North Carolina Business and Commerce Grants

This grant provides financial support and mentorship to early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs in the Midwest who are developing innovative solutions to promote economic growth and environmental sustainability.

This program provides financial assistance to local governments in North Carolina for restoring critical public infrastructure to support small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.

This funding initiative provides financial support to local communities in the Appalachian Region for projects that enhance critical infrastructure and promote business and workforce development.

This grant provides funding to individuals and organizations in North Carolina to create and support diverse entrepreneurial programs and events that foster community engagement and collaboration.

This funding opportunity supports local organizations in enhancing digital literacy and broadband access to drive economic growth and improve community quality of life.

This initiative provides funding to support large-scale economic development projects across the Appalachian region, focusing on workforce development, business growth, infrastructure improvements, and community capacity building.

This program provides financial support to individual family farmers and community organizations in North Carolina for projects that enhance agricultural operations and promote local farming initiatives.

Beyond Open is a competitive small business grant program focused on enhancing economic mobility within Charlotte's Corridors of Opportunity. It aims to support diverse-owned small businesses, including those owned by minorities, women, veterans, LGBTQ individuals, and persons with disabilities. The grant can be used for capital assets such as equipment, technology, inventory, and real estate, and does not require repayment. Administered by FFTC Partners For Empowering Communities, a supporting organization of the Foundation For The Carolinas, and funded by the Wells Fargo Open for Business Fund, Beyond Open has awarded over $10 million in grants to nearly 300 small businesses during its first two rounds. The third round will distribute approximately $5 million in grants. The program aims to retain jobs, encourage job growth, and inspire new entrepreneurial endeavors in areas with low economic mobility and among historically underrepresented groups. It also seeks to create opportunities for small businesses to provide goods or services in affluent areas where minority business owners have been under-represented.

The Orange County Business Investment Grant Program in North Carolina is seeking applications to provide financial support ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to stimulate non-farm business development and expansion within the county, with eligibility criteria including the business's physical location, operational duration, tax status, and connection with business counseling services.

This program provides financial support to non-farm businesses in Orange County, particularly those owned by women and BIPOC, to help them grow, hire staff, and make a positive economic impact.

This grant provides funding to governmental entities and nonprofit organizations in North Carolina for projects that promote economic development, job creation, and workforce training, particularly in rural and tobacco-dependent communities.

The Bernalillo County Neighborhood Grant Program aims to strengthen neighborhoods and enhance the quality of life within Bernalillo County by supporting neighborhood associations and other community groups. This program is rooted in the belief that strong neighborhoods and active residents are vital to the county's uniqueness and well-being. The grant is designed to assist these groups in their ongoing participation and outreach efforts to their members and all residents of Bernalillo County. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are individual, recognized Neighborhood Associations within Bernalillo County or the City of Albuquerque. The program seeks to empower these associations to initiate, plan, and implement projects that directly impact their neighbors and community members. The overarching impact goal is to foster self-help initiatives that provide positive, public benefits to all residents, thereby strengthening community bonds and enhancing local quality of life. Key priorities and focuses for this grant include projects performed within Bernalillo County, including areas within city limits, and initiatives that offer a positive, public benefit to all residents. Projects must be free and open to all residents within neighborhood association boundaries. A strong emphasis is placed on self-help, encouraging projects that are conceived, planned, and executed by the community members who will ultimately benefit. Furthermore, successful applications are expected to include community match resources, demonstrating a commitment from the neighborhood itself. Expected outcomes include a more engaged and active citizenry, an increase in community-led projects that address local needs, and a general enhancement of the quality of life across Bernalillo County. While specific measurable results like the number of participants or projects are implied by the nature of the grant (up to $5,000 per association per grant period), the program fundamentally seeks to foster community resilience and collective action. The grant’s theory of change posits that by investing in neighborhood-led initiatives, Bernalillo County can cultivate a more vibrant, connected, and self-reliant community.

The Pat Sanford Animal Welfare Grant, offered by Orange County Animal Services in North Carolina, provides up to $500 for individuals, groups, or organizations to fund animal welfare initiatives in Orange County, honoring the legacy of former Animal Protection Society Executive Director, Pat Sanford.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local governments, recycling businesses, nonprofits, multifamily property owners, public housing authorities, and colleges for developing or improving recycling programs in multifamily residences across North Carolina.

