The Rural Transformation Grant Fund provides local governments with grants and expert guidance to improve economic vitality and overcome the unique challenges many rural communities face.
Donor Name: North Carolina Department of Commerce
State: North Carolina
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/03/2023
Size of the Grant: $950,000
Details:
Rural Transformation Grants can support:
- Main Street and downtown investment and revitalization efforts;
- Initiatives that help create resilient neighborhoods;
- Community enhancements that spur economic growth;
- Professional development and education programs to build local government capacity
As North Carolina recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and applies lessons from the public health emergency to improve community resiliency, the Rural Transformation Grant Fund offers a new resource to local government leaders as they guide their communities toward a brighter future.
The fund will support projects under four programs:
- Downtown Revitalization
- Resilient Neighborhoods
- Community Enhancement for Economic Growth
- Rural Community Capacity Building
These programs will support projects that:
- Provide public improvements that help retain businesses and attract customers to business districts.
- Support downtown economic development initiatives that are intended to help retain and create jobs, spur private investment, support small businesses, and leverage main street and downtown districts as economic engines.
- Facilitate business building improvements by allowing businesses to rehabilitate or restore buildings to support business growth and sustainability, and lead to the creation of full-time jobs.
- Create resilient neighborhoods through community development, neighborhood revitalization, community resiliency, economic investments, and quality of life improvements.
- Increase the local government capacity of rural and distressed communities through training, technical assistance, and educational programs that help units of government increase administrative efficiencies, enhance public service delivery, support COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, and create sustainability.
- Support community enhancements for economic growth through the acquisition of land and buildings, the preparation/development of neighborhood properties and business sites, and the removal of non-historic structural and physical barriers for the purpose of enhancing community growth and economic development opportunities.
Project Areas
Projects located within Tier 1 and Tier 2 Counties, and Rural Census Tracts in Tier 3 Counties, are eligible for funding. Funding prioritization will be given to proposals which demonstrate that activities will benefit communities negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic at a disproportionate level when compared to the rest of the State or located in a qualified census tract, as defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Applicants must describe how a specific community has been more disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to the rest of the State.
Funding Information
The maximum grant amount is $950,000 per grantee, with some restrictions for specific activities. There is no minimum grant amount.
Eligibility Criteria
- Units of local government located within Tier 1 and Tier 2 Counties, and Rural Census Tracts in Tier 3 Counties, are eligible for this program. For the purposes of this program, units of local government are defined as municipal or county governments within the state of North Carolina. REDD shall prioritize disbursing grants to units of local government serving populations that are negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic at a disproportionate level when compared to the rest of the State, or located in a Qualified Census Tract as defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- REDD may also give special consideration to applicants requesting funding for projects located in designated Main Street and Small-Town Main Street communities in Tier 1 Counties, Tier 2 Counties, or Rural Census Tracts in Tier 3 Counties.
For more information, visit Rural Transformation Grant.
