CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After an investigation by WCNC Charlotte’s Nate Morabito, a Charlotte nonprofit is now getting the grant money it was owed three years ago.
While investigating the city of Charlotte’s Small Business Partner Support Grant program, WCNC Charlotte discovered an error in the selection process that led to University City Partners missing out on $237,500.
The mistake was brought to the city's attention and leaders began working to fix the issue.
In 2020, when small businesses were struggling to survive amid shutdowns, the city of Charlotte used federal funding to offer the small business grants.
The WCNC Charlotte Where’s the Money investigation found University City Partners applied for the money back then but didn’t get it due to a mistake in the selection process.
"Because of a mathematical error, they weren’t awarded the grant but they should have been," Councilwoman Renee Johnson explained Monday night.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: City of Charlotte error cost nonprofit $237,000 pandemic grant
The grant was supposed to be for $237,500 to help small businesses in University City get by during hard times. Monday night, the council moved to right the wrong.
Council voted unanimously to approve the original amount of $237,500.
"We made a mistake, we’re trying to fix the mistake," city manager Marcus Jones said before the vote.
Councilwoman Johnson tried to increase the award amount to $250,000 to account for inflation. "$237,500 does not buy in today’s dollars what it did in 2020," Johnson said. However, her motion failed.
Operating in a post-pandemic world, small businesses still have their challenges. City staff said they’re working with University City Partners to decide how the grants should be spent and will report back with their plan.
The CEO of University City Partners, Keith Stanley, previously told WCNC Charlotte he remains committed to working with the city.
"We do understand that mistakes can happen and appreciate their willingness to address and take responsibility for the situation," Stanley said.
The grant will be funded with American Rescue Plan dollars.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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