NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

The NC Department of Commerce’s Rural Development Division offers several grant programs to support economic development in rural communities across the state, including:

  • The Economic Infrastructure Program provides grants to local governments to assist with public infrastructure projects that will lead to the creation of new, full-time jobs. Grant awards under this program may be up to $500,000 depending upon the location of project, alignment of company with state priority industries, and amount of wages and benefits being provided to workers in the new jobs. Applications are accepted and reviewed every other month in accordance with the scheduled available online at:http://www.nccommerce.com/ruraldevelopment/rural-grants-programs/economic-infrastructure. For more information, please contact Melody Adams at 919-814-4661 or melody.adams@nccommerce.com
  • The Building Reuse Program provides grants to local governments to support three priority areas: (1) renovation of vacant buildings; (2) renovation or expansion of buildings occupied by a company wishing to expand in their current location that has been operating in the state of North Carolina for at least twelve (12) months, and (3) renovation, expansion, or construction of health care entities that will lead to the creation of new, full-time jobs. Applicants must be from a Tier 1 or Tier 2 county, or a rural census tract in a Tier 3 county. The program requires a 50% cash match which may not be derived from other State or Federal grant funds. For more information, please contact Hazel Edmond athazel.edmond@nccommerce.com or 919.814-4659.
  • The Rural Building Demolition Program provides grants to local governments to support demolition of a vacant building to encourage site rehabilitation and site availability for economic development purposes. Applicants must be from a Tier 1 or Tier 2 county, or a rural census tract in a Tier 3 county. Applicants must contribute at least 25% of the total project cost as match, which may not be derived from other State or Federal grant funds. Applications are accepted and reviewed in accordance with the schedule available online at: http://www.nccommerce.com/ruraldevelopment/rural-grants-programs/economic-infrastructure. For more information, please contact Melody Adams at 919-814-4661 or melody.adams@nccommerce.com
  • The Community Development Block Grant for Economic Development provides grants to local governments to support construction or improvements to public infrastructure and building renovation services where the local government is partnering with a for-profit business who is committing to create jobs. For more information, please contact George Sherrill at gsherrill@nccommerce.com of 919-814-4657.
  • The Industrial Development Fund/Utility Fund (IDF) provides grants to units of local governments for public infrastructure in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties to assist in job creation. For more information, please contact Mark Poole at mpoole@nccomerce.com or 919-814-4616.
  • The Commerce Fellows Program provides resources to support high-quality professional development and training with goal of providing opportunities and expanding capacity of local governments to serve low and moderate income individuals. Applications are accepted in accordance with deadline and requirements outlined on the NC DOC Rural Development website, available at: http://www.nccommerce.com/rd/.
  • The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center serves as a clearinghouse of resources and best practices, and provides customized technical assistance to support economic development in communities across the state. The Center administers grant resources through the Main Street Solution Fund that can help small businesses in designated micropolitan areas in Tier 2 and Tier 3 counties. A CDBG Downtown Redevelopment Fund assists local governments renovate blighted buildings to bring them up to code. For more information about these resources, please go to: http://www.nccommerce.com/rd/main-street or call Liz Parham at 919-814-4658 or email lparham@nccommerce.com