The Hometown Strong Rural Grants Program: Empowering Northeastern North Carolina
The grants team is making their way to communities across the state. This month, team members attended the Thriving Communities Convening in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. The Center for Energy Education (C4EE), a nonprofit organization in Halifax County focused on renewable energy research, industry innovation, and workforce development hosted the convening with more than 180 attendees.
The event aimed to connect community organizations with state and local agencies and elected officials and to spur conversations on clarifying investments that can benefit communities across one or more of the following seven areas: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water and wastewater infrastructure.
Amanda Murphy from the Rural Grants team presented to the audience how the team can support their rural community. "Our Rural Grants team program is unique in that each community we work with receives a funding research brief detailing the federal, state, and private funds they are eligible for as well as a narrative to use in future grant applications. We have done specific research on all types of funds to support whatever grants you are eligible to go after. Our team is not tied to one specific funding source; we can write any federal grant, and our team has identified more than 150 grant opportunities from several federal agencies such as the Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Energy, and USDA Rural Development," Ms. Murphy told the audience.
In addition to the presentation from Ms. Murphy, fellow staff member Mariah Matheson provided one-on-one grant consultation services with attendees to discuss how to prepare for applying for federal grants.
"Many rural communities know funding exists but don't have the internal capacity to apply for a grant. We spoke to community members about how starting with a small local grant can help their organization build its grant management knowledge so it can eventually apply for larger grants," said Ms. Matheson, a grants specialist with the Hometown Strong Team.
Members of the Rural Grants Team also joined representatives from NC Departments of Environmental Quality, Transportation, Health and Human Services, Commerce, Administration, and others at a Hometown Strong Field Visit in Wilson County. The group met with representatives from various departments of the County, from towns like Stantonsburg, Elm City, and Sims, and with local nonprofits. The group visited many sites during the visit, observing innovative program and service delivery models, and unique and creative community amenities, and meeting with enthusiastic and driven community members. The group also shared the challenges faced when providing essential services to the community, including funding and staff capacity. The RGT and Hometown Strong provided recommendations for potential funding opportunities including connecting the local communities with possible partners and funders, researching grants that align with community goals, and suggesting a variety of funding streams for projects and capacity building. The RGT looks forward to continuing to work with the communities directly to support their grant research, writing, and administration.
For more information on how the Rural Grants team can support your community, read about us on our website: https://hometownstrong.nc.gov/grants
Spring grant writing availability
The Rural Grants team is available to help with grant writing or technical assistance (reviews, recommendations, and best practices) for applications due in April or May if your agency needs support. We recommend that these projects be shovel-ready and that your agency has already completed the required preliminary planning. If your organization needs help writing or polishing a spring cycle application, please get in touch with Ashley Traynum-Carson , Senior Grants Specialist.
Our Work
The Rural Grants Team is already hard at work - here’s a snapshot of what the team has accomplished in 2024.
Meet the Rural Grants Team
Last month we introduced you to Emily Adair, Mariah Matheson, and Ashley Traynum-Carson. This month we invite you to meet the rest of the Rural Grants Team.
| Sarah Henricks, Grants Specialist Sarah began her career in the biotech field, where she worked for more than a decade before pursuing her Master of Public Administration from UNC Chapel Hill. She initiated an equity-focused prioritization plan for a $1M bond for the City of Raleigh Parks and Greenways system before moving to San Francisco in 2016. While in the Bay Area, Sarah worked as an analyst for local agencies in multiple departments. She focused on policy development; program development, implementation, and evaluation; operational efficiencies; contract negotiations; budget management; environmental sustainability; and strategic planning and decision-making. Now back in NC, Sarah looks forward to sharing her knowledge and experience with local communities, where she lives. |
| Amanda Murphy, Grants Specialist Amanda Murphy has led marketing and communications for more than 15 years, in multiple capacities. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan Flagler Business School with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a concentration in marketing. From there she went on to obtain her master's degree in international studies as part of the political science degree program at NC State University. Amanda possesses excellent communication skills, which allow her to build relationships and collaborate to meet common goals. She is an expert in communications, marketing, grant writing, budgeting, and strategy, which is proven in her history of leading a team in projects with high return on investments. |
| Matt Schuneman, Grants Specialist Matt joins Hometown Strong with nearly a decade of experience in inclusive economic development consulting. For much of that time, Matt held multiple roles at RW Ventures, LLC, a Chicago-based consulting firm addressing wealth and income inequality through market-based economic development strategies. Working with and for government and foundation partners in Chicago and around the country, Matt provided services in project management, fundraising, grants management and compliance, data analysis, and qualitative research. Prior to that, Matt worked at MAXIMUS Consulting, providing cost accounting and cost recovery services to city and county government clients. He holds a Master of Public Policy and a bachelor's in political science, both from Duke University, and currently resides in Durham, NC. |
Community Stories
The rural grants team has spoken to more than 100 communities in the past two months, and we've heard inspiring stories of how people across the rural areas of our state are responding to local challenges.
Public Safety: A small NC town has outgrown its volunteer-model fire department and plans to transition to a career department to meet its fire prevention and protection needs. In addition to seeking funds to ease this transition, the town needs assistance in renovating or building a new fire station to accommodate the increase in staffing and the need for living quarters for full-time firefighters.
Water Infrastructure: A small town in NC is working with a partner to develop 300 acres for a multi-use site. The site would include industrial, recreational, residential, and commercial uses; however, the project requires funding to bring water, sewer infrastructure, and an access road to the site. Excitingly, a developer is already committed to the project and is developing plans for the site that will begin after an access road has been created.
Access to food: A nonprofit in a Tier 2 county aims to change the narrative on how underserved and low-income communities view food and access to food. They intentionally choose to work with rural farmers within a 250-mile radius to build infrastructure to help them get local contracts. They also offer grants to help farmers acquire land for long-lasting, sustainable impact. Their existing business has outgrown their space, and they need help through grant funding to construct the new facility, with the potential to increase the number of employees by 350%.
DEQ Accepting Public Comment on Draft Proposed Changes to Priority Rating Systems for Water and Wastewater Funding
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Infrastructure is accepting comments until April 1, 2024, on several draft proposed changes to the Priority Rating Systems (PRSs) for the funding programs listed below. The Priority Rating Systems address administration of water and wastewater infrastructure funding. To learn more about these changes visit, www.deq.nc.gov.
Upcoming Events
The Environmental Protection Agency, through its groundbreaking Community Change Grants Program, is hosting several webinars during the month of March.
Preparing a Grant Budget
3pm ET on Tuesday, March 19th, 2024
Topics: Budget Categories, Indirect Costs, Allowable Expenses
Master the art of budgeting for grants in this detailed Community Change Technical Assistance Program (CCTA) webinar. EnDyna Inc., along with members of the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights team, will cover budget categories, indirect costs, and allowable expenses, providing you with the tools to create an effective grant budget.
Webinars happen every Tuesday from 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern time; click here for more information.
Dogwood Health Trust’s Next-Level Funding Webinar Series is designed to help organizations of all size understand the ins and outs of applying for larger grants from government and private sources, and up their game for creating winning proposals.
Government Grant Development for Education: An Overview
12pm ET on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024
This session explores the government grant funding landscape for Dogwood’s strategic priority of education. Current federal funding investments include programs centered around academic excellence, early childhood education, career-connected learning, educational pathways, safe schools, inclusive excellence and significant challenges such as the educator shortage and student mental health. This session aims to support participants in developing winning education proposals for government grant opportunities.
Webinars happen every month; click here to register, browse past webinars, and find more information.
Resources
Brownfields
Are you researching brownfields and whether there are other sites nearby? The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has created a brownfield community mapping tool. Visit DEQ mapping for more information.
Water
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) program aims to assist communities with federal funding applications. Projects may include building quality water infrastructure and reliable water services in partnership with drinking water, wastewater, stormwater utilities, and local government. After reviewing each submission, EPA or a technical assistance provider will respond with potential next steps. Response times may vary depending on the volume and types of requests we receive.
Complete the form to request WaterTA service.
Let’s Chat
If you're interested in working with our team on a specific grant or getting support with funding and financing research for your community, visit us online and fill out our intake form. Staff will respond within 72 hours to schedule a time to meet with your team and discuss your project(s).
Thanks for staying in touch with us!
The Rural Grants Team
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
116 West Jones Street, 20320 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699