Need a Raleigh small-business grant? Better act quickly

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Kelly Wohlegenant was among the first of Raleigh's small-business owners to jump online and apply for much-need economic relief. She has been paying rent for a downtown Raleigh space while sales have fizzled during the COVID crisis.

"It's a little scary," she said.

Wohlegenant makes custom furniture and sells the works of other artists at her Hargett Street showroom.

She applied for Raleigh's grant program and is slightly concerned about competition.

Small-business owners, who were denied PPP money or shut out of the process, see the grant as a potential savior.

"It would cover two months of our commercial rent, and I haven't received any rent forgiveness," Wohlegenant said. "I know that there are a lot of businesses that are going to apply. I realize there's lot of interest."

The application went live Monday on the Carolina Small Business Development Fund's website.

The City of Raleigh gave $1 million to help Main Street businesses.

Carolina Small Business Development Fund said 143 people applied on the first day, and they'll learn June 5 if they're receiving funds.

Small-business owners can get up to $10,000 in economic relief.

Sole proprietors can apply if they have a storefront.

There are other qualifications to be considered and one is that you can't owe the City money in back taxes.

Some small businesses are holding off on putting their name in the hat.

The owner of Yellow Dog Bread Company says she received PPP money. She knows others haven't been so fortunate and wants to give them a chance first for funds.

Wohlegenant hopes the money will get her through.

"I don't know what this year will look like in terms of sales just because it's a scary time to be in small business," she said.

The takeaway here - the grant application process is open and if you're interested, you want to apply quickly. There's only so much money to go around.