This edition of the Opportunities Newsletter focuses on North Carolina state grants and the Philanthropic sector. Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments is dedicated to providing technical assistance to the member governments we serve. Please check out the upcoming CBGI - North Central Prosperity Zone from the Golden Leaf Foundation, due in November 2025! If you have questions about a particular funding opportunity, please reach out for a conversation. I look forward to working with you.

Thank you,

Desiree Brooks

The Open Grants Program allows applicants to apply for Golden LEAF funding throughout the year. Eligible applicants are governmental entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Awards in the Open Grants Program are $500,000 or less.

The Golden LEAF Foundation is committed to using the funds entrusted to it for projects that show the most potential for strengthening North Carolina’s economy, especially in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and/or rural communities. This program is for economic development projects aligned with the Golden LEAF priority areas. More details regarding Golden LEAF’s priority areas and priority outcomes:

• Job Creation and Economic Investment
• Workforce Preparedness
• Agriculture
• Community Competitiveness and Capacity

Competitive applications for projects include requests for funds to:

• Develop and implement a new workforce training program to meet demand from local employers
• Implement a career pathway at a high school for a high demand field
• Extend water, sewer, or road infrastructure to a site to enable industrial development that will create full-time jobs
• Support the development of new crops, expand markets for agriculture products, or provide training for farmers.

2025 CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization: Notice of Funding Availability The Rural Economic Development Division (REDD), North Carolina Department of Commerce has opened the 2025 CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) program. The CDBG-NR program is designed to provide grants to non-entitlement local governments for housing, housing related activities, and public facilities. Approximately $4.75 million of the $12,280,856 available is set aside for the Rural Community Development Fund. This fund allows Tier 1 communities to submit non-housing projects as a sole activity. FEMA declared disaster areas due to Hurricane Helene have also been given specific wavers for this funding cycle. Attached are the 2025 CDBG-NR NOFA and 2025 CDBG-NR guidelines and application. Applications are due to REDD by 4:00 pm on October 29, 2025. Awards are anticipated to be announced on December 10, 2025. For questions and technical assistance, please contact John F. Brooks, CDBG Section Chief, at john.brooks@commerce.nc.gov or (919) 814-4663 or TDD 1- 800-735-2962. 

Counties from the North Central Prosperity Zone are invited to participate in our Community-Based Grants Initiative (CBGI). The counties in the North Central Prosperity Zone are Chatham, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Nash, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake, Warren, and Wilson.

The process is competitive, but organizations from all counties within the North Central Prosperity Zone will have an opportunity to participate.

The CBGI is designed to identify projects with the potential to have a significant impact. It is a focused process with grants targeted toward investments in the building blocks of economic growth. Funds are limited to projects that address Golden LEAF priorities of job creation and economic investment, agriculture, and workforce preparedness.

Process

County managers serve a key role in the process. Each county manager will submit projects to Golden LEAF for feedback and later endorse a slate of up to four projects for consideration. Each county will determine how to identify which projects will be endorsed for this initiative. Only projects that have been endorsed and regional projects will be eligible to submit an application for consideration by the Golden LEAF Board of Directors.

Upcoming Events - Register Here

Golden LEAF will hold online workshops for interested applicants on the following dates:

• Tuesday, April 1, 11am
• Friday, April 4, 3pm
• Monday, April 7, 11am
• Wednesday, April 9, 8am

Each workshop will include consistent information so there is no need to attend more than one. Each session is expected to last no more than 45 minutes.

Local Community grants range from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $5,000. Eligible nonprofit organizations must operate on the local level (or be an affiliate/chapter of a larger organization that operates locally) and directly benefit the service area of the facility from which they are requesting funding.

There are eight (8) areas of funding for which an organization can apply. Please review the areas listed below to ensure your organization’s goals fall within one of these areas.

• Community and Economic Development: Improving local communities for the benefit of low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Diversity and Inclusion: Fostering the building of relationships and understanding among diverse groups in the local service area
• Education: Providing after-school enrichment, tutoring or vocational training for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Environmental Sustainability: Preventing waste, increasing recycling, or supporting other programs that work to improve the environment in the local service area
• Health and Human Service: Providing medical screening, treatment, social services, or shelters for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Hunger Relief and Healthy Eating: Providing Federal or charitable meals/snacks for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Public Safety: Supporting public safety programs through training programs or equipment in the local service area
• Quality of Life: Improving access to recreation, arts or cultural experiences for low-income individuals and families in the local service area

SECU Foundation Grant Program supports nonprofits and governmental organizations focused on local and community development in North Carolina. Grants are provided for high-impact projects in housing, education, healthcare, and human services. The

Foundation funds capital projects, programmatic expansions, and mission development for capacity building. Preference is given to projects with statewide or regional impact, that improve the social and economic conditions of public employees, and those not primarily funded by government agencies.

