CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A nonprofit working to elevate the economy in the university area will soon have an extra $237,500 to help small businesses recover from the pandemic.
The Charlotte City Council voted to give University City Partners the grant Monday night after a WCNC Charlotte investigation revealed the organization should have received the money in 2020. The city said a math error was to blame for the mistake.
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"I would say it's a win-win for everybody," University City Partners President and CEO Keith Stanley told WCNC Charlotte Wednesday of the resolution. "I appreciate the partnership with the city and them righting this wrong."
According to Stanley, in a normal year, University City Partners has about $1.3 million to spend. The additional grant money will now help support the city's second-largest employment hub.
"It's important that we create space and place for our businesses to thrive and having these dollars will allow us to do so, to engage them, understand their challenges, understand their needs, and then develop a plan that allows us to make sure that our businesses are thriving," Stanley said. "We're looking forward to doing some amazing things to support the many businesses we have here in University City."
Stanley, who took over leadership of the nonprofit at the beginning of 2023, said he's especially grateful Reneé Perkins Johnson, a University City Partners board member, advocated for the organization after WCNC Charlotte discovered the error.
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