Rep. Garland E. Pierce

Rural Communities Awarded American Rescue Plan Transformation Grants to Boost Local Economies
Commerce Department fund provides resources for rural economic development

Raleigh
Jun 16, 2022
Governor Roy Cooper announced today that 30 local governments in rural areas across the state have been awarded grants from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund, a new source of support for rural economic development projects in North Carolina funded by the federal American Rescue Plan. A total of $20.1 million will be issued in this first round of grantmaking from the Fund, which helps local governments overcome challenges that limit their economic competitiveness. The North Carolina Department of Commerce and its Rural Economic Development Division administer the $48 million grant fund.
“North Carolina’s rural communities are our heart and soul, and we are committed to helping them grow and become more competitive,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Today’s awards will provide both the funds and the expertise to help transform and expand North Carolina’s rural economies, create good jobs, and strong communities.”
The new grant fund, the centerpiece of a broader Rural Engagement and Investment Program from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, addresses a wide variety of needs, from revitalizing downtown districts, building the capacity of local government staffs, revitalizing neighborhoods, fostering small business recovery, and generally supporting economic growth initiatives.
The Rural Transformation Grant Fund awarded grants in three categories today:
The Downtown Revitalization category supports downtown development initiatives that help grow and leverage a community’s commercial core into an asset for economic growth and prosperity.
The Resilient Neighborhoods category offers grants focused on community development and quality of life improvements, such as eliminating food deserts, creating healthy living initiatives, and increasing access to affordable housing options, among other initiatives.
The Community Enhancements for Economic Growth category provides grants to local governments to smooth the way for economic development opportunities, such as the acquisition of land and buildings, the preparation of business sites, and the removal of structural and physical barriers that may be limiting development.
Earlier, on May 24, a fourth category of the program known as Rural Community Capacity Building (RC2) announced an initial cohort of nineteen communities across the state that would participate in an educational initiative to bolster the professional development and planning capacity of local government staffs.
“Economic development success requires extensive preparation and planning,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “I’m excited to see how this first round of grants will help many rural communities in North Carolina reach the next level of prosperity.”
Local governments awarded project grants from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund include:

Downtown Revitalization Category
City of Lumberton $900,000

Community Enhancements Category
City of Raeford $846,000

“Today’s awards allow us to share more widely the best practices we know work well for rural economic development programs,” said Kenny Flowers, the Commerce Department’s Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development. “I look forward to working with these communities and others to come later, as we work to transform the economy in rural North Carolina.”
The application window for the second round of funding will open in early September of 2022. More information about the Rural Transformation Grant Fund is available at nccommerce.com/transform. A map displaying the locations of today’s awards is available here.

INFORMATION FOR THE DISTRICT

Duke Energy’s Hometown Revitalization Grant program, will assist local communities and small businesses across the state to continue to recover from the pandemic.
This is a $500,000 grant opportunity and 20 communities will be selected to receive $25,000 each through a partnership with a local 501(c)(3)-administering nonprofit. The administering nonprofit will establish a small business support microgrant program to deploy the funding to their local small business community. Nonprofits that received a Hometown Revitalization Grant in 2021 are not eligible to apply in 2022.
Applications are due May 31 and funding decisions will be announced in August.

NC Homeowner Assistance Fund

NC Homeowner Assistance Fund Offers Housing Stability for North Carolina Homeowners Financially Impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic

North Carolina was awarded $273 million through the 2021 American Rescue Plan to support homeowners facing housing instability resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The NC Homeowner Assistance Fund, or NCHAF, is using these funds to assist eligible North Carolinians to help prevent and/or ease mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and displacement of homeowners experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic. There is no cost to apply for NCHAF.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
Answer the questions below to see if you might be eligible:
Do you own a primary residence in North Carolina?
Have you experienced a pandemic-related financial hardship?
Do you need financial assistance with a housing expense related to your primary residence?
Does your income fall below $79,900? If it is higher, you still may qualify under certain circumstances—check here.

QUALIFIED EXPENSES
For qualified homeowners, the fund offers:
Housing payment assistance for primary residence in North Carolina (for example, single-family home, townhome, condo or mobile home).
Assistance for mortgage reinstatement to catch up on late payments (first and second mortgages) or other housing-related costs due to a period of forbearance, delinquency or default.
Assistance covering other housing-related costs such as homeowner’s insurance, flood insurance, mortgage insurance, homeowner’s association dues/fees or delinquent property taxes to prevent foreclosure.

Assistance is available up to $40,000 per eligible household, as long as funding is available, and will be made directly to the mortgage servicer or other eligible third party. NCHAF is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number HAF0019 awarded to the State of North Carolina by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

APPLY TODAY
Apply online, by phone, or schedule an appointment at our Morrisville location. To get started, visit www.NCHomeownerAssistance.gov or call our NCHAF Call Center at (855) MY-NCHAF (855-696-2423) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.

Home - NC Homeowner Assistance Fund Established through the American Rescue Plan of 2021, the NC Homeowner Assistance Fund was created for homeowners in North Carolina to help prevent mortgage delinquencies, defaults, displacements and foreclosures due to COVID-19.