Gov. Josh Stein announced a new $30 million small business grant program on Friday that will help small businesses in western North Carolina struggling to recover after Hurricane Helene.
He made the announcement at the Boone Chamber of Commerce.
“Small businesses are the heart of western North Carolina and need our support to get through these slow winter months,” said Stein. “The Western North Carolina Small Business grant program will help small businesses with their urgent needs and support the region’s economic recovery. I am proud these state dollars are leveraging additional Dogwood Trust dollars, and I am grateful to Dogwood for its leadership.”
Small businesses are the workhorse of western North Carolina’s economy. After Helene, they need our support to survive.
— Governor Josh Stein (@NC_Governor) January 31, 2025
Today, I announced a $30 million small business grant program, in partnership with @DogwoodWNC that will help to shore up small businesses and help the economy… pic.twitter.com/sMirwokssv
Last fall, Dogwood Health Trust created the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative with grant funding for small businesses but has since exhausted those funds.
The governor said the state would be partnering with Dogwood Health Trust by contributing $20 million, while the Asheville-based non-profit will be adding another $10 million for a new pool of small business grants of $30 million.
Small businesses with an annual revenue of up to and including $2.5 million are eligible to apply for grants up to $50,000 from the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative grant program.
Businesses that were impacted by Helene lost $13 billion in revenue. These grants will help businesses make payroll, pay operating expenses, and stabilize the local economy as tourism slowly ramps up again.
Funds will be managed by Appalachian Community Capital, with the partnership of the Community Reinvestment Fund on the application process. Eligible businesses can apply through the portal here. Eligibility requirements are:
- Businesses with an annual revenue of up to and including $2.5 million
- Businesses in the 28 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians that are covered by President Biden’s federal disaster declaration or in Dogwood Health Trust’s 18-county footprint, including: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, Yancey.
Other organizations that have helped small businesses affected by Helene include Lowe’s, which established a $2.5 million grant fund in November.
Stein also announced that the state is awarding $3 million to Baptists on Mission and $3 million to Habitat for Humanity NC to support their housing repair initiatives.
More help should be headed to the area, albeit not without controversy.
The General Assembly overrode former Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of SB 382 in December, which allocated $227 million in disaster relief for western North Carolina.
Stein also created the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) to focus on recovery efforts instead of having the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) take on more work
He said NCORR had “mission one,” to complete the work left nearly a decade after Hurricanes Florence and Matthew devastated many areas of eastern North Carolina. Over 1,000 houses still need to be completed.
Despite the GROW NC office’s commitment to leading Hurricane Helene’s recovery more effectively than previous administrations’ disaster relief efforts, state officials clashed with legislators during a committee meeting on Wednesday regarding the current need for temporary housing in western North Carolina.
Legislators like Rep. David Willis, R-Union, said he knew specific people needing trailer homes. He also mentioned that several families have tried to cash their FEMA checks, but the checks didn’t clear.
Also, a reminder that people have until Feb. 6 to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for 39 North Carolina counties, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina.
The Department of Commerce’s Department of Employment Security (DES) will continue to process DUA applications as they are received. Applications for DUA can be filed at des.nc.gov.