PROMOTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Carolina Small Business supports development by providing access to affordable capital, offering training and guidance to entrepreneurs, and through research demonstrating how small firms are the cornerstone of regional economic growth.
THE NUMBERS.
Almost 85 percent of employer businesses in North Carolina have fewer than 20 employees, accounting for 23 percent of all employment within the state.
CSBDF has provided $102.8 million in aid across 1,159 loans and 1,694 grants, saving thousands of jobs.
We know this work is vital because our research shows, empirically and objectively, the importance of small businesses.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR NC.
Small “Main Street” businesses—shops, restaurants, service providers, and others—are the economic engines of healthy communities.
They create entrepreneurial networks, improve local quality of life, and revitalize distressed communities.
Neighborhoods with robust small firm ecosystems create a business environment that is desired and sought out by larger companies.
REGIONS AT
A GLANCE
Western
165 Loans/Grants
$10.1 Million
38 Jobs
Northwest
19 Loans/Grants
$1.2 Million
Piedmont Triad
219 Loans/Grants
$7.1 Million
170 Jobs
Southwest
798 Loans/Grants
$25.8 Million
2,170 Jobs
Sandhills
131 Loans/Grants
$8.4 Million
91 Jobs
North Central
1,206 Loans/Grants
$33.8 Million
1,730 Jobs
Southeast
156 Loans/Grants
$9.3 Million
107 Jobs
Northeast
146 Loans/Grants
$5.0 Million
89 Jobs
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
Our work is shaped by evidence-based and apolitical research highlighting why small businesses are the foundation of economic development.