leon Levine Foundation. These funds are helping the nonprofit expand its educational offerings to more high-demand areas statewide.

“This enables us to provide enough training for hundreds of people across the state for the next couple of years,” said Mike Terrell, senior managing director for Per Scholas North Carolina. “We have some incredibly generous philanthropic support, so our learners don’t have to bear any sort of cost burden for this.”

“That’s the biggest part of my job — trying to go out and find [financial] support. We’re a results-based organization. We want to make sure we’re continually seeing those results of helping individuals get employed so we can report back to the funders and show the support they’re giving us is truly making that huge economic impact on the community,” Terrell said.

Financial experts warn that declining donations could limit nonprofit capacity in coming years, increasing reliance on local, corporate and foundation partnerships. This is happening amid some organizations no longer receiving or experiencing a reduction in federal funds.

Terrell said that makes funders crucial for nonprofits longevity.

“Luckily, we’re not predominantly federally funded here [in North Carolina]. We did have plans to lean in and rely on that a little bit more in the future. Those are things we’ve sort of had to make some pivots on,” Terrell said.

“As that landscape sort of shifts, we are absolutely going to be leaning into our corporate and foundation partners to try and fill some of that gap,” Terrell said.

Per Scholas’ programs are preparing neighbors for careers like IT support, software engineering, and cybersecurity, helping graduates step into jobs without accumulating debt.

Students said this free training is critical in opening career doors.

Queen Andre already earned her bachelor’s degree. She came to Per Scholas to study the data technician course to prepare for an IT job.

“Once I graduate, I will not have to worry about any debt while still worrying about the debt of my four-year college education,” Andre said. “A stress I don’t have to worry about, just a weight lifted off your shoulder that you don’t have to come out of pocket.”

David McRae is a veteran and also came to Per Scholas North Carolina to pursue IT training.

He now works at Wells Fargo as an engineering associate.

McRae said this career opportunity was only possible because of Per Scholas.

“They have a veteran’s program at Wells Fargo, and at the end of it, they decided they wanted to keep me. The way I got accepted into that program was Per Scholas. The training I did here, the certification I got, put me on the radar for that veteran’s program. I wouldn’t have had the credentials to be considered and possibly a door that was shut to me,” McRae said.

Per Scholas recently hosted its five-year celebration in Charlotte, spotlighting the organization’s 2020 North Carolina campus launch.

Leaders said since that time, Per Scholas has trained over 1,000 learners in the Tar Heel State for various tech careers.