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Common Wealth Charlotte, a 2021 WIF grant recipient, replaces reliance on charitable and government assistance with financial capability, equipping Charlotte’s economically vulnerable population with:

  • trauma-informed education
  • certified financial counseling
  • asset- and wealth-building skills
  • access to banking services and 0% interest, no-fee loans

 

Charlotte is home to 200,000 people who work full-time and take home around $1,600 a month.  That’s enough for them to pay for housing, transportation, childcare, and food—unless a car breaks down, a child gets sick, or an injury leads to missed days at work. Then, the financial situation grows precarious. That is economic vulnerability.

Being financially capable is the foundation of true upward economic mobility. A CWC Opportunity Loan is a positive alternative to a predatory loan or asking for financial assistance. Since 2016, Common Wealth Charlotte has worked with more than 15,000 clients.

During the pandemic, Common Wealth experienced a tremendous increase in clients needing assistance. The need for 1:1 counseling doubled, the non-profit told WIF in November. It was truly a case of the “mission meeting the moment.” As of November, levels had stabilized back to pre-pandemic levels.

Currently, Common Wealth is still conducting video-only counseling and education. The non-profit created a business development position to expand its reach to clients served, especially now that so much counseling and education take place virtually. Going forward, Common Wealth foresees the benefits of a hybrid model in growing the capacity of its impact. Many clients actually prefer virtual counseling as it removes the hurdle of securing transportation and child care in order to attend meetings.

Common Wealth delayed hiring a senior financial adviser/educator until they determined how their programs were going to play out post-COVID.  Now that they are experiencing stabilization, the non-profit has filled the position and tweaked the role description. The new hire is in the process of becoming a certified financial health adviser, will be part of the team developing a curriculum for online delivery, and will implement the integration of a new client data platform: Salesforce. This new platform was determined to be a necessary purchase giving counselors in the field real-time access to the progress of any client no matter where they may be meeting them.

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Janet LaBar

Executive Director​
jlabar@womensimpactfund.org

With more than 25 years of experience, Janet has a proven track record of leading organizations and teams in developing strategies that foster thriving communities. Her career is dedicated to the well-being of the places she serves, and the people and businesses within them, positioning her as a trusted sounding board, critical thinker, and purposeful protagonist across corporate, government, education, entrepreneurial, and civic spheres.
Janet joined Women’s Impact Fund in June 2025 to guide one of Charlotte’s most respected, women-led philanthropic organizations into its next phase of growth and impact. In partnership with the Women’s Impact Fund team, Board, Advisors, members, volunteers, and key community partners, she will continue strengthening communities by maximizing women’s leadership in philanthropy through collective giving, education, and engagement.
Inspired by her family, teams who dare greatly, and people and communities striving to be their best selves, Janet’s impactful career includes leadership roles as President and CEO of Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, President and CEO of Greater Portland Inc, and Chief Performance Officer of Greater Phoenix Economic Council. As a first-generation Filipino American, her lived experience deeply informs her professional drive to create equitable economic growth and opportunity in the metro areas she’s served.
She holds a BA in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. Janet and her husband James are proud parents to an older daughter, and a daughter and son who are twins.