North Carolina Rural Center funding opportunity: Economic Innovation Grants Program

Intent to apply letter due October 14. Full applications due December 16.

The Rural Center is pleased to announce the 2011-2012 solicitation for the Economic Innovation Grants Program. This program spurs business activity, job creation and public/private investment by supporting innovative economic development projects across rural North Carolina. Funds are provided by the North Carolina General Assembly and are available for local and regional projects in rural communities. Proposals are evaluated based on the innovative nature of the project and the project’s ability to generate measurable outcomes for business and job expansion.

The funding process for this grants program involves two steps: the submission of an intent to apply form and, if invited by the Rural Center, the completion and submission of a full grant application. Intent to apply forms are due October 14, 2011.

Applicants invited to submit a full proposal will be notified by November 1, 2011, and full applications will be due December 16, 2011. Awards will be announced no later than March 1, 2012.

Priority will be given to projects addressing:

• Rural manufacturing innovation
• Growth of the green economy
• Community-based economic innovation

Detailed descriptions of these priority areas may be found in the program guidelines.

Grants will be awarded for projects that develop new, creative practices and strategies to be tested in communities for the first time and for larger-scale projects that take innovative solutions proven in one place and apply them in ways that bring widespread impact.

Grant amount will be based on the scale of the project, up to a maximum award of $100,000. Applicants must show a match of at least 5 percent of the requested amount in cash and a combined 10 percent cash or in-kind. Cash matches cannot be met with other state funds or Rural Center funds. Applications should include a well-planned budget appropriate to the activities and objectives proposed. 

Eligible applicants are units of local government, nonprofit organizations or educational institutions located within North Carolina’s 85 rural counties. Also eligible are statewide and regional organizations and agencies serving rural counties. Businesses are not eligible for economic innovation grants.

More details, including program guidelines and application materials, can be found on the Rural Center’s website at www.ncruralcenter.org/research-and-innovation/grantprograms.htm.

Rural Center contact:

Brett Altman

Senior Policy Associate

North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center

4021 Carya Drive

Raleigh, NC 27619

919.250.4314

baltman@ncruralcenter.org

The N.C. Rural Economic Development Center is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop sound economic strategies that improve the quality of life in rural North Carolina, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.