SECU Grant Programs

• Capital – Funds projects that are tangible, permanent, and visible; Typically supporting construction or major renovation of a building or a facility.
• Programmatic – Funds pilot programs or large-scale program expansions that provide regional or statewide services.
• Mission Development Grants – supporting smaller nonprofits with capacity building through organizational assessments, goal setting, and creating pathways for expansion.

Project Selection Considerations

• Preference given to a combination of projects that have a statewide impact, or major regional impact, and may serve as a model for replication in other North Carolina communities.
• Seek projects that are tangible (permanent, visible, capital versus operational). Do not support operational budgets, nor budget shortfalls.
• Seek to fund projects through partnerships with foundations and nonprofit organizations (do not fund for-profit organizations).
• Seek projects that improve the social and economic condition of public employees in North Carolina.
• Seek projects that are not principally nor typically funded by a governmental agency.
• In cases where projects have existing appropriations only consider funding where funding would augment or enhance projects which have existing appropriations.
• Generally seek to fund projects that strengthen the partnership with North Carolina State employees.
• Seek to identify programmatic projects to solve problems and to develop partnerships with other non-profits and foundations.

Golden LEAF will consider applications to assist eligible state, regional and local economic development entities with grants to support permissible activities in projects in which a company will commit to create a specific number of full time jobs in a tobacco-dependent or economically distressed area. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Golden LEAF staff to discuss the potential projects and conditions that may be applicable prior to submitting an application. Applications in this program must be for projects that will lead to job creation by a company that will commit to create the jobs if Golden LEAF provides a grant for the project. An application for funding must be submitted before the project announces its decision to locate and create jobs in North Carolina.

Details

Competitive applications will include information showing that the expected job creation is AT RISK without Golden LEAF support. An applicant can demonstrate that a project is AT RISK by identifying a funding gap that exists that would significantly impair the applicant’s ability to attract the anticipated jobs if Golden LEAF does not make a grant for the project.

Examples of other factors that may be considered to determine whether a project is AT RISK without Golden LEAF support include:

• Evidence of urgency for financial assistance necessary to facilitate job creation;
• Whether local governments have provided support for the project at levels that are appropriate in light of available resources. (Golden LEAF funds will not be available to satisfy shortfalls resulting from local policies limiting local support for a project.); and
• Whether the applicant has secured or attempted to secure funding for the project from other sources such as the State of North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, EDA, ARC, and others.

Proposals for Economic Catalyst grants should be coordinated with the other economic development entities, including:

• North Carolina Department of Commerce
• The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
• Local and regional economic development organizations

Grants are available only for projects that include a specific company’s commitment to create full-time jobs in NC. Full-time jobs are defined as jobs that provide 1,600 hours or more per year of work. Companies must provide at least 50% of the cost of employee-only health insurance for full-time employees.

The Golden LEAF Foundation will consider at least the following factors when determining whether to fund a project and at what level:

• The economic distress of the community in which the jobs would be created
• The number of jobs to be created
• The quality of jobs to be created, measured by factors including wages paid and skill levels involved

The EPA has selected Research Triangle Institute to serve as a pass-through entity for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (EJ TCGM) to address environmental justice and public health issues in underserved communities. They will provide subgrants to community-based nonprofits and other eligible subrecipients for assessment, planning, and project development activities. They will alleviate much of the burden that the federal grants process places on small, resource-constrained community-based organizations supporting underserved communities and marginalized populations.

Frequently Asked Questions: FAQ

Dates to Submit for Funding:

• April 30, 2025
• July 31, 2025
• October 31, 2025 (Last date for 2-year projects)
• January 31, 2026
• April 30, 2026
• July 31, 2026
• October 31, 2026 (Last date for 1-year projects)
• January 31, 2027
• April 30, 2027 (Last date for 6-month projects)

Match: No

Program Fact Sheet: One-pager

**Staff recommends beginning the inquiry process at least 90 days before an application deadline** Read "How to Apply"

Areas of Focus:

• Human Services
• Higher Education
• Healthcare
• Community

Step 1: For new and returning organizations, please login to your account. You will first be prompted to update or add organization background. Next, you will then complete a brief Inquiry Form.

Step 2: Once the completed Inquiry Form is submitted, you will receive another email within 30 days to let you know the inquiry is being reviewed. Once the review is complete, your Program Officer will reach out to schedule a call to discuss the project. During the call, staff will discuss the project need, timeline, other identified funding sources and expected outcomes.

Step 3: If eligible, the application link will become available once you have spoken to a program officer.

Step 4: Submit application and all required documents. Application deadlines occur in March, June, September and December.

**Notification of grant decisions will be sent to the applicant and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director or President within 6 months from application submission.