Governor Cooper Makes Big Announcement About The Economy

29 local governments in rural areas across North Carolina have been awarded economic grants totaling millions of dollars...

Photo byNC DOT via Wikimedia Commons

Governor Roy Cooper recently announced that the Rural Transformation Grant Fund, a source of support for rural economic development projects in North Carolina, has awarded grants to 29 local governments in rural areas across the state.

In this third round of grants from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund, a total of $8 million will be distributed to assist local governments in overcoming challenges that limit their economic competitiveness, per an official press release.

“These transformative grants can make a real difference in rural communities by reviving downtowns and strengthening neighborhoods,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “These funds, with the support of our rural development team at the Department of Commerce, will bring more economic opportunity to people across the state.” 

The Rural Transformation Grant Fund has reportedly split the grants into four categories:

• The Downtown Revitalization category involves growing and leveraging a community's commercial core into an asset for economic growth.
• The Resilient Neighborhoods category provides grants for community development and quality of life initiatives such as eliminating food deserts, developing healthy living initiatives, and increasing access to affordable housing options, among others.
• The Community Enhancements for Economic Growth category provides grants to local governments to help them prepare for economic development opportunities, such as the purchase of land and buildings, the preparation of business sites, and the removal of structural and physical barriers to development.
• The Rural Community Capacity Building (RC2) category offers educational and professional development opportunities for local government employees, as well as the ability for local governments to develop funding proposals for projects in their local communities.

“The need in our rural communities is great, but I’m pleased we’ve been able to meet some of these needs with this transformative grant program,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “I’m proud of the program’s strong track record of success, managed by Commerce’s experienced rural development team and grounded in tried-and-true best practices that we know work well.”

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