Charlie Gardner is a program officer for The Winston-Salem Foundation, within the focus area of Building an Inclusive Economy. He manages the foundation’s grant-making in two primary areas: promoting equitable transportation initiatives and addressing the racial wealth gap in Forsyth County through asset building and debt reduction. Since 2020, he has led the Foundation’s work to utilize both grants and mission-aligned investments to support BIPOC business ownership by improving access to capital and technical assistance. Gardner currently serves on the board of the Asset Building Coalition of Forsyth Count and is the chair of the coalition’s advocacy committee. He also serves on the loan committee for the CARes Project, which is a local CDFI that makes affordable car loans to people with poor credit history. Prior to coming the foundation, he served as a grants manager at an NGO that worked in international development, healthcare, civil rights, and conflict resolution. And at a national faith organization, he served as a program manager that developed resources and trainings for regional grantmakers that funded anti-poverty initiatives.
Gardner has a Master of Science in Data Science from Regis University. He is a graduate from the University of Notre Dame, where he received both a M.A. in Theology and a B.A. in the Program of Liberal Studies.