$75,000 Grant from The Mariam and Robert Hayes Charitable Trust Helps Heart Math Tutoring Expand Impact to Cabarrus County
July 7, 2026
CONCORD, N.C. – July 7th, 2026– A $75,000 grant from the Concord-based Mariam and Robert Hayes Charitable Trust will help Heart Math Tutoring (Heart or HMT) – a Charlotte-based non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening math proficiency and academic confidence among elementary students – expand its impact to Cabarrus County Schools in the 2026/27 school year. Heart’s programming provides elementary students across North and South Carolina with the foundational math skills and academic confidence needed for long-term success through one-on-one tutoring, delivered by volunteers. This grant funding will support on-site program staff, curriculum materials, and family engagement to implement and sustain Heart’s program at Wolf Meadow Elementary School starting this fall.
Heart’s model is to serve 50 students at each school site who are nominated for the program by school staff. Students in the program receive volunteer led tutoring twice per week for 30 minutes during the school day. Heart is currently recruiting approximately 60 Cabarrus County volunteer tutors to serve 50 students at Wolf Meadow Elementary between two tutoring times held Mon. through Thurs. – 11:30-12:30 PM or 1:15-2:20 PM. With just 1 hour per week from October through April, each volunteer can make a difference. Heart provides everything tutors need – informative training, a hands-on curriculum, and an on-site Program Coordinator for support.
“Heart Math Tutoring is grateful to the Mariam and Robert Hayes Charitable Trust for their investment in young learners in our community. Our volunteers are paired with the students they work with, and the consistent math practice and mentorship from a dedicated tutor makes a meaningful difference in both a student’s performance and self-confidence,” said Cydney Clifton, Heart’s Executive Director of National Partnerships.
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed only 27 percent of economically disadvantaged 4th graders in North Carolina were proficient in math. In response, Heart’s expansion to Cabarrus County is part of a broader effort by the organization to provide one-on-one math support to elementary students in need of additional support across the region. Since its 2013 establishment, Heart has grown to support 1,300+ students across 33 schools in Charlotte, NC, Charleston, SC and Winston-Salem, NC. In the 2025/26 school year, 97 percent of students who finished Heart’s program met growth goals in math, growing in two or more building block concept areas, and over 90 percent of teachers consistently report an increase in student confidence and enthusiasm toward math as a result of Heart Math Tutoring.
To get involved in Heart Math Tutoring’s Cabarrus County launch visit heartmathtutoring.org.
Heart Math Tutoring
Heart Math Tutoring is a Charlotte-based nonprofit with a mission to ensure that all elementary students develop the strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics needed for long-term success, by helping schools use volunteers as tutors. Community members volunteer one hour per week to deliver an effective, hands-on curriculum through one-on-one tutoring sessions during the school day. For more information, visit www.heartmathtutoring.org.
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CONTACT:
Cydney Clifton, Heart Math Tutoring Executive Director of National Partnerships
716-479-2068 – cydney.clifton@heartmathtutoring.org