The Rural Downtown Economic Development Grant Program supports downtown revitalization and economic development initiatives that are intended to help local governments grow and leverage downtown districts as assets for economic growth, development, and prosperity by providing public improvements to help retain businesses and leverage Main Street assets for community-wide use.
Donor Name: North Carolina Department of Commerce
State: North Carolina
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/21/2025
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
RDED Grants will support projects that:
- Provide public improvements that help retain business and attract customers to business districts.
- Support publicly owned downtown economic development initiatives that leverage main streets and downtown districts as economic engines.
- Facilitate publicly owned building improvements that are used for community-wide uses or mixed-use development in or on properties that are publicly owned and controlled.
Funding Information
The maximum grant amount is $850,000 per grantee and may not exceed $12,500 per projected job created or retained.
Eligible Activities
- Public Infrastructure – Improvements to publicly owned infrastructure in a downtown district, that serves a community-wide use, such as lots, alleys, streetscapes, waterfront developments and parks.
- Public Buildings (Renovation or Additions) – Improvements to publicly owned buildings in a downtown district that serve a public, community-wide use, such as a community center, theater, civic center, recreation center, or library.
- Mixed-Use Downtown Development (Renovation or Additions) – Improvements to publicly owned property in a downtown district that may be zoned and developed for a mix of uses. The mix of use may include two or more of the following: retail, restaurant, service, professional, nonprofit, governmental, institutional, or residential.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants are units of local government located in Tier 1 or Tier 2 counties, and rural census tracts in Tier 3 counties. For the purposes of this program, units of local government are defined as municipal or county governments within the state of North Carolina.
For more information, visit NCDC.
