Queen City Power Circle: How to Find Grants, Loans, and Funding in Charlotte
Nobody handed me the map.
When I started Dollar Sole — a buy-one-give-one sock company built on a $3 price point and a mission to restore dignity to Charlotte's most vulnerable communities — I had no investors, no capital network, and no roadmap for how a justice-impacted Black entrepreneur was supposed to access the resources this city had to offer. I had lived through homelessness. I knew what deprivation felt like from the inside. And I knew that the programs, grants, and funding vehicles I needed to build something real were out there — I just didn't know where they were or how to get in the door.
This book is the map I wish I had.
Queen City Power Circle: How to Find Grants, Loans, and Funding in Charlotte is a practical, no-fluff guide for Charlotte entrepreneurs who are ready to build something but need to know where the money is, how it works, and exactly how to access it. Every chapter covers a real funding resource available in Charlotte right now — from City startup programs and minority business certifications to CDFIs, SBA loans, local and national grants, corporate CSR partnerships, and pitch competitions. Each resource is broken down the same way: what it is, how it works, how to access it, and what I've learned about it firsthand.
This is not a motivational book. It is a resource book built on lived experience — written by a founder who navigated these systems from the ground up, for founders who are doing the same.
Inside, you'll find:
- How to get your business legally and financially ready before you apply for anything
- Charlotte's certification programs that unlock city contracts and procurement opportunities
- The five CDFIs in Charlotte that actually lend to early-stage and underserved founders — and how to match the right one to your stage
- Local, state, and national grant programs — including deadlines, award amounts, and what winning applications look like
- How to use SBA programs that most small business owners never pursue
- Free mentorship through SCORE and the SBDC that unlocks funding conversations you can't get alone
- Pitch competitions and accelerators in Charlotte — and what judges actually look for
- How to approach corporate partners like Bank of America, Duke Energy, and Truist as funding allies, not charity sources
- A complete 90-Day Funding Action Plan with week-by-week tasks you can start today
Your network is your net worth — and in Charlotte, the network is richer than most founders know. The city has CDFIs ready to lend, grant programs waiting for applicants, certification pathways that open procurement doors, and an entrepreneurial ecosystem built specifically to support people who have been overlooked by traditional funding.
The resources were always here. Nobody just handed us the address.
Consider this the address.
Sahib Alim Reeves is the Founder and CEO of Dollar Sole, a Charlotte-based buy-one-give-one sock brand with a mission to make charitable giving accessible to everyone. A justice-impacted entrepreneur with lived experience of homelessness and food insecurity, Sahib built Dollar Sole from the ground up using the same programs, resources, and relationships documented in this book. He writes and speaks about entrepreneurship, community impact, and economic access for founders who are building from the bottom of a city that is ready to meet them.
www.dollarsole.com Charlotte, NC
