Thrive Hiring Grant Program
The Thrive Hiring Grant is an incentive program developed as a part of the Thrive initiative funded by the CARES Act of 2020. The grant is provided to mid-sized Charlotte businesses that are hiring multiple employees as a strategy to boost job creation and to help put displaced Charlotte residents back to work. The grant has been reactivated with remaining funds.
Open For Business Directory
The City of Charlotte Small business network is more than 10,000 strong.
Add your small business to the Open for Business directory to have your information displayed on the Open for Business website and receive notifications when new access to capital opportunities and resources are available.
Charlotte Business News
To keep up with business in Charlotte, read our blog.
OFB Success Story: YMCA of Greater Charlotte
Amid an incredibly difficult year, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte faced unforeseeable changes to its organization as a result of COVID-19. When the pandemic reached Charlotte in March 2020, the YMCA was confronted with a projected loss of millions in revenue and the elimination of several full-time positions.
OFB Success Story: Atrium Health
As the largest employer in Charlotte, Atrium Health values career development and invests in professional development resources to give its employees opportunities to succeed. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Atrium Health saw fluctuations in resources and staff allocation, affecting many of its workforce development programs.
OFB Success Story: Community Culinary School of Charlotte
Committed to helping people with barriers to employment find opportunities through culinary training, the Community Culinary School of Charlotte (CCSC) looked for an answer to help continue fulfilling its mission during COVID-19.
OFB Success Story: International Technology Development Program
The International Technology Development Program has the goal of making world-class training opportunities and job placement services affordable. However, the non-profit tech-training institute needed to overcome the challenge with providing these trainings at a low cost during COVID-19, due to the high demand for free technology training as a result of job-related shifts.
OFB Success Story: UNC Charlotte
Back in March 2020, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Continuing Education program shifted to all online instruction in order to comply with the state’s stay-at-home mandate. The university overcame challenges to keep its faculty and students safe while staying true to its mission to educate students.
OFB Success Story: Carolinas Aviation Museum
The unpredictability of COVID-19 forced Carolinas Aviation Museum to re-think its operations. Their big plans to launch a $20 million Capital Campaign in March 2020 was quickly put on hold when COVID-19 hit, resulting in a major loss. Despite the economic challenges, the organization was determined to adapt and keep its impactful education programs running.
Latest News
Find out about recent news and media coverage
Guidelines on Opening Businesses Post-Pandemic: What to Avoid
How to Start a Small Business in North Carolina
3 Ways Restaurants Can Adapt in a Post-Coronavirus World
4 Small Business Marketing Techniques for the Holidays
How Charlotte SMEs Can Improve Holiday Sales
Partner Resources
City of Charlotte partners and supporting agencies have resources to help small business owners get back to business.
Mecklenburg County Small Business Toolkit
The COVID-19 Business Toolkit features printable signs, in both English and Spanish, for small businesses to display for their customers.
Count on Me NC
Count On Me NC is a public health initiative that empowers guests and businesses to help keep everyone safe from COVID-19.
Welcome to the Open for Business Website
The City of Charlotte is supporting small businesses through COVID-19 recovery.
The Open for Business platform is a resource for Charlotte small business owners to help them withstand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By providing access to capital and other resources, the program is intended to help businesses survive the recovery phase of the pandemic and help prepare businesses to thrive in a post-pandemic future.
