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Rural Hope

Six North Carolina partners are joining forces to announce $6.5 million in available
funding to support the third year of the Rural Hope initiative. Rural Hope is
designed to spur economic activity and job creation in the health care sector while
improving the availability and quality of health care services in rural communities.

Under the initiative, grants and loans will assist in the construction and renovation of
new or existing health care facilities and the purchase of new equipment for existing or
new health care facilities.

The Golden LEAF Foundation, North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center,
USDA Rural Development and the Appalachian Regional Commission will provide
grants and loans for rural health care projects. Other key partners include the Kate B.
Reynolds Charitable Trust and the North Carolina Office of Rural Health and Community
Care.

In September of 2009, the governor joined the Rural Center, Golden LEAF and the
Health and Wellness Trust Fund in announcing creation of the Rural Hope initiative.
During the first two years, the partners awarded $10 million to 67 projects across
the state, resulting in 803 new jobs and leveraging a total of $224 million in private
and public funds.

To read more about Rural Hope and the roles each funding partner has, click here.

The Golden LEAF Foundation's Role in Rural Hope

Purpose: The Golden LEAF Foundation, as a funder in Rural Hope, is committed to using the funds entrusted to it for projects in the health care industry that show the most potential for strengthening North Carolina’s long-term economy, especially in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities.

Special emphasis will be placed on projects that create jobs in these communities. Golden LEAF’s participation in Rural Hope will support construction and/or renovation of health care facilities and/or the purchase of equipment for those facilities.

Description: Rural Hope grants will help support the growth, development and sustainability of governmental or 501(c)(3) health care facilities by helping bridge gaps in funding for new construction, renovation of existing facilities or equipment. These facilities may include – but are not limited to – hospitals, urgent care centers and rural health clinics. Projects identified as most competitive will:

• Leverage other funds
• Result in permanent, full-time job creation
• Serve populations in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed (Tier 1 or Tier 2) and/or rural communities
• Serve unmet needs that are clearly identified in the community
• Contribute to the long-term sustainability of the health care facility
  

The Foundation's board of directors has sole authority to award grants from Golden LEAF resources. Golden LEAF will identify promising applications from the pre-applications submitted to the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center.

Who is eligible: Eligible applicants are governmental and 501(c)(3) nonprofit health care entities. Priority will be given to applicants in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities.

For more information: Contact Terri Bryant Adou-Dy, program officer, at (252) 442-7474 or (888) 684-8404 (toll-free) or by e-mail at tbryant@goldenleaf.org.

Procedures for Rural Hope
Application Process
Partners in the Rural Hope Funding Collaborative have adopted a cooperative application process.

The process involves two steps. The first is submission of a pre-application. All pre-applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, November 7. The pre-application form can be downloaded from the Rural Center’s website www.ncruralcenter.org or by clicking here.

One original and five copies of the pre-application should be submitted by mail or by hand-delivery to Rural Hope, c/o N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, 4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610. Applicants may submit supplemental information or letters of support. The pre-application, however, must be complete and stand on its own.

The second step will begin when members of the Rural Hope Funding Collaborative meet and review all complete pre-applications. Based on this review, competitive applicants will be invited to submit a complete application. If you are invited to submit a complete application, you will be notified no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21. Final award determinations will be made in February of 2012.

Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are limited to governmental entities (municipalities or counties) and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations. Private health providers and for-profit facilities wishing to apply must partner with a governmental unit in order to submit a pre-application.

What are eligible uses of grant dollars?
Grants may be used to assist in the construction or renovation of new or existing health care facilities or for the purchase of new equipment.

What are eligible health care facilities?
Eligible health care facilities include – but are not limited to – hospitals, urgent care centers, community health centers, hospices, elder care facilities, public health departments, free clinics, and offices of physicians, dentists, vision care specialists and mental health care providers.

What are the primary criteria used in evaluating the pre-applications?
Priority will be given to projects that:

• significantly leverage other funds (for example, projects that show at least a $1 leverage for every $1 in Rural Hope grant will be more competitive than projects demonstrating less leverage)
• result in the creation of new full-time jobs
• serve populations in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed (Tier 1 and Tier 2) and/or rural communities
• fill unmet needs clearly identified in the community
• contribute to the long-term sustainability of a health care facility
  

How much money is available?
A total of $6.5 million will be available for the third year of the Rural Hope Initiative. The maximum amount that is likely to be awarded to any project is $500,000. The average grant, however, is likely to be much lower. In the earlier round of Rural Hope grants, the average grant award was $170,000.

Program contacts for more information:

• Golden LEAF Foundation
  Terri Bryant Adou-Dy
  888-684-8404
  tbryant@goldenleaf.org
• N.C. Rural Center
  Melody Adams
  919-250-4314
  madams@ncruralcenter.org
• ARC
  Olivia Collier
  919-571-4900
  ocollier@nccommerce.org
• USDA Rural Development
  Jennifer W. Sass
  919-873-2070
  jennifer.sass@nc.usda.gov
  

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