Title
Assets Inspire Mobility (AIM Up) Update
Action
ACTION:
Receive as information an update on Assets Inspire Mobility (AIM Up)
Staff Contact: LaShaun Carter, Chief Equity and Inclusion
Presentation: Yes
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
Mecklenburg County’s Office of Equity and Inclusion AIM Up Child Development Account initiative emerges directly from the work of the Board of County Commissioners’ Equity Investment Ad-Hoc Subcommittee, which is charged with identifying structural strategies to expand economic mobility for families with the greatest barriers to opportunity. The initiative is grounded in independent research conducted by an external consultant and extensive community engagement, which surfaced a consistent message: families need reliable, accessible, and sustainable pathways to build assets over time, not one-time interventions.
AIM Up was originally designed as one of three coordinated strategies responding to those findings, alongside supplemental income pilots to help families accumulate early assets, strengthen financial capability, and reduce long-term economic uncertainty. The program’s logic model reflects this intent: early seed deposits, paired with financial education and coaching, supports long-term outcomes such as intergenerational mobility, wealth generation, and educational attainment.
The emergence of federally seeded Trump Accounts, beginning July 2026, fundamentally shifts the landscape for local Child Development Account (CDA) programs. The federal program introduces a universal $1,000 seed deposit, standardized investment rules, and a long-term capital-building structure that overlaps significantly with AIM Up’s goals. As will be outlined the presentation, Trump Accounts create both opportunities and operational uncertainties for local governments-particularly around eligibility, geographic designation, administrative alignment, and the risk of duplicating or conflicting investment structures.
PROCUR...
Click here for full text