Today, Foundation For The Carolinas announced that diverse small business owners can apply from Sept. 28 – Oct 28 for the first round of grants from $5k – $250k within the Beyond Open program. Established with a $20 million grant from Wells Fargo, Beyond Open will make grants to diverse-owned small businesses and organizations offering expertise to small businesses across three rounds of funding opportunities from 2022-2024.
For this first round of funding, Beyond Open grants are available to help historically underserved small businesses obtain capital assets such as equipment, technology, real estate, and inventory. Eligible applicants are business owners in Charlotte-Mecklenburg who identify as a minority, woman, veteran, or LGBTQ and can be non-profit or for-profit businesses. Beyond Open grants do not need to be re-paid. Beyond Open grants cannot be used for operating expenses including payroll, utilities, advertising/marketing, consulting, and debt re-payment.
“Foundation For The Carolinas is proud to work with Wells Fargo to open up this opportunity for diverse small businesses because they play a critical role in creating economic mobility within our community,” said Brian Collier, executive vice president of Foundation For The Carolinas. “We encourage diverse small business owners from start-ups to established enterprises in Charlotte-Mecklenburg to apply.”
The grant program will prioritize businesses located within the six Corridors of Opportunity as identified by the City of Charlotte. Each of the corridors is rich in history and pride and has been identified as a focus area for economic development efforts.
“Enabling small business owners to acquire tangible assets like property and technology helps set them up for success long-term,” said Jenny Flores, head of small business growth philanthropy at Wells Fargo. “We believe that Beyond Open grants for hundreds of small businesses in this community, coupled with support from community partners, will help diverse small businesses in Charlotte-Mecklenburg grow and prosper, creating good jobs for their employees, wealth for their owners, and value in their communities.”
Beyond Open will offer technical assistance to applicants through three business partner organizations, ASPIRE Community Capital, Prospera North Carolina, and Women’s Business Center of Charlotte.
Applicants are encouraged to apply before the Round 1 application deadline on October 28 at 5:00 pm.
Following months of anticipation, The Beacon of Freedom – the centerpiece of North Carolina’s first state monument to honor African Americans – is set for delivery and installation this week. 
Charlotte Premium Outlets
If you work in Charlotte and need a 4 bedroom home, there are still some great little towns within a 45 minute to 1 hour drive that haven’t yet seen their prices explode like in Fort Mill, Belmont, or Huntersville.
As many Americans will be all too aware, the price of just about everything, including vehicles, has skyrocketed over the past year. Indeed, 2021 witnessed the largest 12-month increase for cars in the history of the consumer price index, and prices have continued to increase in 2022. While the market surge has has been great for auto groups, potential buyers have found themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to make compromises on their purchases – either having to travel beyond state boundaries to find the one they have been looking for, or paying more than they had initially budgeted for, or accepting that they have to settle on a make and model that they did not want in the first place.
Rent growth is slowing down for the season, a welcome sign for apartment hunters who have battled rapid price increases throughout the pandemic. The national median rent decreased by 0.2% in September, the first monthly decline since last December. In fact, rents are down this month in 69 of the nation’s 100 largest cities, albeit modestly.
