- Duke Energy partnership with community development
organizations will provide grants to help small businesses
expand
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 15,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Duke Energy Foundation today
announced $700,000 of new funding
will be made available to North
Carolina small businesses in partnership with community
development organizations. Small business grants ranging from
$1,000 to $5,000 will be distributed through 20 community
organizations to support retail shops, restaurants and other small
businesses looking to expand, upgrade technology and improve
downtown storefronts.
Now in its fourth year, the grant program has provided over
$2 million in funding to small
businesses since its inception during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Duke Energy Foundation's small business grant program has
helped fuel a resurgence of entrepreneurial small businesses in
North Carolina ranging from
bookstores to restaurants," said Kendal
Bowman, president of Duke Energy North Carolina. "These
small business grants ensure Main Streets across our state are well
positioned to benefit from economic development
efforts."
Small businesses play a critical role in the state's economic
health and employ nearly half of North
Carolina's workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business
Administration. Anna Impson and
Rebekah Rhoden, owners of Little
Pep in Winston-Salem, used
funding from the grant program to improve the bistro's storefront
last year and attract new customers.
"Receiving a grant from the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership
and the Duke Energy Foundation allowed us to improve and restore
our historic storefront and give it the charm and character it
deserves," said Impson and Rhoden. "We're thankful that the Duke
Energy Foundation helped us make our dreams a reality, and we're
excited to have brought Little Pep to our vibrant downtown."
Bill King, president and CEO of
Downtown Raleigh Alliance, sees the funding as essential to
community improvement efforts.
"This tremendous support from the Duke Energy Foundation is a
huge boost to our efforts to revitalize downtown Raleigh and will go directly to support our
small, locally owned businesses," said King. "Since the pandemic,
Duke Energy has set a standard for corporate support through its
generous and focused efforts on bringing back main streets and
small business communities that form the backbone of places like
downtown Raleigh."
Small businesses interested in applying for funding are
encouraged to inquire with the local nonprofit administering the
program for their community. A full list of recipients can be found
below with quotes from each organization available here.
Small Business Grant Program Recipients
|
Organization
|
Counties
Served
|
Grant
Amount
|
|
Alexander County
Economic
Development Corporation
|
Alexander
|
$50,000
|
|
Caraway
Foundation
|
Anson
|
$25,000
|
|
Clinton Downtown
Initiatives
|
Sampson
|
$50,000
|
|
Davidson-Davie
Community
College Foundation
|
Davidson
|
$25,000
|
|
Downtown
Asheboro
|
Randolph
|
$25,000
|
|
Downtown Greensboro
Foundation
|
Guilford
|
$25,000
|
|
Downtown
Winston-Salem
Foundation
|
Forsyth
|
$25,000
|
|
Durham Chamber
Legacy
Foundation
|
Durham
|
$50,000
|
|
Flywheel
Foundation
|
Cabarrus
|
$25,000
|
|
Friends of the Land of
Sky
Regional Council
|
Buncombe, Madison,
Yancey,
Mitchell, Avery
|
$25,000
|
|
Heart of
Brevard
|
Transylvania
|
$25,000
|
|
Jacksonville Onslow
Economic
Development Partnership
|
Onslow
|
$25,000
|
|
Jones County Committee
of 100
|
Jones
|
$25,000
|
|
Lumberton Economic
Advancement for Downtown
|
Robeson
|
$25,000
|
|
Montcross Tomorrow
Chamber
Foundation
|
Gaston
|
$50,000
|
|
Raleigh Civic
Ventures
(Downtown Raleigh Alliance)
|
Wake
|
$50,000
|
|
Region A
Foundation
|
Clay, Cherokee, Graham,
Haywood,
Jackson, Macon, Swain
|
$75,000
|
|
Rutherford Town
Revitalization
|
Rutherford
|
$25,000
|
|
Vance-Granville
Community
College Endowment Fund
|
Vance
|
$50,000
|
|
Wilkes Economic
Development
Corporation
|
Wilkes
|
$25,000
|
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to
meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and
work. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of
America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric
utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities
serve 1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition,
keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the
forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions
from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions
from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in
major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including
expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and
the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy
on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook,
and visit illumination for stories about the people and
innovations powering our energy transition.
Contact: Garrett Poorman
Twitter: @DE_GarrettP
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy