Regional Leadership and Capacity Building Initiative

Organization:

Rural Economic Development Center, Inc.

Amount:

$125,483.02

Program Area:

Open Grants Program

County of Applicant:

Wake

Year:

2020

Description:

This grant provides funding to the Rural Economic Development Center to provide leadership and capacity-building outreach in the Western Prosperity Zone in advance of Golden LEAF’s launching its Community-Based Grants Initiative there in 2021. The Rural Center has previously engaged in similar efforts in the Northeast Prosperity Zone in 2018- 2019, the Sandhills Prosperity Zone in 2019-2020, and in the Northwest Prosperity Zone (2020-2021). The primary goal of the program is to ensure that participating counties have an increased readiness to pursue economic development funding opportunities, particularly Golden LEAF’s. The Rural Center will work within the region with county managers, Council of Government staff, community college and university staff, economic development partners, and other key stakeholders to equip them with the knowledge and tools to understand comprehensive rural economic development. The project will review regional and local strategic plans to inform project ideas and ensure that new projects are supporting a broader vision for the community and region. The Rural Center will also provide coaching to the communities, meeting at least once a month, in person if possible and remotely if necessary, with each team in the region and guiding the teams through an exploration of a variety of state and national best practice models, drawing on sources of innovation from other rural communities around the country.

Contact:

Mrs. Olaunda Green4021 Carya Dr.Raleigh, North Carolina 27610(919) 250-4314

Areas Served:

Buncombe/Cherokee/Clay/Graham/Haywood/Henderson/Jackson/Macon/Madison/Polk/Rutherford/Swain/Transylvania

Any project more than a couple of years old may not reflect current Board priorities.
Please contact a staff member with any questions.