This program provides financial assistance to small businesses in Raleigh for improving the exteriors of their commercial buildings, enhancing the visual appeal of the community.

This program provides financial support to established small businesses in downtown North Wilkesboro and Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to enhance their operations through equipment upgrades, physical space improvements, and e-commerce development.

This grant provides funding to recycling businesses and nonprofit organizations in North Carolina to enhance their capacity and efficiency in diverting materials from the waste stream and creating jobs.

The Colorado Media Project and Local Media Association have partnered to bring the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding to Colorado newsrooms. This program is designed to provide in-depth training and coaching to help local news organizations develop journalism projects that address community priorities and can be funded through philanthropy. The initiative aligns with a broader goal of strengthening local journalism and supporting news organizations in their fundraising efforts, building on the success of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding which has helped over 100 U.S. news organizations raise more than $22 million since 2020. This collaborative effort, supported by the Google News Initiative, underscores a strategic priority to foster sustainable local news ecosystems through philanthropic support. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are community-based, locally controlled Colorado news organizations that produce original, local news at least weekly. Priority is given to newsrooms with philanthropic giving programs less than five years old, or those with new staff who could benefit from this training. Local news partnerships or coalitions are also encouraged to apply, especially if they have a joint initiative seeking philanthropic funding. The impact goal is to equip these newsrooms with the skills and resources to secure philanthropic funding for local journalism projects that are responsive to community needs, thereby enhancing the quality and sustainability of local news in Colorado. The program's priorities and focuses include setting fundraising goals aligned with market size, developing prospect lists, creating pitch decks and campaign materials, and facilitating meetings with funders. Participants will also engage in the end-of-year #newsCOneeds fundraising campaign. Preference will be given to organizations with strong local leadership and community ties, a focus on high-quality local journalism, leadership-level buy-in, an organizational commitment of staff time and resources, and a value for staff and leadership diversity. These criteria highlight a strategic focus on building capacity within newsrooms that are deeply embedded in their communities and committed to journalistic excellence. Expected outcomes include newsrooms setting and working towards specific fundraising goals, developing robust fundraising strategies and materials, and actively engaging with funders. Measurable results will likely include the amount of philanthropic funding raised by participating newsrooms, the number of new donor relationships established, and the successful execution of fundraising campaigns. The program also aims to contribute best practices and lessons learned through case studies and an industry playbook, fostering a collective learning environment and promoting a theory of change where targeted training and support lead to increased philanthropic investment in local journalism, ultimately strengthening civic engagement and informed communities.

This grant provides financial support to women in Western North Carolina who are starting or advancing careers in the food, beverage, agriculture, and hospitality industries, particularly those affected by Hurricane Helene.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is seeking proposals for its Southeast Aquatics Fund to voluntarily conserve aquatic habitats in the southeastern United States and Texas. This grant program directly aligns with NFWF's mission to sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, and plants. The fund's priorities are informed by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, adopted in 2018 and updated in 2023, which aims to conserve the extraordinary biodiversity across the Southeast. The primary target beneficiaries of this program are aquatic ecosystems and the diverse array of species that inhabit them, particularly those identified as focal species in the Conasauga River (GA) and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. These include various endemic and native fishes like the Alabama shiner, banded sculpin, blue shiner, and trispot darter. The impact goal is to advance specific goals and objectives of the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan and other relevant conservation plans, ultimately leading to healthier aquatic habitats. The program prioritizes work in northern Alabama and Georgia due to measurement and monitoring constraints, with funding available for a wide range of activities in the Conasauga River (GA) and Locust Fork and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. Projects benefiting the focal species in these areas will receive priority. The strategic priorities of the NFWF, as evidenced by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, emphasize a suite of aquatic species as indicators of healthy aquatic habitats in prioritized watersheds, reflecting a theory of change that by protecting these indicator species, the broader ecosystem health will improve. Expected outcomes include the conservation of aquatic habitat, the advancement of specific goals outlined in the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, and positive impacts on focal species populations. While not explicitly detailed as "measurable results" in the provided text, the focus on indicator species suggests that the health and population trends of these species would serve as key metrics for success. Projects are anticipated to have a completion time of 24–36 months, with grant awards ranging from $150,000 to $500,000 from approximately $8.45 million available in 2024.