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.
Carolina Small Business has provided $87 million in aid across 1,112 loans and 1,073 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
139 Loans
$9.7 Million
241 Jobs
Northwest
17 Loans
$1.16 Million
19 Jobs
Piedmont Triad
152 Loans
$5.6 Millions
150 Jobs
Southwest
600 Loans
$20.7 Million
2,102 Jobs
Sandhills
93 Loans
$7.7 Million
269 Jobs
North Central
922 Loans
$28 Million
1,846 Jobs
Southeast
121 Loans
$7.4 Million
325 Jobs
Northeast
119 Loans
$4.4 Million
230 Jobs
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
Our work is shaped by evidence-based and apolitical research highlighting why small businesses are the foundation of economic development.