Duke Energy Foundation presents VGCC Foundation $50,000 to support small business growth

The Duke Energy Foundation has announced it has granted $50,000 to The VGCC Foundation to support small businesses looking to expand, upgrade technology, and improve storefronts in Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties.

The grant is part of $700,000 in new funding made available to North Carolina small businesses in partnership with community development organizations like the Small Business Center at Vance-Granville Community College . Small business grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 will be distributed through 20 community organizations to support retail shops, restaurants, and other small businesses looking to expand, upgrade technology, and improve downtown storefronts.

Now in its fourth year, the program has provided over $2 million in funding to small businesses since its inception during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Duke Energy Foundation’s small business grant program has helped fuel a resurgence of entrepreneurial small businesses ranging from bookstores to restaurants in our state,” said Kendal Bowman, North Carolina State President for Duke Energy. “These small business grants ensure Main Streets across North Carolina are well positioned to benefit from our state’s unprecedented economic growth.”

Small businesses play a critical role in the state’s economic health and employ nearly half of North Carolina’s workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration .

“Small businesses remain the backbone of the U.S. economy, and in rural areas, they also serve as the heartbeat of our local economies,” noted VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “This monetary commitment enables Vance-Granville Community College to promote the entrepreneurial mindset and support budding small business ideas into real businesses within our larger community.”

The VGCC Small Business Center will select grant fund recipients through a series of workshops, one based in each of the four counties the College serves. Each workshop session will be comprised of four evening classes. The sessions will culminate with a five-minute pitch contest, after which five of the session’s 10 participants will receive a $2,500 award to support their small business.

Workshop dates and locations are as follows:

• Sept. 16–19: VGCC South Campus, Creedmoor.
• Sept. 30 – Oct. 3: VGCC Main Campus, Henderson.
• Oct. 7–10: VGCC Warren Campus, Warrenton.
• Oct. 14–17: VGCC Franklin Campus, Louisburg.

The VGCC Foundation offers over 300 endowments for Vance-Granville students, more endowed scholarships than any other program of its kind in North Carolina. In addition to providing scholarships and emergency assistance to deserving students, VGCCF supports a broad range of special projects involving education, training, and economic development in our community.

Numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, and churches have endowed scholarships, as well as the College’s faculty and staff.

Tax-deductible donations to VGCCF have often been used to honor a person, group, business, or industry with a lasting gift to education.

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