Innovation Fund

Discover the forward-thinking small businesses in and around Center City transforming their business models with support from the Charlotte Center City Partners Innovation Fund grant.

Pivot. Adapt. Transition. Rethink. Transform. Innovate. No matter how you say it, small business owners and entrepreneurs had to do all of the above when the pandemic caused customers to stay home and their sales to suddenly and dramatically decline. But like Charlotteans always do, people came together to find a solution that would help small businesses survive and emerge stronger. The result: the Small Business Innovation Fund, a collaborative partnership between Charlotte Center City Partners, Honeywell (who recently moved its headquarters to Charlotte) and The Foundation for the Carolinas, among other funding partners, that provides grants to small businesses to spur innovation, creativity and adaptation to help them advance in the current and future economy.

While small businesses continue to face an uphill battle, these forward-thinking owners and entrepreneurs in and around Center City have implemented innovative and transformative changes or additions to their business models with support from the Innovation Fund and the community. Check out some of the creative changes small businesses in Charlotte have made using the grant—and then get out there and support them!

Find Innovation Fund recipients to support!

Read more about how the Innovation Fund is impacting Uptown here.