State earmark for tutoring takes African American Faith Alliance by surprise | WFAE 90.7

North Carolina’s $30 billion budget includes $6.5 billion in earmarks — money that lawmakers can designate for projects in their district. Charlotte’s African American Faith Alliance for Educational Advancement got $45,000, and the clergy who lead that group say they’re surprised and confused by it.

The grant to the faith alliance shows up in a database of earmarks created by the Raleigh News & Observer. The database says the money is for youth outreach and tutoring programs and comes from the Regional Economic Development Reserve.

Two leaders of the alliance say they just heard about the money this week and aren’t sure what they’re supposed to do with it.

“The African American Faith Alliance is strictly an advocacy group. It does not do tutoring. Does not have programs,” said Rev. Ricky Woods, senior minister of First Baptist Church West.

He and alliance chair Dennis Williams both say the group did not request state money and don’t know who included them in the budget, or why. The database does not identify the lawmaker who earmarked the money. Williams said he heard about the state money from a county commissioner, and he said one of his first questions was whether anyone could even allocate money for the faith alliance without permission.

Woods says alliance leaders met Friday to discuss what to do. “I don’t even know if we’re going to be able to accept the funds,” he said.

According to the database, the alliance’s grant is the smallest of nine designated for Mecklenburg County groups. Bigger grants include $10 million for capital improvements at Central Piedmont Community College and $9.2 million for Camino Community Development Corporation, which provides health care for people in need.

The faith alliance holds community forums and meets with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ leaders to discuss ways to improve academics for African American students. Woods says some of the congregations involved in the alliance do tutoring, but the alliance itself does not.

The alliance made news in recent years for urging county commissioners to withhold money from CMS until it produced better plans for student achievement, criticizing the leadership of then-Superintendent Earnest Winston and clashing with Hugh Hattabaugh, who stepped in after Winston was fired.